Animal Massage Guide » alternative medicine

Alternative Healing Modality: Acupressure

cattie — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:04:49 +0000

Today’s post is about Acupressure. We had a number of classes in it when I was at Bancroft, but I have to confess that at the time, I was so focused on learning massage that I found it a bit overwhelming to look at health from a TCM perspective, which is pretty different from the way you’re used to looking at and diagnosing illness in the West.

One experience I had in those classes really stood out in my mind. At the time, I had had a cold for several months, with a cough that was so bad that I had broken a rib just from coughing! I mentioned it to our teacher, who asked if I had lost someone close to me recently. I was stunned by the question: my Mom had passed away 5 months earlier and there was no way she could have known that. Turns out the lung meridian is connected to grief. Interesting, isn’t it?

Since then, I have studied acupressure further on my own on a sort of leisurely basis, and frequently use it on myself for things like headaches, colds, soreness, stomach bugs, low energy, etc. It really is amazing how well it works. A great book if you want to try it out on yourself is “Tsubo” (see book recommendations at the end of this post). I pull that out whenever I have something that needs treating.

What Is Acupressure?

Acupressure is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) healing method which has been practiced in Asia for thousands of years, and has slowly but surely been gaining acceptance here in the west as well.

It is based on the theory that energy (“chi”, “qi” or “ki”) is constantly flowing in the body, along 12 main pathways called “meridians”. Each meridian is connected to a certain organ, and has a symmetrical “twin-meridian”, mirrored on the other side of the body. For example, the stomach meridian runs from a point right under each eye to the lateral edge of the nail of the second toe on each foot.

When the flow of energy gets blocked, from stress, trauma, injury or even negative thoughts, problems arise. We don’t feel well and are more susceptible to illness.

The acupressure practitioner deals with these blockages by using finger and palm pressure on certain points (“acupoints”, there are more than 400 of them) along the meridians, where the energy is closest to the surface, to improve the flow of chi and restore health. To decide which points to work on, the practitioner goes through a whole list of things, known as the Eight Principles. To explain all that would take up too much space here, maybe I’ll do a separate post on that at some point.

Meet Jodi McLaughlin

Today’s case study comes from Jodi McLaughlin, a Certified Holistic Small Animal Massage Provider, Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, and the creator of The Blissful Bunny Massage Workshops. She has written many articles on alternative healing for rabbits, (don’t miss her other guest post on AMG – The Basic Bunny Massage Strokes) and she was also featured in Lucile Moore’s books, “Touched by a Rabbit” and “The Care of Special Needs Rabbits: Traditional and Alternative Healing Methods”. (Note: Jodi is currently taking a break from treating animals due to family obligations).

Jodi has spent many years working on both animals and humans, but one rabbit in particular touched her life in a very special way. Jodi met Diego Cinqo De Mayo Rivera in 2003, and it was love at first sight. Diego was paralyzed at around 6 months of age and Jodi started working with him 4 months later (and continued to work on him for 5 years). He briefly regained use of his hind legs but arthritis and nerve/soft tissue compromise caused the return of the hind leg paresis.

I have included a Pdf here, because the post would be way too long otherwise. It is a full record of an acupressure treatment for those of you who are interested in how Jodi decided which points to work on, and how Diego reacted to it.

I’m very thankful to Jodi for agreeing to let me publish all this on Animal Massage Guide. Here is Diego’s story in Jodi’s own words:

Diego’s Story

Diego was born sometime in 2002 at an animal hoarders home in Mar Vista, CA and was rescued (along with 400 other rabbits) in a SPCA raid the same year.

On May 5th, Cinqo DeMayo, 2003, Diego, just a very young bunny, was being bonded in the lobby of the No-Kill L.A shelter he had been taken to. The story goes that he got too excited and slipped on some water, injuring his back. Because he was only a shelter bunny, he was given a brief exam, xray, single dose of pain med, and put back in a cage. His back was not broken but there was obvious soft tissue damage to the mid spinal area.

A friend of mine, Bona Tucker, had opened a rabbit shelter, and since Diego could no longer be bonded or available for adoption, he was sent to Bona’s home rabbit sanctuary where he languished in a small pen with all the other un-adoptables.

