Electroacupuncture Day

An introduction to electroacupuncture for those who have attended ABVA Foundation Course or equivalent. 

 

LECTURES INCLUDE

• Electroacupuncture physiology
• Frequencies and intensities
• When & where to put the needles
• Electroacupuncture safety
• Recent research
• Electroacupuncture for intervertebral disc disease
• Case examples
• Practical sessions

 

COURSE LECTURER

Dietrich Graf von Schweinitz BSc DVM MRCVS CertVetAc
Dietrich graduated form the University of Georgia in 1982 and has been practising acupuncture for over thirty years. He is a past member of the Board of Directors and Education Committee for the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society and is also a past president of the ABVA. He has carried out and published pioneering research in equine acupuncture.

Course Review

‘I have practised acupuncture now for almost 20 years, but one can always learn something new. I had not attended many ABVA courses recently, but this course looked both interesting and informative, and I was not disappointed in that the content and presentation were excellent. Most of the delegates purchased a shining new electroacupuncture machine (at a discounted rate from Scarboroughs) and we were all keen to know how to use it (in theory) by the end of the day. The venue at Greyfriars was great, and ideal for the presentation of lectures as well as delivery of both small animal and equine lab sessions in between (and the tucker was good too!).

The day started with an introduction to electroacupuncture which included some (long forgotten) physics, lightened up considerably by Alex’s very funny stories about experiments on himself in the bath! He then discussed the practicalities of electroacupuncture including which frequencies should be used, and how we could achieve the best effect using this treatment modality… I must admit I have tweaked a few settings, and actually read the instruction manual for my lovely new electroacupuncture machine as a result! We discussed where use of electroacupuncture
was appropriate, and also where it was not, as well the local and distal effects of electroacupuncture,
and how analgesia is achieved. 

We then went onto a very stimulating discussion on research into using electroacupuncture with both inflammatory and neuropathic pain, and how local and distal points work. We had then talked about briefly about the effects of analgesic drugs such as exogenous opiods, Amantadine and Gabapentin, when used in combination with acupuncture for chronic pain. We finished with a review of current literature on IV disc disease, peripheral nerve injury and very excitingly the positive effect that electroacupuncture has on the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells as well as regeneration of nerve fibres in injured spinal cord. This has really piqued my interest in regenerative medicine, which is currently a hot topic in veterinary medicine, although I understand is still expensive to do, and case selection is important. 

Ongoing research into the effects of electroacupuncture on the seratonergic descending inhibitory pathway, the automomic nervous system effect and genetic response to acupuncture, may well be topics for next year so I guess I will have to go again this year. I would thoroughly recommend this course and you can always teach an old dog new tricks!’ 

Kate Rew