It has been only about a couple of weeks since Dr Holl left and I am already planning new workshops on animal Chiropractic in the next months! Last September was our first time, presenting a new discipline and treatment for an Italian audience and we just planted some seeds.
Many people here have no idea about the extremely wide potential of chiropractic in humans and animals. Some of them wrongly believe that is only a massage or a manipulation of the spine and others confuse chiropractic with osteopathy. Furthermore, some veterinarians believe that it can be harmful for their patients or suitable only for back issues.
It was really taught to fight this kind of prejudices. Our first goal was to explain to pets owners and veterinarians that chiropractic is science based and it is grounded on functional neurology. As soon as people started to be aware of this, the real benefits of the adjustment came clear to everyone.
A well-functioning nervous system is fundamental for everyone’s health and strongly connected with the PNEI homeostasis (Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immune homeostasis). When all these systems and functions are working together, our health is maintained.
Dr Holl and I went to Tuscany to present animal chiropractic. We have been hosted by an Equestrian Center in Sansepolcro (AR) named “Equiseto” run by Camilla Benini and Francesco Giangiacomo.
They gave us the chance to talk about why sportive or old animals should be regularly adjusted. We demonstrated a chiropractic treatment on Dr Michele Bendini’s dog and two school horses: Bob and Camomilla. Dr Bendini is the primary care veterinarian and relied on us to make his patients feel better.
We adjusted also another dog called Blacky who was getting weak on the rear limbs and his mom asked us to improve his joints motion and strength.
These horses and dogs definitely appreciated our care. We took advantage on the cooperation of Stefano Testerini, a talented saddler and saddle fitter to speak about the “good saddle”.
Stefano shared his experience and explained how a saddle can be considered good for the horse and the rider at the same time and how put the saddle correctly.
It was extremely interesting listening to the history of the saddle too and his development through the centuries.
A wrong saddle balance causes many subluxations in the thoracolumbar area and this is why we decided to add this topic to our workshop.
I am glad that Stefano is going to offer his experience and services to Arenavet clients whenever it will be needed as we started this new cooperation.
Me motioning the cervicals of Bob the horse under the primary care vet’s supervision Dr Michele Bendini at Equiseto Sansepolcro
Motion palpation of the ribs of Camomilla at Equiseto Sansepolcro
Let’s check the carpus of Bob the horse
Few days later we went to a canine center in Casalecchio di Reno (BO) called “Nucleo Cinofilo da Soccorso Ana Reno” for another seminar. The audience was interested in the neurologic implications of the adjustment and how stimulating mechanoreceptors help relieving pain. I demonstrated a chiropractic adjustment on one of my patients, Virna: she is a longhaired German shepherd with neck pain, lumbosacral spondyloarthrosis and a severe form of degenerative myopathy of the gracilis muscle. I was so happy seeing her running in the yard after just one adjustment as the week before was really sore and reluctant to move. She is still improving every day and a maintenance work will be done regularly to preserve motion and proprioception in her hind limbs. Dr Holl and I finally went to lecture at Università degli Studi di Bologna, the most ancient university in Europe, built in 1088 AD. We were speakers for a seminar for the V year students on the topic “Physical Therapy and Chiropractic” at the veterinary school in Ozzano, one of the most prestigious courses of study in veterinary medicine in Italy. The first part of the seminar was dedicated to physiotherapy and rehabilitation and the second one dealt with chiropractic and functional neurology. The students were totally adsorbed by the gate pain control theory and the differences between animal and human cerebellum. They asked many questions about the number of diseases that chiropractic can help to cure and they absolutely agreed with the modern idea of an integrated medicine. With this new approach, the primary doctor is supported by a number of specialists to find the best treatment for every individual depending on the current situation. I think more and more vet students will consider chiropractic for their post graduate education as it is a powerful instrument for human and animal health and Italy definitely needs new professional animal chiropractors. A special thanks goes to: Dr Patricia Holl: my chiropractic mentor who decided to start giving me all her knowledge and pushing me to do my best. Ludovica Gerbasi: she is always supporting me and offering a lovely place to stay in Tuscany, and her faithful mare Luna Rose (who is one of my sweet chiropractic patients); Michele Bendini, DVM: he is a careful vet who discovered the benefits for himself and now is adding chiropractic care to his veterinary treatment protocols. I am enthusiastic to start working for his patients and I hope that more colleagues will consider chiropractic to improve animals’ health, building up an integrated medicine team. Stefano Testerini: a skilled and passionate artisan who generously shares his competence with me. Equiseto San Sepolcro: the equestrian center who hosted the Tuscan seminar. Thanks Camilla and Francesco for your hospitality. Barbara degli Esposti: the owner of Virna the German shepherd who helped me organizing one of my seminars. Thanks for your genuine support. Professor Gualtiero Gandini, DVM, ECVN: my ex professor of internal medicine and neurology who gave me the chance to lecture at the university of Bologna and Dr Maria Morini, DVM who organized the seminar.