"You have a healthy spine" - Journey Well with Dr. Ryan, Chiropractor

Dr. Ryan Means transforms human potential into power and performance to maximize health.

Even before stepping foot into Dr. Ryan's office, I was inspired to fuel my health and wellness journey after I interviewed him for a recent blog post, "Journey Well with Chiropractic Care: Meet Dr. Ryan Means."

The passion and the energy he exudes for chiropractic care infused yesterday's treatment.

Dr. Ryan has a "green practice" where he uses a tablet for intake information and scanned the records I brought with me into my electronic record.

From his website, "Treating you with a whole-person approach. You'll receive more than just an adjustment."

Since it was my first treatment, Dr. Ryan began with a complete assessment including a blood pressure check, reflexes, range of motion, flexibility and palpation of my spine. We talked about my treatment goal to rehab my left knee and get back to running. He asked about onset of symptoms, quality and duration of pain and what activities exacerbate pain. He explained to me that there is only so much you can do with a knee joint and that it is important to address hips, feet and spine when treating a knee injury. We also addressed the importance of core strength. He had me stand on with a theraband stability trainer under either foot:


He explained that I can incorporate using these into my home rehab plan and that he would be happy to help me order them. We talked about my difficulty in being able to squat on land and he introduced me to the proper mechanics of a squat suggesting I practice the basic tilt of the hips against a wall. "Most people think a squat is down and you use your quads but in fact, you are engaging the hips and the gluteus muscles and moving back."

Dr. Ryan highlighted my strengths while getting very excited about what he can do to help diminish the stress on my left knee and help me to have access to more energy and use of my muscles. Elevate Health Cambridge is a judgment free zone where I felt in every fiber of my being that Dr. Ryan wants to partner with me to maximize my health and wellness.

He explains everything both in terms of his findings and recommendations and what he is going to do before he does it. I was told that I have osteoarthritis in my spine and that I was at risk for a whole host of issues as I aged. Dr. Ryan did not know that I had been told that so when he said to me, "You have a healthy spine. The fact that we were able to hear the popping sound tells me you have a lot of mobility and no indication of arthritis," I was ecstatic. I believed I have a healthy spine but after countless spinals and epidural anesthesia and as a survivor of paralytic polio it was wonderful to have it confirmed by a trained, knowledgeable physician. As he did an adjustment on my hips he made sure that it didn't cause knee pain and said he has alternative ways to approach the adjustment if it did.

A recent focus of my meditation has been to unclench and finding ways to experience greater ease and grace in my movements. I like to think the work I am doing now is to restore my body to its factory settings before paralytic polio and violence.

With Dr. Ryan, I was able to experience my body letting go of previously held patterns. During one adjustment we heard a particularly loud pop. He explained to me that was my rib that moved. I felt such relief and release and took a deep breath. I explained to him that I tended to hold my left side as that was the side more affected by polio and was exposed to more violence. I felt that what I had held there for decades was released out into the Universe. Dr. Ryan reminded me to drink plenty of water over the next two days to flush out what was released. He also said that we want to keep that out in the Universe now.

After the adjustments, Dr. Ryan went on to work on my knee. He used this little gizmo that was painless whose "bark is louder than its bite" as Dr. Ryan explained it to work around the entire knee joint. He taped my knee:

and went onto work on my left foot with the Graston technique to begin to remove adhesions in my foot that cause me to tourque my knee.

I am delighted that my referral for physical therapy did not work out because I was able to find my way to Dr. Ryan Means. I'm excited to add Dr. Ryan to my village of healers and supporters as I continue to journey well!

Be sure to visit Dr. Ryan's website and schedule your free consultation today so you too can journey well with the help of chiropractic care.

"Journey Well" and all of my inspirational books are available on Amazon.

"Journey Well" is a book about resilience, strength, courage and how we are able to journey well no matter what conditions life hands to us. I profile the people who are Boston Stronger and share how 4/15/13 was a wake up call to me to return to my healing path from contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent.



50% of all book proceeds are donated to AccesSportAmerica where people of all ages and abilities achieve higher function and fitness through high challenge sports and training.

A Reunion with Dr. Ryan - Simply the Best

We were at the book release party for "Journey Well." Most people had left to watch the Patriots in the playoffs. I found myself looking deep into the blue eyes of Ryan J Means, DC.



He had been practicing at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork but was a very well kept secret there despite my sharing with the massage therapist I was working with at the time about left knee pain. When our hearts are open and intention for healing is clear (and boy did it take me awhile to believe that I was worthy of healing) the Universe sets before us all that we need.

And so I was enthralled listening to Dr. Ryan's passion about what chiropractic medicine can do beyond just cracking the spine. He reached out to me on Facebook and asked if we could have coffee. He was intrigued by my healing journey.

When we met for coffee I felt this wonderful and magical connection with him. I interviewed him for a feature on my blog to let others know that chiropractic care is not just for the spine. Little did I know that meeting Ryan for coffee would change my life forever!

After that meeting I decided that I wanted to experience chiropractic care. Things were not going so well with my massage therapist. I had fired my physical therapist and ditched the physiatrist who had taken excellent care of me when I was first diagnosed with post polio syndrome but no longer served me.

His philosophy of healing:
Don't let pain or fear of pain slow you down ~Dr. Ryan

The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. " ~ Thomas A. Edison

Dr. Ryan Means transforms human potential into power and performance to maximize health.

He met Dr. Candace Pert while he was in training for chiropractic medicine. She was one of the teachers in What the bleep do we know and wrote the book, "Everything you need to know to feel Go(o)d." And turned me onto the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza.

He cared for me in a way I'd never been cared for by any other physician, therapist or body worker. His kindness, compassion, warmth, caring, deep intention to help me heal and get back to running reminded me mind, body and soul about the intention I set to heal my life shortly after I was diagnosed with post polio syndrome and that I would not stop until I reclaimed my life.

