Spotlight Series: Dover Chiropractic - Balancing the Mind/Body Connection
This month's spotlight features Dr. Laura Dover, owner of Dover Chiropractic. Chiropractic care primarily focuses on the health of the spine and nervous system, but its benefits can extend beyond physical well-being to mental health and how to balance the mind/body connection. Some benefits of chiropractic care include stress reduction, improved sleep quality, enhanced nervous system function, pain management, and hormonal balance. These benefits of incorporating chiropractic care into a wellness routine may provide valuable support for both your physical and mental health.
1. How did you get started with your business/career?
Witnessing the profound positive impact of chiropractic care firsthand is what convinced me that I needed to help people in the same way…by becoming a chiropractor!
During a college anatomy and physiology class, I realized that I had a knack for learning and memorizing anatomy but I didn’t think too much about it until several years later. When my mom was having back pain, I accompanied her to a chiropractic appointment which piqued my interest.
At that point, I didn’t know much about chiropractic and wanted to learn more, so I applied for a job in a chiropractic office. There is a whole lot more to it than I thought! As I worked at that office in a clinical setting, I had a front seat to what seemed like literal miracles. I watched adults crawl into the office in pain and walk out after being adjusted. I saw children with debilitating issues improve with chiropractic care after mainstream medicine couldn’t help. Seeing people’s lives improve on a daily basis had me hooked. Within a year of starting that job, I applied to chiropractic school.
2. What are you passionate about when it comes to your clients? My passion is helping people live their best lives by integrating chiropractic care and wellness into their self-care routine. Living your best life means something different for everyone, so I strive to listen to my patients to help them achieve their goals. I love seeing people resume activities they love because they are more physically able while receiving chiropractic care. I enjoy helping athletes meet new goals because they can train more efficiently when they get adjusted. I love being able to facilitate the breastfeeding relationship of a new mom and baby dyad by helping the baby improve their latch. All of this happens in our office on a regular basis!
Whatever living your best life means to you, we’re here to help you achieve it. Whether your goal is to be able to sit comfortably on the floor and play with your baby, have a pain-free night of sleep so that you can be your best self the next day, or you’re a top-notch athlete looking to compete at a higher level, my passion is helping you reach your wellness goals. 3. What are your specialties? Although I’m a family practice doctor and see patients of all ages, I have certificates for maternity and pediatric care. Having the opportunity to give babies the best start by adjusting them after birth is one of the biggest pleasures of practice. Supporting women during pregnancy as they transition to becoming parents is also a big part of my practice. Becoming a parent changes how you see the world, just as pregnancy and childbirth change your body. Wholistic care and support through the physical and emotional changes that happen during this transition is important. 4. How does your work provide relief/insight or other benefits to your clientele?
Beyond the obvious benefits of feeling physically better with chiropractic care, it has some other significant benefits for how our bodies function. You’ve already read a few examples of some of the ways chiropractic can improve lives, so let’s dive a little deeper into how it works.
The nervous system controls literally every function of the body. The autonomic nervous system is divided into sympathetic (fight/flight/freeze) and parasympathetic (rest/relax/heal). Normally, our body should be able to shift easily and dynamically between the two. However, due to daily stress, many of us get “stuck” and are “sympathetic dominant”, meaning that our body defaults to fight/flight/freeze as an automatic reaction.
When we get stuck in the sympathetic side of our nervous system, we might notice that our bodies feel achy and tight, our digestion is off, we have trouble sleeping, and little things set us off emotionally. Due to modern life with all the stress we encounter every day, it’s easier than ever to get stuck in our sympathetic nervous system. Getting adjusted helps!
A chiropractic adjustment removes nervous system interference and balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the autonomic nervous system. It allows our bodies to rebalance, react, adapt, and once again shift seamlessly between the sympathetic and parasympathetic. This ability to fluidly transition improves how our bodies integrate and deal with stress and makes us happier, healthier, more functional humans, physically and emotionally.
