Professional Information

 

My journey to Chiropractic has been an unconventional one. There’s a saying we have in Chiropractic that is a bit cliche, but when I say it, I know its true. "I didn’t choose chiropractic, it chose me.”

 

In 2014, I was in undergrad, as a double major in Speech Language Pathology and Asian Studies. I had competed for awards through my college and the federal government. I was on my way to study at the University of Peking in China. In preparation to travel abroad, I had a series of vaccinations which lead to an injury. Shortly after the injury, I experienced stabbing pain in my feet, burning pain all over my body and eventually wound up bound to a wheelchair for over 7 months. While being passed from one doctor to the next, my health was declining rapidly and the pain intensity increased. Quickly, I found myself powerless over what was going on with my own body. I ended up on an enormous amount of pain killers and a myriad of medications.

 

A family friend had told my mother about Dr. Jennifer Padrta, a Chiropractor in the San Juan Capistrano area of Southern California, who might be able to help. The day I was rolled into her office, is when my journey of healing began. Pain and suffering is an invitation for change. When people get injured as severely as I was, it is not a one and done treatment back to health. It’s a journey back with some big wins and many little wins along the way.

 

Seeing how bad I was, Dr. Jen selflessly, took it upon herself to help me. Over the course of 30 days, I started to exercise everyday in our hot tub, kicking my legs in the water to get my strength back. I detoxed myself off all my pain medications. Dr. Jen adjusted me every single morning for 30 days and put me on a regiment of supplements to help support my body.

 

After not being able to walk for over 7 months, on the TWENTY FIRST DAY of being adjusted I got up out of my wheelchair and walked into her office. That was my first big win and an amazing Chiropractic moment. I was now up and able to move again, but the pain did not completely resolve. I was still struggling to stand longer than 10 minutes and I would get flashes of pain every day. For over a year, my health had plateaued, I continued my regiment and Dr. Jen was traveling with her family and was only back in town once a month, but I continued to be adjusted.

 

Still in pain, I sought answers with lab testing and wondering why the injury had occurred. I lost all of my academic scholarships one by one and had no purpose in life.  At the end of that year, I had finally gotten an answer to what was going on with my body. The vaccines had triggered an autoimmune condition called Mastocytosis. I found myself looking at living with a debilitating disease for the rest of my life. I quite my job, ended my lease on my apartment and prepared to live with my family the rest of my life. I even had a referral to see the only specialist in the country who has a practice in Virginia, where he treats people with this condition.

 

However, Dr. Jen saw something in me I couldn’t see for myself. That entire year she encouraged me to go to chiropractic school. I would tell her, “How am I supposed to be a Chiropractor? I can’t even stand for longer then 10 minutes?” She repeatedly told me that my body had the ability to heal itself and never once gave up on pushing me to keep fighting.

 

After much mental anguish one day I woke up with hope in my heart and a desire to keep fighting and booked a flight up to Life Chiropractic College West for a champions week to see the college. My feet hurt so bad I never made it to the classrooms or outside of the auditorium. I did make it the table with the staff from registrar and within an hour my transcripts were matriculated into the curriculum, and I had a letter of acceptance in my had to start in the summer of 2017.

 

I went home after the weekend was over, canceled my appointment in Virginia and told my family I wasn’t going and that I was going to Chiropractic school instead. They all thought I was crazy and told me not to go. Without their approval, I packed my car as full as I could and 6 weeks later drove up Northern California not knowing a single person or where I was going to live. Fate would have it that I found a place to live at the first place I went to look at with a great family.

 

Out of survival and determined to find a way to heal myself I was now in chiropractic school struggling with my memory, struggling to walk from class to class and talking with any practitioner on campus that was willing to listen to my story and help me. I must have talked with 15 doctors who had all turned me away and didn’t think they could help me.

 

I finally found a home in the office of Dr. Liz Dobbins in Oakland, a Network Spinal practitioner. I didn’t understand the technique at the time, it was so different then the care I was used to receiving, but I was willing to try anything at that point whether I understood it or not. Dr. Liz didn’t hesitate for a second to help me. She welcomed me into office with open arms and I began the next phase of my healing journey. I like to tell people that I was drowning and needed help, so Dr. Jen jumped in grabbed me and pulled me to shore and Dr. Liz hit me with the defibrillator and brought me back to life.

 

Within the first 6 weeks my body went through some of the most intense restructuring and healing I had ever experienced, and I went from struggling to walk from class to class to running 6 miles on the treadmill. That was my next big win and Chiropractic moment. I was on my way to getting my life back. I had regained faith in my body again and over the course of 4 years in school I did many parasite and heavy metal flushes, got many different forms of care such as Bio Geometric Integration and acupuncture which were instrumental in my recovery, and I pushed until my pain completely resolved.

 

I am now a Doctor of Chiropractic. Through my own healing journey, I became a practitioner in one of the greatest professions on the planet. I had many good people come to my aid and help support me along the way. I hope now I can pay forward some of that love and care that I got when I needed it the most and if my story, or my experience can help save one person from going through what I went through it will have all been worth me.

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Education

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Doctor of Chiropractic, Life Chiropractic College West

Licensed Chiropractic Physician - Tennessee (temporary)

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Techniques / Certificates

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BioGeometric Integration (BGI)

Network Spinal Analysis

Extremity Adjusting

Diversified

Integrated Drop Table

Activator

Sacro Occipital Technique

Pettibon Myofascial Release

*Currently Enrolled in Standard Process Nutrition Certification Program

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Professional Affiliations

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National Board of Chiropractic Examiners: Part I, II, III, IV (in progress)

 

 

Post-Doctorate Education

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The Nutritional Exam with Jay Robbins, DC, DACBN, CCN 

Morphogenic Field Technique (MFT) with Frank Springob, DC 

BioGeometric Integration Levels 1-3

BGI Osseous with Eric Ruben, DC and Elizabeth Welch, DC

The Tao of Chiropractic with Eric Ruben, DC   

Multidimensional Osseous Adjusting with Katina Manning, DC and Lauren Koedyk, DC

Network Spinal Levels 1-3 Certification

Full Spine Diversified Adjusting with Eric Ruben, DC, Elizabeth Welch, DC and Che Park, DC

Upper & Lower Extremity Adjusting with Kevin Hearson, DC, CCEP and Mark Charrette, DC

Private Gonstead Lessons with David Currie, DC 

Neuro Emotional Technique with James Wong, DC

Applied Kinesiology with James Wong, DC

 

 

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