Acupuncture treatment for idiopathic Horner's syndrome in a dog

A one-year-old female English Cocker Spaniel dog with idiopathic Horner''s Syndrome is described. The specific clinical signs in this specimen were miosis, ptosis, enophthalmos, and prolapsed nictitans for 2 days following sudden onset. According to history taking, ophthalmic, neurological, and radiological examination, the patient was diagnosed with idiopathic Horner''s syndrome. Manual acupuncture treatment was applied to the dog on local points two times in 2 days. The local acupoints were ST-4 (Di Chang) and GB-1 (Tong Zi Liao). The day after the initial acupuncture treatment, clinical signs related to idiopathic Horner''s syndrome had almost disappeared. The day after the second treatment, specific clinical signs were completely absent. During this period, the dog did not receive any orthodox treatment. Thus, it is suggested that manual acupuncture might be an effective therapy for idiopathic Horner''s syndrome.     

Acupuncture and traditional Chinese veterinary medicine for treatment of a mare with rectal paralysis

An 8‐year‐old Appaloosa mare with rectal paralysis due to a cosmetic ethanol ‘tail block’ was treated with traditional Chinese veterinary medicine treatments including acupuncture and herbal medicine. Her rectal and tail tone gradually improved after the treatment. At 4 months after initial presentation, the mare was able to produce faecal piles on a regular basis, and manual evacuations were no longer needed. Significant improvement was within 30 days of beginning treatment. At 8 months, the owner indicated that the mare had normal defaecation, was able to swish the tail from side to side and lift the tail to urinate, and had no evidence of straining to defaecate or colic.     

Veterinary Neurologic Rehabilitation: The Rationale for a Comprehensive Approach

The increase in client willingness to pursue surgical procedures, the heightened perceived value of veterinary patients, and the desire to provide comprehensive medical care have driven the recent demand of using an integrative treatment approach in veterinary rehabilitation. Physical therapy following neurologic injury has been the standard of care in human medicine for decades, whereas similar rehabilitation techniques have only recently been adapted and utilized in veterinary medicine. Spinal cord injury is the most common neurologic disease currently addressed by veterinary rehabilitation specialists and will be the primary focus of this review; however, research in other neurologic conditions will also be discussed. Of particular interest, to clients and veterinarians are techniques and modalities used to promote functional recovery after neurologic injury, which can mean the difference between life and death for many veterinary patients.The trend in human neurologic rehabilitation, often regardless of etiology, is a multimodal approach to therapy. Evidence supports faster and improved recoveries in people after neurologic injury using a combination of rehabilitation techniques. Although the primary neurological disorders researched tend to be spinal cord injury, peripheral neuropathies, allodynia, multiple sclerosis, and strokes—many correlations can be made to common veterinary neurological disorders. Such comprehensive protocols entail gait training activities in combination with neuromuscular electrical stimulation and directed exercises. Additionally, pain-relieving and functional benefits are bolstered when acupuncture is used in addition to rehabilitation. Studies, both laboratory and clinical, support the use of acupuncture in the management of neurologic conditions in small animals, specifically in cases of intervertebral disc disease, other myelopathies, and neuropathic pain conditions. Acupuncture’s ability to promote analgesia, stimulate trophic factors, and decrease inflammation, including neuroinflammation, make it an alluring adjunct therapy after neurologic injury.Although there is limited research in veterinary medicine on physical techniques that expedite recovery after neurologic injury, there are sparse publications on clinical veterinary research suggesting the benefits of acupuncture, rehabilitation, and LASER in dogs with intervertebral disk disease. Accordingly, due to the relative lack of evidence-based studies in veterinary neurologic rehabilitation, much of the data available is human or laboratory-animal based, however, evidence supports the utilization of an early, comprehensive treatment protocol for optimal neurologic recovery. The rationale for why an integrative approach is critical will be detailed in this review; in addition, literature on specific physical rehabilitation techniques that have evidence of improved recoveries after neurologic injury, will be addressed.     

