INTEGRATIVE CHIROPRACTIC: Local Chiropractors Reflect Diverse Approaches to Health
Oct 15, 2018 02:02PM ● By Sam Smith
Dr. Amanda Williams, Positive Chiropractic, with infant patient
Most people who decide to visit a chiropractor are seeking treatment for an injury or structural concern. But chiropractors also correct the spinal column to enhance the healing of muscles, organs and the nervous system, and many now offer complementary therapies as well. They believe this integrative approach is the best way to restore good health in their patients.
The four practitioners below reflect the diverse chiropractic services available in Northwest Florida. These practitioners specialize in using alternative, science-based treatments to give their patients a better quality of life, naturally.
Bay Clinic of Chiropractic, Panama City
Author, chiropractic physician and clinical nutritionist Dr. Tony Salamay helps people with chronic pain and metabolic conditions by examining how their nervous, immune and metabolic systems function together. He specializes in difficult cases such as thyroid problems, fibromyalgia, vertigo and migraines.
“In chiropractic, we believe that a healthy nervous system is the cornerstone of true health, and from there, all else follows,” Salamay says. “However, due to the barrage of chemical and environmental toxicities over the last three decades, we are seeing a huge spawning of chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic pain and fatigue, headaches and autoimmune disorders.”
The traditional chiropractic focus of spinal manipulation isn’t enough to combat these modern epidemics, he says. “With the nervous system being continually challenged each day by these inflammatory factors that go beyond the mechanical misalignment of the spine, it’s harder for the adjustments to last. They’re just simply not holding like they used to.”
To address the root issue of poor health, he says, other factors must be addressed in conjunction with chiropractic adjustments. At Bay Clinic of Chiropractic, he uses laboratory testing to identify which physiological systems (e.g., neurological, immune, endocrine) are affected and how they interrelate. By incorporating complementary techniques such as chiropractic neurology, nutrition and functional medicine, he can restore his patients to good health.
In Line Chiropractic and Wellness Center, Gulf Breeze
In Line Chiropractic and Wellness Center, Gulf Breeze Dr. Amber Baughn Tucei says that with education and chiropractic care, the body is capable of reaching its highest potential.
“My goal has always been to make patients advocates for their own health, and I believe that the best way to do that is by keeping them informed about their choices for health care,” she says. “I like to make different options available for my patients.”
To that end, Tucei often recommends alternative solutions such as essential oils and CBD oil products, which she believes could help combat the opioid epidemic while providing effective relief for common problems like sleep issues, allergies and anxiety.
As a specialist in prenatal care, Tucei offers education on chiropractic care and alternative remedies that can help address the specific health needs of mothers and babies. She says prenatal chiropractic care can relieve sciatic and low-back pain and has been proven to help decrease labor time and pain by around 40 percent, and chiropractic can correct pediatric problems that occur as a result of childbirth.
“Labor is a very traumatic time not just for the mom, but also for the baby,” she says. “There is a lot of strain placed on the baby's neck and spine during delivery that can cause complications such as difficulty feeding and digestive issues, chronic ear infections and bed wetting.”
She notes that children respond well to chiropractic care, and so she educates parents on the benefits of getting their children seen at a young age.
Positive Chiropractic Solutions, Navarre
Positive Chiropractic Solutions, Navarre When Dr. Amanda Williams evaluates her patients, she uses her training from the Motion Palpation Institute, which emphasizes restoring proper motion in the spine and joints.
“We focus on finding joints that have a mobility problem and work to correct that problem, whether that means helping the joint move more with adjustments, or stabilizing a joint that moves too much with exercises,” she says.
Williams recently entered a diplomate program in pediatrics through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), which will allow her to cover all areas of family health, from conception to pregnancy to childhood.
“We strive to allow the body the very best ability to adapt to the environment and to the stressors we are subject to every day,” she says.
Through the ICPA, Williams received certification in the Webster Technique, which uses analysis and adjustments to reduce pelvic imbalance in pregnant women, ultimately creating safer and easier pregnancies.
theFIX Functional Therapy, Fort Walton Beach
theFIX Functional Therapy, Fort Walton Beach Dr. Sean Price, chiropractor at theFIX Functional Therapy, believes in supporting and restoring whole-body health through functional medicine, which facilitates natural healing.
“The team at theFIX takes a three-pronged approach,” he says. “We support the body by addressing the patient's nutritional/metabolic status, neurological or brain status, and structural status.”
Using laboratory testing, Price incorporates functional medicine and nutrition to correct imbalances in his patients’ metabolism. He also uses neurological and orthopedic evaluations to determine any neurological or brain-based dysfunctions and encourages brain stimulation to facilitate a “reconnect.”
He says he established his functional therapy program after noticing how many patients were depending on medication to give them relief from conditions like hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's disease, diabetes, adrenal fatigue and hormone imbalances.
“This three-pronged approach has proven very effective in helping patients recover from these chronic conditions and get their lives back,” he says.
By offering diverse techniques and treatments, these practitioners are real game changers in the field of chiropractic, which traditionally focused on spinal manipulation. They can create a unique treatment plan to address the specific needs of each patient, whether that is improved mobility, pain relief, natural alternatives to medication, or improved communications between various body systems to facilitate better health.
