A Little Of What People Are Saying
Health Care Professionals
“Michael Golden is not only an excellent martial artist and teacher, but a compassionate and gifted healer. His view of health and wellness is holistic, yet he approaches each person individually and creatively. Mike challenges you to develop your best self while having fun, and he is the type of allied health professional every physician wishes they knew. Consider working with Mike if you have an acute or chronic injury, want to improve your athleticism, or simply want to improve your fitness and health.”
-- F. Gravino, M.D.
“My first session with Mike was fascinating. It’s amazing how interconnected everything in the body is. I feel like the Z-Health exercises he taught me help you peel away layers of challenge in your system so you can become the best version of who you are inside. I left my first Z-Health session feeling clear-headed, happy, freer in my body, and much relieved of my chronic shoulder pain!”
-- M. Arnaud, Integrative Medicine
“I knew this was going to be different. Within a couple of hours of attending the Essentials of Elite Performance course with Mike Golden I was amazed how Mike was able to make difficult neurology principles easy to understand. This is what I had been looking for. Mike made complex neurological concepts come to life and usable in real world clinical practice. Not only could I understand the information better but finally had tools to use it in practice right away.
As a practicing Doctor of Chiropractic for 21 years I’ve taken countless post graduate classes for continuing education requirements and professional development. I’ve taken classes taught by very bright, knowledgeable functional neurology instructors, but usually came away from the classes impressed with the knowledge of the instructor but not having learned any real world useful information. Mike not only impressed me with his knowledge of neurology but I came away with drills and assessments I used with patients the very next day. The patients were just as impressed!
The unexpected bonus that blew me away, though, was the relief from my chronic low back condition. It’s the best I’ve felt in years!”
-- L. Lausch, D.C.
“I met Mike almost 4 years ago when I started taking martial arts classes. I have seen and heard many positive reactions from those who have utilized the Z-Health program with Mike. Knowing Mike as an awesome instructor, I was sure he must be a skilled practitioner, and I had been curious about what Z-Health could do for me. Today I experienced the immediate and impressive effects of this work for myself!
About a week ago I strained the muscles in and around my right arm, pec, and rotator cuff practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At the time I just shook it off, but in the days that followed I experienced significant limitation in the range of motion of my arm, accompanied by pain both at rest and during movement. I did stretches and let my arm rest, but still experienced pain. I mentioned to Mike the trouble I was having and literally 5 minutes later I was going through full range of motion with my arm with ease and felt no tightness and no pain! A few very simple exercises with my left leg, believe it or not, and voila… an instant difference and a notable one at that!
Mike did a short assessment, gave me the couple of movements to make with my leg, and when we saw results he even showed me how to assess myself and to continue performing the exercises at home on my own. The few minutes we spent working on this one sore spot of mine really, really made a difference. The technique is so simple, and the results were mind-boggling! Mike is obviously very knowledgeable in the application of the Z-Health method, and I can only imagine the benefits of participating his program more fully to improve overall strength, flexibility, and relieve pain.
I absolutely recommend seeing Mike for a Z-Health assessment to find out what it can do for you - it’s no exaggeration that the results are amazing!”
-- A. Lepsik, Massage Therapist
“I was very pleased with the impressive results that I achieved after working with Michael Golden. I had the unfortunate experience of being hit by a car while running, and sustained a PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) tear and fractured tibia in May of 2015. After high level treatment and a full course of traditional physical therapy, I was able to return to my usual activities, which included running, cycling, swimming, strength training, and playing with my active 6-year-old at the time. As an extremely motivated individual, I sought determinedly to improve my reaction time and agility. In September of 2015, I began the journey of martial arts training and met Mike.
I have been involved in the sport of triathlon for 15 years, and half marathon running for 12. Although I did complete 3 half marathons in 2016, I found that I was lacking full range of motion and full functioning in my left knee. I was uncertain as to whether this was bound by biomechanical factors that were beyond my control and training abilities, or if there was something that I could do to improve this functional barrier. I was determined to understand my limitations and to make any improvements that were possible.
