b'Imbalance of the two, as assessed by the TCVM practi-tioner, typically relates to the energetics ofYin and Yang. YinHello,Integrativerepresents the cooling aspects of our body while Yang repre-sents the warming aspects. Imbalance between the two arePetCare!considered the root cause of disease in TCVM. The imbal-ances of Yin and Yang fall into 4 categories: 1) Yang Excess, 2) Yin Excess, 3) Yang Deficiency, and 4) Yin Deficiency. Our philosophy is to support you in becoming the best advocate Yang Excess is the first of these imbalances and is knownfor your pets health and well-being. Throughout all life stages, we also as an Excess Heat Condition. In these cases, Yang is infocus on preventative care utilizing complementary and alternative therapies alongside conventional veterinary medicine, including:Excess and Yin is unable to counteract the warming proper- .Acupuncture.Chinese herbal medicineties of the Yang. Diseases that fall into this category are acute.Nutraceuticals.Laser therapy.Physical therapyin onset, have a short course, are accompanied by a high.State-of-the-art underwater treadmillfever, and usually occur in young animals. Think about a puppy who comes into the clinic with an illness that justBe happy. be healthy. be well.started overnight, where it came on fast and strong, leaving the pup with a high fever.Yin Excess, also known as Excess Cold, is when Yin is inDr. Mondscheingreater amounts than normal and it overwhelms the Yang&Charleywarming properties. Just as with the Yang Excess, this imbal-ance is usually hallmarked by an acute onset, short course, andoccursinyounganimalsthedifferencebeingthat instead of the patient being hot, they are cold.Yang Deficiency, also known as Deficient Cold, is an imbalance whereby the Yang is present in lower levels than normal and cannot counter the cooling properties of Yin which is present in normal amounts. This imbalance usually3400 N. Florida Ave., Tampahas a more chronic nature with a long course of disease and813.533.7363|@TheHeightsVetusually occurs in older animals. The animal will feel cool or cold to the touch in the extremitiesthe ears and the feetand are typically extremely weak. The pet will often show signsof heat-seekingbehaviorssuchassunbathingor seeking other warm areas when they never have before.Lastly, a Yin Deficiency, or Deficient Heat, is a condition where the Yin is present in lower amounts and unable to counter the warming properties of the Yang creating a false heat. Unlike the Yang Excess, the Heat here is created by the deficiency of Yin. This is a common pattern seen in older animals, again with chronic, long-standing disease processes and is commonly accompanied by behaviors such as excess thirst, panting, restlessness, anxiety, and heat intolerance and cool seeking behaviors such as lying on cool tile or laying in front of the fan. This last one is the imbalance I often refer to as the air conditioning being broken as they cannot cool themselves down. So how does a TCVM practitioner treat a patient with these imbalances? First, one of the four imbalances must be diagnosed by the practitioner via history-taking and TCVM examination.Interestingly,therecanoftenbeoccasions where more than one imbalance or pattern is present in our patients. (This goes beyond the scope of this article and will be discussed at another time). The TCVM practitioner will then employ treatment principles guided by their education, experience, and knowledge of both Chinese Medicine and thepatient.Itisimperativethatasapet,horseorcattle guardian, you seek out a qualified practitioner to get the safest, most effective outcomes. Continued on the following page gwww.TheNewBarker.comTHE NEW BARKER53'