Chris Lloyd
Hadfield, Victoria
In early June I had got results from my MRI which showed the bulging disc in my back had healed.
Great news for most people but frustrating news for me. Why because I could only sit for around
3 hours a day without pain after two year off work without pay. I’d done various back exercises
and 3 hours was way better than when I couldn’t sit for no longer than thirty minutes without pain
and taking various painkillers for the prior three years before I took the leave.
My doctor wrote down the name meralgia paresthetica and told me to research it. I went home and
looked for exercises specifically for it and found lunges are good for it. I went to the leisure centre
and had my very hot sauna and then went into the pool. I did 20 minutes of lunges. I went to go back
into do my regular second very hot sauna and I couldn’t even sit down. I knew in that moment my
doctor finally had the diagnosis right. I was so angry with my doctor who’d I thought the world off.
I was absolutely devastated as I felt like I’d wasted two years of my life and time doing exercises
which didn’t give me a solution. Two years without pay is a long time.
Anyway after a month on some unused long service leave, I came up with a plan. The plan was
to exercise hard which didn’t work, medication of really strong pain killers which also didn't work,
and to look for someone who has not only treated meralgia paresthetica, but someone who has
had success with that treatment. I came across the Bodytopia™ website and referrals, one from
a guy who had meralgia paresthetica for 17 years and who raved about Sonoko. Hmm I thought
to myself.... this business was the other side of Melbourne in Burwood East, and I live in the northern
suburbs. I will keep looking. I’d rang a couple of osteopaths who said they treated patients with it,
but no one could answer the question being "were they successful in that treatment?".
Anyway I emailed and spoke to Sonoko by phone and thought I have nothing to lose….
Sonoko takes her time to get to really know what is going on with her patient, not only their medical condition but their “mental state”, attitudes etc. Sonoko explained in quite a detailed way what my
condition was, and what she needed to do, and what I needed to do over several weeks to improve it.
I backed off on the exercise, only doing it when I wasn’t working on weekends and in co-junction with Sonoko’s treatment I am using heat packs and electric blankets to manage my condition. With each visit
I had some improvement, and within twelve visits I was not only working full days but returned to work full time as for years I’d been part time. I am not only working full time but I haven’t taken not one pain killer.
Only five months ago I would’ve never imagined that.
I am not overstating it when I say Sonoko has changed my life. I am on a facebook support page and
many who have meralgia paresthetica are on disability pensions, cannabis oil and all sorts of strong
drugs. With Sonoko and luck, I am on none of that. Sonoko’s therapy is my drug of choice and one
that has and is working for me.
I am not cured, as I still have to lose a lot of weight which may or may not cure me. However I am
“light years” ahead of where I thought I’d be, thanks to my super hero therapist Sonoko.
Whether you live in Melbourne, regional Victoria or even interstate, with a condition like meralgia paresthetica, I’d highly recommend Sonoko. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.
My “super hero” has now enabled me now to look forward and excitedly towards the new decade where
I am looking to create a “new narrative” for my life, a pain free one after years of pain. You have nothing
to lose by booking with Bodytopia except some pain.
Thank you Sonoko from the bottom of my heart. Chris Lloyd, Hadfield, Victoria.
Great news for most people but frustrating news for me. Why because I could only sit for around
3 hours a day without pain after two year off work without pay. I’d done various back exercises
and 3 hours was way better than when I couldn’t sit for no longer than thirty minutes without pain
and taking various painkillers for the prior three years before I took the leave.
My doctor wrote down the name meralgia paresthetica and told me to research it. I went home and
looked for exercises specifically for it and found lunges are good for it. I went to the leisure centre
and had my very hot sauna and then went into the pool. I did 20 minutes of lunges. I went to go back
into do my regular second very hot sauna and I couldn’t even sit down. I knew in that moment my
doctor finally had the diagnosis right. I was so angry with my doctor who’d I thought the world off.
I was absolutely devastated as I felt like I’d wasted two years of my life and time doing exercises
which didn’t give me a solution. Two years without pay is a long time.
