As I have been working with people for over a  dozen years, I have been exposed to many different issues, diseases, injuries, and issues that go under treated by modern medicine. In treating someone who has chronic symptoms due to having the poliovirus meant I had to then learn about Polio.

That's why I am a good practitioner I think. It's because I actually like learning about how the human body operates and how disease, dysfunction, and inefficiencies can be addressed through treatments other than drugs or surgery. So let me tell you what I have learned about Polio... because this virus is actually quite interesting and there is a lot of information out there to investigate.

I have learned that the poliovirus can cause a LOT if symptoms and it seems that there are a lot of people who are infected with the poliovirus are never aware they hae been infected with polio.

Some people only develop mild flu-like symptoms that last about as long as any flu:

1. fever
2. sore throat
3. headache
4. nausea, fatigue, stiffness
5. arm and/or leg pain and stiffness in particular
6. muscle spasms and tenderness in muscles with even the lightest touch

We have all had these symptoms at some point most likely and, it is possible some of us actually contracted what is called nonparalytic polio - a type of polio that doesn't cause paralysis or death... it just makes you feel like hell for about ten days on average.

I suppose I have worked with people who have had this type of polio unknowingly but the type of polio I am referring to here is paralytic polio. There are a few types in this classification. If you are curious to learn more about that, check out MAYOCLINIC.COM and you can read more about it.

So, it is common in clients who had polio as a child (my clients thus far in my practice are or were all over 50 while I worked with them. I have never worked on a child with paralytic polio but I would love to if anyone is interested...) to have common syptoms:

1. Chronic back and neck stiffness
2. Poor refelxes (and this goes well into MELT concepts of the reflexive core and the autonomic regulators in our nervous system)
3. Severe aches or spasms in muscle and connective tissue
4. Severe weakness (even though they have "strong" muscles, their deep stabilizing system is poor in tone)
5. Chronic dehydration in connective tissue resulting in more symptoms
6. Ahesions in both superficial and deep connective tissues

Recently, I had a gentleman contact me via email after seeing me on LIVE Regis and Kelly. It's the best thing being on TV. I am actually helping people all around the country just through the internet. So cool. His body sounds like it is suffering but that doesn't stop him from trying to feel better. He took the risk of buying the kit but also contacted me asking some great questions. I've even talked to him on the phone.

Texas is 55 years old and had polio as a child. Now, as an adult whether he knows it or not, all of his current body issues (his symptoms) are common in many of my clients who also had polio as a child.

Texas wrote, "I had polio as a kid I am 55 now I'm not able to stand sit or walked for more than a few minutes without it causing extreme pain in my lower back and legs so about 90% of my time is spent laying in bed."

What I know about polio is, although you live a full life to an extent, as you age the symptoms can compound so quickly it debilitates a person. So everything from simply breathing... the act of inhaling and exhaling are not only exhausting... it is painful. People with polio frequently can't exercise because it hurts in a way it feels like you are having a heart attack. Seriously, from the way it feels in my hands, I can imagine how painful it must be. The connective tissue around our heart and lungs ideally feels soft and fluid yet integrated in tensional balance. In polio clients, it feels like a long, broad scar that spans the entire rib wall. In scientific terms, the pleura of the lungs becomes definably organized where it would be best for the tissue to remain chaotic and happhazard.

Enough with the science. So let's talk about application. Because I can help someone with polio feel less stiff and restrained in the chest with MELT.

Right now on youtube, there is a technique posted called the 3-D breath breakdown. I will be posting a new one soon. Although there are 5 more techniques in MELT that I could add to this technique, if YOU or ANYONE you know has had polio as a child, you should tell them to try this technique.

I perform this technique on a soft MELT Pro-Roller although you can do this on one of our blue firm Pro-Roller, if you have polio, I recommend the pink. EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE MY ROLLER YOU CAN DO THIS TECHNIQUE! However, don't use a white or black foam roller. Instead, take a large beach towel (you may need two if you are tall) and roll it up. On the Regis and Kelly show I showed a big beach towel I use with clients too.

Dallas has only been doing these techniques along with the MELT Hand and Foot Treatment for only a week and he wrote to me: "I am amazed at the relief in pain especially for my low back and in my upper back ... its greater release than I've received in years"

As he continues to do this treatment it will last longer and longer. When you first begin, the results may only last a few hours, however, if you drink water before and after you do this treatment and make sure you take a moment to RECONNECT with the assessment technique called the REST ASSESSMENT, the  benefits will last longer each time you MELT!

I hope to do a radio show soon about polio and how MELTing can help you feel better and live better...longer.