September of that same year I was in Animal Massage School in Ojai, CA and met Bona. During a tour of her sanctuary I saw the most beautiful little gray “American Chinchilla” rabbit. He had huge chocolate brown eyes and just an aura that said “here I am” even as he sat amongst gobs of poop in a corner of a pen with his back to me. His hind legs were twisted from paresis but he could still maneuver quickly around his pen. I fell in love and knew I would be back to take him home where I could foster him and try all my new bodywork techniques.

He proved to be a true California rabbit. Our opinionated “Vitamin D” bunny loved the sunshine, fresh ocean air, and organic herbs my beach cottage offered. Massage, Tellington Touch, Acupuncture and Acupressure treatments gave him improved mobility but over time complications from his injury caused incontinence and frustration.

We ordered a custom made Doggon Wheels cart in September ’04. After a short adjustment period, he understood the benefits of the cart and laid patiently on the grooming-massage table while I hooked him into his “chariot”. He took off running as soon as his powerful front legs hit the floor. We nicknamed him “Ben-Hare” which says it all about his amazing personality and stamina.

We gave him daily baths, bodywork, regular bladder expression, fresh cranberries and other herbs for his urinary and immune system. When we moved to the Amish countryside of P.A., Diego bonded with our blind bunny Tabby and friend Berry.

Along the way he was filmed for a BBC show, “American Hot”, written about in my various animal massage articles, taught me and many others all about “the world of special needs rabbits” and even he himself wrote an article on the trials and races of driving a “chariot”. He became known as “Ben Hare, Diamond D, Vitamin D, Diego Rivera, The D-Man, and The little Dude.”

Diego’s disability and my struggles to understand it lead me to Amy Spintman, Educator of The San Diego Chapter of The House Rabbit Society. After a few phone conversations, Amy founded the highly respected Disabled Rabbit List on Yahoo. Diego became an ever present sage to many up and coming “differently-abled” bunnies around the world. Diego was also immortalized in Lucile Moore’s books, “Touched by a Rabbit” and “The Care of Special Needs Rabbits: Traditional and Alternative Healing Methods”.

As July [of 2008] approached, Diego was experiencing more and more health challenges, finally succumbing this morning to the always looming complications from his original spinal injury. We learned yesterday that his body was in the final stages of kidney failure and his digestive system had begun to shut down from the physiological stress. Diego was with me on the futon early this morning, snuggled into a warmed wrap, as he started the journey out of his little earth fur suit. Rick and I held him and told him we would be ok and he soared away, presumably to find Tabby at the Rainbow Bridge. More than likely he is munching on some herbs in a celestial garden somewhere contemplating his next move, “diff-abled” no more.

To those people who believe rabbits should be housed in a hutch at the end of their yard, or next to the garage, out of sight and mind, I say, look at the incredible life of a little 4 lb bunny and all he offered to the world. He was the most amazing animal Rick and I will ever know and we were honored to assist him during his stay here on earth.

He had a wonderful quality of life and the most amazing bond with me that I have ever experienced with an animal. As I always tell people, he was a Buddha in a bunnysuit.

Don’t miss Jodi’s other guests posts about The Basic Massage Strokes and how to do a Massage and Acupressure Treatment For Rabbit Digestion.

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Alternative Healing Modality: Reiki

cattie — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:17:37 +0000

As I mentioned in my post on Friday, I’m starting a new series here at AMG where we learn more about a specific healing modality in each post and also get to meet a practitioner and read one of their case studies. I’m very excited about this series; it’s fascinating to read all the stories, and I’m sure you will enjoy them as much as I have.

First out is Reiki. I had never heard of until I was a student at Bancroft and we had a class exploring energy healing techniques. I remember having a very interesting experience while practicing it on one of my teachers – I wasn’t even touching her, but something in her leg that had been bothering her all of a sudden twitched, and my arm did too at the same time.

I always assumed that you had to have a special gift in order to do any kind of energy healing, but anybody can learn how to use Reiki.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a Japanese holistic energy healing system that is gentle and noninvasive but still has the power to heal the body, mind and spirit. It is administered by laying on hands or healing from a distance (you don’t have to have physical contact with the person/animal you are treating) and is based on the idea that an unseen life force energy (“ki”) flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s ki is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress.

The name Reiki, pronounced ”Ray-key”, comes from the Japanese words ”rei” meaning spirit, and ”ki” meaning energy. It is usually translated as ”universal life energy.”

