Better Belly Therapies

Fantastic experience: Magic!! I came to Allison with back pain that I had for 10 years. I worked with PT's and massage therapists, and while what they supported me with somewhat subdued the pain in moments, it never got 100% better. In one session with Allison, my back pain was cured!!!! I couldn't believe it. Going to bed that first night without having to squirm around to support my back in just the right position was incredible. I had no idea how much this pain was truly affecting me in my every day experiences until it wasn't there. Thank you Allison!!!!

Fantastic experience: I am beyond excited to begin my journey with Allison. I have been on a long discovery of finding ways to better my body, mind and soul over the years. Allison feels like the perfect addition to my wellness journey.

Fantastic experience: Allison has been great in helping to get to the root cause of my constant back pain I’ve had after surgery. After two appointments I feel great and I look forward to more treatments. She’s very knowledgeable and helps me to understand what options I have for a combination of treatment for long term results. I highly recommend her services!

Fantastic experience: I’ve had the pleasure of working with Allison several times over the last five or so years and have experienced substantial improvements in my well-being and as well as reduction in pain. Allison is incredibly knowledgeable, intelligent and insightful which shows in her approach and application of technique. After one session of physical medicine, my anxiety and overall mood greatly improved. I’m also working with her on my gut issues through her functional medicine protocol. I look forward to continuing to work with her and see how she evolves as an exceptional practitioner.

Positive experience: Knowledgeable, helpful, and a place where I finally feel like there is hope!

Fantastic experience: I want to say thank you because from the little bit of treatment you did during my evaluation I already feel significantly better. I am astonished. I have not felt like myself for almost a decade and for the first time in so many years I recognize my brain and body again. I can tell there's still work to do, but I am so significantly better than I was. I've had a very happy last couple of days because I've had energy and my mood is so much better. Thank you so, so much. I am really looking forward to continuing these sessions.

Fantastic experience: I’ve seen several different practitioners and specialists over the last year for healing from postpartum injuries with zero relief until I saw Allison. After my first appointment, I saw immediate improvement! The whole appointment was relaxing and encouraging and left me feeling hopeful again. I’m simply amazed by her skill and cannot wait for my next appointment!

Fantastic experience: Allison and I met at a conference, and I happened to be having a lot of digestive discomfort that day. She took me aside and worked her magic, and about an hour later, I was feeling 100% better. It was truly remarkable!

Fantastic experience: Allison is amazing! She is so knowledgable, intuitive, and did a great job with the bodywork and problem solving through my health issues. I would totally recommend her to anyone!

Fantastic experience: Allison is amazing, she helped me get rid of my bloating, headache and many problems that have bothered me for me long time.

Fantastic experience: I was absolutely blown away by how knowledgeable and professional Allison was. It is not easy to find this level of expertise. I noticed improvements in my body and health after only one visit, and I have hope for the first time that my long standing health challenges can get resolved.

Fantastic experience: Allison has created something incredibly special at Better Belly Therapies. You can get functional lab testing + visceral manipulation & craniosacral therapy all in one place. She truly cares about every little detail, all the details your doctor doesn’t have time to listen to. She is willing to “leave no stone unturned” to figure out why you feel the way you feel. Your story and symptoms matter, and she uses that plus functional lab testing to create a plan specific to you. The visceral manipulation/craniosacral therapy feels amazing, and your insides will be thanking you. The office is very peaceful, complementary snacks are offered, and Allison’s secretary Madeline is always happy to assist with any questions/scheduling needs. Also…go listen to her podcast! Allison is a wealth of information, and she interviews some of the smartest minds in holistic care. If you aren’t sure whether or not to book with Better Belly Therapies, her podcast will help you make the decision to book your appointment today!

Fantastic experience: My TMJ has improved 98% due to Craniosacral therapy. I tried everything, even Botox shots into my jaw muscles which only offered temporary relief for a high cost. Visceral manipulation is helping my overall body functions. Now I start my FGID treatment! Thank you, Better Belly Therapy!

Fantastic experience: Allison is great, not only has she been able to help me in her practice but has also referred me to some great people to help with issues outside of massage treatments. Very happy I found her!

Fantastic experience: If you are looking for a practitioner who knows her stuff, Allison is the one for you. Her skills are innumerable. She is practical, intuitive, knowledgeable and very thorough. Allison is especially good at listening to all your concerns, asking the right questions and then coming up with a plan.

Fantastic experience: Allison has an amazing touch and is a wealth of knowledge. I look forward to continued progress in my journey for wellness. Many thanks.

