Rolfer Pulls, Pushes People Back Into Shape

Lucinda Ade knew what “ralphing” meant and couldn’t believe anyone specialized in it. Who vomited for a living?

“Rolfing,” Greg Bishop corrected her the first time she called his Hayden office.

“After he explained it, I was still scratching my head,” she says.

But she gave it a try. Lucinda suffers from scoliosis. Her spine curves from side to side like an S, which causes all sorts of aches, pains and problems.

Rolfers use their hands, elbows and even knees to manipulate and retrain the body’s muscles and connective tissue to work the way they should. The domino effect often balances the entire body.

“I can already see a difference in the alignment of my body,” Lucinda says. She’s finished five of 10 treatments. “I still don’t understand it, but I like the results very much.”

Greg, 41, liked the results, too. He was rolfed 13 years ago. He broke his collarbone the summer after he earned his master’s degree in flute performance from the University of Wisconsin.

He found performance jobs in California after he healed. But within three years, his pain was so bad - he couldn’t move his fingers much - that he went to a chiropractor. His future wife steered him to a rolfer.

Ida Rolf created the soft-tissue manipulation system 50 years ago. Her idea was to help the body work with gravity.

Injury, stress, poor posture and illness cause imbalances that trigger more imbalances. Bodies adapt, but wear and tear on the wrong places eventually takes its toll.

Greg underwent 10 sessions organized to promote progressive changes.

“I was desperate and hopeful,” he says. “My music career is so important to me.”

The rolfer used older techniques. He pounded on Greg and bruised him. Greg hyperventilated. But he left feeling lighter on his feet, and he returned for more.

The rolfer softened tissue and moved it in every part of Greg’s body, even his mouth.

“It freed up my breathing a lot. The pain in my upper back went away and my fingers moved great,” Greg says.

Periodic adjustments have kept him in good shape.

He supported himself with live performances and recording work until he and his wife, Debra Anne, moved to Hayden Lake two years ago. A substitute position with the Spokane Symphony didn’t earn Greg much money, so he looked for a second job.

North Idaho had plenty of massage therapists but few rolfers. Greg plunged into six months of intense training in Boulder, Colo., then in Brazil. He learned the new approach - slow, subtle pressure that brings relief without bruising.

He opened his office in August and can’t stop grinning about it.

“He has the most healing hands,” Lucinda says. “He’s never hurt me. He’s calm and peaceful and shares it through his hands.”

Greg offers free clinics on Mondays for seniors and children. To participate, call 659-7303 for an appointment.

Psst, hear this

If anyone deserves national recognition for a job well done, it’s Hayden’s John Centa and his Self Help for the Hard of Hearing - SHHH. The Panhandle chapter was honored by the national SHHH this year for its vigorous outreach program.

Thanks mostly to SHHH, the hearing of newborns is tested in Coeur d’Alene, people of all ages can try out the latest hearing devices and local hearing professionals periodically offer free hearing screening.

SHHH costs $7 a year to join and few organizations give more for the money. For details, call 772-5331.