My name is Beth, I am 59 years old and have been working with Jason for several years. During this time I have experienced many benefits from the work we have done together, most notable is the work we have done in the last year of my time with Jason. While it’s challenging for me to explain and describe the manual therapy techniques he utilizes I can tell you that his approach has changed significantly and lead to accelerated and surprising results.
I want to start in sharing my experience with you with the increases in my energy levels. For a long time I was like many people in that I was consistently tired and unable to focus on everyday tasks, both work and personal. While I still experience bouts of fatigue, I know that this is because of the volume of the things that require my constant attention. Even so I now am able to maintain the levels of energy needed to get everything done. Also, I now have the ability to focus on what needs to be done, prioritize, and come up with solutions rather than sitting around hoping problems will resolve themselves. In discussing with Jason how this is possible I have learned that oxygen is the body’s preferred energy source, and because I am now able to take in more oxygen I enjoy the benefits of having more energy.
The next area of my life that has changed significantly is my mood and psychological well being. In this area I have experienced tremendous improvements. I used to be depressed (even to the point of taking anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication) due to personal events that were beyond my ability to cope (the death of my son, and several years later, severe injury to my mother who now depends on me entirely for her care). In spite of these devastating occurrences, I’m now more at peace with myself, and am no longer taking medication to control depression/anxiety and have an ability to function at a level that would not have been possible just a few years ago. Even though my life is still challenging I’m able to put events into perspective and make sure everyone and everything is being taken care of. I no longer sweat the small stuff and am able to focus all of my energy on what’s important.
As my treatment has progressed Jason and I have often discussed how the treatments would improve my physical well being and how this would improve my overall function. This has probably been my biggest area of improvement. To date I’ve lost 44 pounds. I still have more to lose but I know this time I’ll be able to reach my goal weight where in the past some dramatic event would occur and I would use that as an excuse to give up and start gaining weight again. I’ve suffered multiple serious injuries in the past including, knee damage that left me with no cartilage in my left knee, shattered ribs and severe broken bones in my wrist and elbow due to a falls from a ladder. Although my joints will never be the same again I have been able to forgo the knee replacement surgery my orthopedic surgeon told me was inevitable. His advice was for me to continue to walk on it until I could no longer deal with the pain and then he would schedule the knee replacement surgery. That was in 2003. Since Jason and I have been working together the condition of my knee has tremendously improved. I no longer walk with a knee brace. While I do have occasional knee pain, it only lasts for a short period of time. Plus I now know that the pain comes from stress, and I can relieve the pain when it arises. I have reached the point that I can say that my temporary pain does not hamper me in any way.
One of my falls from the ladder lead to shattered ribs on my left side. The shattered ribs healed as a mass of cartilage and bone which pressed on my lung making it impossible to take a deep breath, so I tired easily. Via treatment Jason has been able to break down much of the existing scar tissue and reshaped my rib cage giving my lung more space to expand (in addition to the weight loss). Now I’m able to breathe deeply which gives me more energy. Before, on occasion I would get a sharp gripping pain in my chest, which felt like someone had tied a rope around my ribs and was cinching it tighter and tighter. I haven’t experienced that pain in a long time. Finally my arm injuries left me with very limited mobility. I now have about 95% mobility in my arm with a small amount of limitation in pronation and supination. I never thought this would be possible. I don’t believe I’ll ever gain 100% mobility, but I am still experiencing occasional improvement. More importantly than gaining that last bit of mobility I have noticed that I have more feeling in my lower arm. Plus the constant swelling has gone down and I’m no longer in constant pain.
One of the things I appreciate about working with Jason is that he helps me to understand the changes that are going on in my body and mind. He has helped me to understand that improving my body will improve the function of my mind. I did not anticipate it, but I am enjoying improved mental acuity. I’m better able to focus on the task at hand and make sure it’s done to the best of my ability. My depression plus past injuries which resulted in arthritis, inflammation and constant aching, made it difficult for me to focus on whatever task needed to be handled at that point in time. Since I’m no longer in constant pain I maintain mental clarity. I can concentrate better which makes it easier to get the job done. It has also improved my ability to analyze and come up with possible solutions to problems. In the past this was not possible, as I did not feel well. At that time logically thinking through complicated problems was impossible because I was often overwhelmed by complexity and as a result would simply given up.
Finally I want to encourage anyone who reads this to reconsider the approach you take toward your health. There are alternative methods of treatment that work. You just have to be willing to investigate alternative approaches like the approach and treatment Jason practices.
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