Gabe
Allende has been an athlete all his life. He played
football and was into track and field in school and
college." I hurt myself playing football," says Allende.
"That's when I saw my first chiropractor. He got me
playing again. He paced me; he helped me." That
certainly got Allende thinking about making a career in
chiropractic, which he calls the biggest alter-native
health care industry in America.
Allende,
who has been a chiropractic doctor for six years, opened
his own office in January. GMA Chiropractic in The Shops
at Blackhawk focuses on sports injuries. "People come to
me because they hurt," says Allende "They've usually
tried everything else with no relief." With new
patients, Allende will always spend time explaining how
chiropractic works. He shows them how the body functions
and then orients them as to what exactly he is going to
do for them.
He's
often asked, "What exactly does a doctor of.
chiropractic do?" His answer: "A chiropractor is a
doctor who does healing with his hand." Then he
explains, "The spinal cord is the primary (part) in the
body. It controls every organ because it has nerve roots
that exit the spinal cord and go to every organ, muscle
tissue and skin tissue." The spine allows for dynamic
motion in the way it functions, he adds. When the spine
is manipulated by a chiropractic doctor it restores body
mechanics or function in dysfunctional joints, according
to Allende. |
Sometimes the process of rehabilitation is
short, sometimes it can take much longer, he points out.
"As adults, we are products of what we've done to
our-selves as children. "He adds, "We cannot reverse
some of the damage caused by earlier injuries but we can
slow ors top that process and restore function in that
joint.
There is no magic to what I do. The magic is in
the body. The body finds a way to heal. We (chiropractic
doctors) give the body the ability to do it. "In
addition to sports injuries, Allende sees other patients
including those with work and industrial-related
injuries.
Terry Krider and her family have been Allende's
patients for more than two years. Krider, who lives in
Alamo, injured her neck lifting weights at the gym.
Allende was able to help her overcome that injury. "We
go to him because he makes us feel good," says Krider.
She sees Allende every two weeks for "regular
maintenance." Allende refers to this as another aspect
of chiropractic care ...treating people for health and
wellness. He compares it to preventive visits to a
dentist. Noting that people spend more time not moving
than moving, he says, "if you do nothing your body
slowly degenerates. It's movement that keeps the joint.!
healthy, he points out. So, a sedentary lifestyle and
repetitive motions can result in aches and pains to the
neck and shoulder, lower or mid-back, carpal tunnel
syndrome. He recommends taking periodic breaks away from
a desk and the computer and simple head and neck
exercises to help alleviate this stress and
strain |
Our Mission....treating people for health and
wellness...