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Fortunately, I’ve come up with a list of tried and tested methods that help to integrate veterinary acupuncture into your practice seamlessly.
I have used many of these techniques over the years and find that I still utilise them when I commence working at a new practice.
Discuss that just like Western Medicine we cannot guarantee how a patient will respond but that you feel it is a good treatment option.
Make sure you clearly explain this to clients and staff.
Once you have your staff on board they will then be your biggest advocates.
Acupuncture patients make for great clinic Facebook/newsletter articles. It is something that clients may or may not have been exposed to and pictures/videos are a great way to help get your message across
This is fine, don’t try changing the owner’s mind and if the patient is getting too stressed don’t fight them to continue the treatments.
Acupuncture should be a relaxing and enjoyable experience for your patients – if that means you need to bribe your patients with treats or cuddles, so be it!
One of my previous bosses added it onto each cruciate surgery estimate as part of an optional post-op rehab program. I often treat post cruciate checks and am able to talk to the owners about treatment options that include acupuncture to help return their leg to normal function. Any lameness that is not responding to NSAIDs and has no radiographic lesions are usually due to muscle trigger points and these can be successfully treated with acupuncture.
Ask the owners of your success stories to write a client recommendation that can be posted to your Facebook page or added to your clinic brochure.
I did this for the first couple of months when I started acupuncture. I would offer clients four complimentary treatments to get my experience levels up and then get clients hooked on acupuncture and sharing how wonderful it was.
Be ready to answer all of the most common questions:
When answering the curly question about how acupuncture works, I always give them two answers, one based on Western Medicine reasons as to what we currently believe is the reason for it working and then a brief Chinese Medicine explanation.
Ulrike has kindly shared her “acupuncture spiel” with us to give you an idea of what needs to be explained……
The key point to get across in your Western Medicine explanation is that acupuncture works via the nervous system, stimulating the limbic system and also the part of the brain that the point is said to stimulate. The limbic system is responsible for homeostasis in the body and also stimulates the release of endorphins and other substances that affect homeostasis and healing.
In terms of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), a good analogy is that of a power grid, where the meridians are thought of as power lines and the acupuncture points are like transformers that regulate the amount of electricity running through the power lines to keep an even amount of electricity throughout the grid. When this occurs there is homeostasis and the patient has a sense of well-being. If the power lines are thought of as containing blood vessels and nerves then stimulating an acupuncture point will send a signal to the brain and also alter the circulation to promote healing.
What have you found works best when explaining acupuncture to clients or integrating it into your hospital?
Veterinary Acupuncture is an expanding field with more veterinarians taking up an intense 18-month post-graduate training program with weekly online lectures and three practical face-to-face hands-on workshops throughout the course, to qualify for the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) Certification in Veterinary Acupuncture. Find out more about the Australian College of Veterinary Acupuncture HERE.
Dr. Belinda Parsons is a veterinarian and certified veterinary acupuncturist. She is the owner of Rouse Hill Family Vets as well as on the Board of Directors of the Australia College of Veterinary Acupuncture. She has been a small animal veterinarian for over 13 years and has always been a passionate advocate for senior pet health care.
Connect with Dr Belinda:
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