What inspired you to become a chiropractor, and what continues to motivate you today?

I was studying both premed and business in undergrad and injured my neck pretty severely. No one could help. My summer boss recommended that I see his chiropractor. I didn’t even know what a chiropractor treated, but I went purely out of desperation. Needless to say, he quickly fixed the problem, and I eventually switched from wanting to be an ortho to a chiropractor. Today, running the largest franchise in the world that provides both chiropractic and rehab, what motivates me is the principle of leverage. Our clinics are helping people who are in pain and desperate finally get the help they need to live their lives as they wish to live them. We have over 22 million lives helped and growing by the day. That motivates me!

How would you describe your approach to helping patients live more comfortable, active lives?

This one is simple. We teach our doctors to use the most effective and cutting-edge rehab technology available. We do this with one goal in mind, which is to help our patients quickly become pain-free while improving their function to even better than pre-injury status. We specialize in treating complex spine and disc issues and routinely see more complicated injuries than most chiropractors. Today’s technology allows us to achieve a 99% patient satisfaction rating. I call that living more comfortably!

What are the most common concerns patients come to you with?

Patients come to our 138 clinics with complex spine and disc injuries that require the best technology available to get them back to living pain-free and functional.

What is one simple change most people could make today to feel better tomorrow?

Improving sleep quality is the first and most basic step to better health and longevity. If people wake up in more pain than when they went to bed, we need to address their sleep issues. This typically involves a dual approach involving an excellent mattress as well as fueling the body with the correct nutrients so each patient can build their sleep hormone production to the level needed for optimum sleep quality.

What are some signs that your body is asking for help before pain becomes a bigger issue?

The silent destroyer of physical health is a loss of range of motion and function in the body. It starts very slowly and creeps over time. Eventually, you notice you have trouble doing simple things appropriately, such as turning your head so you can back the car out of the driveway.

How important is sleep when it comes to recovery, mobility, and overall health?

Sleep quality is the #1 pillar of health, longevity, and recovery. It must be addressed for complete healing. Sadly, most doctors have exactly zero education or knowledge of how to truly improve sleep quality, other than telling someone to go to bed and get up at the same time, 7 days a week. It’s far more complex than that.

What role does sleep play in how the body heals and recharges?

Sleep is when our body produces and pulses human growth hormone, the critical ingredient in all healing. Poor sleep quality reduces valuable deep sleep minutes, which normally occur during the first 4 hours of sleep. Deep sleep minutes are one of the first things to decrease when sleep quality isn’t up to par. This must be fixed for proper healing to occur. 

Why is comfort so personal, and why don’t the same solutions work for everyone?

Everyone is different and possesses different physical characteristics. These differences lend themselves to creating variety in comfort while sleeping. The only real taboo is sleeping on your stomach. That needs to be avoided at all costs.

How do you help patients find solutions that fit their individual needs rather than following generic advice?

Asking good questions leads to getting the information needed to address everyone’s comfort solution. Generic advice is rarely extremely helpful to people in need of improved comfort. So, we need to be truly present, ask solid questions, and then provide tailored advice. To provide anything less than that is, in my humble opinion, providing substandard care.

What is one piece of advice you find yourself giving almost every patient?

Sleep quality is the #1 predictor of how well a person will heal, and it must be addressed with a comprehensive solution. Thus, we educate our doctors to be well-versed in providing sleep quality instruction that is sufficient to help our patients sleep better and ultimately heal better.