Frank’s healing mission

He is not a doctor, but a practising nutritionist, and believes he holds the key not only to heal millions of people, but also to zap away beer bellies and the niggling fat around the waistline in minutes.

It was while on vacation in our twin isle republic a few years ago that Frank, 27, caught sight of a newspaper report, which revealed that an average 30 per cent of people in Trinidad lived under the poverty level.

"I thought maybe I could set up a centre here like back home in Suriname that could treat people of their sicknesses for free," said Frank.

He did just that! Since the inception of his non-profit organisation, the Romano Foundation in July, 2003, Frank (general manager) has treated over 8,000 clients for various sicknesses through several progammes including nutrition, weight loss and acupuncture therapy.

A year later, with the introduction of the painless, needle-free digital acupuncture treatment some 3,500 persons have passed through the doors of the Romano Foundation. And the majority of that figure sought treatment to get rid of fat around the waistline. The Foundation, named after Frank’s younger brother Romano, was founded in Suriname in 1993 by his mother Jean Alam-Tull.

(Digital acupuncture is the newest acupuncture technology from the Shanghai Medical University in China. It is an ISO 9002 certified device that has proven to be just as relaxing and effective as the traditional treatment. Digital acupuncture is also used to eliminate pain and other diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, menstrual pain, migraine and impotence to name a few.)

The success of the digital acupuncture treatment had caught on locally! Waistlines had dwindled by the inches and clients had lost fat in areas of their stomach that had had permanent bulges for years. The treatment is simple and is designed for persons who wish to undergo acupuncture therapy preferably without the use of needles.

"It is an alternative to the traditional Chinese method of acupuncture using needles. Acupuncture is more like a nerve treatment. What we do now, works, not 50 per cent but 90 per cent. It is under health regulations and it is based on the individual’s choice to use it or not," said the Dutchman.

At his Woodbrook centre, the client is made to lie on a reclining chair and then connected to a feather weight device the size of a scientific calculator called an electro acupuncture apparatus. This apparatus is also connected to a broad waistbelt and small square patches which are placed on the acupuncture points for treatment. Frank was clear in saying that the treatment does not make you lose weight but gets rid of the fat.

"The belly area has the largest concentration of fat because it does not get that much work as other body parts. If you sit at a desk you move your arms and legs but the belly doesn’t get a workout and so the belly gets the biggest.

"Electrodes from the device target the nerves and the contents of the active fat cells dissolve in the blood. The fat creates energy and is distributed throughout the body in the same way as glucose."

Up to five inches of fat disappear in one 60-minute session. Sessions can be repeated at the request of the client, who at the same time may choose to derive greater benefit by pairing the digital acupuncture treatment with the weight-loss programme.

He said there were chances of losing no fat at all if the person was older. "The treatment is connected to the age of the person. The older the person, the longer he has a concentration of fat in the area of the stomach, and more inactive fat cells build up in that area.

"The structure of the belly is another factor. If the belly is big and soft and the person is young, the belly drops the fat easier. For persons 45-48 years and upwards, the reduction of fat takes a longer time and in those instances we recommend they do more treatments or buy the device."

One digital acupuncture session costs $300 and the apparatus, $1,300.

Frank said he was not interested in medicine "which is costly" but in curing people. He added: "I was asked what I had to gain in coming to Trinidad and if I thought I was some angel. My motivation is to help people. I’m a religious person. I believe in giving to receive, but I don’t look at the receipts."