03/07/2024
โWHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE AND WHY IS IT RELEVANT TO MY HORSEโ
๐ชก .vetacupuncture is strongly focused around the modern, Western approach to acupuncture.
Slightly different from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, Western acupuncture targets each individual animalโs certain areas of discomfort. These tight areas (โTrigger Pointsโ) are similar to what us humans might describe as โknotsโ in our muscles.
๐ฅ Trigger points can be found in all soft tissue, but most commonly affecting muscle and fascia (strong connective tissue that runs in tight bands in certain areas of the body). The clinical relevance of issues within the fascia in particular is becoming increasingly well documented.
๐Studies show that correctly directed acupuncture can stimulate the nervous system, leading to the release of endorphins, anti-inflammatory responses, and blood circulation (please see the end of this post if you fancy reading more of this evidence ๐)
๐ฉโโ๏ธ Over the next few weeks I will be sharing the wide range of applications for equine veterinary acupuncture, from back pain and muscular tightness, to laminitis and wound healing- as well as an aid to maintain peak performance.
๐ If youโre interested in the evidence behind Veterinary acupuncture, this paper highlights some great points:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35095910/
โForty-three studies were included in body fluids, 27 studies in the digestive system, 17 studies in the nervous system, and 30 studies in other tissues or organs.
In this review, we found that acupuncture at ST36 has clinical benefits in relieving inflammation through several mechanisms such as vagus nerve activation, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-ฮบB signaling, macrophage polarization, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathwayโ
๐ Always thankful for any likes, comments and shares on my posts and stories๐
