Acupuncture 

'It matters not whether medicine is old or new, so long as it brings about a cure. 

It matters not whether theories are Eastern or Western, so long as they prove to be true' Jen-Hsou Lin 

Acupuncture dates back to the traditional Chinese medice (TCM) of 4000 years ago which describes patterns of disease in the way they affect all the body systems. This concept is becoming validated in the conventional medicine of today, as the ways in which all the body systems inter-relate is more appreciated. In turn, this awareness encourages us to view our animal patients as a totality and not just as an assembly of many separate functioning parts. 

 

TCM theory describes disease as being a state of imbalance between two opposing poles, denotes as Ying and Yang. The art of acupuncture is to particularise the imbalance accurately so that it can be corrected quite specifically. The treatment is effected with the use of very fine sterile needles at the appropriate acupuncture points. During their time of insertion the needles may be gently rotated or agitated by hand - a procedure which the vast majority of patients seem to tolerate very happily while conscious. Some even find the experience quite soporific and take the chance to have 'forty winks'! 

 

Acupuncture points lie on a system of conduits or channels that carry and distribute vital energy. Each organ is represented by a channel, and disease of a particular organ can be treated by using the acupuncture points on the channel that represents the organ. 

Use of specific acupunture points corrects the flow of 'life energy' (Qi) in the channel and this in turn has an effect on the diseased internal organ. The overall result is to correct the imbalance within the body and thus to heal the disease. 

 

Acupuncture has the potential to be used in many different complaints and is found to be particularly useful in: 

Numbers of treatment sessions required tend to vary between one and five, the intervals between governed by the duration of response to the previous treatment. It is however, possible to assess the quality of response likely to be achieved 3 - 7 days after the first use of the needles. 

 

Please do not hesitate to call the surgery if you require any further information. 

 

Homeopathy 

Homeopathy is a complimetary medicine which stimulates the vitality of the animal, thus encouraging the natural energy of the patient to heal itself. The remedies may be used alone or in conjunction with many orthodox treatment techniques.  

 

Homeopathy derives form the work of Samual Hahnemann, a brilliant nineteenth century doctor who was disgusted with the medicine of his day. Whilst translating a text by the Scottish physician Cullen, Hahnemann came across a the use of a Peruvian bark for the treatment of malaria. This is now known to contain Quinine. He boiled up the bark and drank the fluid for several days, during which time he developed malaria type symptoms. These ceased after stopping the experiement. Knowing that the bark could cure a malaria patient, and induce the same symptoms in a health patient, allowed Hahnemann to proclaim the fundemental tenet of homeopathy 'Similia, Similibus Curentur' - Let like be cured by like. 

 

As it is a non-drug approach, there are no side effects and, as a special bonus to the livestock industry, no milk or meat withdrawal periods. Being a complementary method which works with the body rather than manipulating it, homeopathy has much to offer in the control of disease. This has long been recognised in human medicine and is rapidly gaining acceptance in the veterinary field. The remedies are safe to use and do not have side effects in the way that drugs so often do. 

 

Over two thousand remedies exist: the majority are derived from the plant, mineral and animal kingdoms. Through a process particular to homeopathy a remedy is derived from the parent substance by progressive dilution and agitation (known as potentisation). 

 

The remedies are presented in liquid, powder or tablet form and are believed to contain 'informatin' enabling the vital energy to channel itself in the most effective way in response to a disease picture. The correct remedy is the one whose own symptoms picture most accurately matches that of the patient at the time. For example, in a human a cold may start with watery eyes and a clear nasal discharge. A homeopathic potency of Onion (Allium Cepa) if taken early on can dramatically reduce the course of the infection. 

 

To embark on a course of homeopathic treatment involves an initial examination during which the full symptoms picture is assessed and a remedy matched accordingly. Homeopathy has the potential to be used in many different complaints and is especially useful in the following: 

 

 

Please call the surgery if you require any further information or would like to book an appointment.