Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) consists of integrating acupuncture, Chinese herbs, food therapy, and tui na to optimize the health of your pet.  In Eastern medicine, the body is viewed as a whole, and in relation to its environment.  To achieve optimal health, there needs to be a balance and harmony.  Traditionally, balance is thought of in terms of yin and yang.

                The “taiji” symbol

Yin and yang are not entities to themselves, but rather reflect that things are not absolute, but relative to each other.  Yang qualities are usually thought of as warm, sunny, energetic, and moving.  Yin qualities are cool, shady, restful, and calm.  A spunky 5 year old Labrador is energetic compared to a 12 year old Labrador, but calm compared to a 6 month old Labrador.  The white part of the taiji represents yang rising like the sun.  The black represents yin descending into darkness.  There is black within to represent yin within yang, and white within to represent yang within yin.

Both Eastern and Western medicine have the same general goals of promoting health and preventing disease.  Both rely on a medical history and physical exam to make a diagnosis.  In Western medicine, we utilize blood tests, x-rays, urinalyses etc.  In TCVM, we use tongue and pulse diagnosis, as well as palpation for sensitive points along acupuncture meridians.  Western medicine tends to be very good with acute disease and surgical cases, while TCVM can be beneficial for more chronic conditions.  Like the taiji, a combination of both approaches can produce excellent results.

In TCVM, a “pattern” diagnosis is reached through thorough history, personality assessment, tongue and pulse diagnosis, attitude, and thorough physical exam.  TCVM can reveal “one disease, many patterns”.  This is demonstrated in that 5 cats may be diabetic, but each cat will have a different “pattern” and thus a different treatment.  Finding the correct pattern is the key to proper treatment.  The TCVM practitioner helps the animal heal by finding and correcting the imbalances and letting the animal heal itself.  The treatment for the diabetic cat may include insulin, but by integrating TCVM, the dose of insulin may be much less, and the cat may achieve more stable regulation.

A TCVM appointment with your pet will typically include a medical history review, interpretation of laboratory results and imaging, a western and TCVM exam, and formulation of a diagnosis and treatment plan.  The treatment plan may include a combination of the following:  acupuncture, Chinese herbs, tui-na, food changes, and more traditional western treatments.