Chiropractors / spinal specialists usa

Dr. Joe Henry Rodriguez, Austin, TX

In June of 2003, I competed in my first open water triathalon. I had spent two years learning how to swim and at least four months training in the three sports. It was a personal goal of mine to overcome my fear of water and complete a triathalon. The race fell on the same weekend as my anniversary so that evening, after a well deserved shower and a hearty meal, my husband, Rob, and I made the last preparations for our trip to Hawaii!

Before we left, we stopped by our church, Grace Christian Center, and saw our friend Cathy Hulin in the parking lot. From at least fifty feet away, she noticed a problem with my posture so when I came close she put her hands on my shoulders and then said, "You're out of alignment." I had no idea what she meant, but I could tell by the look on her face that it was not good news.

When I returned from my trip, Cathy handed me a brochure which explained a bit about chiropractic and contained a gift certificate for a reduced rate exam and consultation. I went home and did the posture check with Rob and soon came in to meet Dr. Rodriguez.

At my first appointment, he looked so familiar, but I just couldn't figure out where I had seen him. A few days later when I saw him at the gym at 5am, I realized that I had often seen him working out. That impressed me because it was obvious that he was committed to his health and that he practices what he preaches!

I was alarmed by what Dr. Joe saw in my x-rays and of course wanted to talk about correction. However, Rob and I had not planned for such expenditure that year. We decided that we would make the investment in my health. Rob soon came in for his exam and then joined me in the Shoreline family.

Over the next weeks and months, I saw marked changes in my body. I had never really experienced poor health, but when I came to Shoreline I had been struggling with a hamstring injury that hurt every time I ran. I had also developed a pain in my neck that week. Within days the neck pain was gone and within a few months of regular chiropractic adjustments, my hamstring pain which had plagued me for almost a year, finally healed!

Right before my next scheduled x-ray, I found out that I was pregnant with our first child! That was quite a surprise to everyone. But now, my daughter is two months old and I look back on what was a beautiful pregnancy and birth. Dr. Joe's wife, JoAllison, was pregnant at the same time. They were such an encouragement to Rob and me.

I was amazed that I did not experience the typical problems of pregnancy. I had no morning sickness, no backaches, very few food aversions, no headaches, no cramps, and I worked out right up until that day I went into labor. I had a five hour, drug free birth and went home six hours after delivery! I can't know for sure why I had such a wonderful experience, but I truly believe that God preserved me and used Dr. Joe as an instrument to do so. My adjustments during pregnancy felt so good and really contributed to my low stress level. Many times I said to folks who asked me how I was feeling, "I wouldn't even know I was pregnant if my clothes still fit!"

Since Rob and I are relatively healthy people who rarely see doctors or take medications, it was hard for us to justify the cost of chiropractic care. But what led us to make this commitment to our health was the concern over illnesses that creep up on you without warning. There is diabetes in my family and high blood pressure in Rob's. We're still young and it's easy to take for granted how healthy we are. But we really want to be good stewards on the bodies God gave us. We want to be 100% for Him and that means we need to be 100% healthy 100% of the time. We want our little girl to see our commitment to health and learn from us.

When it all boils down to it, it doesn't matter how much money you have, how fancy your car is, or whether or not your house is on a hill somewhere. If you don't have your health, you don't have life. And we thank God that He provided and continues to provide the funds we need to maintain out health- from the inside out.

Sincerely,

Sharonda C.