I remember one session when he said to me, "I have no one scheduled after you and you are going to get the royal treatment today." He did adjustments, worked on my feet, taped my leg and went over exercises that were going to help me get stronger and healthier reclaiming my wellness.



We decided that even though the MRI showed my left gastroc muscle had atrophied due to polio, we could grow a new one and so he used KT tape to help me stimulate the growth for a new gastroc muscle:


We've had so many Facebook chats throughout these past 10 months and he has been with me every step of the way as he was able to witness the blossoming of the seeds he planted as I trained for the Bermuda Half Marathon. He cheered me on every step of the way and we experienced cosmic moments together as though no distance separated us.

And now, I am 5 sleeps away from reuniting with Ryan. We will meet at the Seaport Hotel where I first learned he was leaving for China.

Dr. Ryan J. Means - a man who blesses every life he touches. A man whose birthday is one week from today and boy talk about an angel falling to Earth to bring love, light, healing and joy wherever he goes.

I am so excited for my reunion with Dr. Ryan on Monday...He got me back on my healing path and co created a miracle of healing in my life reminding me of my power to heal. He is and will always be simply the best.

To your health and wellness!
Mary

Going the Distance: Celebrating Ten Years of Healing: My Hero Healer - Dr. Ryan J. Means

Don't let pain or fear of pain slow you down. ~Dr. Ryan J. Means

I marvel at the confluence of events that brought Ryan J. Means, DC into my life in early 2015. He was renting space for his practice at the same place where I was going for weekly massage therapy sessions. Although I was complaining of knee pain to the therapist I worked with at the time that eventually resulted in a serious injury in December of 2014, he had never referred me to Dr. Ryan for care. However, when the Universe has a plan, things eventually do come together.

We met at the book release party for a book I have since unpublished and taken the best nuggets from that book and incorporated it into "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance." Because the Patriots were in the playoffs and the weather was lousy that evening, there was a very small turn out at the party. Towards the end of the evening, I found myself standing in the presence of this tall, blue eyed individual whose eyes sparkled and soul shined through when he talked about chiropractic medicine. I had encountered the physical therapist from hell and things were not going well the massage therapist I was working with at the time. I knew that I needed someone to partner with me to go the distance and to bring into physical reality all that I had written about in my poetry for the previous 8 years on my healing quest.

I asked him if chiropractic care could help with a knee injury. He was enthralled with my journey.

He asked me if I'd meet him for coffee so he could learn more about my healing journey. The time flew by as we had coffee at the Diesel Cafe in Somerville not far from his office.

I interviewed him for my blog. I told him I did not need a complimentary consultation. I knew I needed to work with him!

He told me about a book he was reading, "You Are The Placebo" by Dr. Joe Dispenza. He sent me a photo from the book, "Changing the body by thought alone" that I still have on my fridge today:



From "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":

At Monday's appointment with Dr. Ryan, I told him how running is in my blood. He gave me tips on what to do before and after a run to manage any swelling and to be diligent in using Theraband stability trainers to strengthen my core and help with balance and agility. I decided to go in for a taping yesterday to support me for today's run. As soon as Dr. Ryan finished the taping, I could feel the healing happening on my entire leg especially on the site where I had the incision for the reconstructive leg surgery over 20 years ago. A year after the surgery, I had the hardware removed....
In Friday's KT taping session with Dr. Ryan I told him that I was so happy to be working my way back to a 5K and I would cap off my distance at 5 miles for the Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash, a race I ran with my Merrimack Valley Striders family last year. He didn’t miss a beat! While Dr. Ryan performed the Graston Technique on my feet to help my body to move out of old patterns and allow my body to find its way to its natural state of wellness and goodness he said, "Why set limits?"

We are each devouring "You Are The Placebo.” It seems that I need to keep reminding myself over and over and over again about my body's tremendous capacity for healing. I shared with Dr. Ryan that on MRI, the polio virus took out the medial gastroc muscle on my left calf and that I was working on visualizing a new one. "If I could dissolve a breast tumor, why can't I grow a new gastroc right?" Dr. Ryan suggested that we tape my gastroc because the KT tape can be used to decrease inflammation (and by the way the swelling is gone from my left knee using icing before and after exercise and with the taping for runs), to brace a joint and also to activate and stimulate the muscle. Mary Mary quite contrary how does your gastroc grow? Contrary because I have "gone against" much of the advice I received from the medical community as a polio survivor which involved setting limits with the caveat, "If you use it, you will lose it."

As Dr. Ryan worked on my feet I said, "Wow." He asked me if the pressure was too much and I said, "Oh no. I just went to that place within me that ran the Boston Marathon." I told him there is nothing in the world like training for and running a marathon. As I thought about it, I felt exhilarated and then had a moment of "I can't run another marathon." I realized that I was remembering running a marathon in my body as it was then not the body I am today and certainly not the body that keeps changing, evolving, getting strong and healing all that went before. Dr. Dispenza cites with case studies including his own healing experience, proof that the body has tremendous capacities to heal. Dr. Ryan planted the seed for going the distance again as he asked the question, “Why set limits?” Why set limits indeed. I decided to ditch all the negative self talk, the naysayers who encourage me to set limits and to only take yes for an answer!



It was a tearful goodbye lunch at Boloco as he left for China but I knew that wherever Dr. Ryan went he would bring the gift of his healing.



He's done long distance healing with me, loving, encouraging and supporting me on every step of my healing journey. He was cheering me on in cyberspace as I went the distance for two CONSECUTIVE Bermuda Half Marathons and is over the moon excited that I am going to be training to run my third CONSECUTIVE Bermuda Half Marathon.

What a special weekend we had in New York City last year! He brought KT tape and I'm sure we were quite the spectacle to behold doing a taping in a New York Deli. Oh how I'd missed his healing touch!



Here are photos from our magical two days in New York City:


We saw Tony nominated Nathan Lane in "The Front Page." We ate delicious food, walked arm in arm through Central Park and Bryant Park and celebrated my healing reminiscing about our work together.

On Thursday I am so blessed to be celebrating 10 years of healing from the day I left my award winning career as a VA social worker to heal my life from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma.

