Dr. Sheena's Chiropractic story: Medicine failed where a Chiropractor won!

I shouldn't say a "chiropractor won", really.  What I should say is that my body's natural ability to be healthy won.  He would even agree with that amendment.  He's a good guy, on top of a skilled chiropractor--but he really was just a "means to an end," just as I am.

People often ask "Dr. Sheena, why do you do what you do?"  Sometimes I just tell people why I do what I do because it's exciting to me.  It is an honest testament to what is possible with natural health care.  I like to let people know so they have hope, but I also love to remind myself that I still have a lot of people to reach.

So, here is a simplified version of my story.

I was about 23 years old.  I was in my final semester of undergraduate study at the University of Pittsburgh.  I was paying for my college life with a few grants, a couple non-conventional part time jobs, and a huge amount of student loans.  I did my best to stay away, and detached, from my family, at that point.  I had been very hard on my body as a teenager and young adult, emotionally, physically, and chemically.  Other people had been hard on my body, emotionally, physically, and chemically, my entire life.  Sometimes I knew I was damaging myself, sometimes I didn't.  Sometimes other's knew they were hurting me, sometimes they didn't.  Sometimes I knew others were injuring me, sometimes I didn't.  Regardless of the big and small damages done to my wellbeing over time, I hit a breaking point in my early 20's that changed my life, and its course, entirely.

It started with some back and neck pain.  When it got to a point where the discomfort was too uncomfortable, I did what I had always done, and what had been the only thing my family had ever done--I went to my Medical doctor.  I told her that I was having neck and back pain.  She prescribed me some pain relievers and muscle relaxers.  I had the prescription filled and used the drugs that my family medical physician offered as a solution for said health complaint, just as I had every other time I had a health complaint for which she exclusively suggested medications.  I felt better after a few days, and went about life as usual.

A couple weeks later, the back and neck pain returned.  This time, though, it felt more severe.  The ache was deeper and I had a really hard time moving or doing anything I needed to do.  I headed back to my MD, and told her what I was experiencing.  She said she could offer more of the same prescriptions.  When I asked what was wrong with me, she said I probably had pulled muscles, and the only thing she could do is give me pain relievers and muscle relaxers.  When I asked if the pulled muscles would get better, she said probably.  So, off I went, refilled the pills, and took the pills, and I got better….mostly anyway.  I still didn't feel like my "pulled muscles" healed this time.  I still had sharp "catches" when I moved certain ways, but I could function better.  So, I went back to doing as I had been doing, just feeling not-so-symptom free.

Then, one day, I woke up and tried to move in my bed.  It was a class day.  I had a bus to catch, to catch another bus, so I could walk all over campus to sit in class and write research papers all day.  But, the thing is, I couldn't move.  Rather, when I just tried to move any part of my body or head to get out of bed, sharp shooting pain went down my neck and spine, down my arms, and down my legs.  The pain was so severe that I would have to not move to not feel it.  I was terrified.

I called out for my boyfriend at the time, who was in the bathroom, that I couldn't move, and that I had excruciating pain.  I don't think he really believed me at first, but the tears and the screaming soon let him know it was no joke.  I said, "I have to get to class.  This can't happen."  I suggested he help me up and out of bed, and maybe I could feel better and move around like that.  When he tried, and I tried again, all I could do was scream, and I just had to lie there in bed some more.

Neither of us could figure out what to do.  I said I'd have to get to the the doctor's office if I were to get more pills.  I said I can't make it, and even if I did, what could she do for me?  We talked about calling an ambulance, and going to the hospital.  Then, out of the far corner of my mind, "chiropractor" came up.  I have no idea how, or why, really, because no one in my family ever went to one or talked about it as a reasonable option for anything.  The only time anyone talked about it was my mother, who at one time in passing, talked about one of her aunts who "went to the chiropractor for everything."  She told me that if someone had the hiccups, or a cold, her aunt would say "go to the chiropractor!"  That certainly wasn't why, as I lay in bed unable to move without devastating pain, I considered a chiropractor.  I had never even met this distant great-aunt who had passed away years before I was born.  I can only guess that I heard somewhere at sometime in my life that people go to chiropractors when they have back pain.  I really don't know, but I asked out loud, "could a chiropractor maybe help me?"  Maybe, he said.  So I lay there, and decided that I would wait, rest, and keep trying to sit up, so I could use a phone book and a phone, eventually.

