Dr. Susan Fife has successfully completed her certification in veterinary acupuncture, homeopathy and chiropractic. Using these modalities, she helps to alleviate pain without the use of drugs and to increase the performance of working and athletic animals.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical technique used for over 3,000 years in China, Japan and Korea. Needles are placed in designated points to effect various changes in the body to decrease pain, help heal injuries or disease conditions, stimulate or regulate immune responses, and/or decrease anxiety or behavioral issues. Acupuncture has been shown to increase blood and lymphatic flow to tissues, stimulate nerve function, increase the release of neurotransmitters and pain modulators, influence inflammatory responses and help the release hormones. It can be used in a variety of conditions.
Common conditions that respond well to acupuncture include:
- Musculoskeletal conditions (arthritis, spinal disease, trauma, muscle atrophy problems)
- Immune system disorders (allergic dermatitis, chronic allergic diseases, immune diseases,lick granulomas,chronic skin conditions)
- Neurologic problems (nerve injury, paresis, paralysis, degenerative neurologic conditions)
- Systemic diseases/urologic diseases (chronic kidney disease, liver disease, incontinence, bladder problems)
Acupuncture includes treatments using:
- Dry needles to stimulate points directly
- Laser acupuncture to stimulate points
- Aquapuncture, which uses a liquid (such as vitamin B12, Traumeel, saline or other appropriate substances) injected at acupuncture sites, rather than leaving needles in place
- Electroacupuncture to stimulate points with a mild electric current
- Acupressure used both in the facility and points can be shown to owners for home use
- Moxibustion to stimulate points or areas using heat provided by a coal made of Chinese herbs
The Beneficial Affects of Chiropractic Adjustments
Chiropractors use spinal "adjustments" to reduce subluxation and help restore vital nervous system communications.
Why is a chiropractic adjustment needed?
Joints become hypomobile for a variety of reasons. The hypomobilty results in degenerative changes (such as entrapment of the synovial folds, adhesions, vascular and neuronal dysfunction, spondylosis, etc). When the adjustment is performed and the joint is gapped many things happen. The movements stimulate mechanoreceptors in the joint capsules and/or muscles of the spine which then go on to send signals to the spinal cord and higher centers to decrease pain and influence somatic and/or visceral efferents to improve overall function. The other aspect of the adjustment is to break-up adhesions and re-establish joint motion. This action helps to increase joint motion to normal ranges and slows (or reverses) degenerative changes.
A subluxation is a misaligned bone (vertebrae) which cause compression, tension, irritation and damage to the Central Nervous System (brain, spinal cord, and spinal nerves) and dysfunction of the muscles around the vertebrae. These subluxations can cause interference to the central nervous system, causing organs and muscles in the body to malfunction and heal poorly due to the interference in creates in the central nervous system.
How can chiropractic or spinal manipulation help with pain?
The chiropractic method of pain inhibition is a combination of mechanical, soft tissue, neurological and physiological aspects. Mechanically the adjustment forms a negative pressure inside the joint, gas is liberated from the synovial fluid, joint gives away and joint surface move slightly apart, which helps to remove synovial tags.
Soft tissue: stimulates the muscle spindle cells, which helps to decrease capsular cross link and fatty intra-articular adhesions.
Neurological: stimulated the mechanoreceptors around the synovial joint and allows normal function of receptors.
On examination, Dr. Fife looks for muscular problems, lameness and gait changes. Lameness can be seen in gait changes such as a head bob, hip hike, limb weakness and/or decreased ability to place one's feet properly.