The Power of Food
There is truth to the old saying: “food is the medicine you take every day.” The healing power of food is a central belief Chinese Medicine, as food therapy is one of the four major branches of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). Like other TCVM modalities, the ultimate goal of food therapy is to restore and maintain balance in the body. Diet plans are tailored to individual patients based on their unique tendencies, age, species, geographical location, personality, and current disharmony or disease process. Food ingredients are chosen based on their energetic properties, which include both thermal energetic property and taste. Although the effects are slower compared to other modalities, there are virtually no side effects when food ingredients are chosen correctly. Food therapy is also very popular amongst owners as it empowers them to take part in their animal's TCVM therapy and can be used safely throughout the pet’s lifetime.
Developing a Recipe
Chinese food therapy recipes are developed according to TCVM theory (Yin-Yang, Five Elements, Eight Principles and Zang-Fu Physiology and Pathology) and are specific to particular patient types and health conditions. These recipes can typically be classified into one of the following categories:
- Health Promotion and Prevention - to improve health on a regular basis and to prevent climate-related and seasonal problems
- Disease Treatment - to directly treat clinical conditions, including skin problems, autoimmune diseases, and immunodeficiency
- Adjunct Therapy - to complement primary treatments (acupuncture, herbs, or Western Medicine) of diseases such as otitis, urinary crystals and stones, UTI, IBD, CHF, cancer, renal failure, and liver failure
Course Overview
Join us for the newly formatted Veterinary Food Therapy course and learn to prescribe food for your patients. This course is a 43-hour continuing education course. Students may attend the hybrid course (online and on-site learning). The course is designed for small animal, mixed, and equine veterinarians. It includes 10 hours of cooking demo in which instructors demonstrate how to prepare foods in food therapy recipes for both animals and veterinarians. In addition, there are 4 hours of clinical lab where students practice performing TCVM diagnosis on a live patient and use recipe formulation and nutrition balancing software to create a food therapy treatment plan. Hybrid course students have the opportunity to help with food prep and taste the finished products on-site.
Course Features
Hybrid course students have the opportunity to help with food prep and taste the finished products on-site
4 months access for online study
CVFT certification from Chi after completion of course requirements
PDF of all class notes and recipes
Food Therapy
Taught in English with Turkish translation/interpretation
For veterinarians & veterinary students only
43 CE hours
Prerequisites
Prerequisites
Students wishing to enroll in the Veterinary Food Therapy course must have basic knowledge of TCVM and herbal medicine, and must fulfill one of the following two requirements:
- Completion of at least one session of veterinary acupuncture at Chi or another accredited institution
- Completion of the TCVM Fundamental Theories lecture series online module
No semesters currently available
Certification
CVFT Certification
Students in the Veterinary Food Therapy course are eligible for the Certified Veterinary Food Therapist certification, endorsed by Chi University. The CVFT certification requirements are as follows:
Completion of all sessions of Veterinary Food Therapy
Pass 3 quizzes
Submission of one veterinary food therapy case report to be approved by Chi faculty
*Please note that Chi cannot issue any certification to DVM students until their DVM has been obtained.
Textbooks
Instructors
Lorena LLoret Nadal
DVM, CVA, CVTP, CVFT, CVCH, CVBMA
Dr. LLoret received her DVM from Murcia University in Spain in June 2002. She earned her veterinary acupuncture certification from Chi University-Thailand in 2005. The following year, Dr. LLoret completed the acupuncture internship program at the University of Florida with Dr. Xie. She served as Chief of TCVM Services of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University Alfonso X in Madrid, Spain from 2014-2021. Dr. LLoret is the translator and editor-in-chief of the Spanish edition of TCVM: Fundamental Principles by Dr. Xie. She is currently the director of Chi-Europe, Chi-Spain and Chi-Ireland and serves as a primary instructor for Chi CVA courses throughout Europe. Dr. LLoret TCVM specialty in both small animal and horses , offering clinics in Ireland.
