Frequently Asked Questions

It’s soooo good at smoothing away tense muscles and releasing fascia.

But this is not a spa style massage. You get to keep your clothes on – but do dress comfortably in materials that aren’t too tight.

Acupressure therapy is a traditional healing technique that involves applying manual pressure to specific points on the body, known as acupoints, to promote health and well-being. It is based on the same principles as acupuncture, but instead of using needles, acupressure uses the fingers, palms, or elbows to apply pressure. This natural, hands-on therapy is rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is used to balance the body’s energy, relieve pain, reduce stress, and promote healing.

The acupoints are specific spots on the body where energy channels (meridians) are believed to be concentrated. There are hundreds of acupoints throughout the body, each corresponding to different organs, systems, or health functions. By applying pressure to these points, Dr. Eric aims to balance the flow of energy (Qi or Chi) and restore harmony within the body.

Some of the more commonly reported benefits include:

• Pain relief – Often used to reduce pain associated with conditions like headaches, back pain, neck pain, arthritis, and menstrual cramps.
• Stress reduction – Helps to reduce stress and anxiety. It promotes relaxation by stimulating the release of endorphins, which are the body’s feel-good chemicals.
• Improved circulation – Pressure on acupoints may stimulate blood flow and help oxygen and nutrients reach tissues more effectively.
• Nausea and digestive support – Can help with nausea as well as improve digestion and reduce bloating.
• Improved sleep – By promoting relaxation and reducing stress, acupressure may also help improve sleep quality.

Acupressure is generally considered safe for most people. However, it may not be advised for people with certain medical conditions, such as pregnancy, blood-clotting disorders, or injuries like fractures and should be done only under the guidance of healthcare professional in such situations.

Thorough Consultation and Assessment

• Initial evaluation: The process begins with a detailed consultation, where we listen to your health concerns, take your medical history, discuss lifestyle, and address specific issues you’re experiencing.
• Physical exam: We conduct a comprehensive exam that may involve checking your posture, assessing muscle tone, determining your joint mobility and evaluating the health of your spine and joints.
• Orthopedic tests: These are special movement tests designed to identify misalignments, muscle imbalances, and potential nerve involvement.

Receive A Customized Treatment Plan

• Based on the assessment, we will develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. This plan may include a combination of spinal adjustments, soft tissue therapy, exercises, stretches, ergonomic advice, and lifestyle recommendations. The goal is to address the underlying causes of your pain or discomfort.
• Chiropractic care is not just about getting adjustments – it’s about improving the function of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system as a whole. We will focus on improving spinal alignment, but also work with the muscles, ligaments, and joints that support your spine (and/or other body areas) to restore optimal function.

Depending on your condition and situation, we may be also provide treatment at the initial visit. But this is not always the case. We may need need to send you for X-Rays or other imaging prior to providing treatment.

Manual Spinal Adjustments

• The core of chiropractic care often involves spinal adjustments or manipulations to correct misalignments (also called subluxations) in the spine. These adjustments are done carefully and precisely, usually with hands-on techniques, to restore proper alignment and mobility to the spine and joints.
• Contrary to the idea of forcing a “crack”, we use gentle, controlled adjustments designed to improve joint movement, relieve pressure on nerves, and stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities. Dr. Eric determines which adjustments to use based on your unique needs depending on your condition.

Soft Tissue Therapy and Techniques

• To complement spinal adjustment, we may incorporate soft tissue techniques such as myofascial release, deep tissue acupressure massage, or trigger point therapy. These therapies help to relieve tension in the muscles and soft tissues surrounding the spine, allowing for better overall mobility and less pain.

Stretching and Strengthening

• In addition to relieving muscle tension, we may recommend specific exercises or stretches to strengthen weak areas and improve flexibility. This can help prevent future injuries, improve posture, and increase your body’s resilience.

Ergonomics Guidance

• Chiropractic care often goes beyond the treatment room. We will likely offer practical advice on improving your posture, body mechanics, and ergonomics. Whether it’s suggesting adjustments to your workstation, how to lift heavy objects safely, or offering stretches to incorporate into your daily routine, these tips are designed to enhance long-term results and reduce the risk of recurrence.

Lifestyle Changes

• Depending on your health goals, we may also discuss nutrition, lifestyle changes or fitness routines that can support your healing. This holistic approach ensures that the body remains in balance after treatment and addresses the root causes of discomfort, rather than just providing temporary relief of symptoms.

Patient Education

• One of the key tenets of good chiropractic care is education. We not only provide treatment but also empower you to take charge of your health. We help you understand the importance of spinal health and offer advice on how to live a healthy, active life. This empowers patients to take proactive steps in their care and maintain the improvements made during treatment.

