I.V.A.S. UPDATE Veterinary Acupuncture Newsletter - International ...

Veterinary Acupuncture 

Newsletter 

A publication of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society 

Volume 26, Number 2 May 2003 

Welcome to the May issue of the IVAS Newsletter! Spring has 

finally come to Colorado; hopefully you are also having nice weather. 

Much continues to happen with your organization and this issue of the 

Newsletter contains quite a bit of information. 

Inside you will again find information on the upcoming 29 th Congress, 

which will be held in Santos, Brazil, August 20-23, 2004. Please make 

your plans to attend this first Congress held in South America! 

As was reported in the February Newsletter, the Program Committee 

has worked very hard to develop a well-rounded program that will 

appeal to small animal, as well as large animal/equine colleagues. This 

Newsletter contains a tentative schedule for the Congress along with 

speaker names and lecture topics. Please note that the IVAS Board and 

House of Delegates will hold meetings on Wednesday morning, August 

20 th ; exact times will be sent to the members. More information is also 

included concerning the equine wetlabs to be offered by Dr. Jean- 

Yves Guray and Dr. Marcio Bernstein. This should be another fantastic 

Congress - send in your registration now! 

The IVAS Board of Directors has just concluded a meeting and some 

of their decisions are noted in this Newsletter. The IVAS House of 

Delegates is holding a meeting as we go to press for this Newsletter. 

Please remember that the HOD is your voice in IVAS. If you have 

questions or concerns, please contact your HOD representative. 

In other IVAS Office business, Rachael Willson, our bookkeeper, 

submitted her resignation due to family matters. Rachael will be moving 

back to her home state of Texas. We are sorry to see Rachael leave us 

and we wish her well in her future endeavors. Our new bookkeeper is 

Catherine Mullet. We are very pleased to have Catherine with us and 

hope you will welcome her to the IVAS family. If you have any questions 

about your dues, registrations or orders, give Catherine a call. 

IVAS Board Confirms Dr. Rick Schafer 

as New IVAS Treasurer 

During the just concluded IVAS Board Meeting, the Board of 

Directors confirmed Dr. Rick Schafer of Corpus Christi, Texas, as 

REMINDER 

Submission Deadline for the next Newsletter is 

August 1st for the August 15th issue. 

I.V.A.S. UPDATE 

the incoming IVAS Treasurer to succeed Dr. Bob Schaeffer. The 

IVAS membership did not submit any other names for nomination; 

as such an election was not necessary. The Board unanimously 

approved Rick and his term will begin at the General Membership 

Meeting at the upcoming Congress. We welcome Rick to the IVAS 

Board! 

Position Statement on the Practice of Veterinary 

Acupuncture by Non-veterinarians 

A significant discussion took place during the Board Meeting on the 

matter of non-veterinarians practicing acupuncture on animals and on 

the teaching of veterinary acupuncture to non-veterinarians. IVAS is 

often asked by other organizations and jurisdictions what its position is 

on this matter. As such, the IVAS Board of Directors approved the 

following position statement: 

Practice of Veterinary Acupuncture by 

Non-veterinarians and the Teaching of Veterinary 

Acupuncture to Non-Veterinarians 

The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society adopted the 

following Mission Statement in 1999: 

The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society is a worldwide 

advocate in the promotion of education, responsible research, and 

the integration of acupuncture into veterinary medicine to create and 

maintain optimal health in all animals. 

With this Mission Statement in mind, the International Veterinary 

Acupuncture Society holds that the practice of acupuncture in the 

treatment of animals should be limited to a veterinarian. We uphold the 

principal that only trained veterinarians have the education to fully 

diagnose and determine what form of therapy is in the best interest of 

the animal, and in the case of zoonotic disease, the human population as 

well. Furthermore, that the teaching of veterinary acupuncture should 

be limited to graduate veterinarians for the above reasons. 

Approved by the IVAS Board of Directors, May 11, 2003. 

IVAS MISSION STATEMENT 

The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society is a worldwide 

advocate in the promotion of education, responsible research, 

and the integration of acupuncture into veterinary medicine to 

create and maintain optimal health in all animals.

Volume 26, Number 2 Veterinary Acupuncture Newsletter 

The International Veterinary 

Acupuncture Society 

Board of Directors 

*President 

Emiel Van den Bosch, D.V.M., Belgium Fax:+32-16-56-1374 

Email: EmielVdBosch@skynet.be 

*President-elect 

Linda Boggie, D.V.M., U.S.A. 