Thanks to my Hero Healer, Dr. Ryan J. Means, I am able to celebrate this anniversary feeling healthy, whole, vibrant and healed.

To going the distance with strength and courage!
~Mary

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.

Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life


Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:


And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):

Journey Well with Chiropractic Care: Meet Dr. Ryan Means

Don't let pain or fear of pain slow you down ~Dr. Ryan

The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. " ~ Thomas A. Edison

His full name is Dr. Ryan Joseph Means but he likes to be called Dr. Ryan. The moment you meet him, you will feel his passion for his work as a chiropractic physician and be inspired to experience health and wellness in your body.

We met for coffee at the Diesel Cafe in Davis Square for me to learn about the scope and practice of chiropractic care and to get to know Dr. Ryan. I first met him at the book launch for "Journey Well".

Dr. Ryan received his undergraduate degree as a sociology major. He planned to get a master's degree in public health as a sex health educator. After experiencing a back injury and having his best friend insist he seek chiropractic care, he knew that he had a new calling in life. To become a chiropractic physician, Dr. Ryan attended school for four years full-time year round, and completed a residency. He began his studies at Palmer College of Chiropractic and completed his degree at Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU). During his residency at California State University Fullerton, he worked closely with medical doctors, physical therapists and orthopedists. He became board certified after taking a challenging exam that spans 20 hours.

Q: I noticed on your website that it says you are a primary care physician. Are you an MD?
Dr. Ryan: No I am not an MD although chiropractic physicians complete a similar rigorous training as an MD. The first year is the same with core classes, but that last few differ a little bit. I received more anatomy and physiology where an MD does more diagnosing and pharmacology. For insurance purposes we are consider specialists although you do not need a referral to see me which is why I am categorized as a primary care physician. Many people ask me if I wanted to be an MD and didn't get into med school. I wanted to pursue a career as a chiropractic physician from my personal experience as a patient and from my uncle's experience with chiropractic care. He had seen many physicians but it wasn't until he saw a chiropractic physician that he was accurately diagnosed with ALS. He went for adjustments and was able to maintain functioning for as long as he possibly could.

Q: Speaking of insurance, do you or the patient submit the paperwork and what insurance do you accept.
Dr. Ryan: I accept many of the major carriers and am in the process of negotiating with Aetna and Cigna. I am able to accept Medicare which has wonderful chiropractic care benefits. I submit the paperwork and the patient pays the copayment at the time of visit. I accept cash, check and all major credit cards. I do offer a free 30 minute consultation.

Q: What happens during the 30 minute consultation?
Dr. Ryan: I ask lots and lots of questions and answer lots and lots of questions. I provide education about chiropractic care and my philosophy of care and explore what I can do to help the individual to achieve their health goals.

Q: And if we decide to work together, what happens next?
Dr. Ryan: The next visit is a 60 minute session where I take a complete history, do a full assessment and adjustment and discuss treatment goals and plan.

Q: What is your philosophy?
Dr. Ryan: I believe that the body has a natural desire to heal. The body wants to work and wants to work well. I work with your body to heal yourself. I am a facilitator to help your body find balance and wellness. Physicians in Western Medicine are symptom focused and work from the top down beginning with the symptom. I work from the bottom up exploring structure and function encouraging the body to adapt its internal experience to external stressors. I look at the whole person.

Q: What if I don't have insurance or I have to meet a deductible.
Dr. Ryan: I charge $45 cash. It is set reasonable, because everyone having access to healthcare is important to me. That includes full adjusting and basic soft tissue work. If the patient wants comprehensive soft tissue work I'll charge an extra $20 based on time.

Q: My back doesn't hurt, what does chiropractic care have to offer me?
Dr. Ryan: People typically think of back pain when they think of why they should see a chiropractor. However, I work with every joint in the body. The goal is to help everything work together and to break the cycle of pain while facilitating a better adaptation of the body. Most people also think that chiropractic care is all about the adjustment. For me, the adjustment is a tool I use to facilitate healing but I believe in treating the whole person.

Q: I saw on your website that you do advanced therapeutic taping. Can you tell me about it?

Dr. Ryan: The therapeutic tape I use lasts for 5 days. It's as though you are having me doing an adjustment 24/7 for 5 days. The tape is hypoallergenic and allows the joint to move and breathe as opposed to bracing a joint. I recommend taping prior to a race or recently I had a patient who had me tape her before she went skiing. I've seen wonderful benefits of taping knees in the older population as they go up and down stairs. The taping works with the mechanoreceptors and helps to retrain the brain. Taping also improves circulation to the area and releases the body's natural capacity to heal. Typically with taping I'll do one complimentary treatment so s/he can see what it is like. After that there is an additional fee that varies. From $10-20. If someone wants lots of tape, the most economical way is to have the patient purchase tape and bring it in, then it is only $10 dollars for expertise and time. I prefer Kinesiotape Tex.

Q: What are the benefits to exploring chiropractic care as a way to journey well?
Dr. Ryan: Chiropractic care is safe. It's non invasive. One of the misconceptions about chiropractic care is we use force and we don't. We use skilled touch to make adjustments. There are no side effects to chiropractic care. Many people also believe that once you begin to go for chiropractic care you have to on a regular basis in order to feel relief. I don't want my patients to rely on me. I believe in empowering my patients to learn how to optimize their sense of health and well being using the skills and knowledge I have to offer to facilitate their journeys.

Q: What do I wear for an appointment?
Dr. Ryan: Let me begin by saying what you shouldn't wear - yoga pants because they don't work well for chiropractic care. Jeans are great and if we are working on knees, I recommend shorts and a t shirt.

Be sure to visit Dr. Ryan's website and book your free consultation today.

I have my initial 60 minute appointment scheduled for March 2 and will be writing a follow up blog after my session which will include an orthotics assessment. I'm excited to journey well with chiropractic care to help me get back on the roads with Dr. Ryan -- safe, effective, non-invasive and no side effects with a professional passionate about supporting me and you on your journey to well being.

