If a horse fails to respond to conventional treatments, acupuncture or chiropractic care may be good option. Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of medical treatment, dating back over 7,000 years in the East. In its many forms, acupuncture may be used to treat a wide array of equine disorders. There are hundreds of acupuncture points in the body, which together make up twelve paired meridians and two unpaired meridians. These meridians tell the acupuncturist many things about the different organs and how they are functioning.
Doctors use one and three inch acupuncture needles to medicate their patients.
Often an iodine and almond oil preparation or B12 vitamin is injected into the acupuncture point to induce healing. Equine acupuncturists may also use a laser pointer and a cluster probe on an affected area for one to three minutes delivering light pressure to these points. Sometimes just finger pressures, or pressure with a pocket stimulator, can be sufficient in acupuncture treatments. Other treatment options include magnets and electrostimulation of acupuncture points. Acupuncture can help treat problems such as sarcoids, tendon problems, sore backs, stifles, laminitis, navicular disease, neck reductions, colic, and in some cases, fertility problems.