Page 609 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

stimulate inhibitory nerve pathways that block the transmission of pain at the spinal cord,

thus preventing the impulses reaching the brain. Secondly, acupuncture stimulates
VetBooks.ir descending pathways between the brain and the spinal cord which also block incoming pain
signals, preventing them travelling from the spinal cord to the brain.

Acupuncture can influence the function of internal organs. This is because the nerve

supply to and from the organs travels between the spinal cord and the brain in pathways very
close to those from the muscles and the skin and there are connections between them. The
acupuncturist can influence the function of the internal organs by placing the needles at

specific sites on the body surface. This is known as a somatovisceral reflex (soma = body,
viscera = internal organs).

Finally, the pathways stimulated by acupuncture influence a part of the brain called the
hypothalamus. This accounts for the effect of acupuncture on homeostatic regulatory

mechanisms such as the control of blood pressure, pulse, respiration, intestinal motility,
hormone secretion and white blood cell production. This is important as the purpose of an

acupuncture treatment is to restore the patient to a state of balance or homeostasis.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

An acupuncturist who practises Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) will look at the whole

animal rather than just the diseased part. Consideration will be given to why the disease
developed in the first place. Health is defined as a state of harmony of an animal within its

internal environment and with its external environment. There is complete physical, mental
and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease. In TCM a great deal of

consideration is given to environmental factors such as Wind, Heat, Cold and Damp and their
role in causing disease. Other factors include poor nutrition, lack of exercise, physical strain,

traumatic injuries and emotional stress. Extremes of emotion such as joy, worry, grief, fear
and anger, all play a part in causing disease.

The patient is given a physical examination which includes ‘looking, asking, palpating,
listening and smelling’. Inspection of the tongue and feeling the pulse are important parts of

the examination. A detailed history is taken and the diagnosis and treatment are determined
using the traditional Chinese Five Element theory (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) and
the Eight Principles (Yin, Yang, Interior, Exterior, Cold, Heat, Deficiency and Excess).

Further information can be obtained from the text recommended in the reading list at the end
of the book. The art of acupuncture was developed long before the understanding of anatomy

and physiology that we have today. The linear channels or ‘meridians’ joining acupuncture
points correspond to the position of nerves, blood vessels and lines of fascia. Stimulation of