Journey well!

"Journey Well" and all of my inspirational books are available on Amazon.

"Journey Well" is a book about resilience, strength, courage and how we are able to journey well no matter what conditions life hands to us. I profile the people who are Boston Stronger and share how 4/15/13 was a wake up call to me to return to my healing path from contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent.



50% of all book proceeds are donated to AccesSportAmerica where people of all ages and abilities achieve higher function and fitness through high challenge sports and training.

Book Review: Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d

Amazon tells me I purchased this item on March 21, 2015.



I ordered it along with Dr. Joe Dispenza's book, "You Are the Placebo."

I started to read Candace's book but then something inside of me gave me pause and I read Dr. Joe's book first. They both appeared in "What the bleep do we know..." which Tom and I watched on 5/24 of this year.

Rewind to the book release party for Journey Well.

Did you ever have the experience where you watch yourself doing something that you know doesn't feel right but you know you're supposed to go ahead and do it anyway? Well that's the feeling I had with my book release party. Something didn't feel right from the start and then the Patriots had their playoff game at the exact time of the book release party. There was a lot of stress and discomfort around the party which was such a contrast to the book release party for my memoir at Marathon Sports the year before. But out of that uncomfortable evening, I found myself standing with a man who would change my life forever!

I found myself standing face to face with Ryan Means, DC - doctor of chiropractic medicine over 6' tall with the most warm, inviting, kind, loving and passionate blue eyes I had seen in a very long time.

We talked about chiropractic care and how it is not just for spinal adjustments. After the party, he reached out to me on Facebook. We met for coffee so he could learn more about my journey and I interviewed him for my blog. Journey Well with Chiropractic Care from Dr. Ryan Means.

I had my first appointment on March 2 and Dr. Ryan recommended the two books by Candace and Dr. Joe and the movies, I <3 Huckabees and What the bleep do we know....

These are the kinds of events that Candace shares in her book, 'Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d. She shares the science behind the molecules of emotions which was her first groundbreaking book and the process of writing the book which is written in real time; the style that I used to write Journey Well and that I am using to write my next book, 'Going the Distance.' Through the process of her writing the book, she was creating her life and as she created her life, the book "wrote itself."

There is a balance of love, light, laughter, and a sense of curiosity, wonder and play with the pain and struggle that is a part of the human condition. As I read her book and she shared her healing journey, I would experience breakthroughs in my healing journey. She explains the importance of partnering with healers who know and understand the mind/body connection.

Although Candace left her physical body in September of 2013 her Spirit is alive and breathes through every page of the book. She shows us how God is ever present in our lives and uses scientific research to explain the mystery and wonder of the Divine. It may seem counterintuitive I know but you have to read the book to understand how she is able to do this!

Oh and how perchance did Dr. Ryan know about Candace Pert and her work? He studied at the Palmer College of Chiropractic Medicine before transferring to a school in California. She spoke to his class and made the kind of energetic imprint with him that I experienced in reading her book.

At the end of the book, Candace writes, "Trust. Breathe. Let go. God is in control."

In her Epilogue, she reflects on fear.

"The root of fear, I concluded, is more about being alone, feeling unconnected to others and not realizing that we're all one. As my long-term massage therapist Adam Helfer poetically put it, 'If you're connected to the divine, you'll always feel fine.' Adam had also told me he thought the best universal advice to 'feel good' is to remain in the present moment as much is possible.'"

Dr. Ryan practices in China which came about through an amazing series of events in his life. We stay in touch via Facebook and email and I get goosebumps following his journey and adventures. I give thanks every day that he came into my life and recommended Candace's book to me. I now need to pay it forward and recommend it to you!

Discover the truth for yourself that all we need to know to feel good is to feel the presence of God in our every breath.

Thank you Dr. Ryan and thank you Candace!

Thankful Thursday: A Tale of My Healer

As I'm writing my next book, "Going the Distance: Healing Trauma through the Power of Positive Touch (And Running) I have this wonderful opportunity to reflect on my healing journey these past almost 10 years. What was the difference? What was the game changer for me once I met Dr. Ryan Means?

One of the most striking things about Dr. Ryan is his passion for movement and his dedication to helping people experience comfort, ease and joy in their bodies. Ryan was teaching Boot Camp in addition to his having his private chiropractic practice and was working one on one doing personal training. I loved the stories he shared with me about his clients achieving improved functioning and saw the twinkle in his brilliant blue eyes as he shared his excitement about the outcomes of his work both as a trainer and a chiropractic physician.

He transferred to me a sense of confidence, strength and joy in my body and Being and gave me exercises that would help me to heal the effects of paralytic polio and violence. He let me know in no uncertain terms that I deserved to heal, that I can and would heal and that I should set goals not limits.

Dr. Ryan is the first healer I encountered in the past 10 years who truly loved being in his body and embodied and embraced what it means to experience health, wholeness and wellness, and to help people attain the quality of life they want and deserve.

He introduced me to the movie "What the bleep do we know..." and the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza!

Dr. Ryan treats the body boldly, with confidence, and incredible skill, yet as a humble servant of the Divine allowing and facilitating the body to return to its natural state of well being.

My healing and transformation continue and I am unleashing my body's natural capacity to heal from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma with deepest gratitude to Dr. Ryan and all he has taught me!

To your health and wellness!
Mary

Going the Distance: On Taping, Transcending Limits and a 10.5 Mile Run

We were so blessed to spend two days in New York with Dr. Ryan J. Means, aka Dr. Ryan and his beautiful mom. Dr. Ryan changed my life forever when I met him in February of 2015. He reminded me of my body's tremendous capacity for healing AND if not more importantly, of my being worthy of healing from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. In early April of last year he asked me the question, "Why Set Limits?" He helped me find the courage to set goals for myself resurrecting the endurance runner within me despite having suffered a serious knee injury in December of 2014. We looked beyond the appearances of a deteriorating knee joint, deterioration as a result of multiple surgeries, osteoarthritis, bone spurs, a fatty lipoma, a torn miniscus that was beyond surgical repair and a medial gastroc muscle atrophied from paralytic polio. Western Medicine, physical therapists, rehab staff at Spaulding's Aquatics Center and even the massage therapist I was working with at the time all told me the time had come to hang up my running shoes and to be looking toward the future of needing a total knee replacement.