Email: lindaboggie@earthlink.net 

*Treasurer 

Robert Schaeffer, Jr., D.V.M., U.S.A. Fax:+314-353-1245 

Email: CallDrBob@aol.com 

*Past President 

W. Dwight Hooton, D.V.M., U.A.E. Fax:+971-433-59575 

*Chair House of Delegate 

Sikke Minnema, D.V.M., Netherlands Fax +31-548-363-243 

Email: s.minnema@hetnet.nl 

*Executive Director 

Ed Boldt Jr., D.V.M., U.S.A Fax:+970-266-0777 

Email: ivasoffice@aol.com 

Boudewijn Claeys D.V.M., Canada – 

Chair Int’l Education Committee 

Email: bclaeys@attcanada.net 

Kristine Elbaek, D.V.M., Denmark 

Email: kristine@holi-vet.dk 

Peter Grob, Tierarzt, Switzerland 

Email: grob.p@bluewin.ch 

Kevin May, D.V.M., U.S.A 

Email: kjmaymsi@cox.net 

Ted Purcell, D.V.M., Canada 

Email: glenpark@compusmart.ab.ca 

Jean-Yves Guray, D.V.M., Germany 

Email: jyguray@online.de 

(*)= member of Executive Committee 

Published by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. 

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of I.V.A.S. is 

prohibited. © All rights reserved. 

The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society 

P.O. Box 271395 • Ft. Collins, CO 80527-1395 U.S.A. 

+970-266-0666 • +970-266-0777 (fax) 

Email: ivasoffice@aol.com • Website: www.ivas.org 

IN THIS ISSUE 

Letter from the IVAS Treasurer ............................2 

Call for TAs ..............................................................3 

News from Roman Skarda .....................................7 

29 th Congress Information .....................................8 

Tentative 29 th Congress Schedule ..................... 10 

Letter from the Exam Committee ..................... 11 

Trigger Point Letter from Finland ..................... 12 

IVAS CE Listings.................................................. 12 

IVAS Calendar of Events ................................... 13 

Classified Ads ........................................................ 14 

LETTER FROM IVAS 

TREASURER 

As a result of a lot of hard work the last few years, we 

have managed to make a lot of improvements in the way 

IVAS functions. The one thing we have not accomplished is 

to get IVAS on a consistently sound financial footing. When 

I started as Treasurer six years ago, we did not have enough 

information about past operations to be able to plan very 

well. As we developed that information, we were able to 

figure out ways to contain cost, which produced a couple 

of profitable years for us. However, when the American 

Association of Veterinary Acupuncture truly developed, our 

dues income was dramatically reduced because half of the 

money now goes to the new organization. At about the same 

time, registration in the U.S. Basic Acupuncture Course declined 

which had a major impact on our income since the 

U.S. Course is a major source of income for the organization. 

As a result, for the first time in several years, we will 

have an operating deficit this year. This required us to make 

a major withdrawal from our reserves, depleting them by 

half. Obviously, we cannot continue to operate this way and 

remain a viable organization. 

Despite inflation and an increase in services provided 

by the office, IVAS has not had a dues increase in over eight 

years. In order to improve our financial status, the Board of 

Directors has approved a dues increase, which will take effect 

for the 2004-2005 fiscal year (starting July 1, 2004). The 

dues will increase to 128.00 USD for those who pay directly, 

and 64.00 USD for those who pay through their affiliate 

organizations. Although this seems like a large increase, 

it is not enough to make up our deficits. This will be balanced 

by further efforts to cut costs. 

Whenever there is a discussion of dues we have people 

who want to know what they are getting for their money. 

We always answer with things like Newsletters and Journals. 

In the years I’ve been associated with this organization, I’ve 

noticed that this question never comes from the people who 

are active in the organization. We are an organization of 

1400 members, yet I always see the same 200 or so people 

at our functions. If you are one of those people who wants 

to know what you are getting for your money, you might 

want to ask a different question. “What am I contributing to 

IVAS?” You can start right now by planning to attend the


Congress in Santos Brazil. The people responsible have spent 

a lot of time and energy to put together an outstanding 

meeting. 

At its last meeting, the Board of Directors approved 

Rick Schafer as your new Treasurer. This was done because 

he was the only one nominated. Rick has been acting as Assistant 

Treasurer throughout most of my six years as Treasurer. 

I would like to thank Rick for his invaluable help and 

assure the membership that he is prepared to do a terrific 

job as Treasurer when he takes office at the Congress. 

Robert G. Schaeffer, Jr. D.V.M. 

