From Med School to Chiropractic, A Doctor's Journey Back to AlignLife
Winamac, Ind (PRWEB) May 13, 2015 -- While in a physiology class at Purdue University (as a pre-med student), Stephanie questioned some of the reasons why treatments were used when the side effects seemed worse than the treatment itself. "The answer I basically got was 'That's how we've always done it, so we're going to keep doing it that way' and that just didn't sit right with me," Dr. Stephanie DePoy said.
Dr. Stephanie's boyfriend at the time (now husband) was already seeing a chiropractor for some wresting injuries. "Scott was seeing Dr. Cherie(Goble) and I was working at the cafeteria doing heavy lifting and my legs were going numb. So I came home to get adjusted. Immediately I noticed a change in my headaches! I am one of these people that had lived with headaches; it seemed like I always had one. I didn't go for relief of my headaches; I went because my back was hurting from the heavy lifting and my legs were going numb and now no headaches!" The dramatic change in her own health (including eliminating her low back pain) got Stephanie thinking.
Three years into pre-med studies, she was approaching the dead line to take her "M-Cats.” Dr. Cherie asked her what she was pursuing and encouraged her to consider chiropractic. It was this gentle nudge and her first-hand experience with the success of chiropractic that prompted Dr.Stephanie to attend a seminar that Dr. Cherie was presenting to chiropractic college students.
"The students at Palmer were all very excited about what they were doing which made me think, this seems like a better fit," she said."Dr. Cherie taught technique (how to adjust) but also covered a lot about pediatrics. That really set it. When I saw that chiropractic was for everyone,including babies, I thought, 'This is it!'” Dr. Stephanie graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in February of 1998 and completed two internships with AlignLife.
During this time of studying and waiting to take the State Board, Dr. Stephanie spent a lot of time at home with her mom, Brenda Rife. "We had all kinds of conversations and some health history things that I needed to know when I became pregnant." Her mom passed away in December of that year. A delay in getting her license turned out to be a blessing because of the one-on-one time she was able to spend with her mom before she passed.
In 2002, she started working with midwives in Lafayette adjusting pregnant women and babies. "It was phenomenal being a chiropractor with a baby," Dr. Stephanie said. "I could relate to moms who said their babies were crying and 'they had to give them something' - meaning over-the-counter drugs. I had been there at that point with my own baby. But, I knew from my schooling and my own experience and could share that there were other things they could do instead of drugs."
Then, with her babies growing up and in school, Dr. Stephanie decided she would like to come back to the place where her chiropractic career was born. She joined the practice of AlignLife part-time. Her history with the office (studied the same technique and 'grew up' with the office) as well as her friendship with Dr. Cherie and Dr. Mark Heal make her a natural fit.
Dr. Stephanie’s belief in the power of chiropractic was strengthened once again in 2011 when her third child came into the world at only twenty-weeks. During this experience, Dr. Stephanie was able to use her extensive knowledge of natural health care to help care for her son. Surgical treatment deemed necessary by medical staff could be avoided because of the care that Dr. Stephanie provided. I am certain that the powerful combination of chiropractic and prayer helped both of us heal and grow. And now our rambunctious two year-old and I are both healthy and thriving!”
Keri Reilly, AlignLife, http://www.AlignLife.com, +1 309-807-4439, [email protected]
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