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.