My partner and I have had osteopathy treatments in the past, but when our friend studying osteopathy moved away we did not actively seek out a new practitioner. That changed in 2010 with the birth of our daughter. A rather long, complicated and slightly traumatic entrance into this world left our wee angel with a neck problem. She would not breast feed properly on the left side, and would not sleep on that side either. Our midwife suggested osteopathy and after some research for north shore osteopaths we found Melisa and nervously made an appointment for our 6 week old baby. My partner met Melisa and instantly felt at ease with her professionalism and the calming aura that surrounds her. We noticed a significant difference after the first treatment and honestly believe Melisa saved our daughter from a life time of health issues. Not to mention our sanity. Soon my partner made herself an appointment for her back and digestion issues. Eventually I made appointments for the after effects of a poorly repaired broken ankle. Melisa has saved my girls and has relieved stress and pain from all of us. We have since moved to Squamish and happily travel regardless of the weather for a bit of Melisa's magic. We could move to Timbuktu and we would still make the trip to see Melisa.

Rob, Emma Jayne and Aiylah, Squamish

Osteopathy has truly changed my life. After massage therapy, physiotherapy and chiropractic treatments did not work, I had almost given up on my continuing my life as a hairstylist. My back pain and an anxiety had gone on for years and was too much to bare anymore. Melisa changed all of that for me. I can now function as a normal person. My back feels great and I have control over my anxiety. My body and mind have never been better. I could never thank Melisa enough for the positive impact she has made on my life.

Cara, North Vancouver

When sharing my experiences with such a subtle healing art, I always try to find the most tangible experience I've had with it. So, some of the more tangible things that have impressed me over the years that I've been fortunate enough to be treated by Melisa are these: -during one of my first treatments, Melisa was "scanning" my body and she said "Hm, what's this blockage in your jaw bone?" To which I said something like "Whoah! I have a metal plate in there from when I broke it 15 years ago!" That impressed the heck out of me. -during treatment immediately following my broken neck, Melisa asked me "How did you fall exactly?" I told her what I recalled happening, and she said something like "Are you sure? Are you sure that you didn't fall more like this?" She explained a subtle but significant difference in how she thought I fell & impacted. I thought about it for a second & realized that she was exactly right. Again, her knowing this without seeing any x-rays or MRI reports was amazing & exciting. -Melisa treated me almost immediately after the broken neck, prior to and following surgery. Many, many months later, once I the neck brace was off, my first visit to a physiotherapist went something like this: "So you broke your neck in January, and you just finally got the neck brace off. Great, let's check your mobility." After a few initial checks, the physiotherapist said "So, wait. You didn't break your neck THIS January...you must have broken it & gotten the neck brace off LAST year...not just last week." To which I said "No no, you had it right, I got the neck brace off just last week. But I've been treated by an osteopathic practitioner the entire time, so that probably explains why I have a bit more mobility than average." The physio replied something like "This is bizarre. You don't have a BIT more than average mobility, you're literally going to need all of three treatments from me, instead of months of work. I can't understand how this is possible. In addition to her deep skills & incredible passion for and dedication to her healing skills, Melisa is simply a fantastic, alive, positive person who is always a joy to spend a session with. I look forward to catching up during our visits almost as much as the healing session. Melisa rules!

Jim, North Vancouver

Our family was referred to Melisa Dzamastagic by a friend and we could not be happier with her care and treatment. Our 2 year old daughter Anna has a rare form of hydrocephalus, that generally does not cause any symptoms other than a large head and slightly delayed gross motor skills. The doctor's at Children's hospital are perplexed by her condition and have been debating a VP shunt surgery since shortly after she was born. We began seeing Melisa approximately 5 months ago and immediately noticed an improvement in Anna's gross motor skills. After our first treatment with Melisa - Anna managed to crawl out of her crib - this is something she had never attempted nor seemed to be able to do. She now handles stairs more confidently and climbs equipment at the park. Prior to seeing Melisa, she would never have had the strength or confidence to attempt these normal toddler behaviors. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Melisa's Osteopathic treatments to any child experiencing neurological impairments or delayed gross motor skills. She is absolutely wonderful with children and my daughter (and her twin brother) now ask to go and see "Dr. Melisa"

Anna's mum Jennifer, North Vancouver

Melisa is a very knowledgeable and intuitive Osteopathic Practitioner, as well as having a gentle and caring manner. My health issues have greatly improved since starting osteopathic treatments with Melisa. Physiotherapy, massage and other treatments were not effective for me, but the gentle and steady healing induced by osteopathic treatment has worked. I have hope for continued and steady improvement, all due to Melisa's skillful and healing practice of osteopathy.

June, West Vancouver

After my first appointment, I could move my neck and shoulders without pain, something I hadn't been able to do for a few years prior to my visit. I have more insights into the workings of my body and the possible causes of my discomfort. I only wish I could come to Vancouver more often for more regular visits.