Dr. Ryan turned me onto the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza author of 3 books including "You Are the Placebo." When Dr. Ryan moved to China, we stayed in close contact and he cheered me on to the finish line of the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon. Yes long distance healing works.

When he told me he was coming state side but couldn't make it to Boston it was a wonderful excuse to do a trip to New York. What a treat to get to spend hours with Ryan and his mom. Although I hadn't met Jane in person before it was as though we were old friends.

I had joked with Ryan about putting two tables together at a deli and have him do an adjustment while he was here. He got serious and said he couldn't adjust my lower back without a table but would be happy to do some work with me. I told him no that he was on vacation. He told me that he did bring tape. I messaged him on Facebook yesterday morning and asked him if he was serious about doing a taping for me and he said absolutely! Well rather than putting two tables together at a deli and doing an adjustment, he did tape my knee and gastroc.



It reminded us both of when I first came to his office. I was so tentative about taking those first few steps back on the roads after my knee injury but Ryan gave me such a sense of hope. His passion for the work, his belief in the body's capacity to heal and his roles as a personal trainer and Bootcamp instructor in addition to being a doctor of chiropractic medicine fueled my desire to set goals not limits! How far I have come since those early days and rather than needing the tape in order to run, I enjoyed feeling the healing and the extra support that the tape provided to my left knee and gastroc as my left leg continues to become factory new. My left knee and leg felt comfortable and supported throughout the training run and I felt a major confidence boost during the run through reconnecting with Dr. Ryan feeling his healing touch once more.

Today Team McManus went 10.5 miles in the wind and the chilly air. It was the first time I ran taped since last year and it was Divine Timing giving me just the boost I needed to believe in every fiber of my being that yes indeed I am running my 2nd CONSECUTIVE Bermuda Half Marathon. It's 46 days until race weekend and 4 more long runs.



I've really not had a full rest day from last week's training cycle. I had an incredible massage therapy session last Wednesday but then on Thursday we volunteered at the Feaster Five Road Race. It was two hours out in the cold but we had a wonderful time being with our running family. We got up at 4 am on Friday to take the train to NYC and according to Tom's Fitbit walked 6 miles in the City. We slept in yesterday and walked 5 miles, took in a Broadway show and didn't get home until 1 am. We slept in and took our time waking up and getting ready for our long run today. I'll ease up this week and not do another run until next Saturday but do two pool workouts and one work out on the Arc Trainer and Bike.

I am so blessed and touched by grace to have Dr. Ryan in my life who partner with me to move forward in health and wellness despite the toll that paralytic polio and violence once took on me mind, body and soul.

To your health and wellness,
Mary

Throwback Thursday: On Perspiration, Transformation and Inspiration

Just about a year ago, this is what I was sporting on my left leg thanks to the expert chiropractic and healing care I received from Ryan J. Means, DC:



Ryan used every technique in his chiropractic bag of healing tools to get me back on the roads running again. He recommended exercises on a Theraband stabilizer:


and gave me exercises to grow a new gastroc muscle. Yes you read that correctly grow.a.new.gastroc.muscle. I gave him the results of my MRI which showed an atrophied gastroc muscle with fatty infiltrate. That's not a judgment, just a statement of what appeared to the radiologist on the MRI. When I met with the post polio doc to go over the results he told me that it's been that way since I contracted polio and there was nothing we could do about it. After getting those results I thought to myself, dang, it is a bloody miracle that I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon.

Ryan and I poured over Dr. Joe Dispenza's You Are the Placebo book and Dr. Joe's story inspired me to realize there are no limits to healing once we connect with our innate Divine Intelligence and surround ourselves with people who believe as we do. Ryan prescribed core exercises (how did I happen upon a chiropractor who is also a personal trainer and taught Boot Camp classes - there are no accidents) and while he adjusted me every other week, I'd go in for weekly tapings as I ventured out on the roads again. When I'd experience post run knee pain he suggested icing before and after every run; a practice I continue today along with increasing the challenge for all the exercises he prescribed for me. We decided that twice/week running and the other days cross training in the pool and/or strength training would be the perfect balanced training schedule for me.

I knew I wanted to go the distance again but there were naysayers I had to fire from my life first. Once I said yes and made a firm commitment to setting goals not limits, I put out the call to the Universe for a new healer to partner with me. The Universe answered the call with Dr. Ryan J. Means, a healer chiropractor!

It took a lot of sweat, a little bit of blood (who remembers that splat moment during our 6.5 miler?)



and a lot of tears to get me to the finish line of the Bermuda Half Marathon...but what a sweet journey of transformation from where I was in early 2015.

The journey continues as I continue to excavate the athlete within me; the athlete who was waiting to be born ever since I contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 years old. I grow stronger, freer and more determined with each training run and each workout.

And now I inspire others...

It's amazing yet humbling for people to tell me how much I inspire them or that they've told someone about me who believes they could not do something and it inspires them to get off the couch and do something.

And that makes it all worthwhile - the blood, sweat and tears; the constant work to build strength and to heal the past. I am so blessed to have an amazing team with Dr. Ryan, a phenomenal partner on and off the roads with my bestie Tom and all of you - my village and readers whose support fuels my journey to achieve the very best I can be.

To your health and wellness,
Mary

Therapeutic Taping: A Review and Thoughts on Holistic Healing

I did a google search for therapeutic taping and Kinesio taping and found article titles such as Therapeutic Taping:Help or Hype and research that is "inconclusive." Many talk about the "placebo" effect of taping and I say let's embrace anything that is going to allow our bodies to heal that will do no harm and have no risk or invasive intervention. I can only speak to my recent experience after therapeutic taping with Dr. Ryan Means of Elevate Health Cambridge for your consideration and review.



