We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Kristine Loharun recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dr. Kristine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

I remember March 23, 2019 very vividly. For most people, this date is probably not a significant date. But for me, it meant knowing if I was going to be able to continue making my rent and basic living payments, and more importantly, my student loan payments! This was the date the governor would announce the official list of essential workers.

I had just taken a job in a busy clinic in Washington when the pandemic hit. I recall hurrying from room to room trying to stay focused until the 5pm announcement time. I finished up with my last appointment of the evening and hurried to the back office to hear my clinic director declare that we will remain open until they shut us down! This news was a relief because I had job security and the ability to continue working in a successful office. However, there was a shadow of doubt in my young professional mind that wondered “am I truly an essential worker?” In the months that followed, I would learn the gravity of what it means to be essential.

A large demographic of patients we saw experienced chronic migraines – some so chronic they needed to maintain consistent visits to function in their daily lives. So our appointments stayed consistent in the first few months and the young chiropractor in me felt busy; yet, not entirely convinced of my essentiality. “They must be really desperate if they are risking exposure to come here.” Thoughts like this were affirmed when I started seeing my schedule thin out as the pandemic grew more serious.

Then came a woman who had nowhere else to go. She was distressed, anxious, and in a lot of pain. She presented with neck pain and headaches but her main concern was pain in her chest that interfered with breathing. A thorough examination ruled out heart attack or other red flags for an emergency referral.

I decided to proceed with my treatment and analysis. When she laid down on her back, I felt the rib connections in her sternum. When I palpated the left lower rib, I noticed swelling in that area; as I palpated a little deeper, she twitched from the pain. Pain, swelling, and altered function are signs of dysfunction in rib joints. I treated the rib using an adjusting device. Symptoms of a rib misalignment can be sharp pains in the chest and shortness of breath – signs similar to a heart attack – because it’s too painful to inhale deeply.

On her follow up visit, she exclaimed “It’s SIGNIFICANTLY better!!” as I walked into her room. She went on to explain that she had gone to many doctors: gotten an EKG, ran tests for asthma and other respiratory diseases, and had x-rays taken of the chest. All her results were frustratingly normal with no solutions in sight. She thanked me because she finally felt validated knowing where her pain was coming from and now finally felt like she was on the path to healing. She left with a smile on her face and a sense of calm in her demeanor.

A wave of emotions flooded over me: happiness, gratitude, amazement, and conviction. I looked over my schedule, read the names, and remembered their stories: a mother with migraines who was now a teacher, employee, and wife all under the same roof; a construction worker who flared a disc in his low back and couldn’t return to work; a student with neck pain who was forced to be full time online; and many others with neck and low back pain who have been forced to work remotely without proper ergonomic setups. I looked over these names and thought, “I am helping people function better so that they can return to their lives.” This is what it meant to be essential.

Kristine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I practice a specialty of upper cervical chiropractic called Atlas Orthogonal. I was introduced to this specialty when I took a job as an associate chiropractor at an office in Kent, Washington. I helped thousands of patients not only get out of pain but stay out of pain so they were able to get back to doing the things they loved. After seeing this potential to serve patients, I decided to become Board Certified in Atlas Orthogonal at the Sweat Institute of Orthogonality to give me more knowledge to help as many people as I could.

I decided to move to San Diego because I saw that it was the only major city on the west coast that did not have an Atlas Orthogonal chiropractor. I fell in love with this community during my undergrad years and felt compelled to bring everything I have learned over the years to this community.

Anatomy Chiropractic is the accumulation of over a decade’s worth of experience in health and wellness from a holistic perspective..Anatomy Chiropractic is an upper cervical chiropractic office that uses devices to apply gentle and reproducible forces to move bones into proper alignment. All of this is done without cracking bones and twisting the patient’s spine. This is highly effective in treating headaches, migraines, dizziness, neck pain, and chronic pain symptoms. Our treatment methods are very objective: we take x-rays and measure each misalignment down to the millimeter, perform the correction, and then take post treatment x-rays to verify the correction. Our patient’s love this aspect because they are getting a no pain chiropractic experience, a unique treatment plan catered to their unique anatomy, and results that last.