This past weekend I successfully trained 10 new MELT hand and foot instructors in Los Angeles, CA. This group was fantastic! Smart, ready to learn and armed with some serious backgrounds spanning from yoga to pilates, hands on bodyworkers to personal trainers. Each was totally unique and by the end of day two, ready to get their current clients MELTed and pursue getting MELT into new places!

Three of our fully trained MELT instructors came back to TA as well as relearn the info to keep up to speed as well as introduce themselves to the new group! We had two Master Mind members from Todd Durkin's special group of fitness professionals and a fantastic group of people from all over California! We even had one participant from Maryland come to the training!

So it has begun. I can officially say that MELT has arrived in California and is here to stay! Jill Miller, creator of Yoga Tune Up had me come by to her training to talk about connective tissue research and MELT and invite me to be her guest speaker in her upcoming training in CT!

Lots more to come with MELT! We are ready to implement more classes and instructors across the country! if your local gym or health clubs don't have MELT tell them you want it! We are ready to get everyone we can MELTed!

After 4 days out of the cold, wintery NYC weather and into the CA vibe, I have to say, I am ready to go back home and continue the east coast pursuit of getting MELT into more locations and I hope to have more info for all of you who asked "Where's MELT! I want to MELT!!!" WE ARE COMING!!!

Stay healthy, drink water, and I look forward to teach you how to stay well and pain-free longer!

On Friday, February 19th 2010 I was on the LIVE with Regis and Kelly… national television. Wow. For me, this was a monumental day. Because in just one day, I went from affecting thousands of people to tens of thousands of people. HOLY COW!!! LET’S ALL COME TOGETHER AND MELT! (My goodness, just thinking about it makes my palms sweat!)

So my life’s path is filled with coincidence and serendipidy. Last week I was grabbing lunch after doing a leg strength training day with my beloved Terry, and saw Regis and Joy Philbin having lunch together. I see him all the time at the Sports Club LA where I have worked for 15 years as a group exercise instructor.

As I am known at this club for being the guru of having the only class where, “you walk out feeling taller and better than you walked in feeling…” someone had mentioned Regis had his hip replaced. So when I saw him, I went up, introduced myself and asked how his body was holding up since his hip replacement. The very next week, Executive Producer Michael Gelman was at the club (he said he takes some yoga classes there) and saw MELT on the schedule, had his assistant producer Christine Composto find me on Facebook and the next thing I know BAM I am on the show.

Now, having a TV spot like this is a whirlwind. It's literally 4 minutes and you have to get at least one point across. Of course after editing, any good points are mostly edited out. If you didn't see the segment, it's on their site: http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/regisandkelly/special/fitnessfriday/index.html

We even did a seven minute web exclusive on their site for the foot treatment. Now, what I did with them on the roller, I call the single leg lift. This is a simple way to test how your neurological "core" is holding up to stress and you general environment. As we age, our core becomes more and more out of balance causing unnecessary falls, back pain, and knee issues. When Regis and Kelly tried to do it, who do you think did it better? Kelly. Why? Well, not because she is more fit than Regis. I have to tell you, he is at the gym 4x a week at a minimum and exercises with a trainer and on his own. Although he had his hip replaced, that's not even why he had trouble. AGE is the key factor in this one. If we don't challenge the Neurocore and only do things like sit ups and crunches, we miss accessing the vital stabilizing mechanism that is providing us natural, unconscious stability and good posture.

That point didn't quite get across I am sure because I simply had to stop myself before I said, "Well Regis, I will tell you why Kelly did it well... she's younger than you are. It's a lesson for everyone to realize, as we age, our balance gets out of whack if you don't challenge it to work better!" Standing on wobble boards and such are not a good idea if you have Neurocore imbalance because if you can't lie on the floor and stay stable, how do you think you will fair standing up?

I had to stop myself from a lot of things in that segment. As my hands are like sensors for imbalance. I watched the video back laughing as I could see me tapping Regis' shoulder from the very first moment he was on the ground. My mind went "What's up with his right side? Does he have kidney stones? His hip flexor is out of whack... I know he had a hip replacement but wow his knee is a wreck..." Then my brain said STOP SUE! PAY ATTENTION! THIS IS NATIONAL TV! JUST DO THE SINGLE LEG LIFT AND DON'T BE SPECIFIC!!!

So on we went. With Kelly's neuroma in her foot, Regis and his new hip, Michael Gelman with low back strain, and Christine and the ENTIRE crew asking me after the segment if MELT could help with shoulder, neck, foot, hip pain and ache, I though, I have got to come back and MELT the whole crew!