Anyway after a month on some unused long service leave, I came up with a plan. The plan was
to exercise hard which didn’t work, medication of really strong pain killers which also didn't work,
and to look for someone who has not only treated meralgia paresthetica, but someone who has
had success with that treatment. I came across the Bodytopia™ website and referrals, one from
a guy who had meralgia paresthetica for 17 years and who raved about Sonoko. Hmm I thought
to myself.... this business was the other side of Melbourne in Burwood East, and I live in the northern
suburbs. I will keep looking. I’d rang a couple of osteopaths who said they treated patients with it,
but no one could answer the question being "were they successful in that treatment?".
Anyway I emailed and spoke to Sonoko by phone and thought I have nothing to lose….
Sonoko takes her time to get to really know what is going on with her patient, not only their medical condition but their “mental state”, attitudes etc. Sonoko explained in quite a detailed way what my
condition was, and what she needed to do, and what I needed to do over several weeks to improve it.
I backed off on the exercise, only doing it when I wasn’t working on weekends and in co-junction with Sonoko’s treatment I am using heat packs and electric blankets to manage my condition. With each visit
I had some improvement, and within twelve visits I was not only working full days but returned to work full time as for years I’d been part time. I am not only working full time but I haven’t taken not one pain killer.
Only five months ago I would’ve never imagined that.
I am not overstating it when I say Sonoko has changed my life. I am on a facebook support page and
many who have meralgia paresthetica are on disability pensions, cannabis oil and all sorts of strong
drugs. With Sonoko and luck, I am on none of that. Sonoko’s therapy is my drug of choice and one
that has and is working for me.
I am not cured, as I still have to lose a lot of weight which may or may not cure me. However I am
“light years” ahead of where I thought I’d be, thanks to my super hero therapist Sonoko.
Whether you live in Melbourne, regional Victoria or even interstate, with a condition like meralgia paresthetica, I’d highly recommend Sonoko. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.
My “super hero” has now enabled me now to look forward and excitedly towards the new decade where
I am looking to create a “new narrative” for my life, a pain free one after years of pain. You have nothing
to lose by booking with Bodytopia except some pain.
Thank you Sonoko from the bottom of my heart. Chris Lloyd, Hadfield, Victoria.
Stuie Thomson
Glen Waverley, Victoria
I am an avid cyclist – covering several hundred kilometres a week – I have heard of professionals getting a massage at say the end of a Tour De France stage, but never considered getting one myself.
I suffered a severe accident while out riding on Mt Dandenong – I came down hard, shattering my pelvis breaking several other bones including incurring some spinal damage. After months of recovery and rehab,
I got back on my feet, but as they say in the nursery rhyme “they couldn’t put Humpty back together again.” The doctors did their best with what they had and without the use of artificial means, so I wasn’t exactly the same as I was before. Other than scar tissue I had nerve damage, sciatica, as a result of how I was put back together.
As I mentioned, I had never considered getting a massage, as it is such a personal thing – one needs to be comfortable in the surroundings and with the practitioner.
I was recommended to Sonoko by a fellow practitioner who I had initially gone to see but couldn’t continue
to work on me due to injury. At the first visit was immediately impressed – one by her manner, Sonoko put me at ease made me feel comfortable, it was like visiting an old friend, and secondly, the set-up of her studio – not your typical clinical environment.
The treatment was excellent, I came away feeling relaxed and somewhat refreshed – though the treatment was rigorous it wasn’t one where I felt I was being kneaded like bread. I found immediate relief from some
of my issues and Sonoko explained that it takes more than one round to get everything.
Here I am 5 years on and I am still a regular of Sonoko’s. She has managed to iron out the majority of my wrinkles, so to speak and it’s now general maintenance. I still have elements of sciatica, but more than not, it's now time out for me – a time to relax, forget about life for an hour. I am still riding and seeing Sonoko
has helped a lot with keeping me fresh for the bike.
I can strongly recommend seeing Sonoko and not just for a specific problem just if you want or need some me time – seriously treat yourself you won’t regret it.