Fantastic experience: I've been seeing Allison for visceral manipulation and craniosacral therapy for longstanding gut issues. She is sensitive and intuitive, skilled and knowledgeable. She is a caring and careful practitioner who listens well and provides helpful information about the body and her therapeutic approach. I'm so glad I found her!

Fantastic experience: Digestive health therapy at BBT was a game changer for my gut and my overall health - I would absolutely recommend it for anyone with IBS or digestive issues. And cranial sacral therapy with Desiree was also deeply healing - I felt so much calmer after, and I could breathe more deeply than before. Highly, highly recommended! 2 years later, I'm adding to my review to emphasize what an incredible healer Allison is. She had helped me get through a whole host of health issues a couple of years ago, and when I went in for a maintenance treatment recently (which I do occasionally now), she helped me unlock blockages in my body that I didn't even realize were there. I used to struggle with deep breathing, with my breath seeming to stop at my diaphragm, but since that treatment I can now breathe easily into my low belly and pelvic floor. These are the types of changes you can't get at a hospital or doctor's office or even from most holistic practitioners. This service is truly unique!

Fantastic experience: After coming for over a year, I've been quite grateful for the help in both pregnancy and postpartum. Particularly as it pertains to pelvic floor and the bodily tensions of motherhood, craniosacral has been a necessary piece of keeping it all together in this time of life!

Fantastic experience: Allison is so knowledgable! I am very excited to work with Better Belly Therapy and get my health on the right track!

Fantastic experience: Absolutely fantastic. It was painful for me to move my right arm. After Allison’s treatment, my pain is gone. I feel great. I’m looking forward to going to the gym!

Fantastic experience: Allison’s hands are a miracle. I was in physical therapy for a year and a half after a car accident, slowly and laboriously regaining mobility in my neck with daily stretches and PT twice a week. I came to Allison about a year after my PT was over because I was experiencing pain across my chest, resigned that my body would never be as flexible and pain free as it was, but hoping for some temporary relief. On our first visit, the pain across my whole right side was completely gone! On the second visit, she saw that I couldn’t rotate my head to the left. A push, a breath…BOOM, full range of motion! I can’t believe this therapy is so little known when it is so effective! It’s not a true miracle, of course; she explained all the details of my maladies in the scientific language of a person who knows their stuff. But still. It made me a believer.

Fantastic experience: I’ve done a lot of healing work for my body over the past few decades, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had so much improvement in my health from one practitioner. Allison has helped me with more things that I knew she could help with - including my scoliosis (which I thought I was doing well with, until I started doing even better) and my ability to detox and get relief from brain fog. Allison is an incredibly intuitive and educated healer. She has a phenomenal understanding of anatomy and physiology, and applies it - and explains it - in a very down to earth manner. I’m an acupuncturist of 23 years. I know a lot about the body, and have aggressively sought out the best healers in my life. And I highly recommend Allison and Better Belly Therapies.

Fantastic experience: Highly Recommend! Imagine having had three surgeries in one year and feeling like you had been run over by a mac truck. That was me. In discomfort to pain everyday due to scar tissue and stress my body went through. Many prayers answered to be recovered from the surgeries and I asked for more help - to heal me of the residual pain of the three surgeries. An answer to prayer! Make your appointment today! You will feel results after the first appointment. Thank you Allison for treating me! Thank you friends and family for prayers! Thank you God for hearing my prayers.

Fantastic experience: Amazing healing space created by a caring healer. Better Belly Therapies helped me gain enough confidence and pain free days to get the courage to follow my true path in life.

Fantastic experience: CST is the most healing thing I’ve ever tried. I am a mental health therapist and have tried many alternative medicine therapies. After one session, I felt better than I had in five years. After three sessions, I feel I’m really healing! I use CST for PTSD, IBS, neck and shoulder tension, and feeling grounded in my body. It has helped me feel safe, able to be present, reduce fight or flight symptoms, improve digestion, and significantly reduce the pain in my head and neck. I highly recommend better bellies and I have specifically worked with Desiree who is extremely talented, respectful, and knowledgeable of anatomy and health. Thank you for helping me feel better!

Fantastic experience: Allison has helped me with long term digestive and pain problems. Having been in the health industry myself for decades, it was refreshing to talk to her. She clearly has an advanced understanding of how different systems work together to impact digestion and overall good health. I highly recommend her and her skill level when it comes to healing the gut.

Fantastic experience: I have had a fantastic experience with Allison doing Cranio-Sacral therapy. It has helped so much with my anxiety, sleep, moods, and presence in my body. I came into this looking for some relief from stress and bad headaches associated with it, but found out that many of the other health issues I had been dealing with were connected in ways that I didn't even realize! I'm so glad that Better Belly Therapies is a resource that we have available in our community.

