We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Suzanne Pikula a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Suzanne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

When we hear the word, “Chiropractor,” an image of getting someone’s back cracked, is usually the first thing someone thinks of.

Most folks have no idea that Chiropractors can also adjust the organs, the cranium, the extremities and soft tissue and how much better the body does, when you address it as a “whole,” rather than only treating what “hurts.”

Focusing and educating the public on “why” they need this type of treatment, rather than the quick fix was a hurdle that i faced early on in business. We live in a “microwave” society and expect everything to fixed, immediately. But we forget that our bodies, take a long time to create a problem and it does take time to fix it.

I’m an introverted person, by nature. I didn’t even know about Instagram or TikTok, before I opened my doors. It’s a free marketing tool to your local audiences. I probably would have opened an account while I was in school, to get the momentum going for my business. It would have been beneficial to build a client base before I opened my doors, as opposed to starting from scratch.

As for advice to a young professional, I always ask folks, “What’s YOUR secret sauce? Why should people come to you for business?”

I think that’s an important question we should all ask ourselves when starting a business.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I actually was introduced to the type of Chiropractic that I do, because I’m considered a “Zebra” in the medical world. “Zebras” are usually hypermobile or have Ehlers Dsnlos Syndrome. And as such, I can’t have traditional Chiropractic done.

I was introduced to the techniques that I do, because of that. It’s taking more of an engineering approach to the body, and following a pattern of dysfunction, and using indicators, rather than “pain” to find the problem. Pain is often a red herring.

For example, the root cause of someone’s chronic neck pain, may actually be their stomach, or a stagnant lymph system, perhaps an old scar from gallbladder removal, or cranial bone misalignment from years of braces.

The body is quite responsive as well. I ask folks, “if you can feel a mosquito bite on your ankle, do you need a lot of pressure to make change in the body?”

We also focus a lot on nervous system regulation and vagal nerve work. Pain and emotions go together like peas in a pod. Your body will not accept any treatment (even with the best of intentions), if it can’t get out of fight or flight state. And most folks are in a stressed out/ fight or flight state, all of the time.

Folks will often go to a Doctor/DC/PT, etc for treatment of some kind of chronic pain, but they won’t get any better or have very limited results… because the root cause was never addressed.

Most of my patient base are other “Zebras”, or people who have chronic pain
and are looking for a different approach.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been connecting with other health professionals that think similarly to what I do. In my case, it was massage therapists and acupuncturists.

The type of Chiropractic that I do is so unique, and focuses so much on soft tissue and organs, that it aligns much more with those fields, than traditional Chiropractic does.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Empathy is crucial for this type of work. Most patients who I see have experienced a lot of gaslighting from their healthcare professionals, or are dismissed, while searching for their answers.

Holding space for my clients and treating them the way that I would want to treated has also been very helpful. I’m often the first health professional that’s able to put all of their symptoms together and make sense of it all.

I think as Healthcare providers, it’s our job to do that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.balancedchiropracticohio.com
• Instagram: balancedchiropracticohio

Image Credits
Angela Fortin Studios