We need more animal (Cat, Dog, Horse Rabbit and other pets) Complementary Alternative Medicines (CAMs) and Evidence Based Research.
Although practitioners see daily the difference they make to patients and there is an abundance of anecdotal evidence, one of the main issues that conventional medicine has had in the past with complementary alternative medicines (CAMs) for animals and people is the lack of evidence based research to support its claims.
Unlike large drug companies with billions of dollars at their disposal for research and development, advertising and marketing, sole complementary alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners for pets usually do not have the resources (time or financial) to "prove" that treatments work.
However thanks to universities, schools and some wonderful individuals, more and more research into complementary alternative medicines (CAMS) for cats, dogs, horses and other animals is being done nowadays.
I was really excited to see a couple of recent studies done on chiropractic and massage treatments on horses.
The first study looked at the changes in spinal "mechanical nociceptive thresholds" (MNTs). This sounds complicated but basically the study measured the pain threshold levels in horses.
This is usually done using computer equipment that gradually increases the mechanical stimulus i.e. pressure. Scientists & researchers like using MNT's as measurements, as they are considered to be a fair and effective tool for evaluation.
They are often used to test the effectiveness of analgesic drugs (the analgesic drug raises the threshold so you aren't as sensitive to pain, so the higher the MNT the more effective the drug treatment).
The study compared Bute (a commonly prescribed drug), massage and chiropractic.
The results showed that the control groups had less than 1% change, that Bute raised the average MNT by 8%, but Chiropractic and Massage raised them by 27% and 12% respectively– Way to go Massage and Chiropractic, 50% more and nearly 3 ½ times as effective than the most commonly prescribed drug!!
The second study looked at the effect chiropractic treatment had on horses that had been clinically diagnosed with back problems. This time the evaluation measurement was range of motion and symmetry of the bones in the back and pelvis, both of which showed significant changes after treatment.
If you want to read more studies, why not check out the "downloads" section of the naturallycomplementary.com community for a wealth of information including the latest research, articles and stories on animal complementary alternative medicines (CAMs).
On the left hand side of the page you can browse the different folder categories. Once you have selected a folder you can narrow your searches down by choosing from the various different tags on the right side of the page – acupuncture, chiropractic homeopathy– whatever takes your fancy!
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Complementary Alternative Medicines (CAMs); Chiropractic; Massage; Research