Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine has been utilized in the health care field for centuries and dates back to the beginning of time, well before the advances that we have today in healthcare.  The perspective of eastern or Chinese medicine is one of totality, meaning that they view the body as a whole instead of just addressing clinical signs associated with a problem.  Chinese medicine also takes into consideration our environment and the influences that it has on our overall health.  This is in contrast to Western medicine, which is most commonly practiced today.  Western medicine tends to address clinical problems as a single entity of themselves and fails to take into consideration the entire organism or body during therapy.

Chinese medicine views disease as being a result of imbalance in the body and a direct part of the treatment initiated has the sole goal of re-establishing balance or harmony.  Chinese medicine focuses on 5 organ groups as well as 5 substances.  The organ groups focuses on are the heart, lungs, liver, spleen and kidney.  The 5 substances are Qi, blood, body fluids, Yin and Yang.  The organ systems essentially communicate or function together as a unit, thus if there is a deficiency in one group, it may impact others.  The 5 substances are also produced, utilized and shared between the 5 organ groups, thus if there is a defiency in one substance, it can impact the overall health of the body.  The details of Chinese medicine are much more complicated to be shared in this discussion.  The overall goal in Chinese medicine is to diagnose a deficiency in the body and correct it.  This correction can take a short period of time or can be life long in terms of therapy.  It is really dependent on external influences such as diet, environment and how long the condition has been present.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)  implements a wide array of therapies ranging from massage, acupuncture, moxibustion to herbal therapy.  At Timbercreek Veterinary Hospital, we utilize a wide range of Chinese herbal formulas that have been used for centuries with a proven history of success in many cases.  The herbal formulas are essentially combinations of plant extracts with known medicinal value in various circumstances.  These herbs have been shown to provide not only nutritional supplements such as vitamins and minerals, but also have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and can impact organ function and blood flow throughout the body, helping to reduce pain and increasing overall quality of life for the patient.  The herbs are provided in powder form which can be mixed with food or in teapills, which are BB shaped tablets that are easy to administer.  The herbal formulas can be used along side of traditional prescription medications in most cases, but can also be used as stand alone therapies with good results.  There are very few side effects to the herbal formulas as long as the correct formula is chosen for the particular case.

TCM herbal formulas are utilized for a wide range of diseases and problems ranging from behavioral issues to arthritis, cancer, kidney and liver disease, seizures and cardiac disease.  A TCM examination includes the typical comprehensive physical examination but also concentrates on the characteristics of the pulse as well as tongue characteristics.  The pulse and the tongue tell us alot about potential imbalance in the body and helps to direct us in therapy.