When it comes to completely restructuring a person’s body, a lot of sweat and tears goes into the process. The sweat from my manual therapist, Vinh Pham, and the tears from me. I have to be honest, it’s not a pleasant experience — at least not in the moment. But the results can’t be denied. Having worked on my back, front and lateral muscles so far, it’s clear that I’ve gained height and mobility already — and that’s just from the first sessions for each.

Working the muscles deeply, Vinnie — and last week Ethan (pictured) — is helping to separate the layers to make them more effective and efficient; something more traditional massages and stretches can’t really do. It’s so interesting to see the before and after photos after one visit. It gets me excited to see the difference from beginning to end.

As someone who has particularly tight muscles, my experience at Myodetox is teaching me how important it is to address these issues now before possibly injuring myself or simply losing my range of motion as I age. It’s an interesting process for someone who tends to act only when it’s necessary. Yet aside from preaching Myodetox as a lifestyle, Vinnie has created a business in which every manual therapist connects with his or her patient on a level that makes them want to keep coming.