Eventually, I could do just that.  Really…just that.  I leafed through the Yellow Pages and called the first Chiropractor I found that seemed close-ish.  He was in the next town over, maybe a 10 minute drive away.  I was panicked and crying a little when I made the call.  The receptionist answered and I barfed my situation in her ear and she calmly reassured me that she was sure the chiropractor at her office could help.  We didn't bother to set appointments; we just agreed that I would try to get there that day, as soon as I could.

The phone call itself didn't change anything besides give me hope.  Since I couldn't get up and walk, my boyfriend was relegated to picking me up, carrying me down the stairs of our apartment building, and into the car.  He drove me to the office, carried me out of the car, into the elevator, and down the hall into the chiropractor's office.  Even that was painful, but I couldn't have made it without him, and I am glad he was strong enough, and willing, to do that.  I'm still grateful for that gesture, even though we have long since parted ways.

I think there was paper work when we got there, and there were x-rays…but most of that is a blur.  I remember the chiropractor saying "just give me a little time, and we'll see what we can do."  So I sat in the waiting room, in pain, but with unfounded faith that this guy just may help me.  He didn't take long, really.  He came out and showed me my x-rays.  I didn't know much back then about spines, but he showed me a part of my spine that was leaning way far off from the rest of it, and said that was my main problem, and that he could help.  HE COULD HELP.

Amazingly, he said he could do something that same day to help my problem.  That, I know now, is not always the case with patients.  I was so thrilled to have someone say "THIS is what's wrong" and "THIS is what we are going to do to fix it," I couldn't wait to have my misalignments adjusted.  And that he did.  As I tell all my patients:  I was carried into his office, and I walked out.  As if that were not amazing enough, when I followed his recommendations and followed his protocol (regular adjustment visits with particular exercises at home), I could feel my spine healing.  As if that were not incredible enough, over the weeks and months that I continued my care, I noticed that my asthma and allergies got better.  My sinuses cleared up, and I was sleeping better.  I had more energy, my menstrual periods normalized, I had an elevated mood, and I was losing weight.  All I did was show up for 10 minutes at the chiropractor's for a quick evaluation and adjustments, and go home and do simple work-outs, and all this could happen?

I, on an innocent whim, asked Dr. Brent one day "Hey, you know, I feel like my asthma isn't as bad as it used to be, and I just can think more clearly than before, is it possible that the chiropractic can be connected to that?"  "Of course!"  he said, "when your spine is lined up and moving right, everything works better."

And that, my friends, is it.  I had to do this.  I had to give this to others, because heaven knows Medicine did nothing for ANY of those issues that I had, besides the drugs, that gave no lasting results. In most cases, the results I did get from drugs were with their own haze, or side effects.  I had spent my childhood as "the sick kid," always with strep throat, at home taking antibiotics, who can't run or play outside because of her asthma.  Then I was the teen with depression and abnormally heavy and odd-timed periods, who needed more meds.  I had shots, pills, syrups, and inhalers…but finally, a solution came my way after decades, where the side effect was simply a spine aligned allowing for better brain-body communication.  Back to school I went.  I got my prerequisites, enrolled in grad school on the other side of the country, and there was no turning back.  I couldn't "unfeel" this amazing change in my life.  By the time I was in chiropractic school, mind you, I was lean, fit, running and biking all over the Bay Area.  The only pharmaceutical I ever used was an albuterol inhaler rarely (in fact, it lasted me 5 years, that's how little I used it).

