Dr. Andrew went to chiropractic school instead of medical school because “I liked the concept of being able to help people naturally, without drugs or surgery. I also liked the idea of discovering an immediate, fast result. People come in, I treat them, they feel better when they leave. That’s very rewarding.
“I had low back and hip pain and sciatica issues starting in high school through college from basketball and track. I also used to have a lot of burning in my neck and shoulder from practicing the piano for long hours in college. My girlfriend (a professional ballet dancer) at the time got me to see a chiropractor in college. In just a few visits (two weeks), I’d never felt better in my life. He didn’t do any muscle work, acupuncture, nutrition, nothing except chiropractic adjusting.
“To me, chiropractic care is about creating a healthy lifestyle. The Chinese have been doing it for thousands of years. There’s a neuro-musculo-skeletal dysfunction. Neurologically and through the acupuncture meridians, the treatment affects the nerves and tissues in your body. If your spine is stuck or not moving, it affects not only your muscles, but your entire nervous system, brain and internal organs. People think chiropractic is about cracking your back, but there’s a ton of neurology and science behind it.
“When I started getting into Applied Kinesiology, I saw that ever single muscle in the body is connected to an organ / acupuncture meridian. Treatments affect muscles, organs, etc. Everything is connected to everything.
“Acupuncture moves the energy, and then matter moves with it. The philosophy of Chinese medicine really came even before chiropractic. In the east, they talk about balance; the doctor’s job is to keep families healthy. If the family got sick, the doctors got paid. In the west, the sicker people get, the more money people make. A wellness model is a different model of health care.
“My patients constantly push me to keep learning because I am always searching to uncover “why” something is happening. I have a drive to relieve human suffering; I have to keep learning, for you and for me. I want to help you get well.”
Dr. Andrew Colyer
Click on an option from this list to learn how Dr. Andrew uses this modality in his practice.
Chiropractic Physician
Applied Kinesiology (AK)
Body Talk Practitioner
Certified, Graston Technique
Performing Edge Coaching
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Diplomate, American Academy of Pain Management
Clinical and Functional Neurology
Neurotransmitters & Brain Functioning
Clinical Nutrition and Homeopathy
Traditional and Chinese Herbs
Contact Reflex Analysis (CRA)
Fellow, International Academy of Medical Acupuncture
Certified, Onnetsu Far Infra-Red therapy
Certified, Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET)
Sedona Method & The Release Technique
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Certified, Total Body Modification (TBM)
Medical Qi Gong
Music & Sound Healing
Yuen Method of Chinese Energetics
Chiropractic Physician.
Inventor Thomas Edison said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” Today’s chiropractic physicians are able to practice holistic health care, functional medicine, anti-aging medicine, and stress management. In this sense, Dr. Andrew is the doctor of the future.
Dr. Andrew explains: “Chiropractors actually get more classroom education on diagnosing disease than medical doctors. We are trained to diagnose any disease on the planet when it walks in our office. Then, instead of drugs or surgeries, we are trained to use manual treatments and nutrition to address disease. The chiropractic adjustment is only partially what helps people. What brings total healing is properly assessing and diagnosing anatomy, internal organs, the endocrine system, the brain, acupuncture meridians, etc.”
“My clients come to be because they don’t want to be treated with drugs and surgery. They know that drugs often cover up something deeper. They want to be treated naturally, to heal their bodies permanently.”
Learn more about chiropractic care (The American Chiropractic Association)
Learn more about Dr. Andrew’s philosophy on patient care
American College for Advancement in Medicine
Institute for Functional Medicine
American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
American Institute of Stress
Learn more about Dr. Andrew’s advanced techniques
Diversified
Gonstead
Motion Palpation
Cox Flexion-Distraction
Activator
Thompson
Cranial adjusting
Advanced Extremity Adjusting (Shoulder-Elbow-Wrist-Hand, Hip-Knee-Ankle-foot)
Trigger Point Myotherapy
Spray-N-Stretch http://www.gebauerco.com/Products/Gebauer-s-Spray-and-Stretch.aspx
PNF
Polarity Therapy
Applied Kinesiology
AK was founded in the 60s by the late George Goodheart. He was the first person to put together chiropractic, functional muscle testing (from physical therapy), cranial work, nutrition, acupuncture’s five element theory, neurology, cranial-sacral work – it’s the mother of all techniques used by physical therapists, dentists, medical doctors, etc. I use it to diagnose and treat virtually everything that comes into my office.”