I learned that Mike is a Z-Health practitioner, and I was interested in what the practice had to offer in general, and also how I might benefit personally. I scheduled a time to meet with him, to explore what possibilities existed. Mike performed a thorough evaluation, which included a neurological examination, visual skill and balance assessments, mobility and sensory evaluations, and an exploration of various drills to assess for improved function. He documented the visible outcome measurement of knee flexion both in a basic full squat and in a martial arts stance known as zee-yah-boo, using sequential photographs throughout the session. At the beginning of the session, I was able to bend (flex) to approximately 80 degrees. By the end, flexion was near full at 130 degrees. The best part was that the motion was not only pain free, but also lacked the fearful feeling that I had grown accustomed to and expected when moving in certain ranges.
Mike suggested a series of exercises and demonstrated them with me, and he also had me video him demonstrating the drills for my reference. I have been able to maintain the motion that was gained after the one session and continue to work on the drills that he suggested. I have noticed decreased pain and swelling, improved mobility and ability to practice in the martial arts, and a strong desire to continue to improve and persevere.
Mike has an extremely professional and thoughtful approach to his work. He created an environment in which outcomes were the focus and goal. His inspiring and sincere approach was genuine and empowering.
I was able to see and feel real measurable change and sustained improvement. I would recommend Mike and the Z-Health approach to anyone who wants to increase their performance and improve their functional ability.”
-- K. Myrick, DNP, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, APRN
“We have had wonderful feedback from our patients that have been referred over to Dr. Mann and Mike since our meetings. Patients and family members notice significant improvement and are very impressed with how thorough the evaluation and treatment process is.”
-- R. Durfee, DPT
Parents
“Mike has been an incredible teacher and role model for my son. He is my only son, so as you can imagine I am overprotective, but I will leave him and any issue he is having in Mike’s hands with all the confidence in the world. Mike is amazing with what he does (Z-Health).”
-- Luz C., parent
“I am beyond appreciative and amazed of the progress my son has made academically, functionally, and in every day play and life activities since he started 'exercising' with Mike. My mom flags had been up before kindergarten with Landon. I remember how his teacher thought it was interesting how Landon did so well with specific tasks, though would often miss the bigger picture. For example, he was learning the phonic sounds along with the class, but couldn’t identify the letter names or put the letter symbol with the sound. The teacher told me not to worry, he’d 'get it.' Then in first grade, he often had to stand still on the black top vs. participate in recess as punishment because he couldn’t sit still in class (the asinine idea of his teacher). That year he also started reading intervention because he was falling behind. His class participation reduced overall and again I was told, 'don’t worry, he’ll get it with these supports,' that 'it’s not uncommon for kids to fight their parents to do homework,' etc. Needless to say, Landon was not a fan of school, and he had little confidence in any academic skill.
Then we met Mike and were introduced to Z-Health, and Landon’s world changed.
In less than 4 months, with Mike’s expertise and guidance, Landon has moved out of reading intervention to a B+ reading student at grade level! He has started to choose chapter books, books that have paragraph information on a page! He earned the Most Improved award for his class because in addition to progressing well academically, he started to actively participate and raise his hand to answer questions as his confidence grew. Outside of academics, he recently earned a medal in karate (something he had been participating in for over two years). His playground accomplishments now include running the 50 meter dash without stopping because he was short of breath and crossing the monkey bars – important bragging rights in 2nd grade!
I went into this because I didn’t want my son to struggle with reading. I never knew that we would get so much more, that both Landon and I would learn so much more. There are no longer nightly arguments, throwing of pencils, self-defeating language at homework time. It just gets done.
I am most grateful, though, for his new-found confidence – that was something I never would have expected or even thought to hope for – but Landon immediately saw how he could move and focus all at the same time, how strong his body was (with the quick checks Mike did after each exercises), and how fast and accurate he could be. Mike has helped Landon transform from a frustrated, distracted, school-despising kid to a self-assured, positive, willing 3rd grader who is building an obstacle course to be on American Ninja Warrior!”
