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	FOUNDER Toni (Antoinette) Harris, Medistone ® Founder 1976 was a defining year. I was living on Orcas Island providing full time volunteer services at Outlook Inn that supported the Louis Foundation. One evening I had just read "Stories the Feet Have Told" by Eunice Ingham and thought, "This is weird stuff". But, as naturally curious, inquisitive person, I decided to find out for myself if foot reflexology was helpful. Soon I discovered my entire being had been "electrified". I had this need to knead. In 1977, I received my formal massage training at the Spartan School of Massage in Seattle. Later that year I became a Licensed Massage Practitioner in Washington State. The next several years were formative ones. With a background as a nurse's aide and employment at a physical therapy clinic, I already had a basic understanding of the affects illness and injury can have on people. Using my massage training, I developed greater finger sensitivity to the skin and muscles and how their proper manipulation could make the client feel better. Ever a student, I took additional training in massage and bodywork. I opened Biotherm Therapeutic Massage in Tacoma, Washington, in 1985. Besides serving the general public, I accepted physician referrals for soft tissue injuries and was a Washington State Labor & Industries massage provider. Also, a filmmaker massage provider to movie stars of which one was an Academy Award winning actor. In 1989, I traveled to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and completed a course in Traditional Thai Massage. I moved my business to Prosser, Washington, an agricultural center and the wine making capital of the Yakima Valley in 1991. The name Biotherm Therapeutic Massage sounded a bit out-of-place in my new, gentler, quieter surroundings. I wanted my business's name to better reflect that environment and the way I wanted people to feel about massage. Inspiration came one morning as I listened to the song of the meadowlarks. Their symphony was so tranquil, so peaceful, and so cheerful. “That's it!” I thought, and Meadowlark Centre was born. While in Prosser, I've continued to expand my expertise so I can offer my clients an ever-increasing range of therapeutic massage and other relaxation and stress reduction techniques. I've received certification in Tuina Massage at the China National Olympic Training Center in Beijing and in 1998 I was one of the few massage practitioners in the country with a Diploma in Spa. The idea for Medistone ®, like that for the Meadowlark Centre, came somewhat by accident. After my spa training, I heard about rock massage. Well, it was a Thanksgiving Day in 1998. I had been invited to spend the holiday with friends and after dinner we discussed rock massage. Given my ever present need to knead, we cleared the dining room table and covered it with a blanket. I said “I need rocks” so we ventured outside and gathered a small bucketful of various shapes and sizes of rocks. After cleaning them we put them into a pot of simmering water. I then began to administer rock massage to my friends' backs, neck and arms. Some of the stones were cumbersome so I narrowed it down to 2 stones of different shapes that fit the hand comfortably and allowed the application of various massage techniques. Afterwards, I was “rocking and rolling” myself! Again I was “electrified”. Voila, MEDISTONE! These 2 stones generated months of research, development and trial and error. I finalized the unique design based on the original 2 stones which allow for pet and self application of various massage techniques and that possessed superior temperature retention qualities. However, the Medistone ® evolved to another arena when a massage practitioner asked me to teach Medistone ® massage to her and other massage practitioners. This was the beginning of Medistone Therapy Massage, then video production of “Introduction to Medistone Therapy Massage”. In 2007, the Medistone ® again evolved into the Medistone Meditation Stone, which focuses the mind on self awareness in order to construct positive attitudes and emotions! Give Medistone ® a try. You're going to like it. And when you're in the Prosser area, stop by the Centre, if not for a massage (by appointment only), to visit the facility with its beautiful murals and artwork by professional artist Mary Hanlon and Brenda Ripplinger. Then see the full range of Medistone ® merchandise. Antoinette would be delighted to assist you with the Medistones ® so please make an appointment and telephone 509-786-7001, otherwise stop by the Centre!

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© Meadowlark Therapeutics, Inc.  2008
P.O. Box 688  Prosser, WA  99350
Business:  (509)786-7001    Fax:  (509)786-7763
E-mail:  toni@medistone.com

Medistone ^® is a Registered Trademark of Meadowlark Therapeutics, Inc.
Stones in Motion is a trademark of Meadowlark Therapeutics, Inc.
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