Animal Acupuncture- Basic Information

Acupuncture principles in animal medicine has evolved from human chinese medicine. It is a holistic or wholistic view of a person and in our case, an animal. Looking at patients the holistic way, you do not look at symptoms in isolation. You look at the sum total of the characteristics, preferences, signs and symptoms of the animal. In chinese medicine, this symptoms and signs are analysed using the five element approach (which we will not be discussing here) and the 8 principle approach. The 8 principle approach classifies medical problems as as being either Yin or Yang, Excess or Deficient, Hot or Cold, or Internal or External. Notice that the total number of these classifications is 8 - thus it is called 8 priciples.
The body is (in chinese medical theory) ideally in balance, a yin (or substance) and yang (or energy or life force). Being Yin is like the still water in a lake; it is characterised as being passive, calm; it is also being Cold, and in an animal can be a low body temperature. . Yang is the opposite of Yin - Yang is like Fire, it is being , excitable, active; it is also being Hot as in a fever in an animal; an aggressive personality etc. Deficient conditions also fall under Yin- characterized by symptoms which include weakness, lethargy, lack of zest, weak bark or meow , etc. while Excess conditions will be the opposite-a Yang type of condition or personality- the animal would be strong, hyperactive, full of life, strong bark, or meow. Internal will be classified as Yin- more related to the inside of the body - and medical conditions under this would be characterized by prolonged or chronic problems- (generally greater than 4 weeks duration) Diabetes is an example of a yin condition, while External would be classified as Yang-affecting mostly the outside of the body; they are usually acute conditions, generally of few days to a week duration. Traumatic injuries can be seen a Yang.
So if you notice, all of the 8 principles can fall under either Yin conditions (cold, deficient, internal) and Yang conditions (hot, exces, external). With this information, the practitioner can diagnose and treat the patient. Of course with the advent of modern medicine, the best practitioners would be integrative, using a mixture of the best of both worlds, chinese medicine and western conventional medicine to address disease in animals( and people).