May 31, 2007

To Whom It May Concern:

Edward Westhead has been doing massage therapy on me for several weeks now to help alleviate my chronic pain as well as the numbness in my hands. 

When I first went to see him, I had almost no feeling in my left thumb/hand as well as my left bicep.  My right thumb/hand also had occasional numbness, among other problems.  The degree or severity of the pain and numbness seems to depend on my level of stress and how tight my muscles are.

Through my therapy with him, I have noticed several physical changes as well as emotional and lifestyle changes.  The first notable physical change is the numbness in my left hand.  Every day when I get ready and put my makeup on, my hands go completely numb holding the hand mirror and while applying my mascara.  After a breakthrough one session, the numbness was completely gone in my right hand and almost completely gone in my left hand.  Only with new stresses and tension has the numbness in my left hand returned, but still to a lesser degree than it was originally.

The second notable physical change is that my left bicep itches and is a very deep itch under the skin that I can’t seem to scratch.  That may sound strange, but it feels wonderful just to feel something in that area again as my biceps and my strength are a great sense of pride for me.  I usually itch for at least an entire day, if not longer, after one of my sessions.  On occasion my entire left arm will itch, not just the bicep.  It feels like it’s coming back to life and that feeling is a great reassurance that I will be able to perform hard physical work as well as being able to play at the levels I wish, yet again.

One other change that I must make mention of, is that I no longer have muscle spasms over my left rib cage.  I also noticed that I no longer lean to the left while in my office chair to compensate for the pain and spasming that occurred daily.  As a matter of fact, the night Edward “pushed” through all of the pain in that specific area, I broke down and cried for several hours.  He not only pushed through the physical pain, but also pushed through an emotional trauma, which I faced and dealt with for the first time since it’s original occurrence.  Letting go of that trauma has changed my life.

I am also noticing a change in my eating as well as exercise habits.  I just feel healthier and therefore I am making better choices on a daily basis.  Other “traumas” that have come up, now seem much easier to deal with and sort out, more easily putting them behind me.

Since I began my therapy with Edward, I also seem to be affecting those around me.  I’m told that I don’t look as if I’m in pain anymore, that I’m a much more positive person and that it’s great to see a smile back on my face.  I also keep getting told that I now give off a very positive energy and that it’s great to have the “old” me back.

I was talking with my best friend one afternoon and she was telling me about several problems she was experiencing.  After listing to her for quite some time, I gave her my best advice.  She just looked at me and smiled.  I asked her what was wrong and she said, “You need to tell Edward I said thank you.”  I asked her why and she said that since I’ve been seeing him that I am a completely different person and that he is not only helping me, her best friend, but he is also helping those around me because of the positive attitude with which I am now filtering everything going through me.

I passed on the word of thanks and told him that he is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received in my life.  He doesn’t just do massage therapy as his extensive knowledge and gifts allow him to provide Therapy Through Massage.