I originally sought treatment from Rich for chronic diarrhea that had been going on steadily for close to 3 years. All the food I ate passed instantly through me without absorbing any nutrients or being digested at all. I’d been to see every form of doctor, from my Primary care physician to GI doctors and chiropractors. I’d had dozens of tests looking for parasites, blood born causes, even wound up with a colonoscopy, all of which yielded no results.
Rich started on a path of Traditional Chinese Medicine working to strengthen, support and tonify the various internal systems that support digestion. He addressed the emotional issues associated with the organs related to digestion, even at one point going after my seven internal dragons. All of which was extremely relaxing, energizing and grounding, but didn’t fix the diarrhea. Treatments then began to address the physical mechanics of digestion. Starting with the Psoas as it can impinge on the lower intestine causing the ileocecal valve, responsible for holding food in the small intestine, to malfunction.
Somewhere along the way, Rich shared with me how to make Kefir. I acquired Kefir grains and started to make and consume homemade Kefir on a daily basis. My energy level increased, I lost weight because my body began digesting it’s food rather than feeling starved and miracle of miracles, three years of diarrhea stopped on a dime. I now enjoy normal digestion and increased immune strength. Thanks to Rich for sharing with me about these sacred organisms and fixing the problem an army of Western medical doctors couldn’t effect.
At this point, the real magic in my story hasn’t even happened yet… The effectiveness and immediacy of Rich’s physiological approach to the body through acupuncture was clearly illustrated the day I hobbled to see him for treatment on my foot. Being a lifelong runner, I’ve come to ignore certain aches and pains that have increased with age, as they tend to come and go like the weather. This particular foot pain wasn’t budging and seemed to be getting worse. I wasn’t sure I could walk the three blocks from the subway to Rich’s clinic for treatment. I was experiencing pain in every step I took. I’d changed my shoes and focused on trying to stretch and massage the muscles of my foot and lower leg, but nothing seemed to be helping. Within minutes of arriving to see Rich and two tiny needles later and I was free from pain that had defined every step I took for weeks prior to my appointment. The next morning I broke my best time for my usual distance in a run.
On another occasion, I sought Rich’s help with pain I was having in the knuckles of my right hand. I was experiencing pain that ranged from a dull ache to a stabbing fire in my hand every time I went to lift or grip something with my hand. My medical doctor told me that it was the beginning of arthritis and just an inevitable part of aging. Well that wasn’t the answer I wanted, so I went to see Rich. After a brief examination and palpation to the forearm, Rich used a few needles to release the muscles and again, the pain which had taken up so much of my conscious energy was just gone in an instant. The habit of pain, because of the attention it requires, is often a difficult one to let go of. The hardest thing to wrap your mind around is the instant disappearance of a pain that just minutes before had worked it’s way into everything I touched.
I would highly recommend Rich to anyone with pain of any kind. In Rich’s thorough, yet pragmatic approach to acupuncture, he tries to address the issue as immediately as possible to alleviate pain quickly and efficiently. Chronic on-going pain can be debilitating in the way it slowly encroaches on every aspect of our lives. Anyone living with ongoing pain, especially the type your doctor told you you’ll need to learn to live with, is the perfect candidate to benefit from Rich’s knowledgeable, insightful… even intuitive approach to this ancient tradition of Chinese medicine. He’ll fix the pain and just might sooth your internal dragons while he’s at it.