Fantastic experience: As a physician who supports integrative approaches to health and wellness, I can't recommend Allison and her practice highly enough. I originally sought Allison's help a couple of years ago for some yoga-related foot and ankle pain. Her initial, well analyzed and highly intelligent traditional therapeutic massage approach was technically excellent and very effective. But when she introduced craniosacral therapy (CST) into our sessions, I had a transformative experience. The CST provided by Allison (as well as her similarly well trained and skilled, newer staff member, Desiree) has shown me that this massage technique is uniquely able to bring relaxation and release to the network of fascia and deep tissues of the central nervous system, where we often retain tension and pain that is held out of conscious awareness and can be challenging to access and relieve. Allison subsequently added some visceral (abdominal and gut) massage that extended this deep tissue release to other organ systems that I did not realize were also contributing to a chronic level of discomfort and sub-optimal functioning. Among other benefits I have received from Allison's treatment over time are improved sleep, and relief of chronic temperomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, tooth-grinding and dental alignment issues. When I recently experienced an unexpected episode of serious medical illness, Allison was the first person I contacted to assist me in my return to health along with my mainstream medical treatment. Allison and her colleagues at Better Belly therapies are a beacon of excellence for professional body work in the greater Ann Arbor area.

Fantastic experience: I thoughtI was going to schedule surgery for my TMJ issues, but someone recommended Allison. After just two visits, I was 50% improved and more hopeful than I’ve been in a long time. After a few months of every other week therapy, I would say I’m cured but wanting to be careful and pursue ways of maintaining this unexpected cure! One thing I really appreciate about ALlison is that she is someone who really wants the best for you and he’s ready to let you know when she’s done all she can. She’s not trying to take it advantage. And she totally could because she’s so competent and so kind!

Fantastic experience: I was not sure what to expect but I walked out delighted. A different type of therapy but it works.

Fantastic experience: Allison is a gifted healer. She is extremely knowledgable about health science and anatomy, but also is incredibly intuitive and empathetic. I credit her with helping me break a cycle of debilitating pain. Along the way, she also helped me heal from additional issues that I had been told would never go away, or would require surgery. I’m ever grateful to her for her expertise, and her kind and caring manner.

Fantastic experience: Having struggled with fatigue issues for years I was flabbergasted to experience a dramatic improvement kick in 1-2 days after my very first Craniosacral treatment with Allison!

Fantastic experience: Thank you for giving me new hope about my vague disability--ever since you loosened me up I've been going on this whole big emotional journey about some of my core beliefs and methods of operating. Again thank you! This is a big deal!

Fantastic experience: My 6 year old daughter was referred to Allison by my physical therapist after I described her symptoms of asthma and reflux after a viral illness. After one session, she had noticeable relief from coughing, improved appetite, fell asleep easily and woke up well rested. We had a wonderful experience with the visceral therapy, I appreciate how well Allison explains the therapy and put my daughter at ease. This it what my 6 year old said about her experience: “During your life you’re stiff like a stone And this calming stuff melts you into a flower It’s so relaxing It melts your heart Like your heart was ice and the sunshine came back The certain lighting, color, music can affect you in such a way For my whole life time my body’s been tense and I’ve been kind of agitated When I went to Allison the message therapist my life changed, like magic I’ve never been that calm in my life It felt like it was meant for me It was the best time in my life”

Fantastic experience: Alison Downing's book, Stop Stomach Pain, has made a huge difference in my life. I have suffered from severe stomach pain, bloating and constipation for over 20 years and was surprised and discouraged that my symptoms continued to get worse. The list of foods that upset my stomach continued to grow and I was afraid there were no options left for me. This book does an excellent job introducing the concept of the connection between the nervous and digestive systems which is never talked about when you complain of stomach issues. The book uses simple, engaging language and beautiful graphics to describe complex scientific processes in a way that makers complete sense. The inclusion of easy abdominal exercises and guided imagery were not expected and have both made an immediate impact on my health. I feel better than ever and am so grateful that I found Alison and her book when I did. Not only has my digestion improved but my overall quality of life and sense of peace has also improved.

Fantastic experience: Allison is amazing, easily the best I’ve been to. I run and compete in triathlons and she has been integral in keeping my legs, hips, and IT bands in line after beating them up in training and races. She is an extremely intelligent person, especially with body anatomy which she uses to identify where certain pain points are manifesting from. I also love working with her because she is very good at identifying problem points and verifying that the work she does actually improves the problems I had. I really like that she makes sure to approach the session as treating a patient as opposed to just providing a massage. I would recommend Allison to anyone, and especially to athletes looking to keep their body pain free and loose.

