Acupuncture is an exceptional way to relieve your horse of many problems and maintain overall well being. Does your horse suffer from any of the following:

  • allergies
  • lameness
  • behavioral issues
  • chronic eye problems
  • chronic respiratory problems
  • sensitivity medications

Dr. Cimetti using acupuncture on “Ben” for chronic back pain

Acupuncture is used to enhance the horses overall well being

OTHER PHYSIOLOGIC EFFECTS OF ACUPUNCTURE

In addition to pain management, acupuncture can be used to induce the following physiologic effects to aid in management of various conditions:

  • Regulate gastro-intestinal motility (colic, diarrhea, impaction)
  • Anti-inflammatory effect
  • Regulate the immune system (boost immunity, autoimmune diseases, anemia)
  • Regulate hormones and reproductive cycles
  • Promote microcirculation
  • Control fever

Example of an acupuncture needle inside the horse’s hind leg

Example of an acupuncture needle in the horse’s back

ACUPUNCTURE TO MANAGE SPECIFIC CONDITIONS

  • Musculoskeletal conditions: cervical stiffness/neck pain, back pain, muscle soreness, degenerative joint disease (DJD), joint inflammation secondary to trauma or other acute condition, osteoarthritis
  • Neurological disorders: seizures, laryngeal hemiplegia, EPM, wobblers syndrome, facial and radial nerve paralysis, suprascapular nerve damage (“Sweeney”)
  • Gastrointestinal disorders: colic pain, acute or chronic diarrhea, gastric ulceration, impaction, gas cramping
  • Respiratory conditions: cough, phlegm, allergies, inflammatory airway disease (IAD/RAO), COPD (heaves), acute respiratory conditions that cause cough and/or fever,
  • Reproductive conditions: Ovulation induction, endometrial fluid accumulation, infertility, “mare-ish” syndromes
  • Ophthalmic conditions: Acute or chronic corneal ulceration, conjunctivitis, acute or chronic uveitis, glaucoma.
  • Metabolic problems: Cushing’s disease, insulin resistance, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism
  • Behavior issues
  • Anhidrosis: “non sweating”
  • Geriatric weakness: improves overall strength and general well being!
  • Renal failure
  • Skin problems: Hives, dermatitis, non healing wounds
  • Performance enhancement: management of minor injuries associated with training or showing, muscle soreness, mild tendinitis, foot pain, etc.
  • General well being and prevention of disease

“Willie” is receiving acupuncture therapy for chronic eye pain

Dr. Cimetti treating “Sam”, one of our geriatric patients.

ACUPUNCTURE IS SAFE

Your horse’s tongue and pulses are also evaluated as part of the exam.

Acupuncture is a very safe medical procedure when performed by a qualified practitioner. 95% of patients are very comfortable with acupuncture therapy and do not require sedation. The goal is to make it a good experience for you and your horse. Each session includes a diagnostic “scan”, a pattern diagnosis (bian zheng) and a treatment lasting from 20-60 minutes. The “scan” involves evaluating your horse’s sensitivity to palpation of certain acupuncture points to identify subtle issues or potential problems. Sensitivity to a particular point or set of points is consistently correlated to specific underlying imbalances, musculoskeletal or medical issues.

The nature, duration and severity of the condition will determine which technique is employed and how many treatments are needed to clear the stagnation or pathogen and restore balance and function to the body. A single treatment may be enough to treat an acute or mild condition. Commonly, a minimum of 3 treatments (up to 10) are recommended to clear longer standing problems. The frequency of treatments is established at the first visit. Initial treatments may be as close as a couple of days to a couple of weeks apart, with longer intervals between subsequent treatments. Often maintenance treatments may be as few as 2-4 times yearly.

HERBAL SUPPLEMENTATION

Chinese herbal medicine plays an important role in the medical health care in China. There are a number of clinical studies that support the use of Chinese herbal medicines in treating a variety of medical disorders including gastrointestinal, respiratory, endocrinological, dermatological and cardiovascular problems. Often an herbal medicine is recommended to support the acupuncture therapy and may improve overall results of the acupuncture therapy. Herbal supplementation may be thought of as daily “mini acupuncture treatments”. In rare instances where a horse is so stagnant that they are too sensitive to treat with needles, an herbal may be prescribed for 1-2 weeks prior to the initial acupuncture treatment. Herbal medicines are also very effective at treating horses with phobias or behavioral problems.

Typical cost:

Please contact our office for pricing information:

781-585-2611, [email protected], or click here

 

For additional information about equine acupuncture click here.