The Point Post

August 18 to September 17, 2014

from ElementalAcupressure.com

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Just a little note about sharing :

We LOVE sharing acupressure with you and your animals. Just please remember that this material is

copyrighted material.

So if you want a friend to see this, please send them to our website or our Facebook page. We will

be very happy to send the Point Post to them! Or send them the link below so they can sign up and

receive the Point Post directly!

Link to the Point Post: www.bit.ly/1n16HJU

Thank you! And for you and all the animals you touch, I wish you great health and vitality,

---Susan

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A Special Welcome to our New Comers

I wanted to extend a special welcome to our new

readers! We are so happy to have you on our mailing

list and we are eager to share great acupressure with

you in the weeks, months and years to come. Since

you are not familiar with how we roll, I thought I’d

describe our reason for doing what we do.

We have been sharing acupressure with animal lovers

just like you for over 20 years. We have traveled all

over the world, working with hundreds of students

and clients in many countries and we see one

common desire no matter where students are from:

you all want to see your animals thrive using methods

that are safe, simple and effective.

Acupressure fits the bill perfectly. The reason

acupressure is still around after all of these centuries

is that it WORKS and it does so in ways that ANYONE

can do. Just press some of the points I’ll show you and

watch your animal sigh with pleasure. The response is

unmistakable. No placebo effect. No hocus-pocus. Just

the body’s natural healing ability doing its thing. And you activate it in the comfort of your own

home (or at least at your friendly local stable…). How cool is that?

So on a regular basis (I try to do it weekly but it isn’t always successful…) I get the Point Post to you

so you can dive in and give acupressure a try. I’ll teach you techniques and points and share cases

that come my way. All you have to do is put your hands to work. Your animals will love it!

Want to dive in deeper? Try one of our online classes ! From beginner level to advanced theory,

we’ve got something for everyone who loves animals. Acupressure, shiatsu, EnergyWork, anatomy…

you name it. When you are ready, we are here for you.

In the meantime, stay in touch. Let us know what YOU want to know. Join the fun at our Facebook

page or just read the cream of the crop here.

And remember: Healthy and Happy, that’s our goal. I’ll bet it’s your goal too. We are really excited to

have you here so you can use acupressure to help you get there.

---Susan

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©2014 ElementalAcupressure.com

Guess what our NEXT topic is for Natural Horse Magazine????

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©2014 ElementalAcupressure.com

Acu Basics: How often should I use acupressure?

Original link: http://on.fb.me/XeEutE

The Short Answer: For best results with a long standing symptom, use acupressure 3 times per week for 1-3 weeks or until the symptom recedes. For an acute condition, use it daily until the symptom resolves.

The Long Answer: While most people want a short quick answer, in practice it’s not that simple. Acupressure is a healing art so be creative with it and stay responsive to your animal’s reaction. Here are some further guidelines to help you choose your acupressure frequency. Of course ALL of these guidelines assume that you are using acupressure along with proper veterinary care!!

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©2014 ElementalAcupressure.com

1: Chronic conditions: Acupressure is a wonderful way to manage chronic conditions like arthritis or skin issues. Use it regularly for best results, at least once a week, 2-3 times per week if possible.

2: Acute conditions: Acute issues like a deep wound with inflammation or a bout of diarrhea need a bit more point work to be fully effective. If your horse has a tendon injury or your dog has vomited a couple of times but is basically OK, daily acupressure can help. If you cannot work daily, 3-5 times per week can still be very effective.

3: Emergencies: Emergencies call for special guidelines. If your horse has an acute colic, ask your vet if you can use acupressure while you wait for them to arrive. If you get the go ahead, use it often, even every 15-20 minutes for relaxation and digestive support. As the colic passes, wind down on the frequency to just once a day for a few extra days to help the body heal. Similar emergencies call for VERY regular acupressure until the worst symptoms pass. Daily acupressure is good – 2-3 times per day is even better.

4: Preventative Acupressure: Acupressure can help prevent a symptom or behavior too. Adjust the frequency to match your animal’s needs. For example, use acupressure 2-3 times on the morning before your pet goes in for a veterinary procedure to help her stay super relaxed.

The FINAL RULE and the only one that REALLY matters? Follow your animal’s response! If you horse has started pinning her ears any time you start up with a point she used to love, you need to take a day or two off. You CAN do it too often. It won’t really do any harm but it can trigger a less than happy response. Your animal knows much better than I do how often she needs those points. Listen to her wisdom!

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©2014 ElementalAcupressure.com

Acu Basics: How hard do I press the points?

Origninal link: http://on.fb.me/1qZUESA

The Short Answer: Press as deeply as the animal allows easily and willingly.

The Long Answer: The amount of pressure you use at a point can vary tremendously. Here are some guidelines.

1: Press in slowly and firmly. Most animals prefer firm pressure. Feather light pressure is often irritating to animals – especially to horses who will flick you off as if you were a fly. The trick to applying deeper pressure is to go in slowly so the animal has time to adjust to your presence. When you first touch the point, rest a moment and see how the animal feels about you being there. If all is well, take a deep breath in. When you breathe out, slowly and gently press into the point, taking 5-

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©2014 ElementalAcupressure.com

10 seconds until you reach full pressure. Then hold the pressure there for another 5-10 seconds. If the animal seems open to it, you can even try to press in a bit more.

2: Don’t be afraid to use deep pressure on muscles and other soft tissues.You know how good it feels when someone applies full pressure to the tense muscles at the base of your neck? When you think of that you’ll realize that full pressure might just be what your animal is craving. Take a moment to press your fingertips into those lumps on either side of the base of your neck. Yes, the ones that feel like someone put half a golf ball there. For most people, full pressure feels goooood. It might be achy but it’s usually a “good hurt” that leaves you feeling better after you release the pressure. Most animals feel the same way – deeper is usually better. And don’t worry about using too much pressure as long as you go in slowly. If you are pressing too hard, most animals will be quick to let you know.

3: Use less pressure on bony surfaces. Now take a moment and press your fingertips into your knee cap. Hmmm… doesn’t feel as good as those neck points, does it? When stimulating points directly on bones, use light pressure,about what you would use on your knee cap.

4: Delicate areas call for delicate touch. When touching sensitive zones like the face, use a gentle approach and super respectful touch. Test your pressure on your own face at the outside corner of the eye. You’ll see that a delicate touch feels best here. Most animals will agree.

5: Regardless of these guidelines, ALWAYS follow your animal’s response. Your animal knows what he needs better than I do, so always watch closely to see what your animal is telling you about your work.

And one last tip. Remember how you are supposed to press in SLOWLY? Release your pressure every bit as slowly. Otherwise it can feel too abrupt. So when you are ready to release pressure, take a deep breath in and when you breathe out, smoothly release pressure over 5-10 seconds. Try counting it out – 10 seconds is longer than you think!

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©2014 ElementalAcupressure.com

Natural Horse article: The Healing Heat of Moxa

Original link: http://on.fb.me/1mcpico MOXA! The article is finally ready for you. The link will take you to both the full Natural Horse Magazine article AND our youtube demo video. I just LOVE being able to share this with all of you. http://bit.ly/ZoH41X Further Resources To learn more acupressure guidelines: http://bit.ly/XJRiZT To view a video about basic acupressure technique: http://bit.ly/1mRxJHX To learn about classes in animal acupressure or to purchase acupoint charts: www.ElementalAcupressure.com Wishing you a wonderful week, Susan and the Elemental Acupressure crew