Before I share my anecdotal response to the taping, here is information on the origins and science behind taping from History of Kinesio Tape:

In 1973, Dr. Kenzo Kase began the initial concepts for the Kinesio Taping® Method. Dr. Kase, an American trained Japanese chiropractor, introduced a completely original treatment technique that was not orthopedic per se, although it had vast orthopedic applications. He advanced a revolutionary concept and modality of treatment based on a non-reductionist concept of how the human body worked. Dr. Kase was not interested in addressing parts and pieces of the human organism and healing the individual tissue. His idea was to use tape as a second skin to influence the sensory motor loop between the skin and the brain, creating vaso-motor, neuro-muscular and neuro-fascial changes to bring stressed tissues throughout the body back to homeostasis. The body would then heal itself. In very simple terms, by re-positioning the skin over an injured tissue, sensory feedback is transmitted to the brain, which adapts and changes all the tissues in response. By 1979, Dr. Kase completed and officially founded the Kinesio Taping Method and began authoring his first book and development of Kinesio® Tex Tape (widely known as “Kinesio® Tape” with exact specifications for the method) from 1979-1981.

The underlying theory that led Dr. Kase to invent the tape more than 30 years ago was based in his profound understanding of how the human body works. Each physiological system is dependent on every other system to function and remain healthy. Dr. Kase recognized that the skin and brain communicate constantly to regulate the body's responses to its internal and external environment. The skin and brain are connected not only by the nervous system, but also the fascial system, which communicates information from tissue structure to tissue structure at much greater speeds than the nervous system. Therefore, Dr. Kase reasoned that it was possible, by introducing specific and targeted proprioceptive and neural input through the skin, to affect physiological systems to change motor output, affect circulation, create or direct facial movement, and modulate pain. If one physiologic system could be affected, the other systems would adjust in response. As a practicing chiropractor, he saw how he could affect physiological systems with his hands. He designed the tape to be an extension of his manual treatment and continue the work at home that he started with his patients in the clinic.

In addition to taping my knee, Dr. Ryan used the Graston Technique to help release restrictions in my foot that was torquing my knee. It may very well be the combination of interventions along with my powerful intention to heal that resulted in a positive outcome for my experience with taping.

There was the psychological factor of feeling like a runner again; like the compelling athlete that I am in ministering to the injured area with an intervention that athletes, including Olympians use to help them with recovery and performance.

Walking up and down stairs was noticeably easier and pain free. I gave my knee an intense workout in Aquatics Therapy (and yes the tape that Dr. Ryan used went through two Aquatics Therapy sessions) and was able to engage more muscles and access more energy because I was not focused on experiencing knee pain and trying to avoid knee pain. It was very exciting to engage my hip flexors and my left foot while aqua jogging being able to experience energy flowing through my left leg.

It's also important to note that before I saw Dr. Ryan, in my previous week's treatment with Joseph, my massage therapist at Sollievo, that Joseph placed a fulcrum on my left rib during Zero Balancing. I felt a gush of energy flow with that intervention.

I took the tape off Wednesday evening after 3 full days of wearing it. It can be left on for 3-5 days and since I had a massage treatment on Thursday, I took it off. I can feel that there is a shift happening away from anticipating the knee pain and trying to protect my knee to engaging more muscles and accessing more energy. I am mindful of landing light harnessing the core (the dividends of planking almost every day and doing sit ups and crunches) and organizing myself as a non-injured person. This complements the work I do with Joseph as I leave the stories of my past behind and explore what I can do to shift away from habits that were a result of past experiences placing me at risk for injury.

I am delighted and excited that I have added Dr. Ryan to my team of holistic health providers. Therapeutic taping along with other interventions Dr. Ryan has to offer plus a home rehab program we began to talk about at my first visit is just what I need to get myself back on the roads healthy and happy.

Journey well!

"Journey Well" and all of my inspirational books are available on Amazon.

"Journey Well" is a book about resilience, strength, courage and how we are able to journey well no matter what conditions life hands to us. I profile the people who are Boston Stronger and share how 4/15/13 was a wake up call to me to return to my healing path from contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent.



50% of all book proceeds are donated to AccesSportAmerica where people of all ages and abilities achieve higher function and fitness through high challenge sports and training.

Countdown to 2016: Accomplishments and Goals - 2015

When 2015 began I was once again facing uncertainty with my body. I was nursing a significant knee injury and had an MRI that revealed bone spurs, torn meniscus, degenerative joint changes, changes from previous surgeries, a lipoma, an atrophied gastroc muscle and indication that the only surgery that was possible would be a total knee replacement at some point in the future. "Here's a script for physical therapy. No running until the summer and cap your distance at a 5K - well okay a 5 miler if you insist."

The physical therapy encounter led me back on my path to self healing and right into the path of Dr. Ryan Means, my beloved chiropractor and dear friend. Armed with reading "You Are the Placebo" by Dr. Joe Dispenza and reminding myself what Dave McGillvray wrote in the copy of his book "The Last Pick" I set goals not limits.

I was going to run the Newport Marathon next October but then at the Finish at the 50 race on 7/3, we met the Bermudians promoting Bermuda Marathon Weekend. Somewhere between hello and good-bye I had a new goal for 2016; something that had been on my bucket list for 3 years to run the Bermuda Marathon only I modified it to the Bermuda Half.

Shortly after firing my physical therapists and previous massage therapist and leaving Spaulding Rehab's Aquatics Therapy classes, I met Dr. Ryan J. Means, a healer chiropractor who reminded me that I could and would go the distance again!

In March, Dr. Ryan gave me a training plan. I couldn't squat or do crunches or sit ups or hold a plank for very long. With patience, persistence, perseverance and courage, I now plank for 3 minutes; can do 15 squats; use stabilizers to improve balance. I have increased weights and reps with upper and lower body strength training.

After I run and recover from the Bermuda Half, I am going to explore ways to increase core and strength training.