Ongoing Care

• Since our chiropractic care is focused on long-term wellness and only immediate symptom relief, many patients benefit from ongoing care to prevent future injuries, manage stress, or maintain spinal health during aging. Maintenance adjustments may be a part of your treatment, which are typically less frequent, but can help to keep your body functioning at it’s best.

Here’s how it works:

1. Schedule the ND/ Nutrition New Client Package.
2. After scheduling, you will receive an email with logon information to the client portal. Here you will find consent forms and questionnaires that should be filled out at least 2 days prior to the appointment time. This is so we have time to review the information. Expect this to take about an hour of your time to complete the forms. Please also upload any documents that support diagnoses, labs, and other tests so we can do a complete evaluation.
3. First visit: Expect this appointment to last about two hours. We want to get a thorough understanding of your history, lifestyle, concerns and goals. We’ll use the information you provided ahead of time to help guide the direction of questions for this meeting. It’s a lot of talking, so bring your favorite drink to quench your thirst. We have a few options available too. We will also take vitals and do a physical exam that is pertinent to your symptoms and goals.
4. After the initial visit, we compile all of the information into a health timeline, lab tracking spreadsheet, supplement ingredient table, medication/supplement interactions, diet/nutrient evaluation (if a food/mood journal was provided) and develop a draft version of a Health Optimization Plan.
5. Second visit: Usually about an hour. Presentation, discussion, and collaboration of the draft Health Optimization Plan.
6. After the second visit: This is a good time to thoroughly read the draft Health Optimization Plan, consider what resonates with you and write down the questions you may have. Possibly start implementing some of the strategies.
7. Third visit: Use this 1 hour visit however you would like. It is often used to answer questions about the Health Optimization Plan you thought about after reading it more thoroughly, discuss any changes since our last visit, and make adjustments. Other options for this visit include using it as the first follow-up visit, or for one of our therapeutic services such as constitutional hydrotherapy, sauna/Plunge, red light, NST, etc…

The word “chiropractic” is derived from two basic Greek words. “Cheir” means hand and “Praxis” means practice or action. Thus, chiropractic means “done by hand”, which reflects the central role of manual manipulation in chiropractic care.

Chiropractic care is a non-invasive, drug-free alternative or complementary therapy for many people. It is rooted in the foundation that maintaining spinal health is key to overall well-being. Through proper alignment of the body’s structure—especially the spine—the body is enabled to heal itself without surgery or medication.

Key features of chiropractic care:

• Spinal Adjustments: Chiropractors use hands-on techniques or instruments to adjust misaligned vertebrae, improving spinal motion and relieving nerve pressure.
• Holistic Approach: Chiropractic care often emphasizes natural healing and may incorporate exercises, lifestyle changes, and nutritional advice to promote overall health.

Treatment goals of chiropractic care:

• Relieve pain in areas such as the back, neck, or joints.
• Improve posture, mobility, and physical function.
• Support recovery from injuries or chronic conditions like sciatica or arthritis.

Chiropractic care is often misunderstood to be only about “cracking” or adjusting the spine. At Nourisherpa, Dr. Eric provides full chiropractic care with a holistic and personalized approach that includes that plus much more. We use a comprehensive, patient-focused approach to improve musculoskeletal health, optimize the nervous system, and enhance overall well-being. Dr. Eric takes the time to evaluate and understand your unique needs, and treat you as a whole person as opposed to a set of symptoms.

Nourish Care is our concierge style continuous care model for naturopathic/ nutrition care. We offer it in 3, 6, or 12 month durations. Particularly with chronic or complex conditions, it is the best way to encourage and maintain the lifestyle changes often recommended on Health Optimization Plans.

It includes:

• As-needed, ongoing nutrition and lifestyle guidance/ education, lab evaluation, supplement evaluation, mindfulness practice, and homeopathy management.
• There are typically weekly or bi-weekly visits, for 30 or 60 minutes each, during the first few months, which then may shift to less often as health improvements set in. But there is not a specified number of visits. It is based on individual need.

Additional benefits include:

• 30% off therapeutic services such as far infrared sauna, cold plunge, red light therapy, NST, therapeutic acupressure massage
• 30% off Metabolic Balance program
• No blood draw fee (regularly $25) for in-clinic lab tests

CareCredit is a flexible financing option available to approved applicants from Synchrony for health and wellness services. It gives the benefit of monthly payments. Plan options include No Interest if paid in full within promotional period, or a reduced interest rate for fixed monthly payment schedule. To learn more visit https://www.carecredit.com/howcarecreditworks/prospective/.

