Faced with all the popularity that Eastern medicine has gained in our Western society, doctors have begun incorporating it into their practice -- veterinarians have, too.

Surprisingly, Eastern treatments, especially acupuncture, have been combined with traditional veterinary medicine since the 1970s [1]. Only until recently has it stopped raising eyebrows and started being taken seriously.

In September 2004, a very special camel named Jewel provided another anecdotal piece of evidence that acupuncture may be effective in animals [2]. This Brookfield Zoo resident has age-related chronic arthritis, which causes her legs to make noise every time they bend as well as cause her incredible pain. Dr. Meehan, a veterinarian at the Brookfield Zoo, had tried virtually all normal treatments for Jewel’s condition, but none were successful. Desperate, he looked for alternatives, and turned to colleague Dr. Barbara Royal, a veterinarian who focuses on the use of Eastern medicine in animal pain management.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), acupuncture has been used in China and other parts of Asia for over 4,500 years [3]. Furthermore, records of acupuncture used to treat animals in China go back to the Jin Dynasty (136 to 265 AD) [1].

In Chinese tradition, acupuncture rebalances the body’s chi, or energy, as round-pointed needles are inserted into specific points of the body and left in place for a few minutes. Scientists are still uncertain as to how acupuncture works. Some believe that because the 365 main acupuncture points are located on clusters of nerve and blood vessels, the needles may increase blood flow and actually prevent pain impulses from reaching the brain [4]. However, many doctors and scientists do agree that this treatment can show dramatic improvements in patients’ pain conditions.

Jewel receives treatments every two or three weeks for several hours, and each session usually requires several animal care workers. While Dr. Royal inserts 8-30 needles into Jewel’s joints, one keeper steadies the camel, and another feeds her treats.

The therapy sessions appear to have led to a major improvement in Jewel’s condition. According to Brookfieldzoo.com, Jewel’s chief keeper Mary Schollhamer said, “I hadn’t seen this camel run for more than two years, but the day after her first treatment, she ran all the way to the fence to greet me. I was so moved, I started to cry.” [4] Jewel now experiences less discomfort when she moves around and bends her legs. Dr. Meehan and Dr. Royal are also in the process of collecting concrete scientific evidence by comparing the lengths of her strides after the treatment — short strides indicate she is in pain; longer strides indicate less pain [4].

Success stories such as this have convinced many skeptic veterinarians in the United States and across the world to turn to Eastern medicine when normal treatments do not seem to be working. The American Veterinary Medical Association reports a 30% increase in the number of veterinarians using this alternative in animal hospitals and private practices since the 1980s [5]. Veterinarians are also branching out further into the world of alternative therapies in general, looking into herbal and crystal-stone therapy as other means of pain management in animals.

Although many skeptics still exist, and scientific evidence fails to fully explain the effects of some types of Eastern medicine, anecdotal evidence largely drives use of acupuncture and other Eastern practices in the West. Complete research may eventually convince more and more that it has the power to heal patients.