I suffered a severe accident while out riding on Mt Dandenong – I came down hard, shattering my pelvis breaking several other bones including incurring some spinal damage. After months of recovery and rehab,
I got back on my feet, but as they say in the nursery rhyme “they couldn’t put Humpty back together again.” The doctors did their best with what they had and without the use of artificial means, so I wasn’t exactly the same as I was before. Other than scar tissue I had nerve damage, sciatica, as a result of how I was put back together.
As I mentioned, I had never considered getting a massage, as it is such a personal thing – one needs to be comfortable in the surroundings and with the practitioner.
I was recommended to Sonoko by a fellow practitioner who I had initially gone to see but couldn’t continue
to work on me due to injury. At the first visit was immediately impressed – one by her manner, Sonoko put me at ease made me feel comfortable, it was like visiting an old friend, and secondly, the set-up of her studio – not your typical clinical environment.
The treatment was excellent, I came away feeling relaxed and somewhat refreshed – though the treatment was rigorous it wasn’t one where I felt I was being kneaded like bread. I found immediate relief from some
of my issues and Sonoko explained that it takes more than one round to get everything.
Here I am 5 years on and I am still a regular of Sonoko’s. She has managed to iron out the majority of my wrinkles, so to speak and it’s now general maintenance. I still have elements of sciatica, but more than not, it's now time out for me – a time to relax, forget about life for an hour. I am still riding and seeing Sonoko
has helped a lot with keeping me fresh for the bike.
I can strongly recommend seeing Sonoko and not just for a specific problem just if you want or need some me time – seriously treat yourself you won’t regret it.
Garry M.
Ashwood, Victora
For seventeen years I suffered from a condition known medically as Meralgia Paresthetica. During this time
I consulted a number general practitioners, remedial massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and osteopathic practitioners. These practitioners told me that there was no cure for Meralgia Paresthetica and that I would just have to put up with it. Some of these practitioners also suffered with this condition.
My Meralgia Paresthetica caused anything from mild tingling sensations to extreme burning sensations and general numbness, located just above the left outside of my knee going up to my middle thigh. Spending too much time in any one position would cause discomfort, usually in the form of a burning sensation causing
me to have to change position such as sitting, lying down or moving around. It got so bad that I was forced to sell my retail business because I could not stand in one place for longer than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
Over the past seventeen years I have had some form of treatment as described above, on average every week. After moving house recently, I was in severe pain so I decided to look for a new therapist, that’s when
I found Sonoko’s website. I read with interest her treatment methods and I liked what I read. I didn’t expect Sonoko to be able to resolve my Meralgia Paresthetica but I needed work on back urgently (I also suffer
from a bad back).
During my initial consultation with Sonoko, I described my Meralgia Paresthetica but not in medical terms,
as the medical term had slipped my mind. Sonoko had not heard of this condition before and saw it as a challenge to repair me. She worked very hard for about two months with minor success, but much better
than anyone else had achieved in the past seventeen years. However, one day I recalled the proper medical term and Sonoko researched it further and developed a strategy to approach my condition.
After this treatment, I felt great relief. It was the best I had felt since contracting this condition. Each treatment after this I kept improving until I can now say confidently that my left leg now feels normal again. Had I not sought Sonoko’s treatment I would still be suffering.
If you wish to speak to me personally about my condition and Sonoko’s treatment, please give your phone number to Sonoko to pass on to me. I am deeply indebted to Sonoko for her perseverance, dedication and therapeutic abilities. I believe her to be a true therapist, not one who just goes through the motions.
I consulted a number general practitioners, remedial massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and osteopathic practitioners. These practitioners told me that there was no cure for Meralgia Paresthetica and that I would just have to put up with it. Some of these practitioners also suffered with this condition.
