October 12, 2005

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Reiki, acupuncture and hypnotherapy for your dog?

by Sue Dremann

Alternative medicine is going to the dogs.

Embraced by many Americans as a means to preventing and treating chronic ailments, holistic medicine, herbs and acupuncture, are the latest in a new line of therapies available to pets.

Certified veterinarians and physical rehabilitation therapists are treating animals for a host of often-serious ailments, including immune system disorders, skin conditions, allergies, arthritis, ruptured disks, paralysis, obesity and post-operative recovery. Located in Menlo Park, Holistix, which opened in March, focuses on holistic medicine and alternative therapies for pets and people.

At Holistix, the primary goals are prevention and wellness, founder Dr. Bari Liebowitz said. She developed Holistix after her dog, Sydney, died of cancer in 2002. Sydney's pain prompted Liebowitz to take a pro-active approach to animal health, she said. A chiropractor and naturopath, Liebowitz was already treating people, but she felt something was missing.

"Pets are an important part of the family, and people want what's best for them, so I decided to open a center for the whole family," she said.

People come to Holistix to receive hypnotherapy, chiropractic treatments, Reiki, massage and blood analysis. Pets come for acupuncture, animal massage therapy, veterinary orthopedic manipulation (pet chiropractic) and herbal medicine from licensed professionals in veterinary alternative medicine.

Dr. Sara Skiwski, a veterinarian and licensed practitioner of veterinary acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and alternative medicine, evaluates all animals that come to Holistix, as required by state law, Liebowitz said.

Last Thursday afternoon, Annette Pittari ticked off a list of diseases afflicting Jake, her 11 1/2-year-old toy poodle: inflammatory bowel disease, seizures, gallstones and liver problems. "That's the short list," she said.

Jake has been receiving herbal treatments and acupuncture since 2001. Bone marrow, milk thistle and "liver medicine," a concoction of Chinese medicinal herbs, are part of his daily regimen. It's been four months since his last visit, but he greeted Skiwski with a wagging tail and patiently sat on the examination table. His ears trembled slightly as Skiwski examined him. "He always relaxes once the needles go in. He just about falls asleep," Pittari said.

He emitted a tiny whimper of disapproval as Skiwski poked a needle into his foreleg. He didn't seem to mind the one she placed in his forehead, just between his eyes. "This is the 'Four Gates' technique, for opening up the large intestine and liver meridians," Skiwski said. In Chinese medicine, organs are assigned certain energy pathways, or meridians, in the body. When energy flow is blocked in the body, illness occurs. The intestine meridian is responsible for the immune system, and the liver helps move energy smoothly through the body, Skiwski said.

Within minutes, Jake is visibly more relaxed. His trembling has stopped, and he rests comfortably in Pittari's lap. His eyes emanate a quality of deepening relaxation the longer the needles remain.

Pittari noticed a remarkable change in Jake's health; after the third visit, he stopped having seizures and vomiting, she said. "He has no seizures ... he doesn't throw up. He used to vomit two times a week. He's not lethargic, or clearly shows symptoms of not feeling well. His energy is good, and he eats well. We're thrilled with the effect," Pittari said.

Skiwski described holistic medicine for pets as a way to help the body heal itself and prevent chronic illness. "We're trying to keep the body balanced to meet the challenges of stress. It doesn't prevent injury, but if injury or illness occurs, it hopefully doesn't become a lingering problem," she said. Holistic medicine is especially useful to animals because their higher metabolisms and shorter life span can cause them to develop chronic condition more quickly if their bodies are not balanced, she said.

The most common aliments Skiwski treats are muscle injuries, heart disease, irritable bowel, nerve problems, asthma and skin conditions, she said.

Chronic illnesses aren't cured overnight, the longer a condition remains untreated, the longer it takes to heal, Skiwski said. It often takes four to six weeks before one sees measurable results, with some patients requiring as many as 12 sessions. An initial evaluation costs $120; acupuncture is $75 for an initial session, and $65 per additional visit.

In an adjacent room, Dr. Deb Sell, a licensed animal chiropractor, treated Perdido, a 9-year-old search-and-rescue Labrador retriever. He readily kissed everyone in the room with his long, slobbery tongue. "It's so hard to be you," Sell said affectionately, as Perdido's companion, Lisa Lee, coaxed the exuberant hound to settle down. Lee had noticed an intermittent loss of movement in one of Perdido's legs. His veterinarian was unable to locate the underlying cause, but after only one session of veterinary orthopedic manipulation (pet chiropractic), his muscle tension has been reduced and his pelvis is looser, Sell said.

Veterinary spinal adjustment is subtler, with little of the stereotypical neck and back cracking popularly associated with human chiropractic, she said. It involves working the muscle groups around a joint to reduce tension and correct movements an animal makes when trying to compensate for an injury. Many of the pets Sell treats are dogs that perform in agility trials, she said. Their owners frequently bring them in for "tune-ups."

Lee has also noticed Perdido has more liveliness. Spinal adjustments often increase a pet's energy, Sell said. Sometimes, astonishingly so, she said. "One woman told me, 'my husband wants you to put it back the way it was, because (the dog) has so much energy now,'" Sell said.

Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be e-mailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.

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