One of the delights of being an Animal Acupuncture Practitioner is that we get to help & support our animal friends using a wide range of techniques, including of course needling but also moxibustion, laser, massage and electro-acupuncture.

Electro-acupuncture is one of these exciting techniques where East meets West - ancient Chinese Medicine wisdom meets technological advances. I couldn’t be more excited about this technique!

So let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of electro-acupuncture for Newbies.

Note, this blog post is intended for Animal Acupuncture Practitioners, veterinary acupuncturists, and animal acupuncture students. If you are not one of these people, you can read this post for inspiration, but please don’t attempt the techniques at home.

If you are interested in joining us in the AAA Certificate in Animal Acupuncture and learning how to use needles and electro-acupuncture, please click on this link.

How Does Electro-Acupuncture Work?

Before going into why electro-acupuncture is used in animal patients, we need to go very quickly into how electro-acupuncture works.

In electro-acupuncture, we use a machine that emits an alternating current (AV current) to stimulate needles that are already in place in the animal. The same machine can be used for electro-acupuncture or TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) if you’ve got the right lead endings, and in fact the two techniques are similar.

Once in place, the alternating current changes the polarity of the end of the needles, leading to depolarization and re-polarization of small nerve fibres, which makes these nerves fire off. 

Perhaps you didn’t know this, but Western science has shown that acupoints are bundles of high-density small nerves and blood vessels, explaining why stimulating acupoints affects both neurological function and blood flow.

When these small nerves fire, a whole bunch of reactions ensue - in particular the Gate Theory of Pain kicks in (where the signal from the needle competes with other pain signals in the body, blocking their processing in the spinal cord and brain).

This effect on nerves explains why electro-acupuncture is particularly suited to supporting animals with musculoskeletal & neurological conditions, including:

• Deep-seated pain & pain sensitization
• Muscle spasms & trigger points
• Paresis (partial paralysis)
• Intervertebral disk disease (IVDD)
• Degenerative myelopathy

Contrary to some myths, electro-acupuncture can be safely used in pets with epilepsy.

The same contra-indications and safety precautions apply to electro-acupuncture as to standard needling: hand hygiene (use hand sanitizer prior to needle insertion) and do not insert needles into tumours or damaged tissue. Do not use electro-acupuncture in pregnant animals, unless you want to induce labour.

Electro-acupuncture is very safe for the animal (there is no risk of electrocution) because the machine uses an alternating current (not direct current) and the amperage of the machine is very low.

A TCM View on Electro-Acupuncture

To fully understand how electro-acupuncture is used in Animal Acupuncture, one needs to have a little crash course in Traditional Chinese Medicine as well (and not just Western neurology).

The goal of Chinese Medicine is to restore balance (homeostasis) in the body. It does this by balancing the energy of Yin & Yang in the body. In addition, according to Chinese Medicine, the body is also composed of Vital Substances (including Chi/energy, Blood & Fluids) as well as Internal Organs (such as the Stomach or the Kidney). All these energies, substances and organs must be in balance for the body to function well.

• If one of these energies or organs is weak, then the patient is said to be Deficient.
• If one of these energies or organs is too strong, then the patient is in Excess.

Of course, an animal may harbour Deficiencies and Excesses in different parts of the body or organs, but this is a bit too complex for us now.

The goal of Chinese Medicine is to restore balance (homeostasis) in the body, symbolized by Yin & Yang.

The fun thing in TCM is that Deficiencies and Excesses respond preferentially to different kinds of stimulation.

• For an animal that is Deficient, one should use nourishing, tonifying or reinforcing techniques, such as soft massage or gentle needle techniques.
• For an animal in Excess, we need to let the Excess energy out, so the techniques used will usually be more intense (such as intense rubbing or more vigorous needle techniques).

When it comes to electro-acupuncture, this means that:

• Electro-acupuncture with a low frequency (where the needle changes polarity more slowly) will be tonifying or invigorating, and thus suited to treating Deficiency.
• Electro-acupuncture with a high frequency (where the needle changes polarity quickly) will be sedating and disperse Excessive energies from the body.

In electro-acupuncture, a frequency of 1-20 Hz (where the needle polarizes and depolarizes 1 to 20 times per seconds) is tonifying, whereas a frequency of 80-200 Hz (where the needle polarizes and depolarizes 80 to 200 times a second) is sedating.

Frequency is actually the most important factor in electro-acupuncture. If you don't remember anything else from this blog post, it must be this!!

An Electro-Acupuncture Treatment in Practice

Knowing this, how does a practitioner conduct a safe and effective electro-acupuncture treatment on animals?

First, the practitioner needs to have a clear Chinese Medical Diagnosis for your animal - whether he/she is in Deficiency or Excess, and where in the body these Excesses/Deficiencies are. This will help the practitioner select the right points to needle, but also which points to tonify or sedate.

If this all sounds too complex, don’t worry, we cover it step-by-step in the Certificate in Animal Acupuncture.

Once the practitioner has needled the points and decided which will be tonified and/or sedated, it is time to set up the electro-acupuncture machine.

• For American students, we recommend the following electro-acupuncture machine from JD Oriental Supply.
• For Australian students, we recommend the following electro-acupuncture machine from Acuneeds.

The electro-acupuncture machine from JD Oriental Supply, available in the USA.

We like these machines because they are divided into two halves, which means half of the machine can be set to a low tonifying frequency, and the other half can be set to a high sedating frequency.

Once the frequencies are set (tonifying 1-20 Hz or sedating 80-200 Hz), and the other settings are in place (believe me, there are quite a few!), it is time to clip the leads to the metal part of the acupuncture needles.

Then, the practitioner will switch on the current and increase it very slowly. Most animals are very sensitive to currents and will respond quite quickly (for example, with muscle twitching, looking at the needle, or looking up in surprise). The practitioner will then reduce the current to a comfortable level for 20-30 min. This is usually the right time to give some treats to reward the animal.

Once the treatment is finished, the practitioner will switch off the current, disconnect the leads, remove the needles, and switch off the machine. The animal will probably be sleepy for the next half-day and quite relaxed. Most effects of electro-acupuncture can be seen 24 to 48 hours after the treatment. When it comes to pain relief, the effects are usually immediate.

Conducting electro-acupuncture treatments is definitely one of the most exciting parts of being an Animal Acupuncture Practitioner. It is so rewarding to help animals with deep-seated issues (such as chronic pain or neurological issues), knowing that you are using the best technique to help them with their problems.