Britta’s Story

You may have noticed that we have a new, smiling face behind the front desk. Britta Johnson joined our team about one month ago, and we are VERY happy to have her! Rachel graduated with her B.S. in Psychology this December from Merrimack College, and accepted a job in Boston that was more in line with her degree. She is doing wonderful, and I am very excited for her. She still stops in to say ‘hi’ on a regular basis, and always brightens our day.If you were to look at Britta, you would have never guessed the incredibly difficult health history she has had. She wanted to share her story with all of you, so that you could see the personal impact that the work we do has made in her life. This was something that she wrote, unsolicited, in the hopes that it would have an impact on someone out there.On a personal note, the reason I travel so much and go to so many conferences is because I want to have the tools to be able to help someone like Britta when they walk into our office. The work we do is not about neck pain or back pain, but is instead about removing interference to the nervous system so that the body can heal and function at it’s fullest capacity.Warning: This email is long. However, if you read Britta’s story I promise you won’t be disappointed. Please give her a big smile next time you see her!Dr. SeanBritta: First and foremost, thank you every one of you who has been so warm and welcoming to me here, I am very ecstatic and eternally grateful to be a part of the Precision Chiropractic team! It’s been just about a month now, so I feel as if it’s about time for me to share my story with all of you!I am currently 23 years old, living in Beverly with my parents, my 9 year old sister, and my pets; my dog and 4 turtles! I also have an older brother, a sister-in-law, 1 nephew, 2 nieces and one great nephew. Needless to say, I’m very family orientated! I graduated from Bishop Fenwick High School, moved on to North Shore Community College, and then jumped right into Retail Management for about 4 years and Promotional Modeling as well. For 21 years I was a dancer, and 15 of those years I was a full time competitive dancer. I also was a cheerleader and a figure skater for some years too. On my down time, I love photography, especially of historical rustic remote places… So if you know anywhere around, let me know, I love a good adventure!As for my health, I have a pretty extensive medical history. As young as 6 months old, I went into anaphylactic shock from a peanut butter cracker, at 8 months old I was airlifted to Boston for respiratory failure which was when I was diagnosed with Asthma. Then at age 11, I was diagnosed with a rare gastric disease called Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis. With this disease, it causes me to have severe allergies to nuts, legumes, wheat (not gluten, which is the protein in wheat) and all fruits and vegetables. (except carrots and broccoli as of 2013!) On top of all of this, once I hit my teenage years, I started suffering from chronic migraines. They were so painful they would start in the front of my head (near my eyes and forehead), travel down my neck and spine, and once the pain hit my hips I would become momentarily paralyzed. I went to a few neurologists, had many cat scans, MRI’s, EKG’s, and not one doctor could pinpoint the cause of this. So just like a lot of doctors do, they gave me anti-migraine medication to take daily. I stopped taking the medicine after two months due to the effects it was having on me. I simply just did not like the way it made me feel, granted it helped my migraines for some bit. Up until I began getting care at Precision Chiropractic, not one doctor I went to had an answer for me on what the cause was. At age 19, I was then diagnosed with depression and intense situational anxiety. I had heard horror stories of anti-depressants so my doctor and I both agreed that we would not resort to medication.On Monday, February 3rd my mother had rushed me to my doctor for an emergency visit because I was having an asthma attack that was brought on by my anxiety. I had been so stressed and sleep deprived from all the hours of work I had been putting into my job it had caused me to come to my breaking point. It was what I consider “my trigger”. My doctor had no more answers for me except for two things. 1. “You’re a smart girl, you know what to do.” And 2. To prescribe me to two anti-depressant’s, one for every-day and another as a rescue just in case I had another intense episode again. I had felt as if it was my last resort, regardless of the information I had on the medication. I needed that “quick fix”.Exactly one week later, I came into the office for an interview with a migraine and some anxiety…. Between you and I, I don’t know how I managed to pull of the interview, I was in so much pain! I left the office and no later than 30 minutes, I received a phone call requesting a second interview and start training! After that I gave my notice to “my trigger” and I had started to see some light!“We are going to get you feeling better!” Dr. Sean told me when I accepted the job. I laughed simply because of my extensive medical history, feeling better just wasn’t an option or a possibility for me. He sent me to get x-rays, I went through the examination process, and I found out a lot about myself that I would have never known if I hadn’t come in for an interview. I was told when I was younger by my school nurse that I had scoliosis and it was normal, but that was the end of the conversation. When Dr. Sean and I went over my x-rays, we found that I suffer from a lot more than just the “typical” scoliosis. The atlas of my spine is shifted, my neck is bending in the opposite direction it should be, there is a slight curve in my chest and lungs area, and my hips are unaligned. WOAH!My first adjustment was a huge one, my atlas. My anxiety was through the roof when Dr. Sean was getting ready to adjust the bone but once I heard that pop in my neck, I felt instant relief! Granted, it horrified me that my body could make such a loud noise and not hurt, but I was in awe. In that moment, I had some sense of hope that this might actually work. The next adjustment, I was wheezing prior to Dr. Sean adjusting me. I almost took my inhaler as a quick relief, but then he called me into his office. Dr. Sean adjusted the vertebrae that sends direct signals to my lungs. After the adjustment to that one vertebrae, my lungs opened up and my wheezing was gone! That was when I was convinced. Later that week, I started feeling much better. The tension in my neck, shoulders, and lower back pain was gone. Sleeping was becoming much more relaxing, and I started feeling energized again. One Friday night before the office was closed, I started feeling the beginning phase to a migraine, so I told Dr. Sean. He adjusted me, and within an instant my headache was gone. I began to become aware of my body and started to notice when things were out of alignment. Not only have I noticed a huge improvement in my body awareness, but my family and friends have also noticed a dramatic change in my posture, breathing, and my overall well-being. I started getting my “glow” back that I had been missing for years now, and I could not be happier!About three weeks after Dr. Sean started adjusting me, I had a follow up doctor’s appointment to see how I was handling the medication he had prescribed to me. I informed him that I got a new job, and with the job I started getting Structural BioCorecction adjustments. As usual, he checked my vitals and then my lung function and sinuses. Once he was done listening to my lungs and checking my sinuses, he stepped back and gave me this shocked look.“Throughout the 23 years of having you as a patient, I have never NOT heard a wheeze in your lungs nor have I never seen NO post nasal drip. Up until now at least. Whatever Dr. Sean is doing for you, tell him to keep doing it. You don’t have a single wheeze or any post nasal drip effecting you.”Thanks to Dr. Sean’s care, my doctor has officially taken me off of 75-80% of my medication (especially those anti-depressants I told you about), I no longer suffer from migraines, and my asthma and allergies are under control for the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE! I realize I am still on the path of recovery but I feel absolutely amazing! Feeling healthy was never an option for me until I started getting adjustments, so now that I am experiencing it, I can’t even believe I was living life with the way I felt. If this doesn’t make you a believer in Structural BioCorrection, I don’t know what would.-Britta