Chronic Respiratory Disease and Electroacupuncture in Horses

In electroacupuncture, a practitioner inserts stainless steel needles at specific anatomical points, as in acupuncture, and then connects the needles to an electrostimulator. Studies conducted at Florida State University indicated that this technique has anti-inflammatory effects in horses and therefore might be useful in the treatment of chronic respiratory disease.

Previous studies in horses and humans had shown an improvement in breathing when horses with heaves received even one treatment. In this trial, 20 healthy horses were divided into an electroacupuncture group or a control group. Horses in the treatment group were given 12 electroacupuncture treatments over a 24-day period. While no changes in pulmonary function were observed, horses in the treatment group did show a systemic anti-inflammatory effect based on evaluation of blood characteristics.