Techniques of stimulation of the acupuncture points

TREATMENT OF CATS AND ZOO ANIMALS

Cats and zoo animals present special problems to vets who wish to use AP therapy. For effective needling, proper restraint is necessary. Cats resent needling on the extremities of the limbs and on the medial aspects of the limbs. Because of their sharp teeth and claws, needling points on the ventral abdomen can also be dangerous for the operator. Also, the duration of needling must be short.

Some vets find it useful to sedate these animals lightly before AP. Methods of choice in these species include painless techniques, such as laser, ultrasound and EM or ES fields. (Sedation is usually not necessary in domesticated species, other than cats, with these methods). Alternative, quick methods are point injection, Dermojet injection and quick needling, all of which may require sedation.

Using the Dermojet method, at a distance of 5 cm from the skin, Demontoy has treated many cats without sedation, using limited numbers of points. Cases which gave excellent responses included vomiting, diarrhoea, (gastritis, enteritis, gastroenteritis), constipation, urolithiasis- cystitis-urethritis; urine retention; induction of parturition in overdue females; hormonal alopecia; coryza (rhinitis, conjunctivitis, gingivitis); cough (tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia); shock and anaesthetic emergencies. For details, see: Demontoy, Revue d'AP Veterinaire (1981), No.8, p.17-21 (published by Assoc. des Vet. Acupuncteurs de France, 3 Rue Letellier, Paris 75015, France).

Qi Gong, PSYCHIC AND TOUCH HEALING

This paper has concentrated on the more physical methods of stimulating the APpoints. It would not be complete, however, without a brief mention of paraphysical methods. Modern Chinese Communists do not believe in a soul (a personal energy/memory independent of the body) that survives death. However, recent (unconfirmed) reports from China indicate that research in Qi Gong is producing exciting results. Mental and physical focusing/ control of body Qi is possible. It can belearned and used for many purposes, including diagnosis and healing. Acupuncturists who are Masters of Qi Gong can often "sense" the location of disturbedQi in the patient and, without touching the patient, can treat the disorder by directing their own Qi to the correct AP points.

The whole area of "paranormal" diagnosis and healing is difficult to assess in terms of our scientific methods. Little or no thorough research has been done in the area. Many confidence-tricksters make large sums of money from the public by claiming (falsely) to have these abilities. Nevertheless, the phenomena, although rare and unpredictable, are real.

There are people who are gifted with natural ability to diagnose disease and to heal in strange ways. Some of the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of psychic methods have been discussed briefly in another paper (see "Psychic methods of diagnosis and treatment in AP and homeopathy" by Rogers, Belgian Veterinary AP Society Seminar 1982). Psychic healers often have no training in biology and medicine. Some of these people believe that God acts through them; others may not believe in a God, but they use some type of meditation /trance or "thought projection" to help the patient. The healer may be near or far distant from the patient. Some vets and doctors have these gifts to a greater or lesser degree. They may not realise that they have the ability and they may attribute their diagnostic skills and clinical success to "luck" or good fortune as well as good medicine. I would ask you to keep an open mind on these questions. If some of you recognise these abilities in yourselves, please read as much as you can of the literature on the paranormal. You will find that your clinical success will improve when you combine these techniques with scientific medicine.

a. Psychic diagnosis: There are people who can sense, by "paranormal" means, the nature and location of human and animal disease. Some do this in the presence of the patient. Others do it from a long distance, using the dowsing (divining) facility or by other psychic means.

The late Erwin Westermayer (Bellamont), a great healer, did not have to see the animal patient or to have a detailed history of the case. He relaxed into a type of trance and within a minute or so, sensed in his own body the site of pain or other lesion which he saw when he later examined his patient clinically.

b. Therapeutic energy emission: The healer's hands are held near or on the patient. Many of these healers have a strange phenomenon associated with their hands - if they hold an earthworm in their hand, the worm dies within a minute or two. If they go fishing, they need to have a friend with them to put worms on the hook for them.

c. Thought projection: There are people who can heal animals or humans by psychic means with or without the conscious knowledge of the patient. They do not have to be near the patient - they simply pray for or visualise or concentrate/ meditate on the patient and "project healing energy / Qi / Prana" to the diseased area, Chakra or AP points.

How does this relate to AP ? Firstly, the seers of the East and West have claimed that all living things have an Aura, or Energy Field. This aura reflects the mental and physical state of the organism. It responds to the internal environment of the organism and also to its external environment (terrestrial and extra-terrestrial forces). It is the interface between the external and internal environments.

The AP points are the areas where the Energy Field is strongest. In disease, the energy pattern at the AP points changes. These changes can be sensed (by paranormal sight or touch) by psychic people. With some experience, the nature and location of disease can be diagnosed by the changes in the Energy Field. (By telepathic means, trance, clairvoyance or other paranormal means, these changes can be sensed at great distances by trained psychics).

Secondly, healing can be stimulated by altering the Energy Field of the patient so that normal patterns of energy are re-established. Transfer of energy from the healer to the patient causes this to occur.

Those who are trained in the AP method can concentrate more specifically on sensing and altering the Energy Field at those AP points which are most affected. I have given much consideration as to whether or not I should discuss this section on psychic healing with a scientifically trained audience of vet colleagues. There is a danger that my discussion of this section may undermine the credibility of the whole paper, if not my entire credibility as a qualified lecturer ! However, whether we like it or not, there is a growing consciousness of these topics in the West. It is time that scientists discuss the "paranormal" even if we do not accept its validity.

If you are scandalised, please, forget this section and try some of the other techniques mentioned earlier. AP can be explained satisfactorily by orthodox physical concepts without the necessity of invoking the "paranormal". To those of us who have first-hand experience of psychic methods, they merely add another dimension to a fascinating tapestry that is total reality.