The Chinese veterinary medicine(TCVM) and sport horses.

Chinese herbal medicine is a relatively new treatment among equine veterinarians in the western world, but Palm Beach Equine Clinic veterinarian Dr Janet Greenfield-Davis has incorporated the use of herbs and herbal treatments as an integral part of her alternative therapy options for patients. Greenfield-Davis specialises in both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. As humans adapt to using all-natural methods to treat illness, herbal medicine for animals also uses ancient Chinese formulas aimed at treating the underlying causes of a disease or illness to help the body heal itself, rather than only temporarily treating the presented symptoms. “There is a herbal product for anything,” said Dr Greenfield-Davis, who found herbal medicine six years ago when she started specialising in acupuncture, which joins Chinese herbal medicine as two of the most common forms of TCVM therapies. “Herbals treat a variety of ailments from sore muscles to problems affecting the liver, heart, kidneys, joints, and more. I pair the herbals with my acupuncture, which is traditionally the ancient Chinese way.” In TCVM, once a symptom of disharmony in the body or disease is identified, treatment proceeds through four possible branches, including acupuncture, food therapy, a form of Chinese medical massage called Tui-na, and Chinese herbal medicine. From topical treatments, including salves and powders, to edible treatments; Chinese herbal medicine not only draws on natural products, but also on the natural tendencies of the horse itself. Being herbivores, horses ingest herbs found in the wild while they are grazing. continue