Canine acupressure is getting the recognition it deserves! Two weeks ago, we were asked to be a guest on a local news segment, WBTV's QC Life. It was such an amazing feeling when someone reached out to us about doing an interview for our very unique small business. So, of course, we said yes!
Last Tuesday, QC Life interviewed Stephanie for approximately 5 minutes on live TV! QC Life shares local food places, drinks and things to do around the Queen City every morning during the weekdays. They found our small business when they saw one of our events, a Canine Acupressure Class, on social media!
A couple topics were quickly discussed during the interview. Below, we discuss these topics a little further. We hope you enjoy reading more about the topics discussed.
The link to watch the interview is at the bottom of the page.
What does Poll to Pastern mean?
Both poll and pastern are horse anatomy terms. Poll meaning the top of the horses head and pastern meaning the area right before the hoof. Thus, head to toe!
We began as a small business focused on horses, but we soon added small animals to our services. However, instead of making a whole new name, we decided to keep our original (and awesome) name. For most people not familiar to the horse industry, our name may be a little bit strange, but once you understand the terms, it becomes clear we offer head to toe holistic services. Plus, it offers a great way to start a conversation with people.
At the very least, we hope you add these terms to your vocabulary tool box. You never know, they may be helpful for trivia night one day! So, when you see us out and about in the Charlotte area, come say hi and remember: head to toe holistics.
What does holistic mean?
In simple terms, it means the whole body. Sometimes, holistic can be spelled like wholistic. Meaning the whole body. When someone is into holistic practices, they use diet, exercise, spiritual and complementary therapies to be and stay healthy. It is the entire picture and not just the symptom.
In Canine Acupressure or Equine Acupressure, we look at the body as a whole. We take the history of the animal, what the body looks like visually (dry nails, greasy coat, runny nose, etc.), how the body feels on our fingers (warm areas, colder areas, swollen areas or sunken areas), we listen for sounds (gut gurgles, vocalizations, etc) and even what the body smells like to make an assessment. We use every detail to try to assess what the body is telling us to create our session plan. Our plan includes points that are specific to each animal and each day could be different!
What is the difference between acupressure and acupuncture?
Well, acupressure uses pressure to activate the points whereas acupuncture uses needles to activate the points. Each technique has the same benefits and the same point location! They just have different ways to activate the points.
In the interview, Stephanie mentions that we use acupressure in our daily lives without us knowing. If you have ever had a headache and you rub your temples or pinch the area between your nose and tear ducts, that is acupressure! Using specific points on the body and applying pressure to those points to relieve pain is... you guessed it, acupressure!! Another example would be using sea sick bands on your wrists. These bands are targeting the acupressure point that helps to relive nausea.
Pretty crazy when you start thinking about all the points we naturally touch to help us feel better, right?
Can I learn acupressure for my animals?
Heck yes! We offer classes throughout the year for dog and horse owners! Stephanie is currently the only Nationally Certified Canine Acupressure Practitioner in the state of North Carolina. She is also one of 2 Nationally Certified Equine Practitioners. You can follow our social media or routinely check our website events page for upcoming events.
Every class is hands on. So, for dog owners, you bring your pup to the class location and sit on the floor like a yoga class. For horse owners, some clinics (thats what we call horse classes) may have horses on site or you bring your horse to the location.
Learning acupressure for your four legged friend will be very beneficial in keeping them happy and healthy. Notice we said keeping. Acupressure is mainly a preventative care option for your furry babies. However, it can be used as a complementary therapy for animals already experiencing unbalanced conditions. Our classes also cover a variety of topics: overall health, arthritis, anxiety, stomach upsets/colic, and more. So attending more than one class, will help you learn more points. There are around 361 points we can access on the body (if you remember this for one of our classes, you will amaze your teacher!).
What is red light therapy?
It is the use of specific wavelengths of light to boost the healing mechanism in cells. We use our red light therapy pads that also include near-infrared light. Each color of light can penetrate different depths of the skin and tissues. Below is a diagram that shows wavelength penetration of light into the dermis (aka: skin).
Like our cells absorb sunlight to make vitamin D, our cells also absorb red and near-infrared light for energy. This energy is used by the cell to heal, repair or replenish itself. The light can also help stimulate collagen production (joints and wrinkles) and endorphin release (natural pain relief hormone). These two are very important for animals experiencing arthritis or joint pain. You can read more about light therapy in our blogs! Or how we use the light as our "needle" in our photopuncture blog.
We provide full body sessions for both dogs and horses. Each session is around 45 minutes to an hour. While our pads are doing their thing on the targeted regions of the body, we are doing acupressure point work with our hand held device. Using both acupressure points and red light therapy devices provides your animals the most benefit all in one session!
Did you know? Our sessions are in home or in barn. So, no stress in loading up your pup and traveling. They can stay right in their comfy beds (or barn) during the session!
We also offer our red light therapy pads for rentals. You, your pup, and/or your horse can enjoy the benefits of light therapy up to 3 times a day! It's a great option for injury recovery, exercise recovery, wound/surgery healing, anti-aging benefits and more.
