At Valeo, we often talk with each other about how we have the best patients (because really, we do!). Many of our patients have been coming to Valeo for so long that, in fact, they feel more like family.
Cindy is one of those patients that comes to mind when we think about the incredible patients who have placed their health care (not just sick care) in our hands. She started coming to Valeo in February 2014, seeing Dr. Rob for several symptoms she was experiencing. Obviously, he did something right because seven years later, Cindy still chooses Valeo for her wellness needs! However, Cindy is now more focused on maintenance care, making sure she is frequently checking in with her body and our practitioners to make sure everything is working its best.
Finding the Healing Combination
Throughout the years, Cindy has gotten to experience several of the services here. Although she started with functional medicine, she’s also enjoyed chiropractic and massage, too.
“I started functional medicine care many years ago with Dr. Rob, but right around that same time, I decided I wanted to start massage. It’s funny because there was no real specific reason, other than maybe I just felt a little stiff,” says Cindy, “but it ended up being such a huge part of my health care! Working with Dr. Rob and Michelle together (some days with back-to-back appointments) is incredible … Dr. Rob identifies the problems and toxins and between his protocols and Michelle’s body work, it helps my body get it OUT!”
One of the reasons Cindy was seeing Dr. Rob was because her body had a hard time detoxifying. “My body was so clogged up,” she explains. “Things just get stuck.”
Originally, Cindy’s massages with Michelle focused on deep tissue and myofascial work, but as time went on, she found that Michelle was very skilled at helping her body remove toxins using a variety of massage techniques. “It is amazing to see the work God does through Michelle’s hands! The work she has done on me gets the ‘gunk’ out. Michelle does a lot of craniosacral and other gentle massage with me. It’s wonderful that we can get the toxins out without the need for solely deep tissue work.”
Curious as to what the clues were that indicated the massage cleared out toxins, we asked Cindy how she could tell. “After my work with Michelle, my body feels so relaxed. But a specific kind of relaxed … like the relaxation you feel after a good workout… all of the ‘tense’ has melted away. I can also tell because of the change in my urine that the massage has helped my lymph and kidneys process and excrete the ‘gunk’. Plus, I always sleep very well the day I get the massage, and I feel lighter in my legs as the toxins move out.”
Releasing More Than Toxins
Cindy has found that Michelle does fabulous work not just with getting lymph flowing and helping the body excrete toxins, but also with helping the body release emotions.
“My dog of 18 years passed away, and I was devastated. I shed many tears, but I shed more tears with Michelle than with anybody else,” Cindy explains. “She was able to help me through that really difficult time of loss with her emotion work … somehow, she’s able to help with those deeper emotions that can be hard to completely release.”
Michelle has a way with emotions. Her demeanor has so much to do with allowing patients the space to release. Cindy explains it perfectly: “Something I appreciate so much about Michelle is that she creates such a calm atmosphere. No matter what is going on (for example, I drive from St. Cloud so it’s not uncommon for me to hit lots of traffic on my way), I walk into the room and there’s this sense of calm right away. I can sense it immediately. Then, she starts our appointment by praying (sometimes aloud but often silently) and asking God to take over.”
Like many of our patients, Cindy can feel the difference her time at Valeo has made, even in the short amount of time she’s there that day. “I always leave there just amazed at what happens. It’s just incredible. A lot of people get stuck in grief, loss, or sadness … and I feel like I haven’t, even following the loss of my dog, because she’s helped me keep moving through it. When I leave, I can tell we’ve made progress.”
Congratulations, Cindy, on all your progress, and thank you for your continued trust in Valeo for your health care!