Fantastic experience: Allison has completely transformed my running with her magical sports massages! I see her once a month during my heavy training periods and she is a life saver. She is so knowledgeable about the human body. She is small but she is mighty when it comes to rubbing out all my tight muscles. I highly recommend Allison to all my friends, family and fellow runners!

Fantastic experience: Allison has a knack of finding trouble spots and then taking care of them. She is also an expert on many health related things and can be a great resource in addressing them. Thank you Allison !

Fantastic experience: I will highly recommend Allison’s services to my clients, friends, and family. She is very gifted and highly knowledgeable; and her work just makes sense to me as a Digestive Wellness Practitioner. 

I personally had a treatment from her and can move my neck and shoulder in a way that I haven’t been able to in a long time. 

I look forward to more treatments.

Thank you Allison:)

Fantastic experience: Allison was super friendly, welcoming, and made sure I felt comfortable. She answered all of my questions and gave me tips, as well, to ease some of my sorr spots. She used great pressure and made the experience truly worth it. Would highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Allison is a very gifted massage therapist. She takes time to really listen to my needs and knows exactly what to focus on for maximum benefit. In our first session, she relieved some very painful neck, shoulder and back tension that I had been carrying for a long time and recommended some great stretches for me. I’ve been a faithful client ever since then. Her work is very detailed and extremely intuitive. One of the best things about getting a massage from Allison is that the benefits are long lasting. I’ve seen a lot of massage therapists and Allison sits at the top of my list. I can’t say enough good things about her.

Fantastic experience: Allison is an outstanding practitioner. Will definitely be back to see her. I highly recommend to anyone!

Fantastic experience: After months of hip and hamstring pain postpartum while going to physical therapy without much improvement, I decided to try massage therapy. I am so glad I found Allison, she has helped me find relief when I was starting to give up. She focused on muscles/areas that my PT had not (psoas, mesenteric root, and more) that were the key to pain reduction. She is very friendly and easy to feel comfortable with and is great at explaining what she is doing. I can't recommend her enough and will definitely be seeing her for prenatal massage next time around.

Fantastic experience: I had some serious whiplash from a fall on black ice. I was in a lot of pain in my neck, and was desperately searching for someone who could help. After some web searching I found Allison and she kindly fit me in, even though it was at a time she normally would not be in the office. In one session focused on the neck, she fixed me up entirely! It was amazing. I had a follow up with her today and she addressed some other areas that were tight, and did some digestive and craniosacral therapy work too. I loved my sessions so much I plan on seeing her more regularly! She is such a kind person, and really wants you to understand what was wrong and how she addressed it. She even taught me a self massage technique at my first session to help my neck heal. At the end she explains what she did and why, and will answer any questions you have during the session too. I highly, highly recommend her!

Fantastic experience: Looks can be deceiving sometimes... she may seem young but I can tell her experience is beyond her age. I have had many different kind of treatments from many therapist across the country and she can compete head to head with any of them. What gives her the edge when compared to most practices is her combination of head knowledge and intuitive sense of the client's needs as she works. Any good therapist can tell you what you need without you tell them and she is no different. She also has some very unique and advanced skills that I have not experienced before, which after therapy on average of once to twice a month for over a decade that's rather rare. I would recommend her for anyone who has been struggling with pain or discomfort or any kind of unexplained physical limitations just to at least see what she has to say about your conditions. She's definitely a pleasant surprise of a find.

Fantastic experience: Allison is the most skilled and receptive massage therapist I have ever encountered. Over a series of sessions focusing on TMJ pain, my jaw is more relaxed than it has been in YEARS. Allison also provides helpful stretches and tools to use at home in between sessions so that you can build on your healing at home. I cannot recommend Allison highly enough!

Fantastic experience: She is very thoughtful about the needs of her clients. Her studio is comfortable and welcoming (the heated bed is a plus), and she provided snacks after the session! Will definitely be going back to her.

Fantastic experience: Allison is incredibly welcoming and knowledgeable about massage therapy. The service is just as much relaxation as it is targeted work to correct strain and stressed areas of the body. Will be back!

Fantastic experience: Simply amazing! Allison just has a gift. I had severe neck tightness about a year ago - had it for many years. She figured out the source of pain within a second and proceeded to treat it. I think she did it so quickly and thoroughly because she knows her stuff inside and out. I once went to a chiropractor for 10 sessions and he still could not figure it out. You absolutely cannot go wrong w her. She is so kind, generous and loving to people. She will actually listen to you. Cannot recommend her highly enough!