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Dr. Thomas and Annee White with Surrey, the official office greeter, at The Chiropractic Office in Nobleboro. (D. Lobkowicz photo) |
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By Dominik Lobkowicz
A new chiropractor in Nobleboro uses what he says is “almost an engineer’s approach” to evaluate and adjust his patients as part of an overall focus on their health and lifestyle.
Dr. Thomas White and Annee White, his wife and practice manager, operate The Chiropractic Office at 24 Center St., in Nobleboro.
After returning to the U.S. after Thomas practiced in a rural clinic in Australia, the Whites moved to Maine to open an office and eventually retire.
The couple first lived and ran an office in Livermore Falls for around a year and a half, but then bought a house in Waldoboro and opened their office in Nobleboro in October because the Midcoast is where they plan to stay.
“Midcoast Maine is definitely what we decided was our favorite place in the whole world, and Nobleboro is a central place,” Thomas said.
Thomas, formerly a mechanical engineer, said he uses the Gonstead method of chiropractic adjustment – a manual method, as opposed to mechanical, that focuses on correcting the mechanics of the spinal discs.
“I was drawn to this method because it makes sense to me; it makes sound bio-mechanical sense,” he said.
The method uses an analytical approach by taking a three-dimensional look at the spine to determine how any vertebrae are misaligned. Adjustments are made to help take pressure off nerves running through the spine, correct the misalignment, and restore movement to that part of the spine, he said.
According to Annee, patients have actually avoided surgery as a result of undergoing treatment with the Gonstead method. There are few Gonstead providers in the United States, she said, and Annee believes Thomas to be the only one in Maine.
Misalignment of vertebrae can pinch nerves, which can be a factor in seemingly unrelated things such as children’s bed-wetting, Thomas said.
Thomas also treats newborns and mothers if they went through a particularly rough birth, Annee said. “Pregnant women really benefit from chiropractic care, too,” she said.
“What we’d prefer is to see someone sooner than later … because it’s much easier to correct these things than it is down the road,” Thomas said.
Thomas said his goal is to help patients recover and prevent recurrence of problems, not to have people come back again and again for treatment.
“That’s not what this practice is about,” Thomas said. If the patient only needs one adjustment to solve their problem, one treatment is all they will receive, he said.
People primarily come to a chiropractor with structural issues such as sciatica, whiplash, carpal tunnel, or scoliosis, Thomas said, but the Whites have seen relief for issues such as headaches, ear infections, vertigo, and sinus problems after chiropractic adjustment.
Even digestive problems and recurrent stomach ulcers have been seen to improve after chiropractic adjustment, Thomas said.
“The human body has such a tremendous ability to heal itself,” he said. “That’s what chiropractic is all about – we support the body’s ability to heal.”
The goal is to fix the cause rather than just treat symptoms, which is part of the practice’s focus on healthy diet and lifestyle, Thomas said.
The Whites want people to be partners in their own health care, because ultimately a patient is in charge of his or her own body, he said.
The couple aims to further that goal by providing information and interaction through their Facebook page.
Annee plans to post a variety of health-related information and people can feel free to ask questions there. The Facebook page is designed to be open to the area because the Whites want to be a part of the community, Annee said.
Along the same lines, the couple has priced most visits to the office in a way they hope will be affordable for the community – $85 for an initial office visit, including adjustment, and $50 for follow-up visits.
Prices can vary in certain circumstances, Annee said.
“We want it to be accessible to people, we don’t want them not to come if they think they can’t afford it,” Thomas said.
The practice is open Monday to Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information on The Chiropractic Office, call 563-5777.
