Archive for the ‘Natural Healing’ Category

So you have decided that maybe your horse would benefit from a massage, but you would like to know what to expect. First, the therapist should take a thorough case history (and in any case where there is a possibility that a massage is contraindicated, the attending veterinarian needs to be contacted first). Next, it is ideal to see the horse move (unless they are on stall rest at the time). It is possible to either lunge the horse, trot it in hand, or tack up and ride. This is especially helpful in situations where the problem is only perceived during certain moments, for example during the left canter lead transition, or lateral work to the right. Next is a hands on assessment during which I gently Read the rest of this entry »

So why would someone get their horse massaged? I routinely work on a huge range of horses. Some are retired and their owners do their best ot keep them comfortable. While massage cannot alleviate the joint pain associated with arthritis, it can definitely decrease the muscle tension that eventually develops due to chronic conditions. Some horses are coming back from an injury and the massages are part of a rehabilitative process (with attending veterinarian’s permission and guidance). In these situations the massages help Read the rest of this entry »

I often get asked exactly how I became an Equine Massage Therapist. I have known that I wanted to work with horses for as long as I can remember. Originally I was convinced I wanted to become a veterinarian. I was in the Agricultural Sciences program at UBC and volunteering with veterinarians. This led to the realization that typically horses are not very happy to see the vet. Also, as a vet, you do not typically get to see your clients in very positive situations. Overall, this experience made me realize Read the rest of this entry »

by Yvonne Allen

How to Administer Essential Oils Internally

For internal use (ingestion), essential oils can be put into a capsule and mixed with the feed. The bottom lip can be pulled out and 10-15 drops of oil put in. The animal will feel the effect quickly because capillaries in the lip will carry the oil into bloodstream immediately. When treating horses with essential oils internally, make certain the Read the rest of this entry »

by Yvonne Allen

A horse inhales oils from Yvonne's hand

Essential Oils are one of the world’s most powerful natural medicines. These life giving oils have been utilized for thousands of years to enhance well being and to treat serious health conditions. Each Essential Oil is distinctively different with is own characteristics and personality. For centuries the ancient people knew of the healing power of therapeutic oils. It has only been the past two decades that scientists and researchers have been looking into the molecular structures of essential oils and identifying that some of these molecules fight cancer; modulate the immune system; regulate blood glucose; modulate hormones and reduce inflammation that causes pain. Essential Oils are often used in conjunction with Read the rest of this entry »

Yvonne Allen- At Ease Horse Care

Shiatsu is a Japanese word meaning finger pressure. Shi means “”finger”” and atsu means “”pressure””. Shiatsu massage is very similar to acupuncture as it works with the same principles being that certain points on and inside the body if stimulated properly, will have a positive effect on the body’s ability to heal itself and restore health.

Shiatsu is both Read the rest of this entry »

By Faye Birkin

In 2006 a very special, red chestnut Arab gelding called Champ came into my life. He was about 11 years old at the time, and apart from suffering from a terrible history of founder and seedy toe, he also had 3 dormant sarcoids on his body, that had up till then, been growing relatively slowly and not causing too much trouble. One was inside his ear, one in the centre of his chest and the other on his flank.

Then, an unlucky combination of a particularly hot summer, a bad year of flies & Champ scratching up against trees and rolling, broke 2 of these

April 2008

 sarcoids open. Of course, this is one of the worst things for sarcoids… Once disturbed, they began to grow, literally overnight. Nothing I did helped. The more I tried to keep them clean the more inflamed, irritated & sensitive they became. Read the rest of this entry »

Most Horse Owners and Trainers nowadays give Vitamins and Minerals to Horses as part of their daily Program.

Since the discovery of Vitamin C and its link with the disease Scurvy explained, we are accustomed to being told by the media and by health authorities that our health will be improved if we take additional Vitamin and Mineral supplements in addition to our normal diets.

We are told that it is something about the modern lifestyle, stress and the denaturing of our soils etc. which means that our food supply is not as good as it was in the “old days”. This is of course true to some extent and we should be doing must more about the quality of our food. We should really be working much harder on Organic and Chemical Free farming than we are doing but until the market provides a greater incentive for so doing, this movement will be slow.

As usual of course, this is not the whole truth. Read the rest of this entry »

By Robert McDowell

When I first studied Herbal medicine, (having come from an Engineering and Science background) I had great difficulty coming to terms with, and understanding how on earth all this knowledge was arrived at in the first place.

How many dead Herbalists did it take to decide which herbs were poisonous? And then -How many more trials did it take to find out that Dandelion was good to treat Liver conditions? Read the rest of this entry »

By Marijke van de Water, B.Sc., DHMS

Insulin Resistance

When a horse (or human for that matter) ingests sugar or starch the blood receives sugar very rapidly from the small intestine. Once in the bloodstream the sugar must find its way into liver and muscle cells where it is either burned for immediate energy or is stored as glycogen and used later. In healthy animals this is accomplished with insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar by attaching itself to specific receptors in the liver and muscle, thereby opening those receptors and allowing the passage of sugar from the blood into the tissues. Eventually, in the presence of a long-term high sugar diet, these cell receptors become damaged by increasingly high insulin levels, at which point they can no longer open – the receptors are now resistant to the effects of insulin. Read the rest of this entry »