My Meralgia Paresthetica caused anything from mild tingling sensations to extreme burning sensations and general numbness, located just above the left outside of my knee going up to my middle thigh. Spending too much time in any one position would cause discomfort, usually in the form of a burning sensation causing
me to have to change position such as sitting, lying down or moving around. It got so bad that I was forced to sell my retail business because I could not stand in one place for longer than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
Over the past seventeen years I have had some form of treatment as described above, on average every week. After moving house recently, I was in severe pain so I decided to look for a new therapist, that’s when
I found Sonoko’s website. I read with interest her treatment methods and I liked what I read. I didn’t expect Sonoko to be able to resolve my Meralgia Paresthetica but I needed work on back urgently (I also suffer
from a bad back).
During my initial consultation with Sonoko, I described my Meralgia Paresthetica but not in medical terms,
as the medical term had slipped my mind. Sonoko had not heard of this condition before and saw it as a challenge to repair me. She worked very hard for about two months with minor success, but much better
than anyone else had achieved in the past seventeen years. However, one day I recalled the proper medical term and Sonoko researched it further and developed a strategy to approach my condition.
After this treatment, I felt great relief. It was the best I had felt since contracting this condition. Each treatment after this I kept improving until I can now say confidently that my left leg now feels normal again. Had I not sought Sonoko’s treatment I would still be suffering.
If you wish to speak to me personally about my condition and Sonoko’s treatment, please give your phone number to Sonoko to pass on to me. I am deeply indebted to Sonoko for her perseverance, dedication and therapeutic abilities. I believe her to be a true therapist, not one who just goes through the motions.
Fiona V
Melbourne, Victoria
“I had 8 Bodytopia sessions by Sonoko once a week for over 2 months period. My aim was hopefully to lose one clothing size; I was size 12 at the start of the treatment. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical and wonder what this type of gentle massage could help me to achieve my goal. Sonoko used a gentle massage over the lymph nodes throughout my body plus cellulite massage cup to attack my stubborn cellulite hanging tummy, thigh and legs over 1.30 hours per session.
She used the heat packs to loosen these areas first. It was very relaxing apart from the cellulite massage on the thighs which can be a bit sore but it wasn't last long. Another downside of the treatment is if you have it in the evening, you could end up to go to the toilet quite often because lymphatic drainage massage helps draining excessive fluid, fat cell from the lymph notes pass through the urinary system.
Now, here is the result I got after 8 weeks of hard, professional work and heaps of sweats by Sonoko.
I had reduced from size 12 to size 10 and able to wear all my old clothing again, yippee!.
I lost:
8.8 cm in the Waist
3.6 cm in the Hip
4.9 cm in the Right thigh
6.5 cm in the Left thigh
Many colleagues at work comment that I look a lot skinner which is quite nice. Having Bodytopia 8 sessions (Lymphatic Drainage Massage) combine with eating smaller proportion over the 8 weeks period. I had also lost 3.8 kg. I had an amazing result which I am very happy with and I strongly recommend Bodytopia by Sonoko and she will help you to achieve your goals”.
She used the heat packs to loosen these areas first. It was very relaxing apart from the cellulite massage on the thighs which can be a bit sore but it wasn't last long. Another downside of the treatment is if you have it in the evening, you could end up to go to the toilet quite often because lymphatic drainage massage helps draining excessive fluid, fat cell from the lymph notes pass through the urinary system.
Now, here is the result I got after 8 weeks of hard, professional work and heaps of sweats by Sonoko.
I had reduced from size 12 to size 10 and able to wear all my old clothing again, yippee!.
I lost:
8.8 cm in the Waist
3.6 cm in the Hip
4.9 cm in the Right thigh
6.5 cm in the Left thigh
Many colleagues at work comment that I look a lot skinner which is quite nice. Having Bodytopia 8 sessions (Lymphatic Drainage Massage) combine with eating smaller proportion over the 8 weeks period. I had also lost 3.8 kg. I had an amazing result which I am very happy with and I strongly recommend Bodytopia by Sonoko and she will help you to achieve your goals”.
Dr. Eunran “Maggie” Kim
Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Practitioner
Mildura, Victoria
Sonoko is an excellent remedial massage therapist. She takes the time to listen to you and properly assesses your body before commencing treatment. She is kind and professional. I don’t want to see anyone else.