BIOGRAPHY

It has been said that to find your true calling, you should investigate your answer when asked as an eight-year-old child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Well, my standard answer was that I wanted to be a veterinarian. However, I knew even then, that I didn't have the stomach to be a vet, but in 1978, there weren't too many professional animal massage therapists for me to emulate - especially growing up in rural America!

I was born just outside Atlanta and grew up as the middle of three girls in a small town in South Alabama. While my sisters and girlfriends played with baby dolls and Barbies, I enjoyed an elaborate stuffed animal collection, and was happy as a clam being outdoors "by myself" with my dogs.

I graduated with honors from a private liberal arts college with dreams of pursuing a career in interspecies communication.
The opportunity to work with animals is a dream-come-true for me! I consider it an absolute honor and a privilege!

Shanda with her beloved 14-year-old black lab-border collie mix Boomer

I've been doing animal massage and healing touch work for years, but have only recently begun to offer my services to others.

"What your mind possesses, your body expresses." – Anonymous

I received my certification in Canine & Equine Massage at the Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure Massage. I have my certification in Canine Reflexology and am continuing my education and experience at Nancy Zidonis' and Amy Snow's Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute.

I received my training as a Bionetic Practitioner through the SpectraVision system by Veridia. I am also certified in Touch for Health. I have studied reflexology and Traditional Chinese Medicine for over a decade, and am a certified Feng Shui consultant (as well as a graphic & web designer and a real estate agent among other things). Both Traditional Chinese Medicine (the root of acupuncture and acupressure) and Feng Shui are based on the ancient five-element theory. The difference is simply the conduit of energy - TCM focuses on energy running through the body, while feng shui focuses on energy flowing through space - primarily homes, offices and buildings.

A blockage in energy can cause anything from a headache to a major illness, from not feeling comfortable in a particular room to financial difficulties and relationship challenges.
"I believe touch is one of the greatest gifts humans can share."
– Dr. Michael W. Fox, The Healing Touch for Dogs

Shanda with Carlie - her brilliant 6-year-old border collie-Australian shepherd mix who enjoys her part-time pet therapy work

"I believe in the power of Spirit and in our ability to heal ourselves.

I know from life experience (the hard way!) the importance of being present and in experiencing and expressing our true emotions. I also know first-hand the miracles brought about through love, prayer and the willingness to change.

'When the student is ready, the teacher appears,' can also be interpreted to mean that when a person or animal is in need of healing, the divinely appointed healer is assigned.

If there's any way I can assist you or your companion animals, please give me a call at 239.560.6667. I firmly believe in the importance of matching the right physician, healer or teacher with the right patient, client or student."

Happily at your service,

Shanda Beste

info@integratedanimaltherapy.com
Best of Both Worlds
Acupressure massage is a whole lot more than just to making Fluffy feel good. It is a fantastic method for keeping all organs and systems in balance and for early detection of a predisposition that may lead to illness. It is based on a system of studying patterns of elements, foods, weather, emotions and body systems over thousands of years! TCM records seasonal and temperature preferences, sleep patterns, food preferences, aches and pains in bodily regions, movement and gait, smells, discharges, brightness of eyes, energy level, daily routine in two-hour increments via the circadian or biological clock.

Preventative Maintenance
Cancer, diabetes, asthma, heart conditions don't just show up overnight. The body (whether human, dog, cat or horse) is constantly giving signals, clues to its state of health.

Just like when a captain sails his ship, he has numerous tools for navigating to avoid crashing into the rocks and sinking his ship. Acupressure and massage are wonderful navigational tools for navigating your health so you can live a life of calm seas and happy trails. While there are crucial benefits to both Eastern and Western medicine, many times Western medicine does not understand how to interpret certain signals from the body that are as obvious as blinking radar and sounding alarms in Eastern medicine.

The common sense approach to good health maintenance is to use the best of both worlds. The wise sailor uses his GPS, but also knows celestial navigation! By the time a body is wrought with advanced stages of cancer, diabetes and such, the ship has already crashed. At this stage, Western medicine calls for major emergency boat repair - in other words, chemotherapy, dialysis, organ transplants. It's great to have access to such incredible advances in medical science... but wouldn't it have been easier to learn to read a navigational chart and weather forecast and avoid the rocks and major boat repair in the first place?

While Western medicine can detect liver problems only once the liver has lost 40% of its capacity, Traditional Chinese Medicine can detect a liver imbalance at merely 10% off peak performance!

Acupressure massage is in no way intended to take the place of proper veterinary care. It is my intention to offer complementary healing modalities and to work in conjunction with your veterinarian to provide the absolute best care, compassion, nutrition and healing experience for you and your animal companions. Why seek out the best of both worlds for your beloved animal companions?
TESTIMONIALS
"Thanks! The chart printed out nicely on my computer. I have been giving Kathy the supplements along with our regular kibble plus extra canned food. She has been sleeping better and seems to have an increased appetite. She is definitely drinking more water! I also bought her a brand new collar (black with red roses) and gave the other one to Bogey. It just wasn't her and she needed the more feminine one. Thanks for your help." - Jodi, No Doubt Kathy, and Bogey the Wonder Therapy Dog (retired racing greyhounds)

"Shanda is simply amazing. It is just phenomenal what she knows and how she applies it. When I got to the farm today, I couldn't find the horse, so I knew she was in the old rickety barn. She was there, and amazingly, she was standing. She wouldn't walk at all. I finally went back to the gate and she eventually made her way into the pasture. Shanda watched her walk and then she started working on her. I had not noticed at all - but Shanda noticed that from about her knees down, her legs were cold. The horse was hanging her head - not a good sign at all - and her eyes had that "dreamy" look that kids get when they have fever. Her eyes were half closed, and her ears were down - not back, but down. This horse has not been able to support herself if you picked up one of her legs. By the time Shanda finished, she had her back leg extended, and her eyes were clear and open, her ears were pricked, and she was grazing. I have just never in my life seen anything like it. It is just amazing." - Gail Jones, Andalusia, Alabama

Copyright 2007 Shanda Beste dba Integrated Animal Therapy