subject: Building Your Animals Immune System With Acurpressure [print this page] Acupressure for Your Animals Acupressure for Your Animals
By Amy Snow & Nancy Zidonis
Now that modern medicine is finally catching up with the ancient healing sciences it is time to share the wealth of all these health benefits with our animals. Acupressure is one of the healing touch therapies based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Many horse, dog and cat owners/guardians, trainers, and healthcare practitioners are learning how to perform acupressure sessions to help their own or their clients' animals.
Acupressure connects you and your horse, dog, or cat with 1000s of years of natural healing. It is perfectly safe, non-invasive, always available, and deceptively gentle while being extremely powerful. People have been using acupressure to care for animals for at least 4000 years. Over 230 generations have consistently recognized the benefits of this ancient healing art. Casework demonstrates that acupressure can enhance overall health and emotional stability. To mention a few of the benefits, acupressure can specifically:
Build the immune system
Strengthen muscles, tendons, joints, and bones
Balance energy to optimize the body's natural ability to heal
Release natural cortisone to reduce swelling and inflammation
Release endorphins necessary to increase energy or relieve pain
Enhance mental clarity and calm required for focus in training and performance
Resolve injuries more readily by increasing the blood supply and removing toxins.
Acupressure is based on the ancient concept of Chi (also seen as Qi, or Ki) which can be defined as "vital life force energy" that circulates throughout the human or animal body. In Chinese medicine, health is indicated by the balance of Chi flowing through the internal organs, bones, and soft tissues. Any sort of disruption of the harmonious flow of Chi can result in a breakdown of the immune system causing illness and energetic imbalances that can lead to injury.
Animal athletes are ideal recipients of acupressure sessions. Dogs involved in agility trials, flyball competition, coursing, and frisbee are much in need of acupressure to enhance their strength while maintaining flexibility of their tendons and joints. Horses active in a wide variety of sports such as jumping, endurance riding, dressage and even just trail riding will benefit from consistent acupressure sessions. Cats are very aware of their own energetics; after they have been exposed to acupressure they can be demanding when they need or want a session.
Senior citizen animals are excellent candidates of maintenance sessions. Acupressure has proven to be extremely beneficial for arthritis, gastro-intestinal issues, metabolic conditions, and other health problems that tend to plague our older animals.
Today we are fortunate to be able to make optimal use of both the western and eastern approaches and techniques in caring for household pets and horses. The beauty of using acupressure to maintain your animal's health and wellbeing is that we all have healing power available to us. A major part of helping animals to heal is the intent the person giving the treatment brings to a session. Many people, with little knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, can perform an acupressure session that contributes to the animal's recovery or continued health giving him many years of enjoying and loving life.
Building Your Animals Immune System With Acurpressure
