The most widely recommended use of equine acupuncture has been to help manage chronic pain. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Exploring the evidence regarding the use of acupuncture in equine medicine

Following President Nixon’s visit to China in the 1970s, reports of acupuncture use began to crop up in the U.S. media. Fascination with acupuncture and other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) such as Chinese herbal medicine took hold, and today these forms of medicine are being used more frequently.

However, according to Peggy Fleming, DVM, AP, owner and operator of Florida Acupuncture Center, in Dade City, “controversy still exists over the efficacy of these therapies, including acupuncture.”

The most widely recommended use of equine acupuncture has been to help manage chronic pain. Dietrich Graf von Schweinitz, BSc, DVM, MRCVS, Cert Vet Acu (IVAS), president of the Association of British Veterinary Acupuncturists and a veterinary surgeon at Southern Hills Equine Veterinary Clinic Ltd., in Putternham, Guildford, U.K., believes acupuncture is an effective treatment for chronic pain, among other conditions