Treatment of horses by acupuncture: methods [student's study]

The points may be stimulated by simple needling, electroneedling, point injection, moxa-needling, laser stimulation or other methods. The classical method is simple needling for 20 minutes every 1-3 days in acute cases or every 4-7 days in chronic cases. Most responsive cases show improvement after 1-4 sessions but 4-10 sessions or more may be needed in longstanding serious cases. Needle acupuncture. Different types of acupuncture needles have been used to treat animals. Chinese needles, 30 mm long and 21 gauge wide are ideal for use in large animals. Standard hypodermic needles may also be used. They are cheap but cause more pain and tissue damage. The hypodermic needle is inserted with a quick sudden movement and a slow and sensitive increasing of the depth. Acupuncture needles are inserted by a push-twirl technique. With longer needle as those used for horses, it is useful to hold the needle shaft with one hand about 25 mm from the tip (using a cotton-wool bud or a piece of sterile tissue) and to push-twirl the handle of the needle with the other hand. Alternatively a plastic needle guide can be used. The needle, protruding from the guide, is tapped firmly with the finger. The guide is then removed and the needle is advanced to the correct deep. A successful needle insertion will elicit a certain response known as te ch'i. A local reflex muscle spasm grips the needle tightly. The animal may raise the limb, bend the back or swish the tail. The needle can be stimulated in different ways after insertion, for example several twirlings of the needle. Point injection. Point injection is a fast and popular method. The volume injected cause pressure that stimulates the point. Many materials have been injected. The most common are sterile solutions of water, saline solution, dextrose, local anesthetics and vitamins. Moxa-needle. In this method, standard acupuncture needles are inserted into the point and a piece of moxa, about 20 mm long and 20 mm diameter is pushed over the handle of the needle and is ignited. The moxa burns slowly for 5-10 minutes and the heat is transferred to the needle and the tissues. Electroacupuncture. Electrical stimuli can be applied via electrodes attached to acupuncture needles or via electrodes on the skin surface. Relatively long time (10-30 minutes) is required for each session