StemCell Therapy

Although Sarah S le Jeune trained in Western veterinary medicine, she added acupuncture to her practice after experiencing the benefits for her own back pain.

Acupuncture had amazing effects on me, so I decided to explore how it might have application for my horses, said le Jeune, a board-certified equine sports medicine and rehabilitation specialist and surgeon with the University of California Davis.

She studied and earned certification in acupuncture through Chi University in Florida and began integrating it with conventional modalities to treat a range of conditions, often in conjunction with chiropractic.

The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society describes acupuncture as the insertion of fine needles into specific points on the body to produce a healing response. There are about 150 acupoints on a horse in areas associated with a high density of free nerve endings, mast cells, which are part of the immune system, small arterioles, which help regulate blood flow and pressure, and lymphatic vessels.

Typically, needles are inserted in five to 50 acupoints during a single session and rotated manually or stimulated by a weak electrical current sent by attaching electrodes, le Jeune said. Depending on where the needles are placed, they stimulate nerves, improve circulation, relieve muscle spasms, and trigger the release of hormones, including endorphins, one of the bodys pain control chemicals, and cortisol, a natural steroid.

Acupuncture has diagnostic as well as therapeutic value, le Jeune said, and is especially helpful in relieving pain.

Sarah S le Jeune believes acupuncture has diagnostic and therapeutic value and helps relieve pain in horses.

Any time pain is a component, acupuncture can be an adjunct and I stress adjunct modality, she said. It basically modifies the perception of pain, in how the nervous system processes pain. I use it in horses with back, neck and sacroiliac problems, any kind of muscular pain, and chronic lamenesses. It also can lower blood pressure, improve gastrointestinal motility, address endocrine and immune conditions, and reduce inflammation. They all seem to benefit from this modality.

Although equine acupuncture dates to ancient China, where horses were used in agriculture and battle, it has been practiced in the United States since the 1970s, and has become increasingly popular in recent years. While the earliest acupuncture likely was performed using sharp stones and more akin to acupressure, le Jeune said, modern acupuncture uses ultra-fine needles, 0.5 to 3 inches long and made of flexible stainless steel.

Trainers like acupuncture because they are limited in the drugs that can be given to horses that compete, and because they see results with very few negative side effects. Back pain is a fact of life for hunter jumpers and dressage, said le Jeune. For them, acupuncture and chiropractic work together fantastically. Ill treat horses with both in-between shows.

For older and retired equines, acupuncture can be an effective component of palliative care. If a horse has chronic, degenerative joint disease that causes pain, nothing will make the joints appear normal, but if you address the pain, quality of life improves, le Jeune said, noting that acupuncture can string out the time between more invasive interventions.

When used after surgery, acupuncture can speed healing by promoting blood flow and reducing inflammation.

Acupuncture has a calming effect because it triggers the release of beta-endorphins, serotonin and other neurotransmitters, le Jeune said. Its similar to the release we feel when we take a hot bath, listen to music, or eat chocolate.

Although it generally is considered safe, because acupuncture is an invasive procedure, it must be performed by a licensed veterinarian board-certified in acupuncture. As part of the process, practitioners typically will begin by examining the horse, palpating the body to locate areas of discomfort, and then gauging the horses sensitivity.

Acupuncture is very individually tailored, so you care very much how sensitive the individual is on a scale of one to five, said le Jeune. The more sensitive the horse, the less stimulation is needed; the more stoic, the more stimulation required.

Most, but not all, equines accept acupuncture, she said. You have to gain their trust. But if a horse is needle shy, it might not be the right modality for them. If the horse resists the procedure, I back off.

Le Jeune avoids using sedation during treatment because it would inhibit interacting with the horse and monitoring its responses, she said.

Acupuncture is also not usually a one-time treatment. The more chronic and severe the condition, the more acupuncture is needed, she said. Ill space it out to every other day and then weekly.

Veterinarian Carlos Jimenez of Complete Equine Health Service in Coatesville, Pennsylvania has practiced acupuncture for 30 years, having been introduced to the modality when one of his own horses a young hunter-jumper prospect developed problems during training.

He was being trained near Pittsburgh, and when we went to visit him, we saw that he wasnt moving right, Jimenez said. A veterinarian at the University of Pennsylvania New Bolton referred Jimenez for corrective shoeing to a well-known farrier who, in turn, suggested that Jimenez consult with a veterinarian certified in acupuncture and chiropractic.

The difference was night and day, Jimenez said. The horse went from not being able to turn his neck to the right to being able to touch his back hip with his nose after both the chiropractic adjustments and the acupuncture. Thats what got me started in integrative therapies in my own practice.

Acupuncture and chiropractic are almost exclusively what Jimenez practices now, with patients ranging from Amish buggy horses to dressage and racehorses.

Besides effectively treating sports-related injuries, acupuncture, especially electro-acupuncture, can help horses with colic, he said. Ill put needles into horses on either side of the spinal cord where they will innervate the intestines. By the end of treatment, I will start to hear gut sounds where there were none before. If the horse has a displaced large intestine, acupuncture may prevent it from turning into a volvulus that would require surgery.

Jimenez has used acupuncture on dying horses to help them peacefully transition, he said.

Kristin Edwards, of Dallas, Pennsylvania, is a small-animal veterinarian and horse owner who added acupuncture to her practice 23 years ago. She became interested when a client gave her a book on the modality, and she realized a calling to pursue training and certification.

Her equine acupuncture patients range from retired performance horses to endurance athletes.

Professional trainer Stephanie Kleinbauer of Laceyville, Pennsylvania, has Edwards perform acupuncture on her four horses once a month to stay ahead of, and even diagnose, problems.

If multiple visits show recurring pain in a particular spot it can be an indication that an injection or some other treatment might be needed, she said. Kristin helped find a problem with Quest, my 23 year old Norwegian Fjord gelding. He seemed so stiff when I went to ride him it was as if his whole body was involved. Through acupuncture, Kristin was able to narrow it down to a tear in his right pectoral muscle, and recommended massage therapy.

Kleinbauer is typically present when Edwards treats her horses and said the release of tension is often visible.

Helping horses to let go of anxiety and stress associated with pain or discomfort is one of acupunctures most fascinating benefits, Edwards said.

I love looking at the emotional component of disease in animals, and acupuncture lets me get into their emotions and help them release whatever issues they are holding onto. Acupuncture enables owners to see the emotions their horse is expressing. It helps them to have a closer relationship.

Horses respond quickly, which is gratifying to her as a practitioner, she said. Their eyes will soften and theyll lick and chew. They want to be helped and feel better, which makes it fun for me.

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