On February 28th, Team McManus toes the starting line for the Hyannis 10K. We haven't been to Camp Hyannis with me running since February 2011.

It's taper time and this morning I did an easy 3 mile run on the treadmill. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I could use the words easy and run in the same sentence. It was icy and slushy outside and with two weeks to go until Bermuda, there was no way I was going to risk training outside.

I've had stellar accomplishments in 2015 and am so excited about my goals for 2016. 2015 was the first year that, despite a very stressful family situation, not only did I NOT have a relapse of post polio symptoms, but I successfully trained for the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon. I learned how to do squats and have conditioned myself mind, body and spirit to go the distance. 2015 - the year I reclaimed my life. 2016 - the year that my life keeps getting better and better.

The Power of Words - Healthy Living with Dr. Bernie Siegel

I was blessed to share an hour with Bernie Siegel, MD aka bernie and my CD (Chosen Dad) last week on his radio show, Mind Health Matters on Healthylife.net radio.

I first heard about bernie from an earth angel nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital where I was hospitalized for a bone infection in my shoulder joint back in the 80's. He has been my coach and my Chosen Dad (a phrase used by a woman whose life he helped save through Love) since then he has been my coach through many challenges.

We hadn't talked in quite some time but as happens with dear friends, it was as though no time had passed.

We reminisced about marathon stories and signs. He ran the NYC Marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Initially when he was asked to raise money and run a marathon he said he would make a donation but his friend was rather persistent. So true to bernie, as he lined up on the Verrazano Bridge, he found a quarter. He thought to himself, if I find another penny I know that I'll have enough to go the 26.2 miles. When he got to Brooklyn, he spotted a penny in the street. He went off to the side to make sure he wouldn't get trampled and at just the right moment, he picked up the penny. Before I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon, he told me to look for the penny. It would be a sign that he and God would be with me. Sure enough in Wellesley at the halfway point of the marathon, there was my penny from bernie and God.

I was so honored and warmed to hear bernie read excerpts from my poems and to be able to share with him the power of poetry in my life and where I am today in my journey; how last December I was told I shouldn't run anymore and how I was blessed to meet Dr. Ryan Means, a chiropractor who told me I must read "You Are The Placebo," by Dr. Joe Dispenza. Coincidentally bernie writes on the back cover of Dr. Joe's book, "From my experience with patients with life-threatening illnesses, I have learned the truth as shared in You Are the Placebo. The body experiences what the mind believes...We all have the potential for self-induced healing built into us. The key is to know how to achieve your potential. Read and learn."

We talked about the potential that each of us possesses.

Words are powerful. They can be used to create and as I sat in a leg brace using a wheelchair at times for mobility, through the power of my pen I created a runner even though I had never run a day in my life. I wrote the poem Running the Race. Poetry poured out of me as I imagined, dreamed and visualized myself as healthy, happy and whole.

My poems asked the question how will I ever reclaim my life and expressed a profound desire to run unencumbered and free.

I was searching for someone who would be able to partner with me to heal everything that went before and found my way to Dr. Ryan J. Means, a healer chiropractor.

Through the power of his skilled positive touch and powerful intention with words that heal, I AM healing all that went before - all the horror, all the violence - all of it so I can run unencumbered and free and live a life overflowing gratitude with miracles.

bernie asked me how, after being abused, I was able to trust again and let in the power of positive touch. I shared with him my journey from body worker to body worker until I finally found my way to Dr. Ryan. God saved the best for last.

In one of my poems I write about Our Greatest Teacher:

Our Greatest Teacher

It’s easy to attach to pain
the angst
the anger
the suffering
squeezing Spirit into smaller and smaller spaces
losing sight of light
embodying pain
nerves frayed
teeth on edge chattering with fear
descending deeper and deeper into the abyss

a healer appears
a spark of love to illuminate
to heal
but first to learn

Pain – our greatest teacher
accept the sorrow
release the shame
courage and strength to face death
emerge from the shadows
surrender
allow pain to be
this too shall pass

with each blow my heart breaks open like a piñata
the soul’s treasures found
naked and vulnerable
fully clothed in Divine Love

appreciation and a grateful heart
sweet rewards in this delicious delightful life
peace joy and freedom
when the test is finally past.

bernie and I talked about the tests I had to pass to arrive in this moment and how poetry and positive touch have been powerful healing agents in my life. We blessed each other and felt deep gratitude for the time we spent together. It was sacred time,inspired time and I know a time that touched the hearts and lives of all who listened.

Remember to Remember & Live As If Your Prayers Are Already Answered

During this morning's meditation, the phrase "Remember to remember" came to me. Remember who we are at our very essence and to remember to tap into that connection when things look like the wheels may be falling off the wagon.

There is going to be a replay of Project Coherence next Sunday and I'm looking forward to tapping into the Divine and the feelings of expansiveness that I was able to access during the meditation feeling the beauty, wonder and awe of being connected to 4000 souls across the globe. Whenever I meditate and whenever I meditate with Tom or a community I remember something far greater than myself yet that is the Force that is right inside of myself and each of us that we can all tap into when we step aside and allow the magic to happen.

During my meditation I remembered an incredible moment with Dr. Ryan Means or Dr. Ryan as he likes to be called. He was helping me recover from my knee injury earlier this year and was using the Graston Technique on my feet. I made a strong nonverbal comment and he asked me if he was using too much pressure.

"No," I said emphatically. "I just remembered how it felt to train for and run a marathon."

Ryan smiled and his eyes sparkled.

His hands reignited the spark within me to set goals not limits.

I remembered!

And here I am steadily moving forward to the Bermuda Marathon Weekend in January.

By all appearances I should have hung up my running shoes or capped my distance at a 5K. After working with Ryan and now Ryan sending me positive energy from across the miles in China, meditating with gratitude and runner affirmations, the love and support of my village along with me reminding myself to remember to remember, I will soon be in double digits in miles.

It's easy to get swept up in the fear and the nay sayers of the medical community. It's easy to forget the power that we have inside of us.