Roger Clemmons
DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Neurology and Neurosurgery), CVA, CVFT
Dr. Clemmons graduated with his DVM from Washington State University. There, he also was granted a PhD in veterinary science (emphasis in neurophysiology and clinical neurology). Dr. Clemmons then took a faculty position at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine where he practiced neurology and neurosurgery for 35 years before joining the private Veterinary Specialty Hospitals in Florida. Dr. Clemmons, a board-certified specialist in Neurology, has published over 100 peer-reviewed original studies, reviews, papers and abstracts and given numerous presentations, both in the US and abroad. At UF, he has had an active research program and is known for his work on platelet physiology and in the study of neurodegenerative diseases such as degenerative myelopathy. He has developed a number of innovative neurosurgical techniques including fixation of atlantoaxial subluxation and Wobbler’s syndrome. Dr. Clemmons taught veterinary and graduate students at the University of Florida for 35 years. Dr. Clemmons became a certified veterinary acupuncturist (CVA) at Chi in 2000. He was certified in TCVM Food therapy (CVFT) from Chi in 2009. He integrates Veterinary Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, and nutrition into his practice. He is a national and international speaker in the field of neurology and the science of veterinary acupuncture.
Huisheng Xie
BS-vet med, MS-vet acupuncture, PhD Professor and founder of Chi University
Dr. Xie has 43 years of clinical, teaching, and research experience in veterinary acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). He has been invited to deliver lectures for more than 200 veterinary organizations and universities in over 30 countries, including WSAVA, AVMA, the Western Veterinary Conference, VMX/NAVC, and AAEP. He has trained over 12,000 veterinarians to practice TCVM worldwide. Dr. Xie is also the author of over 140 peer-reviewed papers, and 35 textbooks including Xie’s Veterinary Herbology and Xie’s Veterinary Acupuncture, which have been used for TCVM training courses around the world. He built the longest standing Veterinary Medical School’s acupuncture service in the US in 1999 and acupuncture internship program in 2003 and served as a clinical professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine until 2021. He is also an honorary professor at China Agricultural University, South China Agricultural University, and Southwest University. Dr. Xie continues to teach and develop educational courses and programs at Chi University.
Read moreTerri Rosado
DVM, MS-TCVM, Associate Professor and Medical Director
Dr. Terri Rosado holds a Master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and is certified in canine rehabilitation and medical manipulation. As an Associate Professor at Chi University and the Medical Director of Chi Animal Hospital, Dr. Rosado is passionate about education, offering externships to Chi and veterinary school students, and inviting volunteers to experience integrative small animal practice.
Justin Shmalberg
DVM, CVA, ACVN, ACVSMR
Dr. Shmalberg is currently a Clinical Associate Professor & Service Chief Integrative Medicine Medical Director at the Small Animal Hospital of the University of Florida. He obtained his veterinary degree from the University of Wisconsin and completed the mixed animal acupuncture internship under Dr. Xie at the University of Florida. After completing his internship he went on to become a resident at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. He has published several articles on the mechanism and efficacy of veterinary acupuncture in peer-reviewed journals. His specific interests include nutritional supplements, Integrative medicine, nutritional oncology and energy expenditure during rehabilitation.
Directors
Erhan Gökdağ
DVM, CVA
Erhan Gökdağ is a veterinary practitioner with extensive clinical and teaching experience in veterinary acupuncture and integrative medicine. He completed fundamental and advanced acupuncture training and earned the Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (CVA) title, specializing in auricular acupuncture, photobiomodulation, and laser acupuncture.
His complementary medicine background includes training in osteopathy, myofascial release techniques, ozone therapy, gold implant applications, holistic nutrition, and rehabilitative physiotherapy.
As the Director of Chi University–Turkey, he contributes to the development of TCVM and acupuncture education and lectures at national and international platforms.
Dr. Gökdağ is the co-founder of Urlavet Animal Hospital, where he practices an integrated clinical approach combining modern veterinary medicine with complementary therapies, and he has been an invited speaker at numerous scientific congresses.