Greetings,
Welcome to this month's issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Please pass this along to your friends!

Table of Contents:

1. Featured Articles from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center
2. Acupuncture and Family Pets
3. Pet Arthritis Message Boards

Featured Pet Arthritis Content

A Guide to Glucosamine Products for Pets Canine Hip Dysplasia Stories of Users of Rimadyl Natural Arthritis Relief for Pets Recommended Books on easing arthritis pain in Pets Using Glucosamine to Ease Arthritis Pain in Pets

Advertisement

	Liquid glucosamine formula Syn-flex® effectively eases arthritis and hip dysplasia pain in dogs and cats, assists in the rehabilitation of damaged cartilage, and slows the progression of the disease. Plus FREE shipping. Learn more about Syn-flex now!

Acupuncture and Family Pets

Acupuncture as a treatment option has been around for about 3,000 years. Used to treat a wide variety of ailments in humans, it has come more into the forefront in the past twenty years for pets. Typically, it is a treatment option that is administered by a trained veterinarian practitioner.

What it does
The first recorded instances of (pet) acupuncture were in the period from 136 to 235 A.D. (The Jin Dynasty) Despite that long history; it has really only come to the forefront in the past twenty years or so.

Although utilized for a variety of pet medical problems it has been used fairly extensively for joint problems. And we should clarify one point. Acupuncture is primarily used as an aid in reducing pain. To expect more from acupuncture would be to strain credibility.

Clinically
In studies that have been conducted, acupuncture has been shown to lower heart rate, increase blood flow and improve immune function. As well, it stimulates the release of certain neurotransmitters like endorphins, the body's all-natural pain killer. It also triggers the release of small amounts of cortisal, an anti-inflammatory steroid.

How it works
Your pet's body (just as in the case of a human being) has qi (paths of energy) that passes along twelve main linear pathways (meridians) in the body. Illness develops from imbalances in these pathways. What acupuncture does is redirect those pathways through some 365 (main) acupuncture points which are located at clusters of nerves and blood vessels.

When those areas are stimulated through acupuncture, a range of both local and psychological triggers are set off which power the body's ability to heal itself.

For its value…how much time is required?
If acupuncture is something you want to try for your pet, don't expect a "one-shot fix." In a typical situation, it may take 6-8 sessions with a veterinarian (again, specially trained) to get any pain relief for your pet. As well, there are no guarantees that this kind of therapy is anything but a short-term pain reliever and for the expense involved, one has to question the value.

Options
When it comes to joint pain in pets, the use of high-quality glucosamine has removed the need for most pet owners to use (often) dangerous medications. Certainly, it rids our beloved pets of pain with the added advantage of rehabilitating damaged cartilage. That is something even the best veterinarian/acupuncturist cannot do.

See you next time.

Advertisement

	Syn-flex® contains pharmaceutical quality Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Bromelain, Boswellin, Yucca, Omega 3 and Omega 6, Manganese, and Vitamins A, C, and E in a high quality formula designed for helping Arthritic type pain for your dog or cat. Learn more about Syn-flex here!

Pet Arthritis Message Boards

Dogs

• Canine Hip Dysplasia
• Arthritis in Dogs
• Glucosamine for Dogs

Cats

• Feline Hip Dysplasia
• Glucosamine for Cats
• Arthritis in Cats

Other Animals

• Arthritis in Other Animals

Here's a few sample posts from the Forum...

Pam
Posted on 01 Jul 2003

I'm interested to gain the views and opinions of the members of the site on the role of a nutraceutical like glucosamine versus an NSAID.

The reason I ask is that the site seems to cover both sets of products but seems to have no information on what each of them does.

Post your own message on The Pet Arthritis Message Board now!

This concludes the July Issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Look for the next issue in your inbox on August 15th, 2003!

Please forward to any friends that have pets with arthritis and who would be interested.

You have received The Pet Arthritis Chronicle because you have subscribed to it (or it was forwarded to you by a friend). At any time, you may subscribe or unsubscribe here.

For comments and questions relating to The Pet Arthritis Chronicle you may email

This newsletter may be republished article by article or in whole as long as credit is given to author and link is provided to http://www.arthritis-cats-dogs.com

Have a great July from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center and The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. See you next month!