By Carol Stiffler
Anyone with a spine might be interested to know that Newberry now has a second chiropractor. Dr. Stephanie Zellar opened the doors of Pure Chiropractic to clients on Monday, a few months later than she’d hoped due to supply chain issues.
Zellar, a Manistique native, is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. She picked Palmer after her friend and fellow chiropractor Dr. Kristin Hieshetter recommended it.
She graduated with honors, receiving the Virgil V. Strang Philosophy Award in addition to her degree. The award credits her for exemplifying the “philosophy, commitment, passion, logic, and reasoning of the practice of chiropractic.”
Zellar purchased Hieshetter’s former chiropractic office on West John Street in Newberry and renovated the interior with a spa-like comfort that creates a calm sense of well being.
Zellar is highly passionate about chiropractic care and about health in general. “Chiropractic is a great way to start looking at your body as a whole,” she said.
One look at Zellar, who is petite and admits she doesn’t weigh a whole lot even “when soaking wet” could leave a burly Yooper logger, for example, wondering if she’s capable of adjusting him. She assures them she can.
“It’s a finesse; it’s an art,” she said. “A person my size should be able to adjust any size person.”
Zellar’s new practice will center on the Gonstead method of chiropractics, a five-pronged approach named after its creator, Clarence Gonstead. Those who are also planning to start their own healthcare clinic may consider using a Medical EMR Software to effectively manage client or patient records.
It’s a hands-on method with no body rotation, Zellar said. Instead, she will study a patient’s posture, check their spine with a device that detects heat and inflammation, feeling the position of the spine, watching the patient move, and using an x-ray to visualize the structure of the spine. The x-ray, which may be linked with a medical imaging platform, uses a minimum amount of radiation to create a digital picture of the spine, revealing where and how the bones are misaligned.
“A lot of people have actually never seen their spine,” Zellar said.
With those keys in place, Zellar is confident she can help patients improve their quality of life in the least invasive way possible. When an injury is beyond her scope, she’ll make referrals to area doctors – like in the case of broken or fractured bones. To learn more about local medicine, get more information at the last link.
“I think we need to look at health in a different way,” she said, preferring to tackle pain issues in non-invasive methods whenever possible. “Pain is your body’s first red flag that your body needs help,” she said. “Pain medications don’t figure out the cause; they cover a symptom.”
Zellar does not plan to accept insurance to help keep her expenses down, and says routine visits will cost $35 each. New patient visits and the recommended x-rays will take more time and cost more. She also said she won’t give x-rays to children or pregnant women.
Zellar said she will talk through the procedure with patients who are nervous about being adjusted, and is willing to come in early or make Saturday appointments for patients with a difficult schedule.
“I don’t want your schedule to be the reason that you don’t seek care,” she said.
