Message Number: SG14699 | New FHL Archives Search
From: sukie crandall
Date: 2005-07-14 17:53:41 UTC
Subject: acupuncture
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Cc: ferret-list <ferret-list@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
Message-id: <DC823ACF-8135-4199-844A-42CA36D37461@optonline.net>

In the August 2005 Scientific American on page 30 is a very
interesting article on acupuncture. Those seeing the column's
working title "Skeptic" may assume that it it works from a vantage
point of wanting to tear everything down, but actually it works from
the eminently fair and logical vantage point of tearing things apart
well enough to get an idea of if things work, and if so then how.

I know that there have been mixed reviews of the use of acupuncture
for pain relief among those trying it for ferrets.

It would be interesting to know how much of the effect in the animals
is the influence of the interaction and attention, and how much may
be a real biochemical effect with other causes. Coming to mind is a
time decades ago when I worked with primates and some other wild
animals when we went to collect two gibbons for transport to a new
location. I was warned that they were vicious ones, so Ii began with
approaching and self grooming, then very calmly (I had always found
back when I worked with dangerous animals that it is important to be
dead-calm myself when working with a wild animal, if possible.) and
then soothingly grooming the presented arm of one gibbon until the
gibbon was thoroughly zoned out with the arm extended and the
individual mesmerized, and then I could move aside and the prof could
approach and inject the tranquilizer without the gibbon even caring.
Then we went on to use the same technique with the second one. But
what had the effect? How much traces back to soothing interaction,
even without touch? Certainly, it is possible to induce states of
extreme calm without touch; that happens in a number of ways all the
time from hypnotism. I used to use self-hypnotism for pain control
and muscle spasm decades ago, and years ago presurgically -- without
pre-surgical tranquilizing -- was able to induce a level of calm with
it for myself that the surgeon and anesthesiologist said was greater
than they normally saw with tranquilizers despite being worried about
the surgery and anesthesia themselves. The same or similar affects
have been documented in everything from soothing talk, to prayer in
an individual's strongly held religion, to just being with others who
are calm, even (in cattle) to better design of the cattle lots and
feeding shoots to reduce stress in cattle before they are killed.

How much was the effect went beyond those sorts of things and was due
to the touch itself? Does touch have an effect similar to that seen
in the acupuncture and electrical stimulation studies mentioned
below, and if so do those techniques increase it or induce it more
easily, or both?

Two sections in this month's column intrigued me immensely because
they might wind up eventually having use for ferrets depending upon
what further study shows and depending upon if a company springs for
the tens of millions of dollars of insurance a year needed to cover
making and selling of medical equipment for human use, or if one gets
to lesser amount and makes such a stimulation box for vet use, should
it pain out well enough in controlled veterinary studies.

The first section mentions that it was possible in humans to reduce
the amount of gas anesthesia used for surgery by 50% using a variant
of acupuncture. What makes it even more interesting was that they
did not even use needles. Instead they used electrical stimulation
of the skin. In another study mentioned in that section of the
article when needles were used electrical stimulation through those
needles increased the pain control by as much as 100% (no explanation
is given as to how this number is reached). The author/researcher,
George A. Ulett, who compiled the data for the 2002 text _the Biology
of Acupuncture_ hypothesizes that the technique may increase
neurochemicals that reduce pain such as beta-endorphins, enkephalin,
and dynorphin.

In a double blind study reported upon this year sham acupuncture
worked as well as real acupuncture in reducing migraines. Klaus
Linde et. al. have their article in the May 4th Journal of the
American Medical Association. The amount of effect was actually
quite large, but what did not matter was where the needles were
placed. The beneficial effect was very similar (51% with real
acupuncture and 53% with sham acupuncture). Why it worked in both
cases is unknown and the subject of further studies, but perhaps on
testing the hypotheses of Dr. Ulett more may be either discovered or
removed from consideration.

If this is a real effect I know that vets would love to be able to
reduce the amount of anesthesia used, and would love to have
extremely safe alternatives for controlling pain.

Take a look at page 30 of the August Sci Am.

-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org