My son would tell me when he'd go to the nurse at lunchtime to get his second dose there was such a long line that he didn't have time to eat before class started again. After some questions, this made me realize that more than half the kids were taking meds. The school was medicating testosterone!!!! Probably 95% of the kids taking meds were rambunctious little boys!

My son felt terrible on the medication - one thing we never considered or realized was an option was chiropractic care. Even after we learned he had a serious case of scoliosis, no one ever recommended chiropractic. Now that I see how much better I feel with my weekly visits, I realize this may have been a huge part of my son's behavior problems because his brain was not being oxygenated properly. As it turns out, his back began changing at a rapid pace during puberty to a potentially dangerous stage. He wore a back brace for over a year and ultimately needed surgery!

A month before surgery he stopped taking his medication - once healed he begged not to go back on it. He was older now and we decided to see how he would do concentrating...the behavior was fine. I also didn't like the idea of medicating for A's. Well, he is doing just great at school, making honor roll most of the time, with very little studying, actually (not that I approve). Now that his spine is straight I believe his brain is being nourished. I wish he didn't have to go through that surgery - it was torturous to him and to us (his parents).

I know I'm going on and on, but I always read your newsletters and can most often relate to something on a very personal level. I know you remember how scared and skeptical I was when I first came into your office, but I truly wish we had been introduced many years ago. Thank you!

~ Dorothy B.

I have had long term health issues, heart problems and HIV. I believe that regular adjustments have been keeping me alive. I have been HIV+ for 17 years as of the writing of this testimonial. I recently had to go off of all of my medication due to a problem with one of them. It caused me to develop severe gastrointestinal problems and I could not digest anything well. I went down to 50 T-Cells, normal is 800 - 1200, and I thought it was the end for me. My HIV doctors could not fathom why my virus was not multiplying. My viral load was almost non-detectable.

Even though, the doctors did not hold out much hope for my survival. There were five other patients like me and they were failing fast. The only thing I was doing that they were NOT..... I was getting regular adjustments at Ptak chiropractic 3 times a week to keep my body working at maximum efficiency with what it had left to work with!

My life has vastly improved since starting treatments with Dr. Jeff. I was pretty much house bound most of the time with headaches, muscle spasms and shooting pains down my legs. I was taking pain killers every day just to be able to get around. I have not needed the pain medication for months now. If regular chiropractic adjustments could keep me alive, pain free and healthy ... just think what it could do for you!

Everyone can benefit from chiropractic, especially your children. Who plays harder than they do?? They are always falling down and banging themselves up. How many weeks do you work way too hard and wish for the back ache or headache to just go away for even 5 minutes??? Pain relief is just a phone call away to your friendly neighborhood chiropractor!

In Gratitude,
Gene P.

When I came back in the summer to begin my chiropractic program I was surprised by one thing, no not by how much Dr. Ptak and Dr. Shalese smiled but by how well they worked with their patients. During my every-other day check-ups I would wear a certain amount of weights, get adjusted, do proprioceptive balancing exercises and use my home rehab kit daily. Over a period of time I excelled in these exercises. I went from wearing 1 weight at one pound on my head to wearing 8 weights and know I have gone from the small fulcrum exercises to the large ones.

Just by going to Ptak chiropractic and following Dr. Ptak's program I can feel and see the change in my body. First of all my body has become stronger and more relaxed because of the adjustments and the weights. When I first heard that I had Scoliosis I thought that I would never get better and would have to have a very painful surgery. But now I say " Never Say Never." I am so grateful to have my parents take me to Dr. Ptak. We live in Long Beach and it truly has been a family effort.

~ Abimbola D.

I'm currently 41 and when I turned 35 I started having menopausal symptoms. I had no idea what was going on but it was pretty severe. I went to many doctors and was eventually diagnosed with premature ovarian failure also known as premature menopause but had been told before the final diagnosis that I had thyroid problems, possibly a pituitary tumor, Chronic Fatigue, Epstein Barr and a host of other things. What I later come to understand was that my entire endocrine system (hormones, adrenals, etc.) were shutting down.

The way I was running myself made it impossible for me to recharge. I had massive sleep deprivation because of the night sweats and struggled with depression, hot flashes, weight gain, digestion problems and terrible mood swings. I was basically told I could not have children and to go on hormone replacement therapy and antidepressants. Thank God for instincts because that just didn't feel right to me. I did seek alternative treatments through acupuncture and holistic medicine and that helped a lot but was not consistent.

Fast forward 6 years when later when I walked into Dr. Ptak's office I was literally the walking dead! I was beyond miserable! I had also had chronic back problems since I was a teenager but that always took a back seat to all the other stuff that was going on with me. Dr. Ptak was very confident that he could help me and I was not confident at all. I listened and read all the literature but it still made no sense to me but once again my instincts told me to try it.

I made an effort to better understand how the central nervous system works and started making correlations between my symptoms and where some of my past injuries had been. I had so much lower back stuff that directly related to my digestion and many other issues that blocked my system from working as it needed to. I was lucky enough to have the summer off when I started my treatment and Dr. Ptak really helped me to understand how necessary it was for me to pull the plug and just heal.