Naomi, Fort St. John

As a former gymnast and endurance athlete with four bulged disks in my lumbar spine, Melisa listened to my body when I refused to(!!). Through her gentle technique, she was able to align and untwist my body in a way that no other practitioner has. The sessions were painless and I always came out of them with the ability to take on more. During my sessions with her, she taught me some basics of osteopathy and how to listen to my body. I am so grateful for this and I am well on my way to recovery! Thank you Melisa for keeping this particular "Humpty Dumpty" together! Your treatment and support have been invaluable!!!

Joanne, North Vancouver

When relocating to Vancouver, my UK trained Osteopath, who literally helped me to walk again, in just two sessions, instructed me to be treated only by another Osteopath trained in the UK. He was right! After many miscarriages over a nine year span, we succeeded at carrying our little girl to birth, thanks to Melisa. Since the pregnancy and birth of our little girl, we have entrusted our daughters care to Melisa, over chiropractic care. We have noticed that the changes in our daughter are immediate and lasting. Whether it be growth spurts, falls, digestive issues or sleep troubles, the treatments from Melisa give immediate relief from symptoms and our little girl just loves going for a treatment. I travelled 4000km 3x per year, for treatments from a UK trained Osteopath, prior to finding Melisa, that is how invaluable these Osteopathic treatments have been to my overall quality of life. I refer everyone I know, that is anxious for results and resolution of health problem, to go to Melisa for care.

Morgan’s mum Coleen, Cloverdale

Members of my family have been seeking treatment from Melisa for almost 3 years now. The help she has given us has been invaluable to our family. She treated my son when he was around 3 months old. He had the beginnings of plagiocephaly (flat head) and with Melisa's help he didn't need to wear a baby helmet and his head is now a lovely round shape. We also take both of our children to see Melisa after having their immunizations. The treatment she gives them really helps their bodies deal with the toxins and they get over it quickly and calmly. I have also had treatment from Melisa myself. She helps me with my back pain, chronic sore throats and even when I had trouble conceiving my second child. I am so grateful for all her help. We will continue seeing Melisa in the future as and when any health issues arise. I would highly recommend her treatment to anyone.

Oliver and Lucy’s mum Alicia, Burnaby

When offering testimonials on behalf of practitioners who have helped them, most people describe a specific ailment, often chronic, that took them to that individual in the first place, and which has been healed. In offering my own heartfelt testimonial on behalf of Melisa Dzamastagic, I prefer to begin in this way: It takes only a seed of disruption . . . to spread incoherence everywhere. If the seed is allowed to grow, the energy of the whole body will break down. . . . To remove that discomfort, you have to start thinking of the whole body in terms of energy. Dealing with your own energy is the most effortless way to heal yourself because you are going directly to the source. When a distorted energy pattern returns to normal, the problem disappears. . . . Any disorder involves hunting for where the chain of energy has broken down, and then repairing it one link at a time. [Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul, by Dr. Deepak Chopra. Three Rivers Press, 2009] As a practitioner of biodynamic osteopathy, Melisa is precisely that kind of hunter-repairer. She traces energetic pathways, she finds the source and she removes distortion. Do we have any inkling of how shackled we can be by distortion of these innate patterns? I first read those words by Dr. Chopra about three years before I put myself in Melisa's hands; I understood them intellectually, but, despite having previously had many traditional osteopathic treatments, I never had any indisputable, lasting sense that my own body was healing itself at such a deep level. At my first appointment, Melisa explained that she would be working at the cellular level in my body where self-healing was triggered and sustained. It is now eleven months since that appointment. In the beginning, I needed treatments every two to four weeks, and I could have written a heartfelt testimonial after only the first two or three. (After all, I had just taken my visibly misaligned hip, groin and leg pain and more to my GP, who agreed that these were real and problematic but was unable to offer any explanation or treatment; now they were gone.) I have waited this long because it soon began to dawn on me that I was on the way to becoming a very different being. How might I possibly evolve over a year? Without any blather or exaggeration, I have changed in ways that feel extraordinary to me, and I am now making changes in my outer life that I could not have contemplated before. Sometimes, rather wonderful changes occur without any effort on my part. As within, so without. I have experienced practitioners who did not ensure that my system was completely balanced and ready to leave the treatment room after each appointment. That can lead to a reversal of any benefits and cause a lot of discomfort on all levels. By her own admission, Melisa is obsessive about ensuring that her treatments are complete at that moment, and that her clients are not left hanging, so to speak, in some energetic limbo. I trust Melisa absolutely with the deepest inner workings of my whole system, and consequently I have become more and more myself. Layers of energetic and therefore physical malfunction have been removed. I could write and write about Melisa's achievements in renewing me, but describing two in particular might be most useful here. First, a skin condition that was totally misdiagnosed by three different MDs, including a drug prescription. Thanks to her constantly updated knowledge, Melisa was immediately able to link the infuriating itch with my nervous system, and work accordingly. Result: itch vanishes for good in less than one week after nearly two years of misery and discomfort for me. Second, at a time of heavy emotional stress, when I thought I was crumbling into some kind of nervous wreck, I learned in a single appointment that my mind and emotions were displaced -- effectively cut off from myself, my body, and reality. This is one of the most profound discoveries I could ever hope to make in my life, because it reveals a way of coping, of relating to the world and being present (or not) in it that can have widespread rippling effects, none of them beneficial. Result: I see an utterly different and crystal clear picture of past, present and future life, thanks to my awareness of that displacement and its potential for damage. We take our bodies to practitioners of all kinds of therapies, not always with success in "curing" or even gaining a clear picture of what has gone wrong and how to heal it. After my experience of Melisa Dzamastagic's enormous skill and special gifts in healing, I am completely confident in going to her before anyone else when disorder of any kind starts to manifest. She listens intently to what you have to say, however little or much that might be: you have her whole attention. You also have the reassuring sense that, from the moment you sit down and describe your current state, treatment at some innermost level has already begun. In my view, that is the hallmark of a genuine healer. I am immeasurably grateful.

