Chiropractic care can help you overcome more than just back pain and car accidents

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When your back hurts or your neck is sore, you might decide to pay a visit to your local chiropractor. What if you have respiratory or digestive problems? You might also be well-advised to go to a chiropractor.

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"Nerves run from our spines to all our systems," explains Dr. Jen Drake of Battis & Drake Family Chiropractic. "A misaligned spine sends improper messages to the brain, and symptoms begin to show. Any number of organs can be affected."

Jen and her husband Chris Battis met at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto where they were each busy in the four-year program.

Chris hails from Riverview, and his lifestyle gave him an affinity for chiropractic. Jen, a native of Lindsay, Ontario, discovered the value of chiropractic in a very personal and dramatic way.

"I was at university in Guelph," she recollects, "and started having back pain, probably related to poor posture while studying. I went to a chiropractor and started feeling better almost right away.

"But not just in my back. I had been a long-time asthma sufferer, always carrying inhalers around with me, and I started noticing that I was breathing better while in the chiropractor's care. I've been asthma-free ever since."

This improvement in her own health spurred Jen on to becoming a chiropractor. After graduation, internship, and federal and provincial board exams, in 2001 she and Chris moved to Riverview, where they set up their practice as Battis & Drake Family Chiropractic at 337 Pineglen Road.

"There are so many stressors out there," Jen continues, "that most people are walking around with an alignment issue that they're not aware of.

"Physical and emotional stress, improper posture, improper diet, there are lots of things that can affect spinal stress, and not all of them are avoidable."

Right now, Jen is on maternity leave through June, spending time with their four-month-old daughter. Chris, a certified teacher as well as a chiropractor, is currently teaching at Riverview High School and serves as administrator and consultant for the practice.

He's looking for a balance between his love of teaching and his commitment to chiropractic. In the meantime, Battis & Drake is ably staffed by Dr. Caroline Benoit, a graduate of l'Université de Trois Rivières in Quebec.

"Dr. Benoit is holding down the fort and doing a fantastic job," praises Jen. "Hopefully she'll stay on as an associate."

Chiropractic medicine was developed in 1895 by Canadian Dr. D. D. Palmer.

In New Brunswick, treatment is not covered by government health insurance, but most private insurance plans cover some visits. A referral from a family doctor is not needed.

"We strongly recommend a spinal check-up for everybody: infants, pregnant moms, people of all ages and walks of life," says Jen. "We do a complete health history, neurological exam, and range-of-motion tests, to determine if there are spinal issues. Then it's up to the patient."

For anyone who wishes to learn more, or has questions, Jen is holding a health talk, along with Caroline Benoit, at her office on May 14 at 7 p.m. The topic is 'Chiropractic Wellness and You".