Our society really doesn't support extended down time and I struggled with this but I really had no choice. Healing is not about a long weekend. In the condition I was in I needed the summer and longer. At the risk of being dramatic I am convinced that I would have died at a very young age had I not found Dr. Ptak. I devoted myself to healing and I kicked and screamed and probably drove him nuts but I trusted him and took a leap of faith hoping there would be a net to catch me.

Dr. Ptak and his staff are deeply devoted to helping people to heal. You will never find another doctor's office like this one. You will always be treated kindly, with respect and you will be empowered to also learn how to heal yourself. They are really there for you. Dr. Ptak is a very gifted healer and has innate sense about what is best for you. His focus is on life long wellness and how you can live the life you were meant to live. It's not about getting over a symptom but getting to the core and healing it! This is both physical and emotional! I have cried many times with him and it's okay! It's good! He never allows you to focus on the negative, only on getting WELL! He knows you don't feel well but that isn't important.

He doesn't give you the time to rattle off your laundry list of complaints, he wants you to focus on being well. He always asks "how well are you?" This used to annoy me but once I made the shift it was miraculous. It used to annoy me that he is always so happy and wanted to hug everyone. It was so odd and over the top but once I surrendered to it I found myself looking forward to it, needing it and being so grateful for it.

When have you been able to go to a doctor's office and be greeted with laughs, smiles, good music and a hug? His happiness and spiritual depth is infectious and it has changed me on many levels. He not only wants me to be well but KNOWS I will be well. In fact I am well. I won't lie, it was a tough summer and I'm still healing but I'm doing great. I was in bad shape and I have a ways to go to be where I want to be but I see the light and I am very clear about what I need to do. I have decided to leave my stressful job and continue to create more balance in my life so I can get good sleep, maintain my friendships, deepen my spiritual practice and of course continue my treatments with Dr. Ptak.

My menopausal symptoms are pretty much gone, I sleep better, I've lost weight, digestion is so much better and my energy level (when I'm not flying around the world) is very high. I'm on supplements that really work and have helped me to maximize my healing. Patty (Jeff's wife) is extremely knowledgeable and helpful with nutrition and supplements and they will work with you no matter what the issue is. It's one stop shopping!

This may be the longest testimonial ever but I really can't say enough. I am a different person than I was 7 months ago. I have hope and a vision of a life with good health. I understand my body better and love my body enough to take better care of it. That's the beauty if Dr. Ptak, he not only takes good care of you but teaches you and inspires you to take better care of yourself. It's a team effort.

My reality is that I may still have gone through early menopause for a variety of reasons that I will never know but I have my health back and I can enjoy my life and handle the emotions that come with this transition because I have hope. Whatever you are dealing with Dr. Ptak can help and you will never be the same.

I know I found Ptak chiropractic because it was part of my destiny, I hope you will make it part of yours.

With Deep Respect & Gratitude
Julie M.

Also I discovered that the sight in my right eye had returned. Years ago, twelve to be exact, I was told that I had an eye disease and the diagnosis was eventually blindness. I believed this and failed to mention this to Dr. La Rocca.

During my treatments through a magnificent occurrence my sight was completely restored. I no longer have a restricted driver's license. I passed the vision test with 100% accuracy.

Healthy and healed by the gracious healing "with the hands" of the chiropractor.

Sheryl K.

I'm still not sure exactly how chiropractic works. But I understand enough about the philosophy driving chiropractic, and after getting adjusted, my health and life condition have improved tremendously...it's hard to explain in words. I guess one way to describe it is, simply put, you feel better. I have more energy, my posture has improved a million times over, I walk taller and my confidence has improved. I feel healthy. And I know I can get even healthier.

-Alok G.

I received medical treatment for my arms and hands through workers compensation for a year. I was not getting better. The doctor told me the insurance company would not pay him any longer, and therefore he had to determine that my condition was permanent and stationary. This meant that he was releasing me from his care no better off than when I started and without further treatment options.

I was scared, but I had faith that this ending was the opportunity for a new beginning. Then a friend brought me to meet Dr. Ptak. I, of course, was skeptical after having been to 3 other chiropractors and numerous others whom I had hoped would heal me but did not.

When the doctor looked me over and told me all of the ways in which my muscular-skeletal system was out of alignment I burst into tears. My friend thought that he had scared me, but they were tears of immense relief. I felt that I had finally found the healer I'd been searching for all these years. He saw how much trouble I was in. He saw through a logical, mathematical system all of my pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and brain fog.

Within a week of seeing Dr. Ptak my body began an intense healing process that was clear as day to me. I experienced the symptoms of detoxification. I felt huge amounts of energy released with each adjustment. Deep-rooted anger that I had been working very hard to let go of finally literally left my body. My mom put it best. She said that my voice sounded 20 pounds lighter.

Through all that I've been through I've learned how much my body, mind, and spirit are connected. I had made a lot of progress in healing my mind and spirit before I met Dr. Ptak. However, I still had a lot of anxiety and anger because my nervous system was so tweaked. Thanks to Dr. Ptak I am sleeping better, I am energetic, I am calmer throughout the day, and I am finally in a place of forgiveness with the people that I love. All this in 2 weeks! I am again daring to envision a full, productive life surrounded by family and friends in which I can work hard and play harder.

