WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE

I thought I would take a little time and explain Acupuncture.

 Acupuncture is an ancient art that was developed thousands of years ago in the Orient.  Acupuncture uses the examination of the whole patient to identify patterns within specific organ systems that allow disease to develop.  Once a pattern is identified, treatment to balance the system and return it to health is applied at localized points along channels that run throughout the patient, connecting the multiple systems together.  These points are called acupuncture points and are located on meridians or channels of energy, blood and nutrient flow throughout the body.  Treatment of these points improves the flow of these substances throughout the body, allowing it to fight off the infection, heal the injury or correct the imbalance or disease state within it.

 While western medicine was developed through dissection (looking and seeing) and laboratory studies; the eastern art of acupuncture was developed through identifying associations between related systems, symptoms and treatments.  The eastern belief system shied away from dissection and instead used the massive human resource in the orient.  In an attempt to identify the best treatment for a condition the emperor was suffering from, they would gather people with the same condition and treat each one based upon the patterns identified and associations made.  The treatments that resulted in the best outcomes were then used to treat the emperor, and added to the system, symptom, and treatment associations. 

While many eastern and western medical terms are the same, their meaning is different.  For example, the western medical term kidney refers to the actual organ and its function in liquid waste removal.  In acupuncture terms, the kidney refers to the system that handles waste fluid elimination, and also bone and marrow health, congenital health, hearing, brain activity and long body hair (the mane and tail).  In addition, the kidney system is prone to developing specific problems within the patient such as arthritis, back problems, and congenital malformations.  On top of that, these conditions will often surface when the system is over worked or stressed by cold conditions such as winter.  These associations have been studied empirically and refined for thousands of years and the patterns within the organ systems and between them do correlate with disease processes and proper treatment choices can be reliably based upon them.   

Only recently has research started to provide the physiological reasons for the success of acupuncture.  Acupuncture points are often located in areas with a high density of nerve endings, arterioles, lymphatic vessels and mast cells.  Often times these points are located where the nerve enters a muscle, bifurcates or penetrates a body fascia; has a superficial nerve plexus; are over a neurovascular bundle or is where muscles and tendons join. The points themselves have a high degree of electrical conductivity and low electrical resistance.   Research has also shown that stimulating an acupuncture point provides pain relief by stimulating the release of endogenous opioids, Beta-endorphins, serotonin, and norepinephrine.  It also regulates the immune system by raising the white blood cell, T cell, and interleukin-2 levels, as well as decreasing inflammation.  As research continues to reveal the physiological actions of stimulating acupuncture points, more information will be discovered to explain the mechanisms of acupunctures success. 

 Acupuncture is helpful for painful conditions such as lameness’s, arthritis, navicular disease, laminitis, etc.  It also helps immune system conditions such as allergies, hives, insect hypersensitivity and heaves.  Reproductive problems with uterine clearance and endometritis also respond well to acupuncture. Cycle regulation and infertility, both male and female also respond, although they are not related to immune regulation.   Gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea or constipation as well as fevers, swelling and any condition in need of improved circulation will also benefit from acupuncture treatments.  Nerve dysfunction may also be helped, including laryngeal hemiplegia (roaring), wobblers and other ataxic conditions. 

 Although all of the mechanisms of actions are not fully understood, acupuncture is an extremely helpful adjunctive therapy in many conditions.  An acupuncture treatment will involve an evaluation of the patients system and an evaluation of many of the acupuncture points for sensitivity.  A disease pattern will be identified and then specific points will be chosen for treatment.  This may involve placing a needle, injecting B-12 solution, or applying heat or electrical stimulation to the point.  Acupuncture can be used in all animals.  If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment please call the clinic at (585)243-5560.

For want of a hoof...

Dear readers, it’s been a busy spring – I apologize for the lapse in this blog, but foaling emergencies, colics and horses with sore feet sometimes have to take priority.  

Speaking of horses with sore feet… let’s talk about laminitis.  I know, it’s a scary word.  Right up there with colic.  And we’ve had a run of it this year, probably because we’re having such a lush grass bloom after all that rain this spring.  But it’s a confusing syndrome, and one that many horse owners don’t entirely understand.  Don’t worry!  I’ll try to clear things up a bit…

Laminitis is known by a few names, usually “founder” (which comes from the way these horses walk when their feet are very sore) or “fever in the feet” (because the hooves can become quite hot).  To break it down, laminitis means “inflammation of the lamina”.  Great, you say.  What in the world is a “lamina”??  Stay with me…  

The hoof of a horse is comprised of a few layers.  The deepest layer is the coffin bone, or the third phalanx.  Wrapped around the coffin bone is a connective tissue layer called the “sensitive lamina”, and wrapped around that is another connective tissue layer called the “insensitive lamina”.  The insensitive layer is firmly attached to the inside of the hoof wall.  The two layers of lamina – sensitive and insensitive – hold on to each through lots of little projections which “interdigitate”, kind of like Velcro.  So basically, the coffin bone is being held inside the hoof by these Velcro-like attachments of the two layers of lamina.  Kind of crazy, huh?  

