I started this episode thinking we would be talking about lions, tigers and bears. But we ended up with glial cells, learning and neuroplasticity. Just like in clinic there are often surprising things that show up, and so too it is podcast conversations.
In this conversation we start with veterinarian acupuncture. But then take a hard right and go deep into neuroscience, the treatment of pain, nervous system regulation and how medicine is beautiful. I loved our discussion as it ranged from the clinical ‘how-to’s” of working with animals, to the deep science of neurobiology, and all woven together with a sense of inquiry and appreciation for the beauty of nature and the practice of medicine.
Everything I know I have learned from my patients (and they don’t speak)
Bonnie Wright, DVM, DACVAA
Forever a believer in working hard to follow the suggestions that the universe places in front of me, I have a remarkably varied career.
Starting as a veterinarian, but hesitant to choose between the array of species, I specialized in anesthesia and pain management.
Lacking satisfactory answers for the chronic pain this brought into my path, I added acupuncture, and then various other forms of physical medicine.
Needing language to explain the benefits I see from these therapies to a bunch of scientifically trained anesthesiologists, I delved into the research and started learning a complex conversation.
So now I travel around the country and the world talking about physiology, pharmacology, and the pharmacological effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions.
And I still wanted to work on that vast array of species- so I do. Between dogs and cats, horses and zoo animals, they keep me honest, and humble.
Bonnie teaches a course through Evidence Based Veterinary Acupuncture (but it is just for Veterinarians due to practice law in the US):
Visit her website at mistralvet.com
Bonnie offers these two recent Langevin reviews as a cool reminder of what we know and don’t know- and how acupuncture has influenced “western” medical research.
What Is the Point? The Problem with Acupuncture Research That No One Wants to Talk About
Unanticipated Insights into Biomedicine from the Study of Acupuncture