Treasurer 

************************** 

Call For 

TEACHING ASSOCIATES FOR THE UNITED 

STATES BASIC ACUPUNCTURE COURSE 

We need Equine/Large Animal Folks! 

Come to beautiful, Sunny Tampa in 2003-2004 for 4 sessions 

of the US Basic Acupuncture Course as a Teaching Associate 

and enjoy the challenges and benefits of assisting with the 

canine and equine labs and helping other veterinarians learn 

acupuncture! 

You get all these extras too: 

• A new course notebook! 

• Lots of IVAS Continuing Education hours! 

(IVAS CE hours determined by the IVAS CE Committee; 

you must sign in every day as with any CE Course) 

• Audit the curse for Free! 

• Compensation for your assistance! 

• Per Diem allowance! 

• Hotel room paid when shared with another TA! 

• It’s a great review of Veterinary Acupuncture! 

• Meet the lectures! Visit with old and new 

colleagues who do acupuncture! 

• Meet new people who are interested in 

Veterinary Acupuncture! 

Contact: Steve Kasanofsky, DVM 

103 Mt Airy Rd, Croton, NY 10520 

Ph: 914-962-3111 or Cell: 917-561-6719 (leave message) 

SteveK267@aol.com 

You must be an active (dues current) IVAS certified member.

Volume 26, Number 2 Veterinary Acupuncture Newsletter

Volume 26, Number 2 This is a paid advertisement. 

Veterinary Acupuncture Newsletter 

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New Animal Pain Management Organization Forming 

This note is to inform about a new organization which is 

dedicated to advance the knowledge and practice of recognition, 

prevention, and therapy of pain in animals. I am also including 

herewith 2 acupuncture abstracts which we have presented at the 

Veterinary Midwest Anesthesia and Analgesia (V-MAAC) 

Conference in Indianapolis on April 26, 2003. 

At the V-MAAC, Dr. Peter Hellyer, veterinary anesthesiologist 

at the Colorado State University, presented a plan for establishing 

the “ International Academy of Animal Pain Management 

(IAAPM)”. The name should not be confused with the American 

Academy of Pain Management (AAPM) which already exists on 

the human sector with great success. IAAPM will be an 

international organization. The idea for this new academy for the 

veterinary community began among Diplomates of the American 

College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists (ACVA) at the annual 

meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2001. The tentative charter 

and by-laws of IAAPM will be e-mailed to the Diplomates of 

ACVA for consideration and discussion. The voting will take 

place via e-mail or when participating at the 8th World Congress 

of Veterinary Anesthesia to be held in Knoxville, Tennessee, 

from September 16-20, 2003 . 

Anybody who is interested in recognition, prevention, and 

therapy of pain in animals can join the new academy by paying a 

membership fee. There are no specific requirements or taking an 

exam for becoming a member. Hopefully, the IAAPM will include 

not only veterinary anesthesiologists but also persons with a variety 

of backgrounds to advance the knowledge of physiology, 

pathophysiology, and pain management. 

The International Academy of Animal Pain Management 

(IAAPM) will be the premier organization for discussions among 

general practitioners, anesthesiologists, emergency and critical care 

personnel, animal health technicians, laboratory animal researchers, 

and anybody who is willing to shear his/her experience with 

managing simple and more advanced pain therapy, such as chronic 

and neuropathic pain. The academy also will seek funds for 

supporting its own Web site. 

Persons who want to join the e-mail list serve of the IAAPM 

are invited to contact Dr. Peter Hellyer at phellyer@colostate.edu. 

In addition, if you like to be a part of the IAAPM database and 

support the IAAPM Education Committee with lectures or 

demonstrations with acute or chronic pain management, please 

reply to Dr. Frank Golder at golderf@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu. 

Veterinary acupuncture is a significant therapy for animal pain 

management. I expect that acupuncture will not be ignored by the 

newly founded academy. There will be many committees and 

bridges between IAAPM and other organizations, including the 

International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) and American 

Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (AAVA). 

Our working group at The Ohio State University College of 

Veterinary Medicine has presented the following 2 abstracts at the 

V-MAAC 2003, in order to spread the good words about 

acupuncture. 

EFFECTS OF ACUPUNCTURE ON THE MINIMUM 

ALVEOLAR CONCENTRATION OF ISOFLURANE AND 

ASSOCIATED CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS IN 

DOGS 

LB Culp, RT Skarda*, WW Muir.* The Ohio State University College 

of Veterinary Medicine, Columbus, Ohio. 