There are a few things that set us apart from other offices. As I mentioned previously, we are the only San Diego chiropractic clinic that specializes in Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic. My partner and I are currently the only Board Certified Upper Cervical Chiropractors in San Diego. We blend another low force chiropractic method into our treatment called Activator Chiropractic to treat the entire spine. We also use a low level laser therapy treatment that helps our patients heal faster and hold their adjustments better. But, I can spend another hour talking about how cool this device is, so I would welcome readers to read more about it on our website.

And finally, our clinic’s aesthetics are modern, minimalistic, and calming. Unlike a conventional doctor’s office! Our space gets filled with tons of natural light, perfect for our many happy clinic plants, and a sanctuary cultivated for healing. Our office is centrally located in Hillcrest and we have tons of free parking!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I always loved biology and learning about how the human body functions. So it was only natural for me to be on the pre-med track when I started at UCSD. However, about 1 year into the program, I saw there were differences in my personal health philosophy and the conventional medical model. I was raised under a very holistic health model by my parents and felt that my current studies were taking me down a different path. I decided to explore other avenues. After switching majors a few times, I eventually found my way back to healthcare and graduated with the plan to start Physician Assistant school with the hopes of becoming a holistic Physician Assistant.

It was during my gap year that I attended a prospective student’s event at Life Chiropractic College West. One woman’s speech completely changed my life. She spoke about aligning our spines so our bodies can better connect to our nervous system. In doing so, we can connect to our purposes in this world and start living it! As I heard her say this, I felt my chest tighten and heard a voice that said “you’re doing the wrong thing.” This voice was so clear and powerful – I knew I could not unhear the words.

I returned home and talked to my parents about this new decision. They were receptive at first because they liked the holistic philosophy of chiropractic. However, the next day, they had a long list of reasons to not change my career and stay on the PA course. The main reason was job security. As a PA I would be employed by a hospital but as a chiropractor I would be working as an associate or opening up my own clinic. This seemed like the riskier option to them so they wanted me to choose the safer route. Of course, this was very hard on me because I was still seeking approval from my parents and respected what they had to say. As a first generation Asian American, there was a level of pressure that I was putting on myself to make my parents proud. However, the rebellious side made me seek answers and information from outside sources. I met with a few local chiropractors and had many calls from current students in the program as well as, the admission staff at Life West. I even visited the school again and sat in on a few classes.

After doing all this, it was clear that I needed to pursue this change in careers. I had to have a heart to heart with my parents. I presented the facts and told them although I knew this was the “riskier,” path in their eyes, I knew it was something that I had to pursue. Otherwise, I would always wonder. I asked for their trust and support as I made the first difficult decision of my young adult life. By the next enrollment period, I was enrolled in chiropractic school. And now years later, as a clinic owner, they see they are 100% on board and very happy I decided to trust my gut!

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

CONFIDENCE! As a young doctor and business owner, an additional obstacle to overcome when attracting new patients or creating networking opportunities is trusting a young face. I had knowledge from chiropractic school and from getting Board Certified in Atlas Orthogonal. But speaking with conviction about what we do at Anatomy Chiropractic, how we’re different from other clinics, and how we can help patients requires a confident tone.

Luckily, I was fortunate enough to work in a very busy clinic in Washington and had thousands of patient visits under my belt before opening Anatomy Chiropractic. This experience gave me the confidence to know that we can help most patients – from those suffering from aches and pains to complex neurological cases! My mentor was someone who had over 30 years of clinical experience and she would share clinical gems with me as well. I am able to draw from all these experiences to help me communicate with confidence how and why we can help!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anatomychiropractic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anatomychiro/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anatomychiro
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiP0SzBxqBjy74oXc0OA9UA
• Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/anatomy-chiropractic-san-diego?osq=anatomy+chiropractic

Image Credits
Annie Tran Logan Nishioku The Kindred Films