Hello again!
Now that things seem to be up and moving, I wanted to give everyone a little information about me and why I chose chiropractic as my profession. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined being a chiropractor. In fact, I really had no idea what a chiropractor even did until I was 21 years old! In 2003, I flew with my track team to Johnson City, Tenn. for the Indoor National Track and Field Championships where I would be competing in the 55m hurdles. I had been running well and was expecting to perform up to my high expectations. However, my body had other plans. Upon arrival, I began to notice a tingling sensation down both of my legs and weakness in my legs as well. I thought maybe my body was just a little sore from the flight and it would get over it. Later that evening, we went to the track to go and get loose and work on some things. It was there that I realized if something didn’t change, I couldn’t compete. In just working on my warm-up, I noticed that I had no power, no speed, and it actually hurt to run! After speaking with my coach, he recommended that I go to the chiropractor that was volunteering his services for the weekend. The chiropractor adjusted me and I didn’t notice much change. I went to bed praying that I’d feel better in the morning. Sure enough, I woke up and was probably 70% better! Unfortunately, it left me still hindered so that I couldn’t compete at my highest level, but to me it was HUGE that I was able to compete at all! I was so grateful that I had that opportunity!
I didn’t receive another adjustment for probably a year and a half. From my end of things, I didn’t see that I had a problem as I had no symptoms. I ignorantly believed that the one adjustment I had received had fixed me and I would be fine. However, in the summer of 2004, I had another flare up. I went to another chiropractor locally for a few visits where I got fixed again. At that point, I believed chiropractic was about pain relief. Shortly after, I moved to the Houston area to begin to work as a personal trainer. It was there I met Dr. Mark Hopkins who introduced me to what chiropractic is truly about.
During my time as a trainer, I began to really study what it meant to be healthy and what it took. I had begun to look into nutrition and started learning about things that were toxic to your body and why you shouldn’t eat them. I began talking to Dr. Hopkins about different health topics as well. His views were slightly different than many I had heard before so I became interested. He told me he was a chiropractor and that chiropractic is truly about wellness and not just about pain. Yes, we are excellent at handling pain. In many cases, we can do much more than drugs or surgery can and it’s natural! However, chiropractic was never created to be about pain. The founders of chiropractic understood that chiropractic is about so much more. You were designed with an innate intelligence that allows your body to respond perfectly to it’s environment and that it will heal itself with proper requirements! That is the true purpose of what we do. The brain controls every cell, tissue, organ, and system in the body and as chiropractors, we directly effect the brain and increase it’s function! But wellness doesn’t end there, unfortunately. Having a fully functioning nervous system that is balanced out is incredibly important! Still, everyone must still give their bodies the nutrients required which is why I am so passionate about helping people with lifestyle choices! I am currently working on a health talk that I hope to do in the office in the coming months. Stay tuned for new updates!
Yours in Health,
Dr. James Ashley, DC