--Melissa B., parent
“Mike has a sharp, quick intellect, and he is a great teacher who Riyaz looks up to very much. I couldn’t ask for a better role model for my kid. All I can say is a huge thank you to Mike for being in my son’s life.”
--Joy K., parent
“Hi Mike,
I want to let you know that you’ve been a significant influence in my son’s life. You are an incredible role model for Reid, not only as a passionate martial arts instructor, but as a human being with high moral character. You consistently show him how to be a man through your humor, integrity and respect for all. You offer him opportunities to use his leadership qualities and he engages fully; you treat him with respect and he steps up to your expectations; you provide clear guidelines and consistent, calm attention……these are all signs of a great teacher and man! Each time Reid leaves your class, he’s standing a little taller, with shoulders squarer and head held higher. From my point of view, it’s as if he sees himself as you see him – a courageous person who is willing to take risks, be a leader and work hard to meet goals. It seems to me that as an adult, Reid will reflect on his time with you and recognize that you were one of those exceptional individuals who made an immense impact in his world. Words don’t adequately express what a tremendous difference your presence is making in Reid’s life.
THANK YOU!”
-- Helen O., parent
“My testimonial for Mike is twofold. First is for the work he has done with my son. Mike works with my son on neurological exercises to help improve his reading and ADHD/impulsivity symptoms. After just a few sessions with Mike, we saw great improvement in my son's reading and concentration, improvement in balance and reaction time. Mike is easy to work with and very patient. He also makes the sessions fun by tapping into my son's love of sports. Mike spoke of how problems with vision and inner ear issues can decrease athletic performance and endurance. As he spoke to my son, I thought that I should meet with him and talk about pain and performance issues that I was dealing with.
Second is my testimonial to working with Mike. I am a Certified Personal Trainer, as well as a Certified Barre Fitness Instructor. Working out and teaching/helping others are my passion. I had suffered injuries due to over training, incorrect movement patterns, and heavy stress load. I told Mike that my pain and pain management, which included several visits to different physical therapists, had taken over my fitness goals. The pain ranged from shoulder and hip issues, and began to spread into knee and ankle pain. After my first session with Mike, my hip and shoulder pain was gone. He showed me how to decrease the pain I was feeling by increasing joint mobility throughout my body. We also worked on eye and inner ear exercises. The exercises are not like anything I had done before. The moves seem simple, yet make a huge impact. Mike also knew I was interested in kickboxing and has made that part of our weekly training. He is very patient with me and an excellent instructor! Mike has helped me increase my strength, performance and endurance, which in turn has increased my ability to take on teaching more classes. I am so thankful that I am working with Mike!
--Gina M., parent
Nutrition
“For the past few years I've struggled with mental clarity as a result of prior concussions, lack of quality sleep, and apparently not eating the best foods for brain health. On most days my head would buzz constantly and thinking would exhaust me. It was as if I was thinking through mud. On days that I didn't do high intensity exercise prior to my work it was difficult for me to find words to complete sentences. This made my job challenging as I educate and train others on healthy living. Since I always want to live and perform at the highest level I tried everything that I could think of to remedy the situation.
Two years ago I decided to take a chance and go through the Z-Health training. I learned all kinds of drills to correct things that I just figured were permanent and not going to change. I felt better and had more energy from doing the drills, but my head would still buzz and I still couldn't think or problem solve as well as I wanted.
At a Z-Health training in Boston I met Mike Golden and asked him if he had any ideas to help me out. Mike sent me a detailed plan including links to research articles and dietary strategies to improve brain function. I was impressed with the detail and volume of information that he provided me from just my simple request. I had always eaten extremely healthy organic food, but was excluding key nutrients that I and main stream society believed to be bad or unhealthy. It was difficult initially to make this change as it was the opposite of what I believed to be true. As soon as I made the changes I noticed that my head wasn't buzzing and it wasn't such an effort to speak or think. In the past few months, my head has only buzzed once since I made the change and that was the day that I tried to go back to my old favorite for lunch.
