More and more animal owners seeking ways to help their furry family members live happier, healthier, and longer lives are turning to holistic therapies for animals such as acupressure. Those animal lovers are at the forefront of demanding more options for their pets. This shift in viewpoint challenges veterinarians to consider alternative modalities other than the western medicine paradigm they learned in veterinary school. To their credit, a lot of veterinarians are responding.

Acupressure has been used for ages in China to help maintain the well-being and health of farm animals. In our modern age, a great number of classes, books, and programs are offered for people who want to learn about this healing art. Using the same principle as acupuncture, acupressure uses the hands to manipulate the pressure points instead of needles. In Eastern medicine, every creature born possesses a certain amount of energy or Chi. This Chi gradually becomes exhausted due to age, trauma, injury, and illness. To restore the expended Chi, Acupressure is used to activate specific pressure points on the body.

When an acupressure point is stimulated, it releases endorphins, helps relax the body, relieves pain, and increases the transport of oxygen-free and new blood into an ailing part of the body to supply nutrients in the body and cleanse out toxins. Acupressure is an ideal therapy when it’s used as a preventative measure to maintain well being and health. Depending on the animal being treated the number of “maintenance sessions” the practitioner administers on the animal vary, although for a healthy animal, it is usually about one session every one to four weeks. The number of sessions will be based on the type of condition being treated, genetics, lifestyle, age, and health of the animal. Acupressure can be used to alleviate certain chronic and acute conditions.

Typical Acupressure Treatment

Observing the animal patient

Initially the practitioner will observe the gut sounds, posture, and movement of the animal and take note of the patterns and marks on the body using these as either signs of health or of a specific problem. Then the practitioner will ask permission from the animal to perform an acupressure procedure. The practitioner does this by softly touching and speaking to the animal so that it becomes relaxed and gives the practitioner its permission. The next phase of the treatment is the Opening, in which the practitioner runs his/her hand from the animal’s eye to its hind foot along a chi channel known as the Bladder Meridian. This activates the flow of energy in the whole body of the animal and prepares it for the actual Treatment phase. The type of treatment for each animal will be unique and customized based on its problem. The goal of the treatment is to heal and balance the health of the animal. The final phase of treatment is called the Closing and is similar to the opening, wherein the practitioner gives a long stroke from the animal’s eye to its hind foot. This helps the animal feel refreshed and relaxed. Based on the animal and its problem, a session of acupressure may last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.

For alternative cooperative and holistic therapies like Aromatherapy, Massage, Reiki, or Acupressure, you may start to realize personal discoveries that usually rely on you and your practitioner’s intuition instead of scientific theory or logical processes. This is the reason a lot of holistic treatments do not meet the criteria of scientific proof in order for them to be considered viable and bona fide treatments from the viewpoint of modern medicine even though they have shown to work on a lot of people and animals.

Holistic animal treatments such as acupressure are rewarding and exciting fields of study for people seeking to improve the well being and health of their animal friend.

Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic
8855 San Jose Blvd
Jacksonville , FL 32217
Phone: (904) 260-2598
www.jacksonvilleacupunctureclinic.com