We tested the hypothesis that acupuncture at Large Intestine 4 

(LI 4) and Lung 7 (LU 7) on both forelimbs, Governing Vessel 14 

and 20 (GV 14 and GV 20), San Tai (T13-L1), and Baihui (L7-S1) 

decreases the minimum alveolar concentration of isoflurane (MACiso) 

in dogs. Eight conditioned adult female Beagles (9.2 ± 1.6 kg) 

were used in control and acupuncture (AP) experiments in a 

randomized, crossover study design to determine the MAC-iso. A 

washout period of at least 10 days was allowed between experiments. 

Dogs were anesthetized with propofol (5.9 ± 0.8 mg/kg, IV), 

intubated with an orotracheal tube, and connected to a standard small 

animal anesthetic machine with an out-of-circle isoflurane vaporizer. 

They were mechanically ventilated to achieve normocapnia (end-tidal 

CO2, 38-42 mmHg). Heart rate, indirect arterial blood pressure, inspired 

and expired isoflurane and CO2 concentrations, arterial oxygen 

saturation, and esophageal temperature were monitored. After 

instrumentation, sterile acupuncture needles (Hwato, 0.3 x 25 mm) 

were inserted at LI 4 and LU 7 bilaterally, GV 14 and GV 20, and San 

Tai and Baihui. The acupoints were located based on the anatomical 

landmarks described by the International Veterinary Acupuncture 

Society and verified by the use of an acupoint detector (Acu-Vet). 

Acupuncture needles were kept in place for 30 minutes. No needles 

were placed in control treatments. The MAC-iso was determined, 

using noxious electrical stimulation (5 PPS, 10ms, 50V) of the buccal 

mucosa. A paired t-test was used for statistical analysis. A P value of 

less than 0.05 was considered significant. Acupuncture significantly 

(P < 0.05) decreased the MAC-iso by 13.6% [1.22 ± 0.13% at control, 

1.05 ± 0.11% after AP, mean ± SD]. Heart rate and mean arterial 

blood pressure were not statistically different among treatments at 

MAC-iso [96 ± 20 BPM at control, 96 ± 7 BPM after AP; 82 ± 13 

mmHg at control, 79 ± 13 mmHg after AP]. We conclude that AP at 

the selected acupoints is additive to isoflurane induced analgesia in 

dogs. 

EFFECTS OF INTRAVENOUSLY ADMINISTERED 

NALOXONE ON CUTANEOUS AND RECTAL PAIN 

THRESHOLDS AND CARDIOVASCULAR AND 

RESPIRATORY EFFECTS INDUCED BY 

ELECTROACUPUNCTURE IN MARES 

RT Skarda*, WW Muir III.* The Ohio State University College of 

Veterinary Medicine, Columbus, Ohio. 

We tested the hypothesis that intravenously administered naloxone 

reverses the increased cutaneous and rectal pain thresholds induced by 

electroacupuncture in horses. 

(continued on page 12)

29 th IVAS International Congress - Santos, Brazil 


Dear Colleagues! 

You are most welcome to come to Brazil in August 

20-23, for the 29 th Annual International Congress on 

Veterinary Acupuncture, which will be organized by the 

Brazilian Veterinary Acupuncture Association (ABRAVET). 

This is a historical fact for IVAS, as this is the first time a 

congress will be held in South America. In Brazil you will 

easily “feel” the 5 elements: EARTH, one of the biggest 

countries in the world, METAL, the fresh air and waterfalls 

of the mountains, WATER, the biggest amount of 

drinkable water in the world (25%), WOOD, the biggest 

forest in the world and FIRE, the “heat” and hospitality 

of the Brazilian people! 

The congress will be held in Santos city, which is a very 

nice city by the beach just one hour from the main airport 

of Brazil (São Paulo). 

The theme of the congress will be “Neuromuscular 

dilemmas old and new” and we will do our best to 

satisfy our guests with a very good scientific and social 

program. Please find more details below: 

Scientific Program 

The scientific committee has received 57 papers and 

several main lecturers were invited: 

Matt Callison - USA 

Use of Motor Points to Balance Opposing Muscle Groups 

Richard Tan — USA 

The Balance Method - Acupuncture For Acute And Chronic 

Pain Relief 

Jan Still - South Africa 

Ethiopathogenisis, Diagnosis and Acupuncture Management of 

Musculoskeletal Pain 

Accommodations: 

Parque Balneário Hotel: 

www.parquebalneario.com.br/ingles/ 

The hotel is by the beach. A double room will be around 

U$ 80 - R$ 240 (R$=reais) (U$ 40 per person) and a single 

room U$ 60, including breakfast and lunch. For IVAS 

special price reservations contact directly Araceli Fernandes 

comercial@grupomendes.com.br 

Food: 

Brazilian food is international and will satisfy everybody’s 

taste 

Tourism in Santos: 

http://www.grupomendes.com.br/ingles/int_turismo.htm 

Ecotourism around Santos: 

http://www.grupomendes.com.br/ingles/int_turismo.htm 

Flights and Transportation: 

Attendees should fly to São Paulo (Cumbica International 

Airport). Transport by bus will be available from the 

airport to the hotel for only U$ 20 return. 