~ Ruth B.

I overcame my reluctance and started with Jeff in this year. Within a month, I experienced greatly increased mobility, and within another month I became, for the first time in years, pain free. For the first time in a long time I was actually able to run and I began to delight in my growing freedom of movement. I have continued to become stronger and stronger and am now able to lift heavy things without instantly becoming convulsed with spasm. There is no doubt that I have improved beyond anything I could have imagined, and it just gets better and better. In addition, I have always suffered from Migraine headaches with bouts occurring almost monthly. I have had no Migraine symptoms for at least 5 months.

I am so full of appreciation to have encountered chiropractic as practiced by the irrepressible and ebullient Dr Jeff.

Much love,
Ariel L.

I feel I've changed drastically, not only from the adjustments, but from all the information, you supply so generously to your patients. You are pretty amazing Jeff. Not many like you. So lucky to have fallen into the office that day, like I said a year ago. Love to keep learning. Ready for round two. Excited to be the person you always talk about I can be. Thank you so much.

~ LKTT

Finally I decided to go back to chiropractic and Dr. Jeff. I can honestly say that within the first hour after my first adjustment I began to feel like myself again. I began to remember how good I used to feel. I've now been going to him for a week and feel at least 75% better. I'm looking forward to "remembering who I am" with his help. I've had enough energy to exercise and have already dropped a couple of pounds. I am ready for my thyroid to function again at 100%. I am ready to heal my fibroid.

Sincerely,
BF

I certainly feel better, and have more energy on a day-to-day basis. This is going to sound funny, but even walking and hiking were becoming bothersome as I always felt a tightness in my back between the bottom of my shoulder blades - here I was thinking that my breasts were getting too big and heavy, and now starting to bother my back! Ok, that was really personal, but I'm telling you what I was thinking! So seriously, I thought that was the reason, but I also knew that that spot in my back was also the same spot where I would beg my brother, or my boyfriend at the time, to bear-hug me to crack it. My mouth fell open when I looked at your chart on the wall and low and behold, it's the part of the spine that is connected to the stomach.

I have always known that my stomach problems have always been stressed related, and when I say "stress," that would be emotional stress, because work stress is much different from the emotional stress that I have been through. Emotionally, I have been put through the ringer.

I don't know if you believe in any of the astrology stuff, but I am a Cancer. If you don't know anything about astrology, then Cancer's are the epitome of an emotional being. I am empathetic, extremely sensitive and loyal. We're just like our sign the crab - hard on the outside and soft on the inside. But enough about that!

So, I just wanted to touch base with you and tell you how thankful that I have found you! I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. We walk into each others lives to learn from one another or experience something that we can grow from. And it's obvious now why I went to the seminar with Mary that Tuesday night at your office!

I will write again soon as I have so much to say, I didn't even mention the sensations I have been feeling through the base of my skull, eardrums and jaw . . . but I find that I am tripping over my words and unable to make sense of them at this time!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, . . . Thank you for coming into my life - you have great timing! This new chapter I have started, the one I started when I moved out here in September, would be a special one!

Kiss, kiss, Carrie

It runs on my Mother's side of the family, Osteoporosis in the women. My Grandmother had it, my Mother now has it. I started thinking about this last night, I saw my Mother for the first time in 15 years this past Christmas, and she had shrunk considerably. Before this flared up I was doing Yoga regularly and always have gone to the gym and hoped that was strengthening my back to try to avoid being a victim of the Osteo as I age..this may be a stupid question, but, will my new life chiropractic plan help me avoid this happening to me?

Do you think it is safe for me to start doing some light cardio? I am dying to start exercising again...Also......is the injury still too tender right now to get a massage?

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary

Thanks to Dr. Jeff , he hasn't used the nebulizer or any steroids. Prior to this the nebulizer remained out on the counter and was in constant use. Today, it is a thing of the past safely tucked away in its box in the closet. If his "seasonal allergies, now what I call them (Dr. Jeff calls it hypersensitivity due to increased tone in a nerve due to stress ) , kick in, they are easily taken care of with an extra adjustment or two. Sometimes when the seasons change he may develop croup, but with prompt chiropractic care, a once week long problem doesn't even last a full day.

His general health has improved as well. Last year in first grade, my son was absent only 2 days. That was great for being in a classroom full of strep throat and constant viruses. My son's well care schedule consists of weekly adjustments. He also knows when he needs an adjustment. His classic line is, My cells are low! My batteries need to be recharged! I have to go to Dr. Jeff's!

I truly believe that without chiropractic adjustments my son would not be the healthy child that he has become today. I would still be living in fear of the possible long term effects of steroids. I must admit that I was a skeptic of the need for regular weekly adjustments for chiropractic wellness care for my family. Today, we could not imagine our lives without it.

Thank you all so much for all of your time and efforts. I urge everyone to seek regular chiropractic care for the wellness of it.

~ Suzanne B and Family