Shyka at the Vet - Immediate Proof of Acupuncture and Ozone Therapy

Finally I get to make a post that's fully and completely about natural medicine! I'm no healer by any means, and although I feel happy and grateful to be welcome by the tribe members, I still think that philosophical ponderings and bamboo bicycles are not exactly natural medicine (though indirectly for sure). This time, however, I can write about the amazing effects of acupuncture and ozone therapy, as I got to experience it (almost) directly.

Medical Treatment for my Dog

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you'll remember my dog Shyka. I introduced her in a post at the very beginning of my time on Steem, and wrote another post a bit more recently. What's important here, is that my wife adopted her from the streets ten years ago, and her estimated age is around 13. That's quite old for a dog, especially since she spent... who knows how long exposed to street life.

As it tends to happen, old age brings its own set of health problems, and Shyka is no exception. Her spinal column is growing rigid, making her lose flexibility. Her heart valves don't close properly, so with each heartbeat a small amount of blood flows back the wrong way. And recently she has been developing a number of lumps under her skin. As test have revealed, these cysts are not malignant, just an accumulation of lipids, but they need to be monitored to make sure they stay that way.

Since we want the best thing for Shyka, we decided not to torture her with regular surgeries. On the other hand, we want her to enjoy her life, so we looked into alternative treatment methods. Her vet recommended us to try acupuncture and / or ozone therapy, which a colleague of hers offers, right at the same vet's office. We gave it a try, and the results were mind-blowing.

The First Session, Which Changed Everything

Like most dogs, Shyka hates going to the vet. Even if our daily walk happens to turn into the street her office is located on, she is going to pull towards the opposite side of the street, trying to walk past that place as fast as she can. No wonder, with so many bad memories connected to it. So even when we went to her appointment with the acupuncturist, she fought as hard as she could against going there.

Once the session was over, however, there was a 180 degree change in her. Not only did she put her paws and chin on the acupuncturist's arm, as a sign of affection, she was even pulling towards the vet's office the next time our walk took us in that direction. Quite amazing, considering how she used to hate it. This only shows the immediate positive result of the treatment, which even a dog learns to associate with its direct cause!

The other impressive result was that after her first session she regained her flexibility. Notice the foam stairs on the floor next to the couch! We actually made those stairs for Shyka, seeing that she was having a hard time to get up on the couch. Since her first acupuncture session she hasn't been needing them. Of course convenience is king, but if she is coming from the other side, she'd jump up directly before walking around to use her stairs. When people ask us about the point of having those stairs, we tell them: "Our dog used to be much older back when we got them."

Details of the Therapy

So what happens during these treatments? Acupuncture stimulates specific points on the body, which can have all kinds of effects. In Shyka's case it eased the pain which was mostly caused by muscles tensing up all around her spine, resulting in further pain and reduced flexibility. Acupuncture won't stop the calcification of her joints, but it does ease the tension resulting from it, making her feel like she got suddenly younger.

Ozone therapy is a different treatment all together, but the two go hand-in-hand, as its application is also free of introducing any foreign substances into the body... other than oxygen. The idea is to oxygenize blood taken from the vein, and re-inject it into the muscle. The oxygenized blood then stimulates the antibodies to attack malignant cells, and thus prevent tumors. At least, that's how I understand this treatment to work.

Though I have not made any personal experience with either of these two treatment methods, the incredible effect they have had on my dog is enough to make me a huge fan. So should I one day be in need of these treatments, I'll have something to relate to. Until then, I'm glad about Shyka being a happy and healthy dog.

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