Direct flights are available from big cities in North America 

and Europe. The main air companies fly to Brazil. The fly 

prices range from U$ 700 to U$ 1000 from Europe and 

North America. Please contact your local travel agency. 

Safety: 

Santos is a safe place and providences will be taken to 

ensure peace for you and you family 

Economy: 

Prices are about 3 to 5 times cheaper than Europe and 

North America 

Language: 

The official language is Portuguese, which is very similar to 

Spanish, however people are very helpful and enjoy 

foreigners. Communication is definitely not a problem in 

Brazil! 

Please visit ABRAVET (Associação Brasileira de Acupuntura 

Veterinária - Brazilian Association of Veterinary Acupuncture) 

homepage www.abravet.com.br for more detailed 

information on all these topics. 

See you in Brazil! 

Stelio P L Luna 

President of ABRAVET


TOURS 

Several tours are programmed during the congress for 

your companies and after the congress for everybody. 

Please contact Yara: yaralu789@hotmail.com; mobile 

phone: international code + 55 13 97256146 for 

information on tours in general in Brazil. 

The most beautiful places in Brazil are: 

The Amazon forest (main city Manaus), the huge coast 

(particularly the north east cities, like Salvador, Maceió, 

Recife, Natal and Fortaleza), the beautiful federal park and 

unspoiled island of Fernando de Noronha, Pantanal (a huge 

swamp area with 70% of the bird species in the world), 

Bonito (caves underwater and beautiful streams), Rio de 

Janeiro (the wonderful city), and Foz do Iguaçu falls, 

among others. 

We are planning a VIP tour in Great island (Ilha Grande) 

for one week after the congress, including a boat trip and 

a tour in Rio de Janeiro. This tour will be for everybody´s 

taste, including children, for those who just want to relax 

and drink and/or for those who enjoy tracking and diving. 

For those who plain to take this tour and go back home 

directly, they should take the plane from Rio de Janeiro 

instead of São Paulo, otherwise it is necessary to return 

from Rio to São Paulo (there are flights available every 

hour costing around U$ 100). 

Please contact Sabine O’Mahony for this tour: 

sabine@veterinaryacupuncture.net 

shomahony@earthlink.net 

VISAS AND VACCINATIONS 

Traveling to the Congress 

GENERAL 

http://www.brazil.org.uk/ 

FERNANDO DE NORONHA 

www.noronha.com.br/english 

RECIFE 

www.virtourist.com/america/recife/01.htm 

SALVADOR 

www.emtursa.com.br 

www.bahiaonline.net 

PRAIA DO FORTE 

www.prdoforte.com.br/ingles 

SAO PAULO 

www.spcvb.com.br/english/web 

RIO DE JANEIRO 

www.rioconventionbureau.com.br/index2.htm 

FOZ DO IGUACU 

www.fallsworld.com 

PANTANAL 

www.pantanal.org 

www.turismo.mt.gov.br 

www.programapantanal.org.br/ingles/default.asp 

AMAZONAS - MANAUS 

www.vistamazonas.com.br 

www.ariautowers.com.br 

When planning your travels to Santos, Brazil for the 29th IVAS Congress, please be aware 

that citizens of certain countries are required to have visas in order to travel to Brazil. 

THIS INCLUDES CITIZENS OF THE U.S. Please see the following website to find 

information on visas and which countries are required to obtain visas - www.brasilemb.org. 

You may also wish to contact your travel agent about obtaining any needed visas. 

Also note that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has recommended certain vaccinations 

for traveling to Brazil. You may see the recommendations at the following website - 

www.cdc.gov/travel/tropsam.htm


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Tentative IVAS 2003 Congress Schedule 

Wednesday, Aug, 20, 2003 

Committee Meetings 

ROBERT SCHAEFFER: The Ins and Outs of Acupuncture 

Lunch 

MORITZ CARNEIRO NORTON: The Biological Mechanisms of Acupuncture 

MICHELLE TILGHMAN: The Hard to Treat Carpal, Hock and Sesamoids Problem Using Acupuncture. 