When the lamina becomes inflamed, the attachments between the two layers start to loosen.  The deep digital flexor tendon, which attaches at the bottom of the coffin bone, then begins to pull the front (or “toe”) of the coffin bone downward, towards the sole of the hoof.  This creates “rotation” of the coffin bone within the hoof capsule.  The other type of “movement” that can be caused by this loosening of the lamina is “sinking” of the bony column.  This means that the whole coffin bone (and everything above it) sinks down into the hoof.  Both types of movement can happen in the same horse, often at the same time.  We can measure both rotation and sinking on radiographs.  

The signs of laminitis are hoof soreness (usually in both front feet or all 4 feet at once), elevated digital pulses, warm/hot feet, reluctance to move, rocking back on the haunches (to reduce weight on the toes), and shifting weight from side to side (in the front limbs).  If you notice these signs in your horse, you need to call a veterinarian immediately.  

But why, oh why does this happen?  There are many, many, causes which have been linked to laminitis.  Concussion (“road founder”) is the easiest to understand – riding for long stretches at high speeds over hard ground can cause concussive trauma to the feet, damaging the lamina.  Similarly, “support limb laminitis” is a familiar story to anyone who followed Barbaro’s case… if one leg cannot withstand full weight bearing, the opposite limb often becomes overloaded, causing laminitis.

But generally there is a “systemic” cause – meaning an insult to the entire body which is manifested in the feet.  The lamina are easily affected by any fever, toxin or metabolic disease…likely because they are such a delicate, intricate system which supports such a huge weight.  This time of year, we get concerned about the horses with metabolic diseases – Cushings, Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Insulin Resistance, etc.  We consider these horses as more prone to laminitis, even if they have never experienced the disease before.  Okay, some of you may have followed me up until this point and are now scratching your heads.  Bear with me, I’ll try to explain.

We tend to think of the lamina as a “stress organ”, meaning, it is easily affected by stress on the body.  In the case of Cushings disease, the body is producing too much stress hormone due to a malfunctioning (overactive) pituitary gland.  Horses with EMS or IR have a high circulating level of glucose and insulin, which can increase stress hormones as well as just causing damage (or “stress”) by themselves.  So in these cases the feet are bathed in a constant low level of “stress”.  This tends to lower the threshold necessary for some other insult to cause laminitis.  For example (and relevant to this time of year), these horses can develop laminitis if they eat too much lush grass out at pasture.  The lush grass, when eaten, releases a lot of simple sugars, which can increase the “stress” on the feet… and tipping the balance in a horse that was already on the edge of developing the syndrome.  

Clear as mud, right?  So what do you do about it?  The most important thing is to prevent the causes of laminitis, and if signs occur, to REMOVE the cause (if known).  In the case of horses with metabolic issues, treating the metabolic disease is often the first step in prevention and/or treatment.  Your veterinarian can help you in the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases/syndromes.  And be aware of when the grass is most lush (sugary) – spring is a common culprit, but fall can also be dangerous, especially when the grass goes through a few “freeze-thaw” cycles.  Grazing muzzles can help decrease the amount of grass your horse can take in.  Some horses with severe metabolic disease cannot tolerate any fresh grass, and must be kept on a “dirt lot” to prevent grazing.  Be aware that some types of hay are more “sugary” than others; alfalfa hay is commonly quite rich, but some very “green” regular grass hay can be very rich as well.  If you’re worried that your hay is too rich for your horse, soaking it in cool water for 30 minutes prior to feeding may leach out some of the simple sugars, making it safer to feed to at-risk horses.

Hopefully I’ve made some sense out of this confusing syndrome!  As always, if you have questions about your particular horse, feel free to call or email us.  

How do I tell if my horse is overweight/underweight (or gaining/losing weight)?

The best way to determine the ideal weight of a horse is to evaluate the Body Condition Score (BCS). Weight tapes are good for measuring trends or estimating weight for a drug dosage, but not for telling how much a horse should weigh. We grade BCS from 1-9, 1 being emaciated, 9 being extremely fat. Ideally, pleasure or show horses should fall around 5 – 6.5 ("racing fit" horses are generally in the 4-5 range). This means the ribs will not be visible, but will be felt easily by pressing through a thin padding of fat. There should be a bit of fat around the tailhead which is a little spongy but not soft or bulging. The withers should appear rounded; a small amount of fat deposited on either side is acceptable. The back should be flat (no ridge), but a slight crease down the middle is acceptable.

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What to expect when you're expecting...

It’s that time of year again. Old man winter’s not through with us yet, but we’re getting a bit of a thaw, the sun is shining, and we can tell that spring is coming. Now, it’s time for foals…

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How cold is too cold?

As we head into February, and the temperatures dip into the negatives, a question we're often asked is: "at what point is it too cold for my horses to be outside?" I don't know about you, but when it hits -12 F, I sure don't want to be outside. My extremities get too cold, the exposed skin on my face starts to burn, my breath freezes instantly. But do our horses experience cold the same way?

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