But when we remember to remember, all things are possible despite outward appearances.

Through my poetry, through my unconscious speaking through the power of my pen - my divining rod of healing - I was creating health, wholeness, running unencumbered and free and reclaiming my life. I did not know the who,how, when, what or where it was going to happen but I lived as if my prayers were already answered - and now they are!

I was searching on YouTube for the song It's Possible from Cinderella and instead this clip from a talk by Dr. Joe Dispenza popped up:



Remember to remember! The Universe is always speaking to us especially when we live as if our prayers are already answered.

Going the Distance: The Divine Intelligence of our Bodies

In the 1980's, I was hospitalized with a staph infection in my right arm. I was initially misdiagnosed and the staph infection went into my bone. Fortunately, an earth angel, Dr. Donald Reilly snatched me from the jaws of misdiagnosis and mismanagement of the condition which could have otherwise resulted in the permanent loss of use of my right arm. During my extended inpatient stay, I met another earth angel, Beth Jordan, RN who brought me cassette tapes of Bernie Siegel, MD. Through the years Bernie has been my labor coach through many rebirthings and healings. He was there for me in December of 2006 after the diagnosis of post polio syndrome and cheered me on in cyberspace to my Boston Marathon finish line in April 2009. The wisdom he shares, which is drawn from the Divine consciousness helped me to dissolve a breast tumor, to clear out the negative energy through interpretation of my drawings to help me resolve 10 years of infertility and his message of love, medicine and miracles fueled these last two years of my healing odyssey after a serious knee injury.

I often joke with Bernie about being a slow learner but it does take us all awhile to remember that we are worthy of love and healing especially when, in my situation, I had family members who wanted me dead.

I am so blessed that I found my way to Dr. Ryan J. Means who subscribe to the same philosophy of healing as I do. Dr. Ryan Means, a healer chiropractor reminded me of my body's Divine Intelligence and turned me onto the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza and the teachers in "What the bleep do we know..."

If I would have listened to the doctor and the team at Spaulding Rehab's International Rehab Center for Polio, I would be in a wheelchair by now with limited functional capacity. Their message was one of fear: If you use it you will lose it believing that because my nervous system was already compromised as a result of polio, as I aged, the decline associated with aging would be accelerated. Instead, I discovered the gift of poetry in my soul. My pen became my divining rod for healing as I wrote poetry that liberated my mind, body and soul and foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run.



Despite all outward appearances and what the Team was telling me, what the "experts" were saying about post polio syndrome, my inner wisdom told me I had to get moving! After being discharged from Spaulding Rehab's Outpatient care, I hired a personal trainer. She believed in the body's innate capacity to heal and get stronger and about the mind body connection. When I asked her if I thought she thought there was anything she could do for me to help me get a little stronger and build on the program Spaulding Rehab gave to me, her retort was:



In February of 2008 when she asked me my next goals for personal training, after a list that included I want to walk outside unencumbered and diversify my training, the words, "And I want to run the 2009 Boston Marathon to raise money for Spaulding Rehab" fell out of my mouth. Against medical advice, against the advice of the post polio expert Dr. Julie Silver at the time, I did use it - and I didn't lose it but I also could not get traction on my healing journey.

If I would have listened to the doctor, the physical therapists at Spaulding Rehab's Aquatics Therapy class, the physical therapist from hell I saw at Spaulding and even the massage therapist I was working with after a serious knee injury in December of 2014, I would certainly not be poised and ready to toe the starting line of my second CONSECUTIVE Bermuda Half Marathon two weeks from Sunday. Their admonishment was running was bad for me. Okay if I was going to run no more than a 5K - 5 miles at most but be prepared for a lot of pain and a total knee replacement in a few years. "You have no gastroc muscle. It was long gone after the polio. You've got no cartilage, bone spurs, degenerative osteoarthritis...." and the list went on and on!

Dr. Ryan helped me to plant the seeds to grow a new gastroc muscle using Kinesiotaping and joining with me harnessing the power of my imagination.

During these past 10 years I sought out many body workers in an effort to reclaim my life and experience freedom in my body. Now there are many paths to healing and each person finds their own way. However, I suffered at the hands of so called healers who were recreating dynamics of the very relationships that I was trying to heal using modalities that did not serve me at all!

KMI Structural Integration is a protocol of 12 sessions that begins with the client standing before the body worker clad in a sports bra and underwear or shorts or a two piece bathing suit. The body worker assesses with their eyes what they believe to be the body's imbalances and then imposing the protocol on the body to create change from the outside in. For me it was a method based on aggression and imbalance of power. There was not a sense of partnership between client and body worker. They knew what was right for the body and were going to be the ones to get the body to where it needed to be. As I experienced in Saturday's training run and when my feet hit the floor on Thursday morning.

Zero Balancing was the other extreme to KMI. It uses a very light almost imperceptible touch to try to help the body reorganize itself. The founder of Zero Balancing makes it very clear that the worker needs to maintain strict energetic boundaries and protect themselves from the client's energy. This distancing of feeling and touch and being left alone to sort out my body's reactions to the work recapitulated the trauma of abandonment and neglect from when I contracted paralytic polio and was left to manage on my own by my drug addicted mother. It's no wonder I suffered a knee injury in December 2014 working with a massage therapist who was non committal in touch, intention and presence.

Fortunately, through the grace of the Universe and all that I set in motion for my healing through my poetry conjuring up healers in my mind's eye, I found my way to Dr. Ryan. He gets out of the way to allow Divine Intelligence to flow through him through the power of chiropractic medicine.

It's fun now for me to harness the power of Divine Intelligence when I'm out on a run or going about my daily life. Morning and evening meditation keeps me connected to Source so I become the creator rather than the victim of my life and the circumstances of my past.

A powerful force gets unleashed when we harness the power of love and Divine Intelligence....



a very powerful force that I use to create the miracle of healing in my life, to go the distance and transcend the toxic effects of my past.

To your health and wellness,
~Mary