Mike's guidance has provided me with a second chance. I now am confident that I can think and function at the same level I was at 20 years ago. This is exciting as I now believe that I can start my own business and apply Z-Health principles to help others live better lives. Mike is passionate about his work and, being a fighter, does not give up. If he doesn't know the answer he will ask others or research it. He's extremely knowledgeable, detail oriented, and can back up his methods scientifically. You couldn't ask for a better person to have in your corner to help you achieve your highest level of performance. Thank you Mike!”
--J. Roy, CPT
“Recognizing Mike's ability to research complex issues and explain those concepts in layman's terms, I approached him to coach me through nutrition on finding the energy to stay alert through very intensive seminars, improve my osteopenia diagnosis and to find relief from my menopausal hot flashes.
With a clear understanding of how I should metabolize foods and which foods provide the energy and nutrition I was lacking, I changed my eating habits to find an amazing discovery. Two weeks later after my one session with Mike I attended a very cerebral four day seminar and found I had the energy to stay focused each day all day. Within two months my hot flashes subsided. Five months later a follow-up bone density test revealed a normal bone density slightly on the low end just two years after being first diagnosed with osteopenia. By increasing my food intake, specifically protein, fats, caffeine, sugar, salt and minerals, I could see positive changes in my skin, hair and nails from the protein and fats. Because my ability to absorb calcium and magnesium improved, my elimination systems improved as well, reducing lifelong gas pains and irritable bowel syndrome like symptoms, which meant I was absorbing nutrients better.
The best part, though, is that I was able to improve my cycling time in a race I do annually without having done much training this year. I believe the added density and much needed weight gain along with improved energy gave me the power to perform so well. I asked Michael to help me with nutritional issues and he gave me so much more!”
--M. Frazetta, CPT, Athletic Coach
Athletes
“Once I started in Mike’s joint mobility sessions I saw instant results. As a former collegiate athlete and current powerlifter, my joints have definitely taken a beating over the years, but the Z-Health sessions helped me conquer the daily aches and pains that have come with the great amount of stress I put my body and joints through. The swelling in my joints has gone down and the pain has more or less vanished. I couldn’t have asked for a better method to helping relieve my chronic aches - I feel the difference when I’m walking around, running, lifting, and practicing martial arts. Thank you for everything Mike, I greatly appreciate it.”
--C. Thomas
“After completing my college football career, I began training Muay Thai and met Mike. When I first started, I had A LOT of problems with my body from all the punishment i had put it through, but Mike introduced me to his Z-health techniques, and it has completely changed the way I train, fight, exercise, and live. I am a personal trainer, so I have to use my body non-stop every day, and I came into training with Mike having extremely limited range of motion and strength with my left leg and lower back due to a herniated disk that occurred during my last 2 years of football. I had visited many physicians who could point out the weaknesses and irregularities with my back, but none of them were able to resolve how weak and inflexible I had become due to the disk and nerve damage. For the first time in 2 years of being tested by doctors, Mike finally CORRECTED what was wrong instead of just pointing it out. It was amazing how much more strength, flexibility, and speed I gained within minutes (even seconds) of Mike’s Z-Health techniques being applied to my body. My Muay Thai training and weight lifting have gone back to normal with full range of motion and increased strength! Mike’s training and knowledge is class A, and he has been a huge help to my athletic lifestyle.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
--M. Balkun
“I went to do some kettlebell training with Mike and ended up having an amazing education in the process. Mike tested my range of motion, strength, and mobility, and I was stunned at how limited they were. Mike had me perform some very simple exercises that corrected all of these things. The results were immediate. My range of motion and flexibility increased beyond belief, and when we repeated the strength tests, I was blown away at the increase in muscle strength. When we moved on to the kettlebells, Mike showed me how if I exercise using poor posture, or in any way that my brain felt unsafe, my body would shut down again and fail to perform at its best. I look forward to applying the things I learned with Mike, not just when working out, but in my daily activities as well. Thanks Mike!!”
