I am always amazed at the miracle of touch. I never know if what I am doing will make a difference, so it is always nice to receive feedback that I helped to reduce pain. As a massage therapist, I don't do anything "magic" - I simply help the body into the parasympathetic mode, or into a state of relaxation, and the body can begin to heal itself.

One regular client said that he considered me one of his healthcare providers - along with his doctors, physical therapists, and other providers. That was one of the best compliments I have ever received! I would love to work together with other helathcare practitioners in meeting your needs. -Heidi

"I began therapy with Heidi about two months ago, and I have seen good improvement in my flexibility and circulation. I've broken the seventy-year-old barrier and my muscles and joints have gotten stiff and sore from injury and over-use, plus the circulation isn't as efficient as it once was. Heidi has done a lot to improve my overall well-being and lift my spirits in general. She's easy to talk with, listens closely and thinks before speaking. I've worked with several massage therapists for health reasons over the years; my profession was a very physically demanding one and I incurred much injury and tissue damage before retiring. 

Heidi continually adds to her knowledge database, uses her books and the Internet to learn about specific issues pertaining to her clients, is one of the more knowledgeable therapists I've found and is my favorite. I'm sincere when I say I am grateful to her for her innate need to understand the human body, her (ongoing) help, her ability to communicate on a deeper level and her compassion. These are the things I find important in a medical professional, and that is where she excels  Thanks, Heidi!"
-Jim M. (March 2019)

"Heidi came to my  rescue last Friday. . . . I was awakened by severe back pain. . . I received no help from my physician and was left to experience continued severe pain over the weekend. I decided to call Heidi . . . . [She] had family visiting . . . . [yet] was very empathetic and responsive to my needs. . . . She massaged my back for only about 15 minutes.I experienced almost instant pain relief.  I went home from the massage and fell asleep. The pain was gone and hasn’t returned. . . . She is a hero health care provider.
-Russ H. (June 2018) Read the complete testimonial

Below are more testimonials from clients, listed by the type of massage they received - Myofascial Release, Manual Lymph Drainage, Spinal Touch, Shiatsu, Swedish, Thai, or Cranio-Sacral.

​I am often asked how soon after an injury can one receive a massage. If the injury is soft-tissue related, with a skilled massage therapist, you can receive treatment immediately. Depending on the injury, the massage may be brief and light touch. Often return visits will be beneficial and the massage may change in length and depth.

From personal experience and from observing my clients, the sooner you receive a massage, the quicker and better the healing. Often just a few minutes of treatment can yield relief. 

Stephanie was referred to me. She had lived with nearly a life-time of chronic back pain due to a childhood automobile accident. We decided to try something different. For about five months she came to me weekly for quick 15-30 minute sessions. I did Spinal Touch Therapy (I'll write another blog explaining it, in the meantime, call and ask me about it). We tracked her average pain level each week. She had been living with constant pain at level four or five (on a scale of one to ten).

Amazingly, within a few weeks her average pain was only a one, and within a few more weeks, she regularly started reporting zero pain! I was as surprised as she was. We were thrilled and hoped that the change was permanent. She started sleeping through the night and was able to return to running and enjoying other activities with her husband. We quit the therapy when she moved out of state. She is now the happy mother of a cute little girl.

When I was walking home from school at the age of 8, I was struck by a moving car. As a result, I fractured my femur and hip. As my body healed, I compensated from the injury on the opposite leg which resulted in sacral misalignment. As a teenager and young adult, I experienced chronic lower-back pain which at times prevented me from bending over or participating in my favorite athletic activities. Although the severity of pain was not consistent, I experienced pain on a daily basis. 

After college and beginning my career, my back pain worsened. As a runner, I found my post-run recoveries much more difficult and sleep was often interrupted by deep pain.  I was referred to Heidi by a close family member, so I knew I was in good hands.

Heidi is not only professional, but she is a very thorough caregiver who seeks to solve a problem rather than simply give relief. While the relief I felt from my spinal-touch therapy was incredibly liberating after only a session or two, I noticed that my diminished pain was lasting. In the past, a massage elsewhere gave me relief for a matter of days, but after consistent work with Heidi, my relief lasted longer and longer. Even after I stopped seeing Heidi (due to moving to another state), I noticed that my pain level and occurrence of back pain had decreased significantly. 

Heidi's approach to massage therapy showed me how important it is to understand the human body. I felt that she considered my whole-body wellness and not only my problem area.

Stephanie J. 

One of my daughters and her roommate have friends over to their apartment for a weekly "Appreciation Night." They celebrate different aspects of life: leaves, hammocks, color, light, music, cereal . . . you get the idea. They will do an activity based on their topic. The people who attend vary each week, depending on who is available and who is interested in the activity. And someone always brings a new person or two. I love to hear about their activities and the friends they make. I have longed to join them.

