Photo by Pam Shultz
Dr. Sheila Lounsberry is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and owner of Veterinary Acupuncture Services. Recently, this busy New Jersey resident took a moment to sit down and help answer the question: What does an integrative veterinarian do?
After establishing proficiency in (exclusively) conventional medicine for fifteen years, Dr. Lounsberry, for the past five years has been an integrative/alternative practitioner. She offers acupuncture, Chinese medicine and chiropractic to her small animal and equine clients. Personalizing treatment plans, she has had the opportunity to employ such varied options as ozone therapy, infrared light energy therapy and traditional Chinese herbs. Even the diagnostic process is somewhat individualized, ranging from a more western approach to focusing on assessment of chi and blood flow along acupuncture meridians and ting points.
To get a better idea of a day in the life of an integrative veterinarian, let’s take a brief look at ozone therapy, infrared light therapy and the use of traditional Chinese herbs.
• Ozone therapy for animals, “is used as a gentle detox to help the body fight infectious organisms and improve immune function. Ozone therapy can be extremely beneficial for horses with chronic Lyme Disease,” states Dr. Lounsberry, who has, “seen ozone work for these horses when conventional methods have failed.”
• Infrared light energy therapy is an FDA approved technology that can be used to help speed healing. For instance, corneal ulcers (painful injuries to the surface of the eye) occur in both small and large animals. What does light therapy actually do? LED technology is used to stimulate healing of damaged tissue by increasing blood circulation, promoting collagen production, decreasing swelling and working at a biochemical level to help replace damaged cells with healthy ones. Dr. Lounsberry and other acupuncturists use infrared therapy to, “stimulate or drain acupuncture points.”
• Dr. Lounsberry has noted that horses tend to respond even to small doses of herbal medicine, possibly because they are herbavores, animals that evolved to metabolize plant matter. She then went on to explain that Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs are frequently used in conjunction with acupuncture. They not only augment the improved energy flow from acupuncture treatments, but also affect aspects of wellness that may not have been addressed. By targeting underlying imbalances, herbs work to enhance the immune system and restore wellness and harmony in patients. “Companion animals and equines respond extremely well to herbs to treat internal medicine and musculoskeletal problems,” the integrative veterinarian concludes, “without the side effects so often seen with conventional pharmaceuticals.”
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