SAVE THE DATE! AVAG Free Members Webinar
The AVAG Committee is excited to announce that we have finally booked in Dr Christine Thomson to present our first free member webinar for 2016 on the Neurophysiology of Acupuncture - all the way from Fairbanks in Alaska!
Those of you who saw Dr Thomson lecture at last years PanPac Conference will already appreciate what a good lecturer she is on this topic. Neurophysiology was never a strong point of mine but Christine makes it easy to understand and I believe it is important that all vets practicing acupuncture be able to explain to their colleagues some of the science behind our current understanding of how acupuncture works.
Webinar registration and links will be available closer to the date.
The webinar will be available for viewing after the live session as soon as we have the links set up on our new website.
Live webinar - Saturday 13th February 2016
Duration: 1 hour
9:30am WA
11:30am QLD
12:00pm SA
12:30pm NSW, VIC, TAS
Neurophysiology of Acupuncture
Chris Thomson BVSc (Hons), DipACVIM(Neurol), DipECVN, PhD
The objective of this webinar is to present the main neurophysiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture.
These include
1) Local effect of erythema caused by stimulating the axon reflex inducing release of vasoactive agents ('fencing the dragon').
2) Segmental effect. Needling stimulates type A-δ sensory fibres of the periphery. In the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, these fibres activate enkephalinergic interneurons, which inhibit the incoming type C (nociceptive) fibres. This is the main pain-relieving mechanism of acupuncture.
3) Heterosegmental effect due to stimulation of brain humeral and neural mechanisms. Needling stimulates release of analgesic neurochemicals (opioids, oxytocin and serotonin), and activates caudally directed pain inhibitory mechanisms which act on many spinal cord segments.
4) Central effects due to stimulation of the limbic system, inducing euphoria, sleep and an improved sense of wellbeing.
5) Effects on myofascial trigger points (TrPs), which are common in most animals, and can cause pain, stiffness and reduced range of motion.
The mechanisms underlying the interaction between body surface (somatic) sensory afferents and viscera will be discussed (somato-visceral and viscero-somatic reflexes). These mechanisms may underlie how needling the body surface can help to treat visceral conditions.