When using Reiki to heal, the practitioner simply sets an intention to facilitate the healing process and allows Reiki to flow in whatever amount the client wishes to receive and for whatever he or she needs most. The energy “knows” where to go; you don’t even have to be aware of what the problem is exactly in the person/animal you’re treating. You are just a conduit for the energy.

It is ideal for use with animals because with Reiki, since effectiveness is not dependent upon physical contact, the animal controls the treatment, accepting Reiki in the ways that are most comfortable for them, either hands-on or from a distance, or a combination of both.

Reiki is easy for anyone to learn and use, and can’t do any harm, even when used by the most novice practitioner. It always goes to the deepest source of the problem and always supports a path towards balance and harmony.

To become a practitioner, you go through training sessions with a Reiki Master where you get attuned. There are 3 levels: Level 1 is the basics, Level 2 is advanced (where you also learn certain symbols) and Level 3 is the Master level (you can take a teacher training at this level after which you are able to teach Reiki to others).

Meet Kathleen Prasad

Today’s case study comes from Kathleen Prasad, world-renowned animal Reiki teacher, founder and director of Animal Reiki Source, and President of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association. She teaches animal Reiki courses and workshops in the San Francisco area, and also holds teleclasses on a regular basis. Kathleen is truly a leader in her field, and I am greatly honored that she agreed to be part of this series.

While Kathleen was teaching in the San Francisco public schools in the 90s, she designed curriculum and community projects for her students in animal kindness, encouraging volunteer work in animal shelters. In 1998 she learned Reiki and began volunteering Reiki with local shelter animals. Inspired by her volunteer experiences, Kathleen decided to dedicate her teaching career to Animal Reiki full time in 2002.

Since then, she has co-authored the books The Animal Reiki Handbook and Animal Reiki: Using Energy to Heal the Animals in Your Life and written many articles on animals and Reiki for publications such as The Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, Animal Fair, The Whole Dog Journal, Dog Fancy, Animal Wellness Magazine, Equine Wellness Magazine and Natural Horse Talk Magazine. In 2007, Kathleen authored The Animal Reiki Practitioner Code of Ethics – the first code of ethics for the profession – which has been published in professional Reiki publications and adopted by practitioners around the world. Her second book, Tails from the Source: The Animal Reiki Source Newsletter Collection, Volume I, was published in March 2008. She has also been featured on several radio shows as well as her local news.

She has provided Reiki training to the staff of organizations such as The East Bay SPCA, The Humane Society of Silicon Valley, BrightHaven Healing Arts Center for Animals, Guide Dogs for the Blind, and The Elephant Sanctuary. She continuously teaches courses and workshops, both in person, in teleclasses and per correspondence, and also offers a distance Reiki internship (conducted via phone and email). For upcoming in-person basic workshops, see the latest Events & Workshops list. Her students come from all walks of life and from all over the world. In October of 2008, Kathleen was invited to teach a seminar on Animal Reiki at the 33rd Annual Conference of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

In May of 2008, Kathleen co-founded the non-profit Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA). SARA aims to boost adoption rates in shelters nationwide by reducing stress and supporting healing in homeless animals. The mission will be achieved via a standardized rollout of animal Reiki programs in shelters worldwide and the creation of an unprecedented global information resource for practitioners and facilities that assist animals in need.

Here is Kathleen’s case study, in her own words:

Reiki for Feral Cats

One of the wonderful things about Reiki is that it can be given from a distance. Thus, it works well with any animal, whether tame, wild, or somewhere in between, as is sometimes the case when treating rescues. In addition, when the Reiki treatment is approached in a way that gives the animal choice, in my experience animals almost always choose to receive the healing that Reiki can offer.

The following anecdote illustrates the importance of being willing to treat animals from a distance, meditatively and respectfully “offering” rather than physically and actively “giving” Reiki. As you will see in the below story, cats are especially sensitive to Reiki energy and will greatly benefit from this approach. And in incorporating this philosophy with all animals, animal Reiki practitioners, too, will find wonderful benefits: a greater openness from the animals and thus greater successes in their treatments.

