Article by Liz on Equine Natural Health Website
Posted 30th March, 2010
I thought you might be interested to read about an article I have written for the Equine Natural Health website. The website lists alternative and complementary health practitioners, details of types of therapies and issues a monthly newsletter.The article can be found at http://equine-natural-health.co.uk/mtt4.htm, alternatively the full text of the article is below...
Liz Harris - Holistic Animal Therapy in North Yorkshire
Liz Harris BSc(Hons), PgDip AM, EBW, CBW, Reiki Master Teacher, MMAA, BCMA reg. McTimoney, Sports Massage, and Reiki Master practitioner for Animals.
In this article, Liz outlines the benefits of McTimoney, sports massage and Reiki and why they work so well together.
McTimoney Therapy
McTimoney is a gentle manipulative therapy which can reduce muscle soreness, improve nerve function, raise natural immunity and encourage healing, and can improve mobility and gait quality. It works by identifying and treating areas of misalignment in skeletal landmarks such as the spine, pelvis and skull. A misalignment occurs when a joint is overstressed or brought beyond its normal range of movement, causing reactive muscle spasm. The pain from the muscle spasm can cause horses to find certain activities painful , and one of the most common reasons for treatment is a loss of performance. You may also notice symptoms such as abnormal gait, evasions, bucking, napping, or temperamental changes. During a treatment, Liz locates misalignments and corrects them using gentle adjustments which most horses accept readily, often falling asleep. These adjustments relieve the painful muscle spasms, increasing range of movement and flexibility, and improving nerve function.
Massage
Sports massage is the therapeutic application of a variety of massage techniques, and is normally complemented by the use of stretching exercises. Benefits of massage include improved circulation, removal of toxins and waste products, pain relief, increased range of movement, and improved performance. Liz uses massage and stretching closely in conjunction with McTimoney, as she has noticed horses are able to return to their normal workload more quickly in this way, and need a shorter course of treatment - many horses are vastly improved after just one treatment.
Reiki
Reiki promotes the free flow of energy throughout the body, in order to promote healing on physical, mental and spiritual levels and to enhance the body's regenerative self-healing ability. Reiki can boost immunity, accelerate the healing of physical problems, aid in relaxation, and balance the emotions. It can help horses who have stress-related symptoms, or who have developed behavioural or temperamental problems as a result of suffering physical pain. During a Reiki treatment, Liz lays her hands on or above the horse (or person) to be treated. The body will then naturally draw in as much energy as is needed. Each of the main chakras (energy centres) of the body are treated in turn, from the head to the base of the spine. Reiki is extremely relaxing and a lovely way to finish the treatment!
About the Author
Liz Harris is a McTimoney, Sports Massage and Reiki practitioner based in Richmond, North Yorkshire. She is a registered Reiki Master Teacher and as such is qualified to teach others in Reiki.
