Last month, we added two new chiropractors to the Forgey team – Drs. Haley and Bryan Gehm. They bring a deep commitment to improving health, increasing well-being and helping our patients live full lives.
Born and raised in the Vancouver area, Dr. Haley attended Western Washington University in Bellingham where she studied Biochemistry, then attended the University of Western States in Portland where she graduated with a Doctorate in Chiropractic in 2014. Get to know Dr. Haley a bit better below, and give us a call at 360-573-5500 to schedule an appointment!
Why did you become a chiropractor?
My oldest sister, who is 10 years older than me, is a chiropractor, and I’ve had migraines since high school. One time, she adjusted me when I had a migraine, and it went away. My migraines last about five days, so it was really miraculous. It only took a few hours and it went away.
My sister went through chiropractic school when I was in high school and so she kind of practiced on me when I was in school. When I went to college, I wanted to be a lab scientist, but she adjust me and
It was like a lightbulb, and I thought, let’s do this!
What brought you to Forgey specifically?
My dad and Dr. Forgey know each other, have known each other for years. They were kids together. My oldest sister interned with Forgey when she graduated and my husband and I met in school and he interned with Forgey when we graduated.
What’s your favorite part about being a chiropractor?
I love adjusting people! It’s my favorite thing. I absolutely love my job, I always have.
What’s the biggest misconception about chiropractic?
One of the things that we get a lot is that people will almost be afraid to come in and get adjusted, thinking that if they come in once they have to come in for the rest of their lives. The thing is that you don’t – it’s just that you want to because it feels good. So people will come in and their issue will get better, but when it starts to happen again, they will come in earlier, then it becomes a maintenance issue. If your back is sore, come in and get adjusted – it will make you feel better.
What’s the approach you take with new patients?
I just like to look at a person as a whole, which is pretty typical for chiropractors. If you come in because your right shoulder hurts, we look at what muscles are attached to the shoulders, if you need muscle work, etc. I try to look at the person as a whole and not just the symptom that brought them in. I don’t want to just “band aid” someone. I want to fix what the problem is so that they can feel better. I also incorporate cupping and scraping into my adjustments.
Who is not seeing a chiropractor, but should be?
I think people with chronic headaches, not big headaches, but the headaches that you walk around with, like 3/10 pain that you just try to get through, those are an easy fix. I used to get headaches constantly and migraines 4 or 5 times a year, but I haven’t had a migraine in probably give years, because when i feel one coming on, I get adjusted, take a 30 minute nap and it never happens. When I get tension headaches, I just walk around with them.
What should we all be doing to increase our quality of life and well-being? What are things you want people to start doing?
Drink water and stretch! No one stretches, and you should be drinking about half of your body weight in ounces in water every day.
Stretching doesn’t even have to take much time. While you’re watching TV, stretch for ten minutes every day. If you have stabbing pain, don’t do it. If you have aching pain, do it again. And if it feels good, do it a million times!
When you come in with joint pain, the joint hurts, but unless you had some sort of trauma, like a fall or accident, the cause of the pain is likely muscle imbalances or over-use. Stretching helps nip those issues in the bud.
What motivates you to go to work every day?
I love my job! I honestly love being able to help people.
Dr. Haley is available Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Call Forgey Chiropractic at 360-573-5500 to schedule an appointment!
