Bruno's Blog – a complete animal at work

Published the same day in the same journal, a short paper from vets at Cambridge Veterinary School, looking at the use of Radionics to control parasite levels horses. Tremendously detailed and carefully researched over 3 years, but the conclusion?

“No evidence was obtained to demonstrate that radionic healing reduced the parasite counts in horses.”

probably best not to use it for that, then. As you may imagine, vitriolic exchanges in the veterinary press – the conservatives decrying the foolishness of printing such lunacy in otherwise reputable publications, the researchers essentially saying that it was important to investigate the claims, and that the paper was an investigation into the possible effects of radionics, not an attempt to explain or justify the use it.

Acunpuncture

Interesting new research from Norway printed in the weekly journal of the British Veterinary Association. It is quite well established in the world of acupuncture that longer term benefit can sometimes be achieved by implanting small gold beads over acupuncture sites to create continuous low grade stimulation. This has uses in the control for example of chronic pain or in the management of epilepsy.

A clinical trial carried out at the Norwegian veterinary school in Oslo has just been published in which a group of dogs with chronic lameness had gold beads implanted by surgeons at sites marked by a certified veterinary acupuncturist. These cases were then followed up over a period of 6 months and compared with a placebo group who had no gold beads implanted. Neither assessors nor owners knew which dogs were in which group.

And the results?

“there were significantly greater improvements in mobility and greater reductions in the signs of pain in the dogs treated with gold implantation than the placebo group”

Well, now. This rather looks to me like yet another piece of evidence that acupuncture can be extremely effective.

The irony is that this was published in the same week that a group of tired old doctors made such a fuss about the NHS spending too much money on complementary medicine

WHAT ON EARTH WERE THEY TALKING ABOUT?

The whole point of medicine is to make the patient feel better. Who cares if that is achieved by pills, chemotherapy, mumbo jumbo or a little old-fashioned talking?

I know perfectly well that complementary medicine can and does work extremely effectively to help make my patients feel better. I have seen it happen time and time again. Radical changes in the patient where the only intervention has been homeopathic, for example. It doesn’t mean that it is going to work every time, and don’t ask me to explain the science, but if it can work, I am going to use it.

This is the blog where you’ll read about our take on veterinary practice as it happens in our particular street. There’ll be case studies from the clinic, news and information of interest to pet owners, curious tales from an inner-city vet practice and anything else that takes our fancy. Watch this space….