HEALTH AND FITNESS

In celebration of the new year and new beginnings, Dripping Springs Century News will be featuring a variety of health and fitness oriented articles for the month of January. If you would like to nominate a business or individual for a spotlight, email us at [email protected].

This week’s spotlight is on Dr. Chae Tracy of Curis Functional Health. He and his wife, Dr. Monya Tracy, opened Family First Chiropractic over 20 years ago and had a vision of creating a place for people to go for natural health and healing. After merging with Curis, they have been able to expand their services and get closer to that mission.

What first drew you to chiropractic care?

CHAE: I was first drawn to Chiropractic by seeing the body’s ability to heal itself, if given the chance. As a kid I was exposed to Chiropractic as an athlete for injuries. It was not until later in life that I was called to serve and see the true potential of Chiropractic.

The philosophy of health and healing is pretty simple, “The Power that made the body heals the body.” We start with that simple premise. If there are areas in the spine that are misaligned, or “subluxated” - which is when the vertebrae is out of alignment and puts pressure on the nerve, thus not allowing the nerve to work properly - it results in dysfunction, DISease and symptoms as the body’s way of saying “help.” However, most just treat the symptoms rather than the cause of them.

What are the most common issues you see in patients, and what are some ways you address them?

CHAE: Some of the more common issues we see are low back pain and or sciatica, disc bulges or herniations, headaches and migraines, scoliosis, vertigo, tinnitus. prenatal and growth and growth and development of kids. The other half of our practice is not about pain or problems but rather folks that come in on a regular basis so they don’t have aches, pain, problems and dysfunction. They see the potential of how the body has a stronger immunity, more energy, focus and better sleep as a result of being proactive vs reactive.

What’s typically the process for a first appointment?

CHAE: Our first day is indepth. We start with a deep dive into your new patient paperwork to give us an idea of your history. That oftentimes leads to problems that you are now experiencing or will. Then we do orthopedic and neurology testing combined with palpation and thermography, bi lateral weight scales and postural assessment and in most cases digital x-rays to get a better idea and understanding of what may be causing the challenges you are experiencing. Once the doctors have spent time reviewing and analyzing the results, we sit down with the patient and go over our findings and answer questions they may have during this process. In Latin, “doctor” means teacher and educator, so this is a time we do just that. If we are able to help then we create a custom care plan based on their needs and goals.

How do you integrate other wellness practices, such as nutrition, mobility work, or stress management, into your treatment plans?

CHAE: At Curis Functional Health we are able to integrate with nutritional and DNA testing, weight loss, mental health, spinal decompression and active rehabilitation if need be. This makes it easy for patients to access what their body needs in one place, vs making multiple stops with appointments all over town that none of us have time for nor want to do.

What’s a misconception about chiropractic care you wish more people understood?

CHAE: Two misconceptions are “I don’t believe in Chiropractic.” Well guess what? You don’t have to, it’s not a religion. It’s quite simple. The power that made the body heals the body, if given the chance and environment to do so. The other is, once you go you always have to go. It is really more of a choice. It’s like going to the gym or taking your blood pressure or cholesterol medicine, rarely do you do it a couple times but rather you choose to keep doing it. So which would you rather choose?

What’s your hope for how patients feel after leaving your office?

CHAE: When patients leave our office I would hope that they feel better, but I know that feeling is only ten percent of the nervous system. So they leave knowing that their body and nervous system are working better and more efficiently, just the way God designed it. The challenge is most people have had the patterns of subluxation for years and don’t necessarily help it based on daily posture, technology use and the increasing stress and demands that surround us all on a daily basis.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you or your practice?

CHAE: Like anything, there are good and bad chiropractors. So if you had a bad experience, I encourage you to see someone else, as we all do things a little different. I feel that we all need a chiropractor, but I am not the right chiropractor for everyone. And if you have never been, check it out. The tests that we do tell the story, and it’s not a matter of if but rather when you will have challenges, so be proactive not reactive with your health. Because let’s face it, none of us are getting any younger, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.