So, here I am, giving it back to a world who is over medicated and underserved.  I don't think that my spinal misalignments were the root cause to all my ailments as a baby, child, or young adult (I have less than optimal genetics, a dysfunctional childhood upbringing, Medically-implemented pharmaceutical injuries, and a prior history of eating poorly, to largely thank, too), but I do know that when I am diligent with my chiropractic care, I feel vibrant, able to meet life's challenges, and excited to do more, and be more.  It's become so much more than pain regulation.  It's about being at my best.  For my patients, too, I always try to help them be at their best.  Some of them just want to "not hurt".  Some want to be fine-tuned machines.  Either way, I do what I do because Chiropractic saves lives.  It certainly saved mine.  I don't think I'd be here today writing anything like this if I would not have been "blessed" with the debilitating pain I had over 10 years ago, and had some sense to drag myself into the unknown to try something different.

Insanity, they say, is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.  I hope people will one by one keep saying "No!" to the insanity, realize that life can be SO MUCH MORE, and then give a chiropractor a call.  It doesn't have to be me, but wise up and do something crazy this time!

Yours in Health and Harmony,
Dr. Sheena Boyd, BA, DC

Call Dr. Sheena today 208.557.3640

Drugs are Medicine's most common answer for seizures. Have you considered the health of your spine, or Chiropractic?

My name is Mr. J.B., I am a business owner in the Colfax/Weimar area.  I am also a yogi and physically active in many ways, enjoying all sorts of hobbies and intensive sports.  I consider myself a "Renaissance man."

With all the living I do and have done, physical traumas have definitely occurred.  I've been in several accidents, including dirt bike, skateboard, and one really terrible car accident when I was a teenager.  I was thrown from a car and still carry the scars.

Early this year I began receiving care at Kind & Gentle Chiropractic.   For the two years prior, my health status was sporadic, and for a year I was having seizures at first every 3 months, then monthly.  I tried many other things before coming to Dr. Sheena (including acupuncture and herbs), but nothing was giving any lasting help with my problems.

Dr. Sheena ended up finding a grossly out of place C3 vertebra that was pinching my spinal cord.  She's worked on that, and other areas of my spine requiring fine tuning.  I haven't had a seizure in 8 months.

I come every other week to her office now for wellness care.  When I leave, I feel more open and free in my body, and I can literally feel better alignment in my neck than maybe ever before.    I've also noticed that I don't feel the same stress and anxiety in my everyday life that I once did.

I'm excited to be back to my old self.

--age 39

Call Dr. Sheena today 530.263.8460
www.kindgentlechiropractic.com

Medical doctors said "allergies", and gave her medications that didn't help. Then she tried Chiropractic.

I've had sinus issues for some time now.  I went to a number of doctors that wouldn't address the issues.  I was going crazy over the congestion in my ears and face, but they just kept saying to take the drugs.  That didn't work and they didn't have any other answers for me, even after the scans and tests.  I had trouble sleeping, sinus issues, headaches, and tingling in my hands and legs.

Dr. Sheena listened to me and truly cared.  She is so helpful and encouraging.  She is not just a chiropractor, but a wellness coach.  After she took me in as a patient, I still have some bad days, but my headaches and sinus issues are a lot better.  I am able to sleep better and I have less tingling!

--Ms.  B.O
28 years old
Penryn, CA

Call Dr. Sheena today 530.263.8460
www.kindgentlechiropractic.com

A chiropractor gets chiropractic care with Dr. Sheena…the ultimate test!

I've played hard during my life!  My most memorable impact was at age 26.  I fell hard off my horse, landing on my neck and upper back, with my legs following.  The force reversed the curve in my neck, and compressed 2 vertebrae 25% in my mid to lower back.  Ouch!

Over the years, I received good care in massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, and self-care.  My lower neck remained stiffer and tighter, as did my lower back, especially with physical exertion or emotional life stress.

Dr. Sheena's work is truly gentle yet very specific and deeply felt.  I had greater ease after the first session.  Amazing to me!  After several months of treatment, my neck regained its full motion without the stiffness.  My whole back feels resilient and just happier.

