Arthritis Isn’t Just Pain… It’s a Deficiency Problem – An Integrative Approach

By: Teleah Grand DVM, CVA, CVFT, CVCH, CVTP

When most people think of arthritis, they think of pain.

And, yes, pain absolutely matters. I am not anti-pain relief. I like comfort. I like walking. I like dogs being able to get up without making that “ugh, I’m too old for this” face.

But in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), pain isn’t the root issue.
Pain is the check engine light… not the engine itself.

And if you’ve ever owned an older car, you already know how this story goes.

Let’s Talk About the North Dallas Tollway

Think of your dog’s body like the North Dallas Tollway.

Qi (pronounced “Chee” = Energy/Movement) is supposed to flow freely; north to south, on and off ramps working smoothly, no unexpected braking, no existential dread at 80 mph.

When things are flowing, joints move easily, dogs feel good, and no one is questioning their life choices.

But then… there’s an accident.

Traffic slows.
Everything backs up.
People start making poor decisions.

That’s stagnation. And stagnation in TCVM equals pain.
And when stagnation hangs around long enough, it creates heat (hello, inflammation).

Now… If you’ve ever driven the North Dallas Tollway, you already understand this on a visceral level.

It’s a beautifully maintained road. Smooth. Engineered well. Designed to move a lot of traffic efficiently.

And yet… chaos.

You’ve got Aston Martins, Bentleys, Tesla’s, and the occasional 15-year-old minivan that absolutely took the wrong exit but is now fully committed. Everyone moving at different speeds, with different abilities, different awareness levels, and very strong opinions about who’s “right.”

Sometimes accidents happen simply because someone makes a bad decision.
Someone cuts across three lanes.
Someone slams on the brakes.
Someone thinks they’re invincible.

That’s where the cops and fire department come in.
They clear the scene.
They restore order.
They get traffic moving again.

And that’s exactly what Western medicine does… and does very well.
Anti-inflammatories, pain medications, injections… they manage the crisis. They restore movement. They bring relief.

I use them. I value them. I prescribe them. “Anti” medicine. Effective. Fast acting. Reactive medicine.

But now let’s take it one step further.

Because if accidents keep happening; more frequently, more intensely; it’s not always just bad drivers.

Sometimes it’s the road.

Now imagine this (and I apologize in advance):
What if the North Dallas Tollway wasn’t meticulously maintained?

Cracked pavement.
Faded lines.
Structural fatigue underneath it all.

Just sit with that for a moment.
(Yes. Exactly. Shudder.)

Now you don’t just have chaos; you have actual danger. Even good drivers can’t compensate for a road that no longer supports safe movement.

That’s deficiency. Western medicine does not have the tools for deficiency.

But Here’s the Part That Actually Matters

Not all arthritis is the same.

Two dogs can look identical on the outside and have completely different reasons for their discomfort.

One may have Kidney deficiency.
Another may have Blood deficiency.
Another may be dealing with Cold, Damp, or long-standing stagnation from an old injury.

All words that make no sense to people not trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine (or Western medicine, for that matter)

This is why individualized care matters.

You can’t “fix the road” if you don’t know why it’s breaking down in the first place.

You can’t “fix the road” if you don’t know why it’s breaking down in the first place.

(If there were, I’d already be using it.)

The Big Picture

TCVM isn’t about choosing sides.

It’s about recognizing that Western and Eastern medicine are doing different jobs… and they actually work best when they’re allowed to work together.

Western medicine is excellent at managing pain and inflammation when they show up loudly and demand attention.
Western medicine is excellent at managing pain and inflammation when they show up loudly and demand attention.

One helps when the alarm is blaring.
The other helps tune the system so the alarm doesn’t have to go off quite so often… or quite so loudly.

They’re not in competition.
They’re colleagues who just happen to work different shifts.

TCVM doesn’t prevent life from happening, and it doesn’t promise a pain-free existence. Bodies still age. Joints still work hard. Gravity remains rude.

What it does do is help the body function more smoothly, recover more effectively, and adapt more gracefully when stress, injury, or wear inevitably show up.

Less scrambling.
Less crisis mode.
More resilience.

And honestly? Fewer emergency lights flashing in your internal rearview mirror.