I finally got the chance last week! My youngest daughter was on spring break, so we decided to spend one night with her older sister at college. We conveniently picked "Appreciation Night." Well, my daughter took advantage of me - more than the usual free dinner - and asked if I would help them to appreciate touch.

I wanted to get my hands on her leg and help speed up the recovery with massage, but they lived too far away. A year later they returned to the US and the leg was still swollen and tender. She said the leg felt like a balloon blown up tight, ready to burst and and she couldn't put any pressure on it - just setting a book on her knee was painful. She was also limited in how much she could move her leg, thus hampering how much she could walk. As soon as they visited us, I put her (with a lot of protesting - she is a also a very stubborn Dane!) on my table and gently began to work on her knee.

I am a breast cancer survivor. During this past year I have been receiving chemo treatments. I also have been receiving massage therapy from Heidi! She gives me a Lymph massage the day before I have the chemo infusion. This activates my lymph system and has helped move the chemo toxins out of my body. I also find that hydrating, drinking plenty of water before and after helps too. I see less of the potential side effects. Less nausea and gastrointestinal issues, less fatigue and "chemo brain." I have also received other kinds of massage which have been so helpful! Energy work seems to help my overall feeling of well being and I find that I seem to heal quickly. Heidi is very intuitive to what kind of massage will benefit me and areas of the body that need attention and the amount of pressure needed. I trust her judgement for what is needed and may be most helpful. I have also received massage therapy for injuries. Heidi is very good at releasing the muscles and promoting healing. Heidi listens to my concerns and allows me to help guide the course of massage for healing. I believe that Heidi has a gift for healing! I highly recommend her massage therapy to my family and friends!!
-Michelle W. (Oct 2014) Died 30 January 2015 - a great loss

Michelle is a dear friend who is going through chemotherapy for the fourth time. While I was in school, she allowed me to practice many techniques on her as soon as I learned them. Together we learned what helped her feel better. She has provided me with much feedback and invaluable advise. She has been one of my most staunch supporters as I studied and learned. I love her and hope that she continues her miraculous comeback!

Several other clients have also had breast reconstruction after a mastectomy. The scars cause back pain, restricted range of motion at the glenohumoral joint (shoulder), and tightness around the scar because there is adhesion. After the first myofascial release massage on the scars, they have all reported less tightness and within a few massages they have more range of motion and less back pain. In addition to doing massage on the scars, I am trained and qualified to do lymph drainage of the entire body, including the breast. However, I am not yet qualified to do lymphadema work or to do rerouting if you have had lymph nodes removed. Someday I hope to be trained in that work.

Scars are fibrous connective tissue and can be formed for many different reasons, including a result of infection, surgery, injury, or inflammation of tissue. The connective tissue are laid down in random patterns. As they develop and mature, they pull on the surrounding tissue, increasing the area that is affected by the wound. 

Not only are scars aesthetically unpleasant and cannot be made to disappear, scars can cause a restriction or decrease in movement, and potentially even affect internal organs. 

I have been amazed at how quickly many scars have responded to massage and clients have found relief from the tightness and discomfort.

Piriformis Syndrome is a name given to a complex of symptoms arising from the compression of the sciatic nerve and/or associated blood vessels by the piriformis muscle. The piriformis muscle is located in the buttock region. The most common symptoms of piriformis syndrome are pain and paresthesia in the buttock and down the back of the thigh. The pain is commonly felt when sitting, climbing stairs (or hills), squatting, running, cycling, or stretching too aggressively.

Recently a client visited me who had been diagnosed with piriformis syndrome. She had suffered from it for eight years and had given up running every day and sometimes still had pain as she walked. The pain often interrupted her sleep. I massaged her twice and following are a few emails that she sent to me about how wonderful she felt afterwards. She has given me permission to share them. (I bolded parts of her letters which highlight the benefits of massage.)

I am always amazed at the miracle of touch. I never know if what I am doing will really make a difference, so it is always nice to receive feedback that I helped reduce pain. As a massage therapist, I don't do anything "magic" - I simply help the body into the parasympathetic mode, or into a state of relaxation, and the body can begin to heal itself. The trick is to figure out which modality of massage is best for each person at that moment in time.

Oct 2014

Heidi,

Thank you so much for all you have done for me. . . . Here's my story:

My condition is trigeminal neuralgia.  http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/trigeminal-neuralgia. I've had it on and off since 2009, but in June of 2014 it became constant and unbearable. We didn't know what it was until June. I had gotten a root canal last year unnecessarily, which obviously did nothing for the pain.

All of June was spent pretty much not talking or moving, eating, smiling, nor laughing. They all caused intense pain. I was still under the impression that my body could heal itself and God would help.

I had taken Tegretol on and off and that seemed to squelch the pain and work for up to 24 hrs. The morning I went to see you was very excruciating. So much so, that I took 2 tegretols. 400mg.