Animal Massage Guide » Book Reviews

Acu-Dog – A Guide To Canine Acupressure

cattie — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:38:52 +0000

Today’s post is a long overdue review of the latest book by Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute founders Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis. Acu-Dog – A Guide to Canine Acupressure is essentially a new and revised edition of The Well-Connected Dog (which I reviewed here a few years ago), and this version is printed in color on glossy pages, has lots of photos and illustrations, and most important, thorough explanations of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and canine acupressure.

TCM is an incredibly complex system of diagnosing, preventing and treating illness – it’s not something you learn in a weekend workshop and dabble in on the side. It can be quite difficult to wrap ones head around the whole concept, and I’ll be the first to admit that I struggled with understanding and grasping it all in our acupressure class at Bancroft. But Amy and Nancy explain TCM, Yin/Yang, Zang Fu, etc. really, really well, and after reading this book, I feel like I finally “get it”. I found myself nodding and thinking “oh, ok, now I understand” often while reading it.

The authors also cover some of the history behind the origins and development of TCM, which is both interesting and helpful when learning. I always find that knowing why something is done a certain way (rather than just being told “it’s the way it is”) really helps me both remember and understand it.

The book opens with an intro about the origins of dogs and how they developed into the animals we know them as today, and then goes into several chapters about TCM, breaking it down into smaller components, explaining what each is and how it works, all with helpful examples of how a TCM practitioner would look at a particular imbalance to determine what the problem is and how best to treat it.

Topics covered include universal law, law of integrity, chi, disharmony, Yin/Yang, five-element theory (with a very helpful chart of which element corresponds to what), Zang Fu, meridians, and how to use “cun” measurements to find the correct points on your dog.

Chapter seven is a big chapter, covering the Zang-Fu organ systems and the meridians in detail. Each meridian has an intro, a detailed list of its functions, health and emotional issues connected to it, and an explanation of its location. And for each, there is an illustration of the meridian and important points outlined on a dog. Some also have a photo of a dog with the meridian outlined, which I thought was particularly helpful, because for me at least, it is not always easy to locate them on your own dog.

Chapter eight talks about the assessment tools, i.e. TCM diagnostic methods – The four examinations, the eight principles, and the patterns of disharmony. The authors explain why each assessment is done and what the findings can tell a practitioner (with helpful examples). The chapter ends with a great list of TCM concepts that give you a quick overview/reminder of each, which is hugely helpful.

Chapter nine takes you through an acupressure session from start (finding a good spot, asking your dog for permission, etc.) to finish (what to look for in your dog after a session), covering things like opening, finger techniques, how to use the Association points to assess the organ system, the Alarm points to figure out how deep an imbalance goes, how to work on Source points, closing the session, and what to feel for all along the way.

Chapter ten lists many different common conditions from emotional (grief, fear, etc.) to physical (arthritis, diarrhea, hip dysplasia, conjunctivitis, etc.) to some more general in nature (aging, strengthening the immune system) and outlines which points to work for each. The book ends with a glossary of both anatomical and TCM terms and a bibliography.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anybody who is interested in learning about TCM in general, and acupressure for dogs in particular. And if you’re planning to take one of Tallgrass’ introductory acupressure workshops, I’d say read this beforehand and you’ll be way ahead of the curve.

Healing Crystals

cattie — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:37:21 +0000

Today’s post is a review of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Crystals by Karen Ryan, who was the featured practitioner in the Crystal Healing for Animals post (also see Using Crystals with Cows for tips from Karen on how to use crystals in barns).

Karen is the founder of The Crystal Tiger in Mississauga, Ontario and a long-time crystal healing therapist. She is also a Reiki master, Radionics Therapist, and Spiritual Aromatherapist, and teaches Reiki and crystal healing courses. This is her third book – she has previously written “How to Use Your Pyramid” and “Spiritual Aromatherapy: The Subtle Effects of Essential Oils on the Human Spirit”.

Example of a page. Click on it to see a larger version

While I’m personally not thrilled with the “idiot’s guide” as a title (I may not know a lot about a subject, but that doesn’t make me an idiot), I do like the way these books are set up, and “Crystals” is no exception. The mostly short paragraphs, frequent itemized lists and framed “side notes” on almost every page really help to break up the text and make learning easier.

This is a great book, packed with so much information that you can’t read it in one sitting. Karen not only tells you how and why to use crystals for healing, there is also tons of scientific data and interesting facts. And I love Karen’s style of writing; it’s direct, down to earth and witty. After the first few read-throughs, I use this book as an encyclopedia, going back to it again and again to look things up.

