Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine is the holistic approach to treating and preventing disease using a blend of both Western and Eastern medicine options. It emphasizes treating the whole patient, not just their disease, with personalized plans tailored to meet your pet’s needs. Dr. Maggie is a fully certified Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) Practitioner and offers the following treatments:

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to treat a wide variety of health issues.  It works by placing tiny, sterile needles at certain points along the body’s "meridians" or "channels."  It stimulates and moves the body’s "Qi" (pronounced "chee"), or life force. From a western medicine perspective, it stimulates nerves and muscles, decreases inflammation, and helps release of natural healing, pain relieving, and relaxing chemicals (like endorphins and serotonin).

The most common uses for acupuncture in dogs and cats include injuries, arthritis, and neck and back issues. But it can also be used for pets who have chronic digestive problems, kidney or liver problems, cancer, weakness, heart disease, and many other issues. Give us a call today so that we can answer your questions about acupuncture for your pets! 

Does acupuncture hurt?

Acupuncture needles are tiny, flexible, hair-like needles that are even smaller than insulin needles. Most patients don't even feel them!  If you've ever gotten acupuncture yourself, it's just like that!

Chinese Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicines have been used in many cultures all around the world for hundreds and thousands of years. What makes Chinese herbal medicine stand out are the huge number of options we have at our disposal, and how well documented and studied they’ve been over the centuries. Different herbal ingredients are put together to create herbal formulas. These medicines can be used to treat almost any condition by correcting imbalances in the body and supporting the body’s ability to heal itself, including cancer, chronic gastrointestinal issues, hind-end weakness and other geriatric problems, endocrine (hormonal) diseases, kidney disease, chronic skin disease, liver disease, and many more. They can be used with any western medications and are considered very safe.

Food Therapy

Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” In Chinese Medicine, the healing power of food is often combined with other treatments, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, or can be used alone. Each pet has unique food requirements based on their age, personality, and current disharmony or disease process. Ingredients can be chosen based on these needs, as well as the food’s unique thermal energetic properties (“temperature”). While we are not board certified nutritionists, we can help advise you on the best options for your pet, including store bought and home-cooked choices.

Tui-Na Massage

Tui-Na is a form of Chinese medical massage that utilizes acupressure along the acupuncture channels, as well as other manipulations, to improve pain and mobility. It is a great option for pets that do not tolerate traditional acupuncture, or can be used alongside it at home!