We react with headaches, digestive problems, skin tingling and other physical symptoms. People also react with compulsive behaviors, such as overeating or drug abuse, to try to escape the negative feelings. Birds sometimes get into compulsive preening behavior. Dr. McCluggage believes that acupuncture is a great treatment for that and for other behavior abnormalities. From a more Western viewpoint, specific acupuncture point stimulation has been shown to increase oxygenation, increase blood supply to treated areas, aid in the production of anti-inflammatory secretions, release pain killers called endorphins, and increase immunity by increasing the production of white blood cells and antibodies.
Some parrots exhibit reactions to the acupuncture treatments for one or two days afterwards.
They may become lethargic or hyperactive due to the sudden change in the energy flow within their bodies. Neither of these reactions should be considered cause for alarm. For some conditions, a single acupuncture treatment is all that is required, but this usually is not the case. More frequently, multiple treatments spread over several weeks or even months are necessary to reverse some chronic conditions. The traditional Chinese approach stipulates six treatments before there may be any improvement.