The book is divided up into five parts:

1. All About Crystals
2. Starting your Crystal Collection
3. Healing properties of Crystals
4. Crystal Healing Techniques
5. Personal Development

Each part is divided up into several chapters, and each chapter is divided into clearly defined sections. The chapters end with a short re-cap highlighting the most important facts in that chapter, so you can make sure you didn’t miss anything essential.

The parts break down as follows:

Part 1 – An overview of, and the history and science behind, healing stones and crystals, Crystals and healing, Buying crystals

In part 1, All About Crystals, Karen talks about

the history of crystals and crystal healing
real vs. man-made crystals
famous gemstones (the Hope diamond, etc.)
the structure and energetic properties of crystals
the difference between rocks, minerals, gemstones and crystals
the scientific properties of healing crystals and what they mean (for example, the term “Broadcast” means the ability to send out energy patterns to be received by others, which is useful in distance healing)
the energy and vibration of crystals
the Buddhist classes of illness
a quick overview and how to of meditation
the importance of intent
what crystal healing is and why it works
what crystal energy healing is
easy ways to use crystals in jewelry to heal yourself
using crystals with Reiki and symbols
the importance of crystals in Ayurvedic healing (and which gemstones correspond to which astrological signs)
how and where to buy healing crystals (there is more to it than one might think)

Interesting tidbit from Part 1: There is a company called LifeGem that creates diamonds from the carbon in a lock of hair or the cremated ashes of people and pets!

Part 2 – Energy, Chakras and Crystals, Crystal healing wands, 6 essential healing crystals, Healing crystal jewelry, Feng Shui and crystals

In part two, you learn about

meridians, chakras, chi and auras
the importance of chakra crystal healing (and which crystals to choose)
using chakra essential oils
how to use crystal wands and pyramids for healing
how to clean and charge your crystals
the six most important healing crystals and how to use them
how to connect with your crystals
the many different ways to use crystals around the house
how to wear crystal healing jewelry
how to use crystals with Feng Shui

Interesting tidbit from Part 2: Using crystals with appliances promotes a longer life and fewer breakdowns (must try it with my computer!)

Part 3 – Selecting crystals for healing, The five “Master Healers”, Specific health conditions and crystal healing properties, Crystals and animals, Pendulums, Gem essences and Crystal water

Part three covers

how to select and use crystals for physical, emotional and spiritual healing (there’s a whole chapter on each)
lists of which crystal to use for a variety of health issues (chronic pain, headaches, fertility, grief, negativity, etc.), and also which body part and condition they relate to
the five most useful healing crystals, what they do and how to use them
which crystals to use specifically for men, women, teens, and children
how to use crystals (and which to use for specific conditions) with animals
using pendulums
Devas, angels and past lives
crystal water, gem essences, power packs and blessing salts

Interesting tidbit from Part 3: If you are drawn to a particular crystal, there is usually a reason for it. For example, Malachite helps the liver and heart, and if you find yourself attracted to it, it may be time to get your heart or liver checked.

Part 4 – Energy clearing techniques, Crystal healing layouts, Performing your first healing session

In part 4, we learn

several different crystal healing techniques
how to balance your chakras
how to clean auras
about patterns – how to arrange your crystals for different healing situations
how to energetically clear spaces
how to store your crystals
how to do a crystal healing session (includes a handy worksheet)

Interesting tidbit from Part 4: Kyanite crystals are always charged and never have to be cleansed

Part 5 – Different forms of meditation and techniques, Incorporating healing crystals and gemstones in your everyday life, Crystal healing training

The last part of the book talks about

different ways to meditate – an important part of crystal healing (and your health)
getting to know your crystals
using crystals every day in different ways
how and where to learn more about crystal healing (classes, certification, etc.)
what you can expect as you progress as a healer

Interesting tidbit from Part 5: Listening to Gregorian chants has been found to increase endorphins and ease pain

At the end of the book, there is an alphabetical list of healing crystals, outlining what each does and how to use them, a glossary, and recommended books.

Regardless of whether you are curious about the healing power of crystals and want to give it a try on your own, or just want to be able to select the right bracelet or pendant to wear on any given day, I highly recommend this book. There truly is something for everyone in it, and I guarantee you will learn at least one or two (but probably many) new things.

AMG Book Review – The Well-Connected Dog

admin — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 15:12:55 +0000

The Well-Connected Dog
by Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis

Today, I would like to shine the spotlight on The Well-Connected Dog by Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis. We used The Well-Connected Dog as our course manual in the acupressure class at Bancroft, and I have found it to be both a great learning manual and a fabulous resource to have in your book collection, not only for treating my dog, but us humans as well.

