HOLISTIC MEDICINE
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine at a glanceTraditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete system of medicine developed to prevent and treat disease. Its roots are in writings and practices developed over thousands of years. TCM uses acupuncture, herbs and other natural substances, acupressure, food therapy, meditation and exercise to treat disease and maintain health. The Chinese medical view is that each living creature is a small part of the infinite universe, and is subject to the same laws that govern the rest of the cosmos. Therefore, an understanding of health requires an understanding of the laws of nature. The practitioner views health as a state of harmony existing between the internal environment of the body and the external environment it lives in. Unfavorable climactic conditions, emotional upset, physical trauma, infectious organisms, poor nutrition, inappropriate lifestyle, heredity, and other pathogenic factors are capable of disrupting this state of harmony.
TCM developed a metaphoric or schematic model for how the internal body operates that incorporated the same principles of balance and harmony that govern the ecology of the natural world. Health and disease are viewed simply as two different self-perpetuating cycles, both of which are resistant to change. Organ interactions are the stepping stones in each cycle. When they are mutually supportive, the spinning of the cycle allows the organism to throw off illness. When they are mutually antagonistic, the spinning of the cycle makes the organism resistant to all but therapies that directly address the stepping stones in the cycle of disease. From the TCM perspective, chronic disease is not chaos, but a highly stable state, which explains why it is so difficult to resolve.
Chinese medical diagnosticians take a comprehensive history and perform a detailed physical examination to understand what metaphoric mechanism can best explain all that has happened or is currently going on with a patient. This dynamic is then treated, usually using acupuncture, herbs, or diet.
Traditional Chinese Medicine in veterinary medicine
TCM has been used in Eastern cultures to treat humans for thousands of years, and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) has used the same concepts and methods of diagnosis and treatment to treat animals for a similar period of time. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association consider the practice of herbal therapy and acupuncture to be the practice of veterinary medicine. It can only be practiced by a licensed veterinarian or under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
Species receiving acupuncture
TCM is regularly practiced on all species of domesticated animals.
Treating conditions
TCM can be used to treat almost any disorder except those that absolutely require surgery. Acupuncture can be useful to achieve sedation or anesthesia in patients, thus reducing the need for anesthetic agents in some surgical procedures. Typical conditions that can be successfully treated with TCM include inflammatory bowel disease, hormonal disorders, epilepsy, allergies, cancer, kidney and liver failure, behavioral problems, and chronic lameness, just to name a few.
Combining Traditional Chinese Medicine with other treatments
As a complete and well-developed system of medicine, TCM is highly effective as the sole form of treatment for most conditions except those requiring surgery, and is used that way by skilled practitioners. While it is possible and even common practice to combine TCM with other treatment modalities, inappropriate combinations with some types of medicine may cause side effects. TCM practitioners have the knowledge and skill to understand the interactions between different forms of treatment and to interpret the patient’s response to therapy. If your pet is receiving treatment from a practitioner other than your regular veterinarian, it is imperative that both individuals are kept updated about the ongoing treatment in order to provide coordinated care of your pet, to allow proper evaluation of treatment and to minimize avoidable interactions.
The benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine
TCM should be viewed as a source of inspiration, not as a competitor to conventional medicine. Whereas a response to a particular drug may not imply the appropriateness of any preventive measures, a response to an herbal formula or acupuncture treatment frequently suggests that a particular diet might be helpful. Lifestyle measures that have the same metaphoric impact can be introduced, resulting in continued improvements and stability after acupuncture, herbs, and even drugs are withdrawn.
TCM is very successful in the hands of the appropriately trained practitioner. The success of the treatment of chronic conditions will vary according to the age of the patient, prior treatment history, degree of pathology and commitment to incorporating all facets of TCM into the patient’s lifestyle.
A safe treatment
When used by properly trained practitioners, TCM is safe and adverse reactions are uncommon. If administered incorrectly, therapies can worsen conditions rather than improving them. Caution should be used if the patient is pregnant or has serious illness.
The cost
Comprehensive TCM treatment involves a thorough history taking and physical examination, followed by a patient assessment and formulation of a treatment plan. It rarely involves a single visit, and costs will vary according to the specific condition being treated, the need for acupuncture or traditional medicines and the response of the patient. In some cases, use of TCM in the treatment of chronic disease may result in considerable savings compared to the costs of conventional treatments.
For more information
Visit the Alternative Veterinary Medicine website at www.altvetmed.com
This client information sheet is based on material written by Steve Marsden, DVM ND MSOM LAc DiplCH AHG; Shawn Messonnier, DVM; and Cheryl Yuill, DVM, MSc, CVH (http://www.petcarenaturally.com/). © Copyright 2004 Lifelearn Inc. Used with permission under license. April 3, 2007.