Skilled in Hands-on Adjusting, Activator and Network Spinal Analysis

I found chiropractic like so many other people…after trying everything else. From birth, I was faced with one health challenge after the next. I was born six weeks premature and had a long stay in an oxygen tent. After that my childhood was a long list of ailments i.e. allergies to just about everything, asthma, nasal polyps, hernias, appendicitis and some others I’m sure I’ve forgotten.

I grew up in Stratford where hockey is part of childhood. I loved playing but soon it became clear that I couldn’t breathe well on the ice. The asthma symptoms were triggered by the cold. I was wheezing, had to take frequent breaks and eventually was left behind. I can still picture how frustrated I felt watching my friends play as I sat on the bench and tried to breathe.

It was when I was introduced to a chiropractor at the age of ten that things began to turn around. I could breathe better, play sports and stop using my inhalers except for very occasionally.  I’ll never forget how I felt when my chiropractor finally explained why my body was acting the way it was. It made sense.

What he taught me and the hope it gave me is the driving force for my practice to this day. My practice is now centered on finding ways to ensure every patient heals and gets back to doing what they love… and finding ways to take them to new levels!

Healing from headaches and scoliosis pain

When I was in my early teens I found out I had scoliosis. I’d been complaining of pain and my Mom noticed that I looked a bit crooked. She took me to various specialists but the bottom line was that it wasn’t quite severe enough for surgery so I should learn to live with the pain.

Years later I was at Western on my way to medical school when I began to experience severe headaches that made it difficult to function, and almost impossible to study. Between my scoliosis and my headaches I was scared that I’d end up with a life limited by pain.

My MD wanted to give me pain killers for my headaches.  I wanted to know what caused the headaches so I could get rid of them, not cover them up. He said they were stress related and there was nothing else he could do for me.

I left his office confused and due to a friend (and desperation) made an appointment with a chiropractor. The chiropractor found that my headaches were coming from irritated nerves in my neck. I’d always had shoulder/neck tension but assumed it was my scoliosis. I began to get adjusted and to my amazement my headaches disappeared, along with other symptoms I thought I was going to have to live with forever. I was blown away.

That experience changed my career path. I applied to Chiropractic College, not Medical School… and the rest is history. I’d been worried that my life would be limited due to pain but instead, I have been able to enjoy the activities I love, and have even become an advanced pilates practitioner along the way.

I often reflect on how different my life would be if I’d just taken those drugs for my headaches. Instead I have the privilege of sharing the power of natural healing with my patients every day. To me it’s the gift that keeps on giving.