An Active Senior With Diabetes

“I retired because my health was on a downward spiral and I was afraid that it was going to get worse if I didn’t make a change. I met Rick in 2005 at the Oak Park Park District where he was teaching a basic Massage for Couples class. I always thought massage was a luxury for rich people, but after the class I liked it so much I thought I would sign up for session. Since then, I have come to understand that it should be part of everyone’s preventative healthcare. I began coming monthly and haven’t stopped since.”

“Massage has made all the difference in how my health has improved. I used to have pain in my neck, shoulders and hips. I could never put on a purse with a strap because it hurt too much. I can do that now. Physically, I have improved dramatically. The pain is hardly noticeable. In other words, it doesn’t keep me from doing anything, whether it’s walking or riding my bike.”

“I always had so much emotional stress with work and family, and I would turn to comfort food to deal with it. It was like my only treat was to get my two donuts every day. Once-a-month massage has made all the difference in how I feel about my life. Knowing that I have a massage coming up gives me something to look forward to and I no longer need food for comfort.”

“Massage has helped me think more positively about what I am doing with my body. Since I felt better, I was encouraged to join a health club. All of this has even helped me to better manage my diabetes. I am much better able to control my blood sugar level because the massage has decreased my pain, allowing me to be more active and, therefore, eat less. With diabetes you always eat and then three hours later, you are felling hungry again. Since I do a lot more exercise, I don’t get the hunger pangs anymore. It’s not like my body is always craving something.”

“I can’t thank Rick enough. He has been the biggest factor in helping me take care of myself!”

Anita O’Hara
Retired Teacher, Client Since 2005
Oak Park, Illinois

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A Patient in Search of Relaxation

“I highly recommend Rick’s work because his massage therapy has helped me so much over the past six months. I feel very comfortable, relaxed and safe during each visit. I look forward to each treatment and after each massage I really feel like a new person.”

Yvonne Coffer
Associate Business Systems Manager, Kraft Foods
Forest Park, Illinois

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A Patient With Chronic Back Pain

“Under the treatment of Mr. Halle-Podell, I have begun to lead a life remarkably free of the aggravating pains that persisted for many years in my back. Rick has fostered an atmosphere at Massage Therapy of Oak Park that engenders mutual respect and marked spirituality. I am immensely grateful for his role and success in my body’s own timely healing process.”

Stanley Chang
Lecturer of Mathematics, UIC
Oak Park, Illinois

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A Patient With Chronic Headaches

“I first went to Massage Therapy of Oak Park to treat my chronic headaches and chronic back and leg pain, as well as a desire to decrease dependency on medication for the chronic headaches.

During the first treatment, my initial reaction was, ‘What is he doing?’ I was unsure about Rick’s approach because it was so different from any other massage I had received. The techniques he was using quickly made me more in tune with my body as a whole. I became aware that the tightness he discovered in my abdomen was surprisingly related to my shoulder and leg pain.

Rick helped me clear my mind by asking me what I was feeling while he manipulated areas that he felt were tight. At first, I didn’t understand why he was working on my stomach and intestines until I began to feel a direct connection and release in my lower back, and a pulling all the way up to my neck and head. Rick was able to explain to me, in simple terms, how the anatomy and physiology correlated to the areas where I was feeling pain.

After my first session, I felt more relaxed and I noticed a decrease in tension in my neck and shoulders. My legs felt regular with no pain, and my back pain was gone—which felt scary, almost too good to be true! A week later, I was taking less pain medicine and experiencing fewer headaches, some of the back pain did return. After the second and third sessions, Rick continued to release what he called ‘restrictions’ in my transverse and sigmoid colon, as well as addressing my shoulders, neck and back. After these initial treatments, I went to see my neurologist and have been weaning off several medications. My quality of life has improved significantly.”

Steve Siran
Corporate Business Analyst
Chicago, Illinois

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