I love reading articles about animals receiving acupuncture. I have read articles about a lion, elephant, dog, cat, camel, penguin, and even a komodo dragon receiving acupuncture. All of these animals get acupuncture regularly, and are truly benefiting from each treatment. The lion was able to walk around without foot pain, the dogs and cats are living better lives with less pain, and the camel is living a longer life due to acupuncture. But what’s most important is that these animals can’t lie about the results. They don’t feel better because someone told them they were going to feel better. They feel better because acupuncture works.
There are a lot of skeptics out there when it comes to acupuncture and I understand why. It’s because acupuncture is different. It’s because all we were ever taught our whole lives was Western science. In high school, we take biology, chemistry, and physics, not channel theory and acupuncture point location. It is very hard to think outside the box when we are taught one way our entire life. However, it is important to understand that biology, chemistry, and physics are all part of Chinese medicine too. We use biology to map out the human body and make sure that the channels flow correctly with their associated organ. Chemistry is used to examine Chinese herbs and figure out how they can help the body. Most importantly, we use physics to understand how our bodies should act in nature. Chinese medicine is also science; it is just viewed differently.
I often hear people say that they don’t believe in Chinese medicine or Western medicine. There is nothing to believe in; there is nothing mythical or spiritual about either medicine. Both medicines help people. Chinese medicine has helped thousands of people and animals for over 4,000 years. Western medicine is newer, but it has cured diseases and saved lives. We need both types of medicines to truly understand the human and animal body because we can help people with both types of medicines.
My dogs will always tell me when they are happy, sad, or sick. As soon as they feel better, they get up and start running around again. They don’t milk the pain or try to get a gift because they don’t feel well. They don’t know how to lie. Thankfully, that honesty helps prove the effectiveness of Chinese medicine.
Dana Fine, L.Ac.
Editor In Chief