What first made you interested in scoliosis and chiropractic studies?
Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor. I was fortunate to have a few doctors in my family - My mom and a couple of uncles are Medical Doctors, and my uncle is a Chiropractor. I learned that how each profession saw the problem informed their approach, treatment, and outcomes. The holistic track, no doubt, resonated with me, more.
When I was 13 years old I volunteered at my uncle’s Chiropractic clinic. I loved that Chiropractors took their time getting to know the person in front of them leading to real open and honest doctor and patient relationships. I loved that Chiropractic treated the whole individual, not merely the symptoms of the dis-ease. I loved that Chiropractic, treated the root of the problem, without the use of drugs or surgery. I loved that Chiropractic stood by the patient from pain relief, to rehab, to strength training, and beyond to prevention, nutritional counseling, to living WELL. This holistic and personal approach to healing the bio-individual resonated with me and my values of what it means to be healthy.
Growing up I also loved to tinker with things. I liked taking things apart and seeing new ways to piece them back together to function better, easier, etc. I thank my dad for this love of problem solving and coming up with innovative ways to fix, design, create. My dad is an Engineer.
Scoliosis, a complex condition, for which no smart, safe, effective alternative to rigid bracing or invasive fusion surgery existed.
While at Chiropractic School, I attended a seminar for treating Scoliosis. Research pointed to no evidence that traditional chiropractic treatment (i.e. manipulation) can reduce or prevent scoliosis. It was clear that this problem had to be turned upside down. Doctors needed to ask different questions - why is this a condition more common in growing girls? What is the role of the brain to the developing spine? What environmental triggers are within the realm of our control that we can control to stop scoliosis progression? But, no one was asking these questions. So, in 2002, 5 years after founding Esprit Wellness, I started.
I began my journey by treating scoliosis with SpineCor brace. But, I knew, there had to be a better way. A comprehensive personalized scoliosis treatment that generated results you can see and feel…long term. I committed to see Scoliosis through the lease of various faculties and continued to develop my tools to treat scoliosis, without being wedded to ‘one’ modality or philosophy to fix all scoliosis. I took courses at the Carrick Institute to understand neurology, I studied Pettibon system, and CLEAR Institute.
My life’s work culminated in being an original founding member of ScoliSMART. ScoliSMART doctors are pioneers. We are open thought leaders, movers and shakers revolutionized the way we all SEE Scoliosis because this informs how we APPROACH (holistically) and TREAT (at the root) the scoliosis condition, the whole of YOU.
How many years of experience do you have in treating scoliosis?
I have been in practice since 1997 and dedicated to treating scoliosis since 2002.
What have you learned from treating patients with scoliosis?
Owning your health matters. Advocate for informed consent. All curves start off small.
Perspective matters and yields better results. Perspective helps us to understand situations from other positions, to consider other beliefs, experiences, and viewpoints. This affords me a holistic understanding of the bio-individual and his/her scoliosis condition and greater empathy. We invite prospective patients to Esprit Wellness, ScoliSMART NYC to visit and see how we see the whole of them and their scoliosis condition, as this informs how I approach the individual and treat the whole scoliosis condition and not just the curve.
Treating the root cause matters — ScoliSMART goes beyond the symptom to treat the root cause of the scoliosis condition to reduced scoliosis curve, stop progression and stabilize your spine, long term, without the need of rigid bracing and invasive surgery.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I really enjoy being able to educate families more about this condition and being able to offer a solution when they feel like after meeting with the surgeons that there are no other options besides surgery. I am so grateful that I was able to impact someone’s life that will last them a lifetime.
Are there certain type(s) of method(s) you use for treating patients with scoliosis?
- I am original founding member of ScoliSMART Approach
- Pioneers of Scoliosis ScoliSMART BootCamp
- Innovative ScoliSMART Activity Suit
- DNA & Neurotransmitter testing for Scoliosis
- Nutrient Therapy for Scoliosis
My background runs deep and broad.
My background treating scoliosis started with SpineCor bracing, to CLEAR, to ScoliSMART.
My training for scoliosis spans started with physical, to bio-mechanical, to neurologic, neurohormonal, to nutrition.
How do you keep with changing trends in medicine and healthcare?
I stay current by being a leader and active member:
- Active Release techniques
- Graston techniques
- Institute for functional medicine student
- Carrick institute student