Rosemary, Vancouver

Melisa has been my Osteopathic Practitioner for almost 4 years. Not only is she gifted in diagnosing and treating energetic imbalances, she has also taught me a great deal about how to use my body more gently and more efficiently. Her delightful sense of humour is healing in itself.

Pauline, Bowen Island

We consider Melisa our family's healer. Her "touch" is extraordinary and she can read one's body better than a scanner! We entrust our daughter to her, who has enjoyed sessions with Melisa since she was a toddler. Melisa is knowledgeable, incredibly accurate in her diagnosis and a gentle, caring practitioner. We often refer her to those who have suffered some kind of alinement (usually for years) and they are all amazed at the results. It's evident that Melisa has a natural gift and she uses it to make us all feel infinitely healthier.

Misli and family, Burnaby

If it weren’t for Melisa and her magical hands, I would still be pulling my hair out trying to figure out what was going on with my kids. Mood swings, anxiety, aches and pains, and vomiting (not related to being ill) were just some of the issues we needed to address. Melisa truly has a gift, she was able to connect with each of my kids at their level and they seemed to open up to her really well. I noticed an improvement after our first visit. I can’t recommend her highly enough!!

Serena and family, North Vancouver

In 2011 my chronic pain grew to be too much to take. Aspects of it were reminiscent of meningitis: stiff neck, head ache, pressure, nausea. In addition it felt like my cervical spine was being strangled with red hot barbed wire. I was unable to walk much, and during episodes I was unable to sit or lay down for up to and beyond twelve hours. I emailed an osteopathic practitioner in downtown Vancouver on the basis of conversations with other therapists and my own research. It was a weekend and I got a response within an hour, referring me to Melisa Dzamastagic. Osteopathy would become one of three key therapies that would get me on the road to recovery. The problem she dealt with most specifically was spinal fluid flow, which had actually been a problem since my early 20s, however, I didn't know it was still an issue. Three things impressed me about Melisa's osteopathy: 1) the therapy deals with deeper levels of our functioning being, something mainstream medicine and most therapies don't do. Not only was this effective, but it opened my eyes to more possibilities. 2) when she had gone as far as she could at one stage she told me, and that allowed me to clear away other issues elsewhere before seeing her again. A lot of therapists don't do this, but it's key when managing complex rehab, especially on a limited budget. 3) Osteopathic practitioners like Melisa are highly trained and educated.

Mathew, New Westminster

After suffering with chronic back pain for over a decade, I had tried pretty much every therapy I could think of. I learned about Melisa from a friend in 2010, and after my first couple of sessions I knew that I had found someone who really could get to the root of my problems. Melisa’s treatments have absolutely changed my life. After the first round of treatments, I could tell that my body was moving differently, felt properly aligned, and I finally found comfort instead of pain every day. I continue to see Melisa for the occasional “tuneup”, as well as any other complaints such as headaches and recurring sinus infections. Melisa has also treated my daughter for her severe excema and her anxiety, and all I see are improvements with every single visit. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Melisa to anyone looking for a real whole-body approach to solving their problems, whether it’s poor body mechanics, chronic illness, or stubborn injuries.

Lesley and daughter, Victoria BC

Melisa successfully treated our daughter when she was about 12 months old with respect to her stiff left leg. Before her treatment, she would crawl up stairs only using her right leg. She would also let her left leg drag behind while walking with the aid of a toy walker. We were amazed that after only one treatment that she was able to use both her legs for walking or crawling up the stairs. Melisa is truly in a league of her own.

Matt from Kamloops

Over the course of the last 7 years, Melisa has proven to me and my family that her osteopathic treatments work, and for various health issues, to the point that we will happily drive 400km just to see her.

Helene from Kamloops

I initially attended a natural health clinic for treatment and support for severe chronic adrenal insufficiency. The stresses and strains of life had piled up and I was quite frankly a mess, health-wise. Residual trauma from a car accident, chronic inflammation, headaches, adrenal insufficiency, severe anxiety, and eventual depression; the list was long. My amazing naturopath began treatment and suggested I also see highly recommended Osteopath, Melisa. There are no words to describe the euphoria I experienced immediately after my first appointment with Melisa. And with continued visits, I was healed further and deeper; back to a physical and mental state of health I haven't felt in years. Osteopathy by Melisa is nothing short of amazing and I'm so very grateful.

Lisa from Surrey