Distal Pt Review 

ANA BIANCA ATELLA-HOEDTKE: Bi Syndrome 

D.H. BEDOYA: Treatment of Injuries Caused by Repetitive Effort with Acupuncture in Humans 

RENATA NAVARRO CASSU: Electroacupuncture Analgesia in Dogs; Uni/Bilateral Stimulation 

Break time 

BERNSTEIN WORKSHOP: Equine Fire Needling Therapy in Chronic Locomotor Problems. 

MICHELLE TILGHMAN: Chinese Herbs and Neutraceuticals That Have Worked in Clinical Practice for 

Lameness/Arthritis 

SHIGUIHARA: Treatment of Chronic Lumbar Pain and Limb Functional Activity Abnormality by TCM 

C.G. VILARICA: Acupuncture in Chronic Liver Disease in a Boxer - Case Report 

ANDY ROESTI: New Energetic Aspects of Acupuncture 

JEAN-YVES GURAY: To Qi or not to Qi? The Story of a Misunderstanding About TCM and Science!?! 

Thursday, Aug, 21, 2003 

RICHARD TAN: A Revolutionary Balancing Method: The Importance of Distal Points 

Break time 


Lunch 


Break time 

E. NISHISJIMA: Pseudopregnancy in Bitches - From Physiopathology and Diagnosis by TCM to 

Treatment/Prevention by AP 

JALAL BAKHTIARI: Evaluation of Effect of Acupuncture Therapy in Treatment of Muscle Injuries in Dog 

DAVOOD SHARIFI: Evaluation of the Effect of Acupuncture Therapy Repair of the Achilles’ Tendon (Tendo 

Calcaneus) In Dog 

BOUDEWIJN CLAEYS: Biomechanics of the Horse and Acupuncture Treatment Formulas 

ANDY ROESTI: The Neurotropic Extrapoint Ba Shan-1 in Horses 

PEDRO VICENTRE MICHELOTTO: The use of Acupuncture Diagnosis for Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon 

Lesions in Horse 

PEDRO VICENTRE MICHELOTTO: Acupuncture Applied for Energetic Homeostasis in 2-yr old 

Thoroughbred Racehorses in Early Training Period 

ANNA HIELM-BJORKMAN: The Use of Placebos and Controls in Acupuncture Research 

SZABO SCOGNAMILLO: Inhibitory Effect of Acupuncture on Neutrophil Migration in Rats 

LEONARDO ROCHA-VIANNA: Cardio-Respiratory and Hematological Evaluation in Dogs - GV 26 pt 

M.A. MEDEIROS: Immobilization Stress Can Mask the c-Fos Expression Induced by Acupuncture in Rats 

Friday, Aug, 22, 2003 

JAN STILL: Ethiopathogenisis, Diagnosis and Acupuncture Management of Musculoskeletal Pain 

Break time 

GURAY WORKSHOP: The Balance Method in Horses 

JAN STILL: Ethiopathogenisis, Diagnosis and AP Management of Musculoskeletal Pain 

Lunch 

MATT CALLISON: Use of Motor Points to Balance Opposing Muscle Groups 

MARCIO BERNSTEIN: Chronic Kidney Failure and Acupuncture in Dogs Submitted to Hemodyalisis 

DIETRICH VON SCHWEINITZ: Myofacial Pain Syndromes: What Are They and Do They Exist in the Horse?

Volume Volume 26, 26, Number Number 22 Veterinary Veterinary Acupuncture Acupuncture Newsletter Newsletter 

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How is the Written Examination Compiled? An Overview from the Exam Committee 

You may be interested in knowing the procedure for putting 

together the written examinations. As you may remember from 

taking the certifying exam yourself, there are 150 multiple choice 

questions. The question bank currently holds 966 questions that 

we can draw from. These questions are divided into the following 

categories: 

• Avian 

• Bi Syndrome 

• Bovine 

• Canine 

• Eight principles 

• Equine 

• Feline 

• Five elements 

• History of acupuncture 

• Point locations 

• Porcine 

• Scientific / neurophysiology 

• TCM 

It is my job to compile the written exam. Every year, before 

putting together the exam for the IVAS course, I look at the lecture 

titles in the IVAS course outline and calculate the percentage of 

lecture time spent on each of these categories. Those percentages are 

used to calculate how many questions to draw from each of the 

DIETRICH VON SCHWEINITZ: Abnormal Electrical Activity and Local Twitch Response at Myofacial Trigger 

