The training to provide either Acupuncture or Acupressure is the same, as both study the originating principles of these therapies as far back as 2000BC in China. Both practices follow the same fundamental principles of using specific acupoints which are located throughout the meridian system (energy pathways) all over the body. Explaining the thousands of years of Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture / acupressure including meridians and acupoints can be hard to grasp. The way I explain it to clients is by using the London Underground Map – all the London Underground lines can be thought of as the meridians travelling around our body. The stations on each underground can represent an acupoint along one of the meridian pathways within the body. Anyone familiar with travelling on the underground knows the feeling when a station is closed – the congestion that builds up has a knock-on effect with the other stations and lines. Much the same effect can happen energetically within the human or animal’s body. Chronic disease, trauma, ill health, old age, to name but a few, affect the flow of energy (Chi) around the body. The only difference between acupuncture (where the vet inserts needles in to specific acupoints to promote healing) and acupressure (when the Practitioner applies pressure to the relevant acupoint) is the use of needles instead of pressure. In addition, the Acupressure Practitioner can visit the animal in the comfort of their own home instead of travelling to the vet.

In summary, both Acupressure and Acupuncture offer the same benefits, where one uses needles and the other uses different amounts of pressure.