TRAVERSE CITY — Holistic medicine is up for debate in human patients. While some claim herbal medicines, acupuncture and other traditional therapies have the power to relieve pain and cure ailments, others lump holistic treatments in with aura cleansing and hypnotherapy — as a pseudoscience.
But when a problem surfaced with Blackjack the miniature poodle’s paw, Grand Traverse Kennel Club member Cindy Haines turned to laser treatments, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicines, and veterinary orthopedic manipulation, a kind of chiropractic alignment for pets.
“Blackjack was the most problematic. There were a lot of things a regular vet could not fix,” said Haines. He faced a multiple ailments, including the problem with his paw. The past injury, though medically healed, continued to cause the dog stress and pain. So Haines brought her dog to Dr. Albert Lynch.
The slew of Blackjack’s problems that were not fixed by Western veterinarians were resolved over 48 hours using Traditional Chinese Medicine and holistic treatments, Haines said.
He is a well-known vet in the community, especially for pet parents looking for a more integrated medical approach. The long-practicing veterinarian also holds memberships to alternative medicine organizations like American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and and International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. He began integrating holistic treatments at his own practice in 2003.
I was looking for ways to help my own health and decided to pass it on to my patients,” said Lynch. “Traditional Chinese Medicine is all about trying to get the body to heal itself.”
He returned from a five year retirement in 2012 to practice at Companion Animal Hospital.
“I missed helping animals who couldn’t get treatment from western medicine,” Lynch said.
Traditional Chinese medicine has been practiced for over 3,000 years. There is little scientific evidence that explains why the herbal medicines and acupuncture work, though anecdotal evidence abounds.
Veterinary acupuncturists insert thin needles into pressure points on the skin to direct the vital life force, Qi (pronounced chee) around the body. They use roughly the same pathways for pets as the ones used in humans. Stimulating the points can fix skin conditions, improve liver and kidney function, relieve arthritis pain, and help solve digestive issues, Lynch said.
One of Lynch’s patients came in with a ruptured disk. A neurologist gave the dog a 40 percent chance of walking again, even after a $6,000 to $8,000 surgery. Lynch prescribed a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines that got the dog walking again, he said.
“If they need sedation we don’t do it [acupuncture], the fight is too much of a stress,” said Lynch. “Normally when my patients do it once, they are ok doing it again.”
Though acupuncture can be confusing for pets, Lynch said the animals seem to like it. Holistic treatments are meant to improve quality of life for pets, not stress them out.
Barbara Peters of Traverse City got grim news about a cancerous lump in Caleigh’s — her 13-year-old border collie’s — eye.
She would have to leave Caleigh with the doctors in Grand Rapids for five days to undergo intense rounds of radiation treatment.
“We went to an oncologist in Grand Rapids. They said they would do radiation, but that nothing is guaranteed,” said Peters.
“ ... I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t leave her.”
Lynch put the dog on a strict diet and a mix of herbal medicines. Peters would wake up every morning and mix her dog’s food with protein supplements, sweet potatoes, and other natural whole products.
Caleigh only lived five months longer, but she was home with her family and a high quality of life. She was still able to do acrobatic jumps and exercise until the very end.
“We were doing something for her, and that made us feel good,” said Peters.
Grand Traverse Kennel Club hosts Dr. Lynch
TRAVERSE CITY — Dr. Albert Lynch will share his work with pet acupuncture and Chinese medicineat the Traverse City Elks Lodge on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
Lynch currently practices at Companion Animal Hospital and is presenting as part of the Grand Traverse Kennel Club’s monthly meeting. Contact: 231-943-8967, www.gtkc.org or http://ift.tt/2xPN0VJ.
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