Nourisherpa accepts the forms of payment:

• Cash
• Debit cards
• Major credit cards
• Personal checks
• HSA/FSA cards
• CareCredit

We are not considered in network with any insurance providers, but do provide super bills. Some of our services (such as nutrition counseling and chiropractic care) may qualify for reimbursement depending on your plan. In addition you may be able to use health savings (HSA) or flexible spending accounts (FSA) – again depending on your plan.

We also offer Care Credit as a financing option.

YES! Many of our services are available without having an active Health Optimization Plan. These include:

• Therapeutic acupressure massage
• Far infrared sauna
• Cold plunge
• Constitutional hydrotherapy
• Red light therapy
• NST (Neurostructural Integration Technique)
• Heart rate variability training

Naturopathic Care – Includes a comprehensive history, review of prior lab/test test results and pertinent medical records (as permitted), discussion of health goals, and designing a health optimization plan.

Chiropractic Care – Through proper alignment of the body’s structure—especially the spine—the body is enabled to heal itself without surgery or medication.

Therapeutic Acupressure Massage – Traditional Chinese Acupressure is ideal for those looking to harmonize their body, mind, and spirit through a therapeutic, time-tested approach. It is helpful for muscle tension, stress reduction, improved circulation, and enhanced overall well-being. The technique can also address specific concerns like headaches, back pain, and insomnia.

Diet/ Nutrition Counseling – As part of a wellness strategy, Dr. Jen provides in-depth support for making diet and lifestyle changes.

Metabolic Balance Program – Reset Your Body with this powerful, personalized nutrition program developed by Metabolic Balance™ to optimize hormone balance, vitality and weight.

Constitutional Hydrotherapy – A powerful and relaxing contrast therapy that stimulates vitality by increasing circulation, metabolism and elimination, through application of alternating hot and cold towels to the core area of the body.

Far Infrared Sauna – Far infrared light waves increase the vibration of water molecules within the body, which then increases your core temperature and stimulates the sweat glands. The heat and sweat combine to create conditions that boost waste elimination and provide relaxation.

Cold Plunge Tub – Boost your resilience, energy, and endorphins with a quick dip in the cold water. Also great for a quick post-sauna cool-down.

Red/ Near Infrared Light Therapy – Lie under our LED panel with specific red and near infrared light waves that increase energy production and improve skin at the cellular level.

Neurostructural Integration Technique (NST) – A gentle method to restore and balance tensions and signaling throughout the body.

Heart Rate Variability (Heart Math) Training – Using biofeedback, balance your autonomic nervous system by connecting your breath with your heart.

Homeopathy, Botanicals, Supplement Recommendations

15 minute Initial Fit Consult: If you want to hear more about our process and services, want to see if Nourisherpa is a good fit, or just want to check the vibe, give us a call or schedule a free 15 minute Initial Fit Consult so you can ask more questions and get comfortable with the process.

New Client/Patient Visits: New clients/patients looking for naturopathic/ nutrition care and/or chiropractic care. This is the starting point where we spend extra time at the beginning going through your symptoms, history, diet, lifestyle and relevant physical exam.

Here’s how it works for:

1. Schedule the New Client Package.
2. After scheduling, you will receive an email with logon information to the client portal. Here you will find consent forms and questionnaires that should be filled out at least 2 days prior to the appointment time. This is so we have time to review the information. Expect this to take about an hour of your time to complete the forms. Please also upload any documents that support diagnoses, labs, and other tests so we can do a complete evaluation.
3. First visit: Expect this appointment to last about two hours. We want to get a thorough understanding of your history, lifestyle, concerns and goals. We’ll use the information you provided ahead of time to help guide the direction of questions for this meeting. It’s a lot of talking, so bring your favorite drink to quench your thirst. We have a few options available too.
4. After the initial visit, we compile all of the information and design a draft version of a Health Optimization Plan.
5. Second visit: Presentation, discussion, and collaboration of the draft Health Optimization Plan.
6. After the second visit: This is a good time to thoroughly read the draft Health Optimization Plan, consider what resonates with you and write down the questions you may have. Possibly start implementing some of the strategies.
7. Third visit: We discuss questions about the Health Optimization Plan, discuss any changes since our last visit, and make adjustments to the Plan to get us to the final version for you.

Follow-up Consults: These appointments are open to existing clients that have active Health Optimization, Chiropractic or Metabolic Balance plans.

Some examples include:

• Management of care and progress
• Nutrition counseling
• Spiritual / mindfulness coaching
• Patient Advocacy