POULSBO — He despises headaches, but he loves to rid people of the nagging cranial pain.
While growing up, Ryan Smart suffered from sinus infections and headaches on a regular basis.
Several members of Smart’s family also consistently combated the ache that negatively hampers a person’s ability to optimally function throughout the day.
Finally he’d had enough of the headaches and visited a chiropractic doctor, out of sheer curiosity, he said, but when he left the office he felt “so much better.”
“I stopped getting sick as often and had no more headaches,” Smart, 30, recalled. “(Chiropractic care) was fantastic for me and I knew I wanted to do something to help people and the lights kind of went on.”
That visit was a defining moment in Smart’s life.
He attended Life Chiropractic College West in California, and after a four-year, intensive program which bordered on pre-med, Smart graduated and opened Life Force Chiropractic in Poulsbo in October 2006.
Being a chiropractor also allows Smart to live his ambition of helping people.
“I enjoy seeing the hope I give people that they can be healthy again,” said Smart, who knows for a fact people who get adjusted regularly don’t get sick as often. “People can not only feel better but can see the change in their body and that gives people peace of mind.”
Glimmers of Smart’s desire to improve clients’ health are noticeable throughout his place of business.
Behind the reception desk in the office located at 1016 NE Forest Rock Ln No. 105 hangs a poster of a rhino on the move with the phrase, “Keep charging with chiropractic care.”
This same rhino is on display at a few other locations throughout the office because this is Smart’s mantra and approach toward chiropractic care.
“Health is a process, it’s not a destination,” Smart said, pointing at the rhino. “It takes hard work to be healthy and that’s kind of my motto: You have to keep at it.”
Some chiropractors approach care with aggressive adjustments to multiple bones, figuring one of those will do the trick. Smart takes his time with clients, learning their history and meticulously diagnosing the issue before he begins adjusting.
Smart said if something is twisted out of place that’s not always the problem: “Not every bone needs to be adjusted every time. The body is a self-healing organism.”
“I try to find the cause. I find the right one. It takes me a little longer and I don’t care,” said Smart, who lives his motto by exercising and eating healthy. “I give people the option of getting rid of a problem rather than keeping it at bay.”
Life Force Chiropractic is open 9-11:30 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 3-6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and by appointment on Saturday.
However, Smart will see clients outside of the regular business hours.
To schedule an appointment visit 1016 NE Forest Rock Lane No. 105, Poulsbo or call, (360) 779-5580.
