Why Did I Choose Chiropractic School?

I was an incredibly sickly child. My father recounts that I came out of the womb like that. I had constant, chronic bowel issues amid a myriad of other issues. My mother used to put caster oil in my juice drinks in kindergarten because I was constipated all the time. Nothing worked. I missed so many days of school in the fifth grade that I had to repeat it. By the time I was sixteen I had to be placed into in-treatment. I remained there for over five years. I was on a cocktail of medication. My parents had the funds to give me what they believed was "the best care available". At twenty-one, I could barely function. One day I woke up with severe vertigo. At this time of my life I was newly married, working a full-time job, just bought a house and could not afford to be so ill. The doctors had zero answers for me, but I had to figure out an answer. I had to get back to work -- in my line of work there was no such thing as a "paid sick week". The ER doctor gave me a shot and told me to go home. My General Physician started to prescribe me pills. I was already on a mess of other medications, I just didn't want to add this to the mix. But, I could hardly walk.

I had been a massage therapist since I was eighteen years old; therefore, I was keenly aware that Chiropractic existed. Quite honestly, I didn't know how they could help me -- due to the fact that I had vertigo not back pain. However, I decided to call one up in my local area as they had good reviews online. From the moment I walked in I noticed there was something different about this place. There was something different about this doctor too, he spent time with me. For nearly an hour, he talked with me, adjusted me and finally did a bit of the epley's maneuver. From that first appointment on, I got better. After a few appointments, I could walk. I went back to work. I already had a failing faith in the current medical paradigm and this event forced a belief that my body could heal without drugs, medicine or surgery. I was in awe. Because of this newly founded belief I changed my diet and lifestyle to fit these principles. I removed the interference of junk food, processed meat and dairy. I subscribed to a plant-based diet. And it changed my life. My health dramatically improved. I felt like a new person. I continued getting chiropractic adjustments and began to experience overwhelming health outcomes. I was so happy again. I felt like my life had been given back to me.

Being an advocate of plants, plant-medicine and a plant-based diet most people expected me to go into Naturopathy to become a Naturopathic Doctor. And to be honest, when I first began my career as an undergraduate student, I thought this was the best plan of action forward as well. I loved plants, right? That was my initial logic. When I dug deeper I realized that my love for plants was only a symptom of my changed belief systems on how the body heals. I used plants as a tool. Yes, changing my lifestyle to whole-food, plant based altered my life and gave me health I never imagined. However, it was a chiropractor that gave me faith in my body again. I knew it wasn't the diet, or the herbs that healed me. It was my body, and I knew that! And because of the memory of meeting the body's innate wisdom with my educated mind for the first time, I had to follow a career that emulated my budding philosophy. Simply put, Chiropractor was the sole career path for me. I am not here to heal back pain, or neck pain. I am in Chiropractic College for their founding philosophy of health and every day that I am at Sherman College the belief that I made the correct decision is reinforced -- over and over again. I am happiest when I am learning new things. I am happiest when I find out a new gem about how the body functions with innate wisdom and a level of genius that defies the educated mind. That's why I love reading non-fiction books specifically about health and wellness. It makes me gleam with joy when I hear my professors speaking in the same language of health. I am truly happy that I chose chiropractic, as there is no other profession that works so closely with the ancient wisdom of the body.