atopy , and acral lick granuloma ), behavioral disorders ( anxiety , fear , and aggression ), reproductive disorders ( infertility or impotence ), gastrointestinal disorders ( nausea , vomiting , diarrhea , constipation , and inflammatory bowel disease ), and improvement of quality of life in geriatric and cancer patients or in patients with chronic disease ( chronic renal failure , chronic heart failure , and asthma ).
Groppetti et al studied the efficacy of electro-acupuncture compared with butorphanol for post-operative pain management in dogs undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy . Twelve dogs were randomly allocated into two groups . Dogs received either electro -acupuncture ( 16 and 43 Hz ) at BL- 23 , BL-25 , ST-36 , GB-34 , LI-4 , LU-9 , and GV-20 ; or butorphanol . Intraoperative cardiovascular and respiratory parameters were recorded for both groups . Plasma β- endorphin concentrations were evaluated before surgery ( baseline ) and up to 24 hours later . For each dog , pain was measured according to a subjective pain scoring system . Plasma β-endorphin levels in dogs receiving electro-acupuncture increased significantly against baseline values after 1 and 3 hours after surgery . Moreover , the endtidal isoflurane concentration needed for second ovary traction was significantly lower in electroacupuncture dogs than control dogs . The dogs in the electroacupuncture group experienced prolonged analgesia , over 24 hours at least , while 4 out of 6 dogs treated with butorphanol needed post-surgical ketorolac and tramadol supplementation for pain management ( rescue analgesia ). Their results showed that electroacupuncture can be used to provide post-operative analgesia in dogs .
La et al investigated the effects of electro-acupuncture on nerve regeneration . The sciatic nerves ( specifically at a location 5 mm above the stifle joint ) of 15 rabbits were crushed by a Halsted straight mosquito hemostat with 8-11 Newton force for 60 seconds , and then the rabbits were equally divided into three groups . Group 1 was treated with electroacupuncture at GB-30 and BL-40 for 25 minutes daily for 7 days . Group 2 was treated with intramuscular administration of Dicofenac 15 mg