关闭疼痛之门-电网络旁路原理

神奇的针刺可以关闭疼痛之门,却因为没有合理解释而不止一次被西方医生所摈弃,本文利用计算机模拟人体,把人体看成复杂的电网络,用电流网络旁路原理去解释针刺镇痛原因,可开辟一条新的思路。据此研制新的医疗器件,以期治疗某些疾病。     

2种穴位治疗技术在兽医临床上的应用

针灸疗法是一种起源于我国的传统治疗技术,并广泛应用于各种动物疾病的治疗上,具有治疗范围广泛、疗效迅速、安全、节省药品、携带方便、便于推广等特点。根据多年的教学和临床经验,将兽医临床上常用的穴位注射疗法和放血疗法的相关内容进行了综述,以期更好地发扬和使用针灸治疗技术。     

针刺辨证治疗功能性消化不良的临床观察

目的观察针刺辨证治疗功能性消化不良(FD)的临床疗效。方法应用随机数字表将88例研究对象分为治疗组44例、对照组44例。治疗组根据患者辨证分型的不同,分别施以相应的针刺方案治疗;对照组则不辨证统一采用单纯针刺方案治疗。观察患者治疗前后证候积分及疗效指数、SF-36评分、尼群消化不良指数(NDI)以及血浆胃动素(MTL)的变化。结果治疗组脱失1例,总有效率93.02%;对照组脱失2例,总有效率76.19%;两组差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗完成和1月后随访时,两组相对治疗前症状指数(NDSI)显著降低,生活质量指数(NDLQI)、健康相关生活质量评分(SF-36)均显著增加(P<0.05);与同期比较治疗组NDSI明显低于对照组,NDLQI、SF-36明显高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论对FD患者进行辨证针刺和不辨证针刺都是有效的治疗手段,但是辨证针刺组的总有效率及近远期的疗效均明显优于对照组。     

祛风化痰针刺法改善假性球麻痹吞咽功能障碍的多中心临床观察

目的系统观察祛风化痰针刺法改善假性球麻痹患者吞咽功能障碍的作用。方法将240例确诊为风痰型假性球麻痹的患者随机分为治疗组和对照组,每组各120例,分别给予祛风化痰针刺法和模拟针刺法治疗,取穴风池(双)、完骨(双)、廉泉、丰隆(双)。每天上、下午各针刺1次,连续6 d为1疗程,疗程间休息1 d,治疗4个疗程。采用洼田饮水试验方法于治疗前、治疗2、4个疗程后进行吞咽功能级别评定,4个疗程后进行疗效评定和比较。结果第2个疗程结束后两组患者的吞咽功能评级与治疗前比较有较显著的提高,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01),治疗组优于对照组(P<0.05);与治疗前比较,第4疗程结束后吞咽功能评级进一步显著提高,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01),治疗组较对照组更优,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01);治疗组的治愈率、显效率和总有效率均显著高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论祛风化痰针刺法改善假性球麻痹患者吞咽功能有肯定、持续且显著的作用,有较大的临床应用价值。     

Electro-acupuncture and Chinese herbs for treatment of cervical intervertebral disk disease in a dog

A non-ambulatory dog with tetraparesis following a pain episode that had evolved over 2 months was submitted for medical treatment and diagnosed with intervertebral disk disease at C3-C4 and dorsal extradural compression at C1-C2 and C3-C4 using myelography and computed tomography. The dog experienced ambulation recovery after 15 days of treatment with only electroacupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, with marked improvement occurring after only 10 treatments. Six months of follow-up demonstrated that the dog was stable and had no recurrence of symptoms. Therefore, it was concluded that the combination of electroacupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine was responsible for motor rehabilitation.     

电脉冲刺激肾旁穴对兔丘脑雌激素受体蛋白表达的影响

采用电脉冲刺激穴位法及免疫组织化学SP法，研究了电脉冲刺激肾旁穴对丘脑内雌激素受体免疫反应阳性产物的影响。结果发现雌激素受体免疫反应阳性产物在丘脑内广泛分布，可见电针组丘脑室旁核、丘脑腹外侧核、丘脑腹内侧核、丘脑腹主核、丘脑中央中核、丘脑网状核、丘脑室周核等核区有大量阳性产物，且多分布于神经元的胞浆、胞核和突起中、有少部分分布于胞膜上，染色较深，突起明显，细胞形态多样，轮廓清晰；而对照组相应神经核团中阳性细胞数量较少且淡染，突起也不明显，形态单一或轮廓不清。两组阳性产物的染色强度和细胞数目均差异显著。以上结果表明电脉冲刺激肾旁穴可使家兔上述核团内雌激素受体的表达增强。