Sunday, Jan. 20th 2013

Cold laser, chiropractic

Veterinary Alternatives January 2013 newsletter

Sorry I’m so late with this one! I got sick with the disease du jour on New Year’s Day and it kept me from doing much of anything for about a week. Can’t really call it the flu, since the Oscillococcinum didn’t touch it, but it sure acted like one. Anyway, I’m back in action now!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Did you make any resolutions for your pets? How about making sure they are an appropriate body weight and helping them get there this year? If you aren’t sure if their weight is right, or would like some help coming up with a diet plan that’s right for your pet, its breed, and your lifestyle, give me a call to schedule an appointment!

BIG NEWS! I have always planned to add a Class IV medical grade cold laser to my practice once I got a clinic up and running. They are quite expensive and I really couldn’t afford one with my current part-time house call practice. BUT, the company I was most interested in had a year-end special with a great financing deal so I ordered one and will receive training on it this week. So what is a cold laser, you ask? Good question! Cold laser delivers pulsed laser light 2-5 cm into tissues. The wavelengths used (two of them in this model) stimulate cellular activity in such a way as to be anti-inflammatory, promote healing of injured tissues, and pain relieving. So it is good for chronic problems related to inflammation like frequent bladder infections, arthritis, scar tissue that causes pain, and non-healing wounds. It is used to treat acute problems such as surgical incision healing, new wounds, torn ligaments and tendons, bruising, and swelling. It can also be used to help with pain from intervertebral disc disease, fractures (and promote healing), ear infections, dental work, and much more! I am SO excited to have this available to my clients! The treatment frequency depends on the problem being treated. Surgical healing and acute wounds and such may need a few daily treatments, or a 3-2-1 schedule with three treatments the first week, two the second, then weekly until healed. Pain is treated on a less frequent basis but still needs regular treatments for adequate control. The really neat thing is I can combine this with acupuncture and chiropractic for a more complete therapy protocol. For example, a dog with severe neck pain might receive chiropractic to correct subluxations that either caused the pain or are a result of muscle spasms. Acupuncture can then release endorphins for pain control and help relax the muscles. Finally, cold laser can treat trigger points in the muscles, heal damaged tissues, and stimulate anti-inflammatory actions at the cellular level. I also plan to use the laser to help patients that only get a partial response from acupuncture, as I suspect in some cases, especially with hip arthritis, that there are deep muscles in spasm that the acupuncture can’t quite reach.

My prices for treatment with the laser will follow my other treatments for now. For example, if a house-call plus mileage to your home costs $60, that includes the exam, basic consultation, and one treatment (either acupuncture, chiropractic, OR (now) laser). Each additional treatment beyond the first is an additional $25. I may consider a price for multiple laser treatments since it is best that most patients have several in the first couple of weeks, but since I do have a house-call service, and $25 for laser as an add-on is considerably cheaper than what is recommended by the company, right now it will be the simple form as stated above. Once I have a clinic and the patients are coming to me, that may change.

CHIROPRACTIC REMINDER

I want to remind everyone that I am available for chiropractic ONLY at two locations, Best Friend’s Pet Grooming at 130th and State Line in Leawood, and Man’s Best Friend Pet Resort on Mullen in Belton. Call for an appointment—chiropractic at these locations is only $50, a savings of $10 from a house-call. Let your friends know! This price is for ANY patient, not just existing clients. I often have people say, “Oh, chiropractic, that’s cool. But my dog doesn’t need chiropractic….”. Just so you know, EVERYONE needs chiropractic. A healthy pet (or person) with average activity may only need to be checked two or three times a year, but subluxations can be very hard to detect, can be caused by normal everyday activities, and can lead to pain or even organ dysfunction. If your pet participates in any regular activity, from hunting to agility to conformation to jogging, they should probably be checked at least every three months as repetitive actions are more likely to contribute to subluxations that can be corrected by a certified animal chiropractor (such as myself!) Hunting dogs, in particular, should be checked before the season begins to make sure they are in top form, and again after the season to correct anything that has occurred as a result of their “weekend warrior” types of activity, since many don’t get regular exercise during the off-season. Pass the word!

ANOTHER REMINDER

All old newsletters are archived on my website, under the newsletter tab on the home page. So if you remember something from an old one that you want to look up, that’s where to find it. You can also share them with friends, post them on Facebook, or whatever! Spread the love. Speaking of Facebook, have you liked my page yet?


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