I placed the chair about ten feet from the cage. Inside, two feral kittens, one gray and one black, stared at me, terrified. The black one stood in front of the gray, clearly protecting her little brother. They had been rescued the previous day from a hillside just off the freeway. My friend Janet, who feeds several feral colonies throughout San Francisco and also frequently rescues and gives aid to these kitties, had taken the two kittens into her home until the SPCA could evaluate their adoption potential. Thus far, Janet had been scratched and bitten, and had to wear gloves when reaching into the cage to feed or clean. The other members of her cat family were also very interested in the new arrivals, sitting near the window where the cage was located.

One of these cats, Honeydew, had been previously rescued and adopted by Janet from the same colony. Still quite feral, she had hidden herself in another room when I arrived. Before I began the Reiki treatment, I asked permission from the kittens, mentally introducing myself to them and letting them know I would offer them some healing, but that they need only take what they were comfortable with. I visualized myself several feet away from them and not breaching this space. I let them know that I would definitely not be approaching or touching them at any time during my visit. In addition, I avoided eye contact, so as not to push any kind of physical connection with them. I closed my eyes, rested my hands on my lap, and began to offer Reiki. As I began the treatment, I sent thoughts of peace and tranquility to them. It was obvious that they were tremendously fearful and stressed, and I knew Reiki would help them relax. I also visualized Janet and let them know she was a safe, good person. They were in a good place where they would have food and shelter. I sent Reiki to their future situations for their highest good.

Although I didn’t open my eyes for nearly a half an hour, I felt the energy flow strongly to the kittens and knew they were accepting the treatment. At the end of the treatment, when I began to feel the energy dissipate and my mind return from the deep meditation I had entered, I opened my eyes. The two kittens had moved to the front of the cage, closest to me, and fallen fast asleep. In addition, Janet’s cat Honeydew had come out of her place of hiding and was curiously watching me from just a few feet away. As I met eyes with her, she held my gaze quizzically for a long moment, then looked at the kittens, and then back to me. Then she disappeared as silently as she had come. It was as if she was telling me, “I felt the energy too. Thank you for helping them.” Janet had been quietly watching Honeydew’s visit from the next room. She smiled wide-eyed at me, amazed at her cat’s uncharacteristic behavior.

In just one treatment, the kittens showed good improvement. As early as the next day, Janet was able to reach into the cage and hold and pet the gray kitten. The black one was still fearful, but refrained from attacking her hands. Soon, with continued distant Reiki and patient work from cat socializers, the kittens learned to trust people. Within a few months, “Cody” and “Millie” were adopted into good homes.

Don’t miss Kathleen’s other case study – Reiki for a Horse and Cat – and Caroline Thomas’ post about offering Reiki to rescued sheep.

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New Series: Alternative Therapies

cattie — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:14:15 +0000

In the next few days, I am going to be starting a new series of posts here at AMG, and I am really excited about this one. As I’ve been researching schools etc. I have come across tons of different complementary and alternative therapies; many that I didn’t even know existed. I was curious to learn more about each, and the experiences that all these different practitioners have had with each modality.

So I decided to start a series where I “spotlight” a specific therapy in each post, accompanied by a case study from a practitioner. We will also get to know each practitioner a little bit, and learn about their practice.

I think this will be a great resource for everyone. Those of you who are practitioners will get a chance to learn from others’ experiences and maybe even find a new therapy you want to try.

Pet owners, hopefully this series helps you figure out which therapy(ies) that are right for your pet, or you may find a new modality that your pet can benefit from. Always check with your vet before booking any appointments though.

Each post will have 3 sections: First, a description of the “spotlighted” therapy, then a piece on the featured practitioner, and last the case study, in the practitioner’s own words.

I have started to contact a few practitioners to see if they were interested in participating in this, and the response has been tremendous. I have really been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of everyone I have communicated with. All have been more than willing to share their stories and experiences, and I quickly realized that I will have way more than one case study/therapy to share. I will be posting them all, one at a time, so keep checking back.

If you are a practitioner or pet owner with a case study or story to share, please contact me. I’d love to post them.

Here is a small sampling of the natural alternative therapies we will hear about:

Massage

Reiki

Acupressure

Hydrotherapy

Bach Flowers

Acupuncture

Crystal Healing

Craniosacral

Chiropractic

Animal Communication

Aromatherapy

Color Therapy

Dowsing

Naturopathy

the list goes on… As I mentioned above, I will start this series in the next few days, so stay tuned!

For a short introduction to each therapy, check out my Alternative Health Care Modalities post.

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