As the ABC family is like a neighbor (I only live 4 blocks from the studio and work out at the same gym most of those guys do) it was a pleasure to MELT them and the country last Friday. Now today, I get to MELT a very large group of people on the upper west side of NYC at the JCC and help a room full of people feel better.

Watch out Oprah... I am going to be your next favorite thing!

Drink some  water today... a little more than you did all weekend! And have a super day! I am off to teach!

<!--EndFragment-->

Yesterday in the NY Times, Sports section there was an article "Studies Link Rare Ailment in Cartilage to Pain Pumps" that was rather unfortunate. The article was about young athletes who went in for basic shoulder surgeries like one for a torn labrum and a couple of years later developed chondrolysis - an "ailment" where the cartilage degenerates, dies and leaves the joint to grind together. As with all medical mishaps the article shows everyone from the anesthetic companies right down to the FDA pointing fingers and NOT taking the blame for the tragic endings of dozens of young athletes career's.

Although in the article it says, "Wheter the pumps caused the chondrolysis... is subject of more than 150 lawsuits working their way through state and federal courts, it is still unknown why the chondrolysis develops." it seems like a simple reason of why the damage to the joint occurred. It's not really the pump, it's putting a local anesthetic direclty into the shoulder joint or any joint for sustained periods of time!

I will tell you why I think it develops, simply, if you pump local anesthetics for 3 days into a joint the medication turns into a toxin and the cells become fully dehydrated. No fluid around or within connective tissue kills connective tissue. This is DEGENERATION caused by toxicity and nothing more. Once this is set into place, the damage is done if the toxins are unable to move from the local joint. With shoulder surgeries, the joint is imobilized for weeks. This, plus local anesthetics is a disaster. I am not a surgeon or medical doctor but this I KNOW FOR SURE!!  Now these young athletes are getting FULL SHOULDER REPLACEMENTS at the young age of 25!

So now the orthopedic surgeons are pointing their fingers at the pain pump manufacturers who sound like they were slow to react to evidence that using these pumps to pump anesthetics directly into joints was harmful. Of course the surgeons liked the pumps at the beginning because they lessened patient pain and got them out of the hospital faster. The FDA says they never cleared the pumps for use directly in joints in the first place and in November of 2009 the FDA issued a warning about using pain pumps in joints. They even ordered the manufactureres of local anesthetics and pumps to change labels for such use.

Sadly, the article was a bunch of legal back and forth, many claims were denied because the courts ruled there was not enough evidence that it was actually the pain pumps that caused the problem... blah blah...

It's not the pumps... it's what they are pumping into the body with the pumps that kills the cartilage. It's like saying knives kill people. Ah, no... people with knives kill people but it would be safe to say a knife isn't going to jump out of a cabinet and stab you on its own. So who's to blame? Is it the manufacturers of the pump? Is it the local anesthetics used in the pump? The doctors? The FDA?? If you ask me, I know it matters who is to blame but what's more important is figuring out who was administered the pump and who can we help NOW before their cartilage degenerates.

And by the way, I didn't see anywhere in that article that if the toxins are driven right to one joint it's only harm may be at that local joint. Once the rehab begins, the toxins go everywhere, less in mass but don't think they stay just in the joint... what if it is the anesthetics... if it is, then joints nearby the shoulder will also be affected like the upper spine!

Super, no one wants to take the blame. Super, no one wants to put more care to the patients and actually figure out how to now save the kids who have had this surgery who are going to eventually need a replacement. And by the way, now that we know, if you catch it soon enough and get fresh fluids back to the capsule, it is possible for that tissue to regenerate. MELT CAN HELP WITH THIS I AM SURE OF IT!!!

However, just like the article says, "These allegations have not been scientifically proven by any valid scientific methodology... There's no study that I'm aware of that shows a direct cause..."

SO PEOPLE... IS ANYONE LISTENING TO ME OUT THERE? Are we okay with waiting around for "valid scientific methodologies" to come to our rescue or are we going to do something about this? Because we can help this. If we wait for legal suits and the FDA to do something many more kids will be getting their shoulders replaced because of stuff like this.

I am mad today. Somebody out there tell me we aren't just waiting for litigation to make sense of stuff like this. By then it will be too late. If I waited to have a full blown scientific study showing that MELT works for people, I'd have helped no one. Although it's time for a study on MELT, it's time we all realized medicine and medical studies DO NOT HAVE ALL OF THE ANSWERS... or the solutions. Let's make one ourselves, shall we?

If you know anyone who has had this surgery, have them contact me. I'd be happy to help.