Chiropractic
Chiropractic care is a natural, hands-on approach that focuses on improving the alignment and function of the body so you can move better, feel better, and address the underlying factors contributing to pain and dysfunction.
I developed the Pulley Method: a holistic whole body approach where I adjust you from your head down to your toes, including your fingers and wrists. My goal is to correct your whole body posture to help you function and feel your best.
Your body is basically an organic car. As you drive, you hit the "pot holes of life" - accidents, injuries, overuse challenges, etc. - that cause your car (body) to go out of alignment. You bring your car (body) to the mechanic (chiropractor) so they can fix the alignment.
Additionally, I only adjust what needs to be adjusted that day - which means you are a lot less likely to be sore after each adjustment because I'm only helping your body heal what it is ready to work on. I also use the minimal amount of pressure needed to adjust, so it is very safe for infants, children, and those who are more sensitive (like people with EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) who have ligament laxity and are prone to dislocations).
So if you have ever been to a chiropractor and felt that they were "too rough," my style will probably work great for you!
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles to manipulate the body's qi (pronounced "chi") or energy. The goal is to get your body's qi back into balance. Imbalances of qi are what cause health challenges and symptoms.
One of the reasons I love acupuncture is because it inherently takes a whole body approach rather than an isolated systems approach like traditional or Western medicine (aka, if your eye hurts, go to the eye doctor; if you food hurts, go to the foot doctor, etc.). Once you realize just how interconnected everything is, it makes sense how 1 problem can escalate into several problems over time - and why an isolated approach like "just take this pill" typically doesn't work for people.
Check out our YouTube channel to see some cool videos explaining different conditions and how we view them from an acupuncture point of view!
So if you have been struggling to get to the root cause of your health challenges and need a fresh set of eyes, you can email me to set up a consultation with me today!
Nutrition
Nutrition has been one of my passions since I was young. My best friend in middle school was the one who introduced me to the idea that certain ingredients could be harmful to our health. It was the very early days of the internet (dial up and Napster, before Facebook was invented!), so it took us a while, but we compiled a list of unhealthy and harmful ingredients, which I printed and carried with me when I went shopping.
I started with the beauty products that I already had. I went around my bathroom with a sharpie and put a black dot on each and every suspect ingredient on every product I had. I was stunned to find out that I did not have a single thing that was free of harmful additives!
So I started by changing my hair care routine. Instead of using shampoo with SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate, it dries out and damages your skin and hair) and conditioner with dimethicone (a sealant that you need to combat the dry damage from the shampoo, but it seals your skin so it basically cannot breathe), I switched to the "No 'Poo" method. "No 'Poo" meant using baking soda with a little water to wash your hair (it combines with your oils to create a natural "soap"), then rinsed with ACV (apple cider vinegar) diluted with water and a touch of lavender as my conditioner.
After doing the No 'Poo method for a few months, my hair was no longer greasy or flakey and I went all in. It was hard because at that time, this awareness of harmful additives was not widespread, so options for self-care products were limited.
Then when I got to chiropractic and acupuncture school, I started learning more about nutrition, specifically whole food nutrition and I loved it. It made so much sense to me that eating real food and taking supplements made from whole foods worked better than taking synthetics or nutraceuticals. If you need vitamin A, eat a carrot or take a supplement with carrots in it. Duh!
I also realized that I was lactose intolerant, which was the root cause of many of my issues when I was younger, such as very heavy periods with PMS, eczema, acne, and constipation. (We had the "Got Milk?!" Propaganda at that time.) These issues cleared up when I got to college because I did not like the milk there, so I switched to Mountain Dew (). It turns out, when you are lactose intolerant and drinking 2 gallons of chocolate milk a week with a ton of cheese, that when you stop, even if you add in 1 can of Mountain Dew a day, you can lose 20lbs!
However, I thought it was because I was eating better at school (I really wasn't) or away from my parents house (my mom smoked inside).
It wasn't until I did the 21 Day Purification Program from Standard Process at chiropractic school that I realized it was the lactose. I did the cleanse because "everyone else was doing it," and I vowed to do it right because it was expensive for a college kid. And I did - I followed all of the directions and I felt great!
So great in fact, that I deserved a latte for being so good! Once I drank the latte, I was immediately nauseous and bloated. The next day I broke out in acne along my Stomach channel on my face. It finally clicked - dairy! Now I only get my eczema if I consume too much dairy, so I have a great feedback mechanism.
This experience is one of the reasons I am so passionate about nutrition and fixing your diet. It can be something you've been eating forever, like dairy, or something small that can cause you long-lasting issues that can be cleared up with different choices.
It also turns out that poor nutrition, which leads to inflammation, is the root cause of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune conditions. Once you get the inflammation under control, your body has a chance to heal.
We typically recommend Paleo because it is one of the best anti-inflammatory diets around (no grains, no beans, no dairy, no processed foods) (check out our YouTube channel for video explanations!). But when you work with us, we are committed to finding out what foods you need and which ones you need to avoid to optimize your health.
Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel for awesome (free) advice!