Points in Equine Muscle Compared to Control Sites and Their Correspondence to Acupoints 

L.B. ATAYDE: Evaluation of Reticulocyte Activity on Healthy Dogs After Electroacupuncture Stimulation 

SHIGEO HARA: Dynamic Pressure Sensor System for Real Time Monitoring of Horse Under Electric 

Acupuncture 

Break time 

J.G.F. JOAQUIM: Study of 43 dogs with Neurological Disease: A Western/Eastern View of Neurological 

Patterns of Diseases 

DAIONETY APARECIDA PEREIRA: The Use of Chromatic Stick in the Treatment of Feline Urologic 

Syndrome 

ELIZABETH SHIMIZU: A Combination of Acupuncture and Physical Therapy in the Neuromuscular 

Disorders 

PIERRE BARNABE ESCODRO: Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis: How Predictable is the Diagnosis 

with Acupressure? 

R.M. SANTIAGO: Fibrotic and Ossifying Myopathy in Quarter Horses - Three Cases Treated by 

Acupuncture 

UWE PETERMAN: Laser Therapy/Acupuncture in Wound, Healing Disturbances in Common Wounds & 

Post Op Comps 

A.L. ANGELI: Outcome of 119 Dogs and Cats Attended at AP Unit of University of Sao Paulo State, Brazil 

ROMAN SKARDA: Effects of Electroacupuncture on Minimum Alveolar Concentration of Isoflurane in Dogs 

DIETRICH VON SCHWEINITZ: Yin and Yang, Qi and Blood and the Jing-luo through the Eye of a 

Thermography Camera 

Saturday, Aug, 23, 2003 


Break time 


sections in the question bank. The other IVAS exams given during 

the same year, in other countries, contain the same distribution of 

questions. 

We are experiencing a trend toward more Western scientific content 

in the IVAS course. And this will be reflected in the exam. You can 

see that if 20% of the 

course material falls under the heading of “Scientific/ 

neurophysiology”, then 30 of the exam questions will be 

on that topic. 

Students may come out of the exam and feel that there has been 

a bias toward certain topics. Well, the first year that we compiled the 

written exam using the question bank (about 5 years ago), they 

would have been right. I picked approximately the same number of 

questions from each section of the question bank - this resulted in 

a lot more history questions than were warranted, since the total 

time on the History of Acupuncture was only 2 hours! 

Since then, we have used this “proportional” system. Our hope 

is that this method gives the students in the IVAS course, and 

those who have trained in other courses, some guideline on how to 

approach studying for the exam. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Jan Steiss, DVM, PhD, PT 

Member, Examination Committee


(continued from page 7) 

Eight adult healthy mares (560 ± 43 kg) received electroacupuncture 

(EA) through acupuncture needles (0.3 x 100 mm) placed at acupoints 

Bladder 18, 23, 25, and 27 on both sides of the spinal column of 

mares. An EA stimulator (ITO IC 4107) delivered 4 V, 1 milliamp, 

and 0.1 milliseconds in bipolar square-wave patterns with alternating 

frequencies of 2 Hz and 100 Hz at 1.5 seconds for 2 hours. The 

needles were then removed and naloxone (0.01 mg/kg) (test) or 

sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (control) was administered 

intravenously. The order of treatments in each mare was randomized. 

At least 2 weeks elapsed between treatments. Skin twitch reflex 

latency and avoidance to radiant heat (< 48º C) at the paralumbar 

fossa was measured to determine nociceptive skin pain threshold. 

A balloon was inserted in the rectum of each mare and controlled 

distention of the balloon (pressures < 220 mm Hg) was used to 

measure nociceptive rectal pain threshold. Respiratory and 

cardiovascular parameters were determined. Two-way ANOVA and 

Dunnett’s test were used to measure and compare mean scores 

obtained for test and control groups. Naloxone completely 

antagonized EA-induced increases of cutaneous and rectal pain 

thresholds. Heart and respiratory rates, rectal temperature, arterial 

blood pressure, arterial pH and gas tensions (PO2, PCO2), PCV, 

and total solids concentrations did not change significantly (P< 

0.05) after administration of EA, naloxone, or 0.9% NaCl. The 

results indicate that endogenous opioid mechanisms may be 

involved in the production of EA-induced cutaneous and rectal 

analgesia in mares. 

With my best wishes. 

Sincerely, 

IVAS CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR 2003 

Please note: You must submit a letter of attendance from each event in order to receive the CE involved. 

