Christina Matern - Acupuncture for Dogs and Cats: A Pocket Atlas

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Matern, Christina.

[Taschenatlas Akupunktur bei Hund und Katze. English.]

Acupuncture for dogs and cats : a pocket atlas / Christina Matern.

p. ; cm.

Includes Index.

ISBN 978-3-13-164511-1 (alk. paper)

1. AcupunctureAtlases. 2. DogDiseasesAtlases. 3. CatDiseasesAtlases.

[DNLM: 1. AcupunctureAtlases. 2. DogDiseasesTherapyAtlases. 3. CatDiseasesTherapyAtlases. WP 22]

RG914.5.U37B1112 2012

650.1'8405dc12

2012003980

This book is an authorized translation of the German edition published and copyrighted 2010 by Sonntag Verlag in MVS Medizinverlage Stuttgart GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart. Title of the German edition: Taschenatlas: Akupunktur bei Hund und Katze.

Translator: Sabine Wilms, PhD, Taos, NM, USA.

Illustrator: Piotr Gusta, Champigny sur Marne, France.

2012 Georg Thieme Verlag,
Rdigerstrasse 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

http://www.thieme.de

Thieme New York, 333 Seventh Avenue,
New York, NY 10001, USA
http://www.thieme.com

Cover design: Thieme Publishing Group

Typesetting by Druckhaus Gtz GmbH, Ludwigsburg, Germany

Printed in China by Everbest Printing Co. Ltd.

ISBN 978-3-13-154691-3 1 2 3 4 5 6

Important note: Medicine is an ever-changing science undergoing continual development. Research and clinical experience are continually expanding our knowledge, in particular our knowledge of proper treatment and drug therapy. Insofar as this book mentions any dosage or application, readers may rest assured that the authors, editors, and publishers have made every effort to ensure that such references are in accordance with the state of knowledge at the time of production of the book.

Nevertheless, this does not involve, imply, or express any guarantee or responsibility on the part of the publishers in respect to any dosage instructions and forms of applications stated in the book. Every user is requested to examine carefully the manufacturers leaflets accompanying each drug and to check, if necessary in consultation with a physician or specialist, whether the dosage schedules mentioned therein or the contraindications stated by the manufacturers differ from the statements made in the present book. Such examination is particularly important with drugs that are either rarely used or have been newly released on the market. Every dosage schedule or every form of application used is entirely at the user's own risk and responsibility. The authors and publishers request every user to report to the publishers any discrepancies or inaccuracies noticed. If errors in this work are found after publication, errata will be posted at www.thieme.com on the product description page.

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I first met Dr. Cristina Matern at a meeting of the German Society for Holistic Veterinary Medicine (Gesellschaft fr Ganzheitliche Tiermedizin; GGTM) in Nuremberg in 2006. At that time she was working with other colleagues to form the German IVAS Affiliate (GERVAS). I was impressed not only by her knowledge of acupuncture but also by her dedication in forming an organization that would provide acupuncturists in Germany with another avenue to meet and join forces in the promotion of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Through her efforts and those of her colleagues GERVAS is a young but strong and enthusiastic organization. She was also committed in providing a solid education of TCM and acupuncture to veterinarians and saw the IVAS-based curriculum model as ideal to teach veterinarians TCM and acupuncture in an organized, concise, and efficient manner, allowing veterinarians to complete this training within a year.

Dr. Matern remains committed to teaching and disseminating important information about acupuncture and TCM, as evidenced by this atlas. Acupuncture for Dogs and Cats is well written, giving a concise but accurate review of TCM and the bones of Chinese medical philosophy. Included in the first section are synopses of the Fundamental Substances, the zang fu organstheir relations to each other and their functions, primarily in accordance with Five Element theoryand the various channel systems of the body. The author has distilled some of the most pertinent information regarding the Chinese understanding of medical physiology and has presented it in an easy-to-understand and relevant format. The TCM diagnostics section is brief and to the point, again providing veterinarians new to the world of acupuncture with a handy go-to reference section to understand the various diagnostic methods and paradigms that exist in TCM. Interspersed between the text are well-presented drawings and tables that assist the reader in understanding basic and important concepts.

The second half of the first section of the book focuses on the acupuncture points that are most commonly used in animals today. Again the author has successfully distilled the important characteristics and categories of points and their functions, beginning with an overview of various groupings of points and their functions and indications. The clear drawings accompanying this section of the book, which illustrate the location of these groups of points in relation to each other, are a very useful learning aid. The accompanying tables provide a quick and easy reference for veterinarians trying to categorize all of the new information regarding acupuncture.

The majority of the book focuses on the acupuncture points that are used in animalstheir functions, locations, indications, and advice on needling techniques. Even the Chinese names and characters are given, something I have a personal interest in. What I find particulartly useful about this atlas is that all points on each of the channels are described. These include all of the transpositional points as well as some of the traditional points. The illustrations that accompany the point descriptions are impressivenot just in their quality but in showing the described points in relation to other nearby points. This is a great learning aid for new practitioners of veterinary acupuncture but also a reminder for those of us with more experience.

It has been a pleasure to meet Christina and work with her on a limited basis, and I am honored that she asked me to write a foreword for her book. I had seen the atlas during courses in Germany and was disappointed that it was only available in German. Now this much-needed, concise reference book is also available in English and I would recommend it to any veterinarians learning acupuncture as well as to those with some experience. It will be a benefit to any veterinarian for years as they strive to understand all of the nuances of Chinese medical theory and how to use acupuncture to help our four-legged friends.

Linda Boggie, DVM
IVAS Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
The Netherlands

When a friend introduced me to Chinese medicine many years ago, my attitude toward holistic therapies changed rapidly. I had been conscious of the limited options for disease prevention in biomedicine for a long time and now seemed to have finally found a way to recognize health-related imbalances early on and even to avert disorders altogether. Countless scientific studies were able to substantiate this fact. For me as a veterinarian with a doctorate in Western veterinary medicine, this was great news. Research on topics such as the stimulation of vasoactive substances like serotonin, adrenaline, and endorphins or the effects of acupuncture on the autonomous nervous system aroused my interest.