Are you one of the many people who don’t believe in the healing properties of acupuncture? I didn’t either, until I tried it for myself…
“How can you be such a baby? You are always giving pets injections!”
Ok, so just because I am regularly on the giving end of a needle does not mean that I necessarily like being on the receiving end. Like many people, I am a little bit squeamish about my own flesh & who sticks what into it.
I was with my sister, a Master of Physiotherapy, and she was treating me for back pain.
She just couldn’t believe that I would prefer her not to give me acupuncture as part of that treatment. Needless to say she overrode any objections I had, including that I didn’t believe it would work, rolled me over and got on with it, as only sisters can.
I gave up and let my mind drift, expecting the worst. Of course, the needles are absolutely tiny, and yes, I could barely feel them, although a rather pleasant tingling warmth did build up over the next few minutes.
The surprise came when she had removed them and asked me to get up. I braced myself for a tough manoeuvre – my back had been agonising. Instead I discovered I was pain free, and able to get up easily! I was stunned. The pain returned later, but with less impact, and my issues rapidly resolved under her care.
So I have a good understanding of both camps when it comes to acupuncture. I know that the science is unsatisfying for those of us with enquiring minds, but I also can vouch for the benefits of the treatment.
We are doubly fortunate at The Mewes Vets. Firstly we have Angie Gill on our team, one of only a handful of Veterinary Surgeons who have gone on to study and qualify in Veterinary Acupuncture in the UK. And secondly, she has recently upgraded her qualification and now performs laser acupuncture – no needles! How great is that!
She uses laser technology to stimulate the same points that a needle based acupuncturist uses, but our pets (unsurprisingly!) seem to prefer the absence of the actual needles. To learn more about how this works, go to http://www.themewesvets.co.uk/… and look out in my future columns for some of her success stories.