As you saw in Amy’s guest post a few weeks ago, Amy and Nancy are the founders of Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute in Colorado, authors of several books on animal acupressure, and have been practicing what they teach for decades.

In The Well-Connected Dog, they explain the theory behind Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and how a diagnosis is made using the eight guiding principles. To those of us used to modern western medicine, this can be a bit difficult to wrap one’s head around, since it is such a completely different way to look at illness and its causes, but they do a great job of explaining it in ways that are easy to relate to.

Chapter four in the book describes each meridian in more depth: what it relates to (season, element, body parts, etc.), its function in the body, signs indicating that the energy in that particular meridian is blocked, the important acupressure points along it and how treating each point can help with a specific condition. There is also an illustration of each meridian and its points, so you easily can find them on your dog.

The next chapter talks about acupoints, places where the chi is closer to the surface of the body and can be treated. Each set of points is described in detail, again with illustrations to help you locate them on your dog.

Chapter six is about canine stretching, with photos and instructions for how to do a full-body stretch of your dog (which is as important for dogs as it is for us humans in order to maintain flexibility and enhance the flow of energy).

In Chapter seven, you learn how to treat specific conditions, such as Lower Back Soreness, Itchy Skin, Kennel Cough, Fear, and Shock. This chapter is set up similar to the ones above, with indicators showing an energy imbalance, how to perform each particular treatment, and which points to work (with illustrations).

Chapter three, which I would go back to after reading through the entire book, shows you, step by step, how to do an acupressure treatment on your dog, including selecting a location, preparing yourself by breathing and getting centered, observing your dog, introducing yourself and getting permission (from your dog) to do a treatment. Many of us tend to overlook such things, but they are great reminders to slow down and really connect with both yourself and your dog. I personally never work on my dog if I feel that my chi isn’t “up to par” or I’m upset or angry. I’m always afraid I will transfer bad energy to her.

As I mentioned earlier, I use this book as a reference again and again, and one thing I like in particular are the descriptions of what each point does for the dog/human being treated. It’s so helpful when you don’t have the time to perform an entire full-body treatment (which is difficult to do on yourself since many points are located on the back) to be able to zero in on one or a few points to work a little bit whenever you find the time.

I first realized the power of acupressure after I successfully treated my husband for a very persistent stomach bug with the help of The Well-Connected Dog. It sounds funny, I know, but it worked. My husband had been sick for a week, and wasn’t getting any better. I was in the middle of the acupressure course at Bancroft at the time, so I took out this book and with the help of the descriptions of what each point does, found a point I thought sounded like a good one to treat (I think it was St 36). I looked at the illustration of the dog, managed to find the point on my husband’s leg, and treated it for an hour. It definitely needed it – he almost screamed with pain when I first found it, but after that hour, he felt better, and the next day, his stomach was fine again.

In the past few weeks, I have had reason to re-visit this book to treat myself. I am going through a series of allergy treatments called NAET (using kinesiology and acupuncture) that leave me drained and zombie-esque at times. After one treatment in particular, my kidney chi was getting totally out of whack, and after looking in The Well-Connected Dog, I decided I needed to work on Ki3 and Ki7. I found the spots easily and treated them while I was sitting on the couch watching TV. I can’t tell you what a difference it made in getting through the days after that treatment. I still had a pounding headache, heaviness in my head and ringing in my ears, as well as very uncharacteristic insomnia, but after treating those points, my energy improved dramatically, and I could handle the symptoms.

I tell you all this to emphasize that anybody can use acupressure to improve both their own and their dog’s health. We did have that acupressure course at Bancroft, where I learned the basics, so I know what to look for and what an acupoint feels like, but I am in no way certified to perform acupressure on anybody. But you don’t need to be to work on yourself and your dog – once you learn the basics, you have the power in your own hands to relieve headaches, improve digestion, boost energy, etc.

I would highly recommend The Well-Connected Dog to anyone interested in giving this powerful healing technique a try. And if you have the chance to take part in one of the Tallgrass workshops (which are held all over the world, you can find upcoming classes on the Events & Workshops lists as well as on the school lists for Canada, Australia, Europe and the UK), don’t pass it up. I know that you, like me, will be amazed at how effective acupressure can be, and will find endless uses for it now and in the future.

Also, don’t miss my review of the latest version of this book, Acu-Dog – A Guide To Canine Acupressure as well as the DVD “Introduction to Small Animal Acupressure” by Amy and Nancy – it’s a great complement to this book.