--A. Neikrie
“I recently did a one-hour session with Mike focusing on re-developing my MCL, which I had sprained a few months ago. In one hour, Mike was not only able to get my knee feeling much better, but he also helped to strengthen other muscle groups that weren’t working properly.
The session was comprehensive and customized to how my body is currently functioning considering past injuries and issues. After the session, he emailed me a list of all the exercises we went through as well as some recommended footwear.
I would absolutely recommend seeing Mike for an evaluation even if you don’t have any current pain - I’m sure he will find something that is not working as it should, and he will fix it right away!”
--J. Deliberto
“I have had chronic pain in my knees and shoulders for years due to heavy lifting and athletics. I addressed these concerns in a private session with Mike, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. In 45 minutes, not only did my pain disappear, but my flexibility increased dramatically and my muscles were working in ways I never knew they could. While doing the drills daily in the weeks since the session, I have had much less pain and my overall performance in athletics and martial arts has increased. I am also attracting hordes of beautiful women. Z-Health is amazing!”
--R. Murphy
“Dear Mike,
I can honestly say when Dan and I joined the dojo, we didn’t think we’d be getting more than a few defense classes and shed a few pounds. Instead, we have been given so much more by you. You have physically cured what the best chiropractic and podiatry doctors in Connecticut could not. You gave Dan his range of motion back. He can touch the floor while standing, which was not possible before, and he has regained the motion in his neck. For me, you did what MRI’s, x-rays, two surgeries, removing the ball of my foot, and further medical treatment couldn’t do. I can run. I can climb stairs. I can do push-ups and wear high heels with little to no pain for the first time in 10 years! That is like giving me the world. There is no price for that. Just saying thank you doesn’t feel like enough. What you have done is unbelievable, surreal, and life-changing.”
--A. Ron
More
“After a shattered femur and resulting titanium hardware, pain and injuries steadily built in my body until I found the Z-Health system. My first session working with Z-Health trainer Mike Golden alleviated the post-accident lower back pain I had dealt with for years. Working with Mike, I consistently find instant results - decreased pain and increased performance. I recommend Mike and the Z-Health system to anyone looking for injury rehabilitation/injury prevention and enhanced athletic performance.”
--D. Firmin
“When I arrived at the dojo for my daughter’s class, I was barely able to function due to a severe migraine and nausea. I have had experience in the past with Mike helping me with joint pain, and after experiencing extremely fast and permanent results, I was praying he would be able to help me out tonight. Mike was more than willing to work with me, and after a few short minutes and instructions from Mike, I was on my way to feeling better, and by the time I arrived home, my migraine and nausea were completely gone. Mike, I am grateful to you for your knowledge and kindness. Thank you.”
--J. Mira
“Thanks so much - I really appreciate everything. After 10 years of pain and 3 1/2 years of doctors, you were the first one who understood what I was saying and really helped.”
--S. Beard
“I would totally recommend Mike to anyone. Give it a shot - it really works.”
--A. Akifov
“I have been to about 10 schools over the years, and I have to say Mike is the best teacher I have ever had.”
--V. Villano
“Jen and I have both benefited mightily from this class. Mike’s presentation style is excellent. He is quietly confident and a great teacher. For two middle-aged athletic persons…..our behavior patterns run deep. Yet, we’ve been able to make some adjustments and changes that have increased range of motion and performance markedly. Mike’s class improved our quality of life and general good health. Thanks for your efforts, Mike.”
--J. Hogan
“The great thing about the program is that you feel immediate results even though the exercises seem so easy.”
--K. Kalt
“Need to give a big thank you to Z-Health Performance Master Trainer Michael Golden for helping me improve my wrist extension and allowing me to perform my first two straddle handstand presses ever!”
--M. Scofield