Event 

IVAS Basic Course Session 3 

IVAS Herbal Course, Mod 1 (Introduction) 

IVAS Herbal Course, Mod 4 (KI/BL, Immune, Repro, Geriatrics) 

AAVA 4 th Annual General Meeting 

IVAS Basic Course Session 4 

IVAS Herbal Course, Mod 5 (Lung, Neuro, Endocrine) 

Neuroanatomical & Evidence-Based AP for Sm. Animals 

by Narda Robinson (Contact AAVA for more information) 

IVAS Herbal Course, Mod 6 

(Heart, Musculoskeletal, Oncology, Diet) 

Equine AP by Huisheng Xie (Contact AAVA for more information) 

Auricular AP by Terry Durkes (Contact AAVA for more information) 

TBA - Richard Tan (Contact AAVA for more information) 

TCM Interpretations of Symptoms (Following AHVMA) 

Implants in the Equine by Kevin May 

(Contact AAVA for more information) 

Roman T. Skarda, Dr. med.vet., PhD 

Diplomate ACVA, CVA 

Professor, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences 

College of Veterinary Medicine 

The Ohio State University 

Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA 

Dates 

Jan. 15-19, 2003 

Jan. 15-16, 2003 

Jan. 17-19, 2003 

Jan. 18-20, 2003 

Feb. 19-23, 2003 

Feb. 19-23, 2003 

March 8, 2003 

March 19-23, 2003 

May 31 - June 1, 2003 

July 19, 2003 

Sept. 6-7, 2003 

Sept. 2003 

Sept. 27, 2003 

Place 

San Diego, CA USA 



Orlando, FL USA 



Longmont, CO USA 


Kansas City, MO USA 

Chicago, IL USA 

Albuquerque, NM USA 

Durham, NC USA 

Las Vegas, NV USA 

CE HRS 

27.5 hrs. 

15.5 hrs. 

22 hrs. 

20 hrs. 

24.75 hrs. 

36 hrs. 

8 hrs. 

36 hrs. 

CANCELLED 

CANCELLED 

CANCELLED 

CANCELLED 

AAVA contact information: +303-772-6726, office@aava.org Last updated 5/16/03 

8 hrs. 

TRIGGER POINT TREATMENTS IN 

HELSINKI, FINLAND 

By Anna Hielm-Bjorkman, DVM, Cert.Vet.Acup. 

Luc A A Janssens (DVM; PhD, Dipl.ECVS, Cert. Vet. 

Acup) from Belgium opened up a new field in veterinary 

medicine in the 1980s by describing myofascial pain syndromes 

and doing trigger point treatments for dogs. Since then, his 

interest in the subject has grown even more and at the same 

time the overall knowledge about the patho-physiology and 

anatomy of the whole subject has expanded. Under a one day 

course in April this year, he shared his knowledge of this 

fascinating issue with 50 veterinarians in Helsinki, Finland. 

The definition of a trigger point at this time is a hyperirritable 

spot, in a taut band in a muscle that is painful over 

compression and causing referred pain and autonomic 

phenomena. It can be active or latent, acute or chronic and 

primary or secondary…and mostly, it can be treated. As it is 

said that 70 % of the human trigger points coincide with 

acupuncture points, we can understand its meaning for 

acupuncturists. Dr Luc Janssen shoved us nice thermography 

and EMG charts to back up the integrated theory about how 

trigger points work. 

Dr Janssens’ lectures where very easy to listen to since he 

is a wonderful speaker and a serious researcher himself. After 

a half day of lectures the audience had the possibility to come 

up and palpate several sedated dogs with a multitude of trigger 

points. Later the dogs were also treated by pricking into the 

points with an acupuncture needle and the owners were given 

stretching guidelines for their dogs. As he left, everybody was 

ready to go out and palpate dogs!


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We pride ourselves on providing compassionate care 

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Acupuncture Society 

P.O. Box 271395 

rt Collins, CO 80527-1395 U.S.A. 

Address Service Requested 

PLAN NOW FOR 2003 CONGRESS! 

August 20-23, 2003 - Santos, Brazil 

Information and registration form inside! 

IVAS US BASIC COURSE 

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW - 

SEATS STILL AVAILABLE! 

Visit www.ivas.org for more information and registration forms! 

LARGE ANIMAL TAs NEEDED 

FOR US BASIC COURSE! 

More information inside! 

U.S. POSTAG 

PAID 

BOULDER, CO 

PERMIT NO 90

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