After living with 37 years of tightness and ache, and considering this as "my normal," I am THRILLED with the "new me."  I feel younger and am grateful.  Yahoo!

--Ms. C.S.
age 63
Applegate, CA

Call Dr. Sheena today 530.263.8460
www.kindgentlechiropractic.com

Forced to leave career on disability over 15 years ago, now she shovels in the garden without numbness in her legs!

I'm a 57 year old female who sustained permanent nerve damage from a work-related trauma to my ankle/heel that required reconstructive surgery, but none the less the injury greatly limited what I was able to do afterward.  I had chronic pain in the areas where the tendons were shredded and pulled apart, and the nerves were severed for so long, and so severely, that the pain absolutely limited my activities, career, and lifestyle choices.

Over time, I just couldn't move my body to get exercise, or even work.  I put on weight, too.  All of these things led to my body slowly deteriorating in other places, in other ways.  I went for all sorts of medical treatments, and even chiropractic care for when my neck and back pain became excruciating.  I was told I had degeneration in my neck and back spinal regions.  I went for 12 years of treatment thinking that this was only as good as it could get, and my limitations increased and I had less and less energy.

I had numbness come on in both of my thighs at some point in years past, and numbness in my arms and hands.  I had sharp pinching sensations in my upper back that would radiate to the front of my chest, and really irregular bowels.  At a point not that long ago, I couldn't even clean a whole room in my small house in a day.  If I'd wake up in the morning at 5 or 6, by 7:30am, the pain and numbness would be so severe I'd have to quit whatever I was doing.

I am amazed and happy to say that all of that has changed.  Even my sinuses are clearer and my allergies are improved since I began seeing Dr. Sheena just a few months ago.  I have energy I don't remember having for a very long time.  I can clean my house, and prune trees, care for my chickens and dogs, and dig and plant in my garden!  I have better range and freedom of movement all around.

Dr. Sheena was patient with me, as I just didn't think we'd get anywhere new for a while.  Then I realized that all the processes that were going down hill for so long were actually going backwards!  The day I noticed revitalizing sensations in my legs, and then that I had feeling again, was a game changer for me.  Even the old nerve and and tendon wound doesn't hurt as much as it did before.  I think that the nervous system is so amazing that chiropractic can do all this.  I tell anyone who will listen what's happened, and even made sure my friend in Arizona went to see a chiropractor that practices similarly to Dr. Sheena.

Anyway, after a dozen years of treatments with medical doctors, and even with a chiropractor at another office, my condition has improved to such an extraordinary degree that I can't believe that the other chiropractor could dare call what they have been doing with me "maintenance" care.  I had so much farther to come.

Thanks Kind & Gentle Chiropractic!

--Ms. A.M.
Colfax, CA

Call Dr. Sheena today 530.263.8460
www.kindgentlechiropractic.com

Unable to walk, shop, do household chores because of hip pain…until Chiropractic!

I am a 65 year old woman who was very active until age 54.  At that time, I fell and hurt my hip.  I didn't do anything about it until almost 3 months ago.  The problem was just getting worse and worse, and I couldn't walk very far because the pain was so bad.  I stopped working out or even going anywhere.  I would get massages monthly or even weekly over the years, but they never gave any lasting results.  The worst pain was when the weather would change, and it would rain.  Then, the pain was so bad, I'd almost cry.

After seeing Dr. Sheena for Chiropractic care for just this short amount of time, I feel 100% better.  I stand up straighter now and for the most part, the pain is gone.  I'm working out again, and when it rains, I hardly ache like I did.  I'm excited that the pain is mostly gone so shopping and walking for sometimes hours is no problem for me now.  I also have energy I didn't have since, I think, before my fall.

It feels great to feel good!  Dr. Sheena has been a blessing!

--Ms. C.F.
Colfax, CA

Call Dr. Sheena today 530.263.8460
www.kindgentlechiropractic.com