ACUPUNCTURE AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE (TCM) FOR SENIOR PETS: THE 'ESSENCE' OF THE NATURAL AGING PROCESS

摘要

Senior patients make up a large percentage of the patients that visit veterinary acupuncturists. This is largely due to the pain and lifestyle limitations that these patients experience from arthritis and other chronic, age-related disorders. Their owners are sensitive to these changes and are seeking multimodal, integrative care in order to improve comfort and quality of life. Furthermore, acupuncture has gained increased exposure in the mainstream as a viable treatment for pain and other problems in human medicine. More people are aware of the option and are asking about acupuncture as a possible treatment for their pets experiencing similar problems. Often, the main goal of treatment for these patients according to their people is to "reduce pain" and "improve mobility." In addition to the main issues around pain and mobility, senior pets often develop strange behaviors or changes in mentation that have a negative impact on their quality of life and the human-animal bond. In order to best serveour senior patients, it is imperative to listen to our clients and to address the odd, seemingly insignificant details that they observe at home, especially in regard to mentation, emotion, and behavior. Your clients are sharing with you because it is difficult to watch their friend decline and they want their pet to live a happier, pain-free life for as long as possible. Owners often come to us overwhelmed by the multiple problems their pet is experiencing and frustrated with the limitations of Westernmedicine alone. Even for experienced veterinary acupuncturists, the multiple, mixed-up patterns that present in senior patients can be confusing and complicated. By understanding the natural process of aging from a TCM perspective, we can develop a methodical and prioritized approach to incorporating acupuncture and other modalities when working to alleviate the problems faced by our senior pets and their families.