Learn more about Applied Kinesiology
BodyTalk Practitioner
Dr. Andrew explains, “Body Talk is a comprehensive energy medicine modality developed by an Australian chiropractor / acupuncturist based on quantum physics. It interacts with the patient’s communication systems to ensure all cells are communicating with each other to restore normal communication and energy flow so the body can heal itself. They have an allergy clearing, emotional clearing dimension that clears parasites, viruses, flu.
“BodyTalk really helped me to understand a deeper layer of asking the right questions and the right sequence of questions so I could uncover diagnostically what the patients need to get well.”
Certified, Graston Technique
Dr. Andrew explains, “Graston is an instrument-assisted myofascial release, great for musculoskeletal problems (acute or chronic): headaches, ankles, lower back pain, carpel tunnel, chronic pain and nagging issues. Scar tissue or adhesions develop in the soft, connective tissue in the muscles and fascia, and these lumps don’t want to go away. It’s like gristle in a bad piece of meat. Graston breaks down this tissue, brings in increased lymph flow to clean out the waste products, and increased blood flow to help heal the tissues.
“Typically, people find relief in 1-2 treatments, and healing in usually no more than 6, and is really effective for things like tennis elbow, groin pain, shoulder problems. Oftentimes, after you’ve being treated, instead of rest, or “don’t do anything,” I tell patients to go do stuff ,as it helps to move out the waste and ensure that the muscle returns to its proper form. We want people to stretch and exercise – it’s part of the treatment protocol. Most people are happy, because I’m telling them to go ahead and move!”
Learn more about Graston Technique
Performing Edge Coach
Dr. Andrew explains, “I studied sports psychology performance coaching to use with my Equestrians, Athletes, and Achiever clients to help them overcome mental blocks and fears and to develop a “gold medal mindset.” This work does for your mind what stretching and training does for your body. It’s like taking your brain to the gym. We want our bodies to have many gears and speeds, and we need the mind to be equally-flexible.
Learn more about Performing Edge Coaching
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Dr. Andrew explains, “I’d graduated from chiropractic school and I got this certification the same month because I wanted to work with athletes. I wanted advanced training so athletes would know I knew what I was talking about. When people need help with knowing the right exercises to do, how long, when (exercise prescription), I could help them, especially high school / college athletes and those interested in strength training. To this day, I work with athletes on developing their training plans.”
Dr. Andrew is certified with the NSCA – National Strength & Conditioning Association
Diplomate, American Academy of Pain Management
Dr. Andrew explains, “Pain is an area that fascinates me because there are so many things that can cause pain: physical, emotional, mental, environmental, spiritual, biochemical. I want to know why something is hurting – sometimes an adjustment doesn’t fix it. Pain management is such a massive field and I want as many tools I my toolbox as possible. Getting certified (late 90s) really armed me with a larger skill set for treating pain.
“To become a diplomate, you had to take a bunch of classes, taken an 8-hour exam, continuing education at conventions, etc. I had a learn a wide variety of ways acute and chronic pain is treated, whether it’s in my scope of practice or not, including pharmacology, electrotherapy, homeopathy, etc. When people tell me what they’re taking or what treatments they’ve had, I understand “why” doctors would have given then that treatment, which gives me insight into the patient’s history. When a patient tells me, I took this medicine and it made me feel better, but it didn’t fix what was wrong, that clues me in on what’s wrong with them so I can diagnose.
“Acute pain and chronic pain are medicated very differently. Oftentimes, pain includes depression and anxiety; brain chemistry is affected by the drugs people take. The pain cycle and the mental / emotional cycle needs to be broken. I get people who have been everywhere else and they don’t know what to do, or the doctor sends them home to die, and I’m their last resort.
Learn more about the Academy of Pain Management
Clinical and Functional Neurology
Dr. Andrew explains, “There are subtleties to the nervous system that most people don’t recognize because they don’t know how to look for them. It comes in really handy when you’re dealing with concussions / equestrians / athletes. To learn these distinctions, I completed one year of a neurology diplomate program (over 150 hours) that included classroom and clinical training.
“The brain is the master controlling system of the body. We are assessing the CIS – the central integrated state of the brain and the nervous system. When you’re looking to restore function (brain, muscles, hormones, digestion, disorders like bell’s palsy, etc), if you only address the problem from the neck down (locally, at the site problems exist), you’re not going to be able to consistently restore function; and in some cases, you can make it worse. You have to first make sure the brain and your neurology is working properly.
“I think one of the reasons I’ve been fortunate to have good results because between the functional neurology training and kinesiology, I can ensure people get better instead of worse. Sometimes, you treat counter-intuitively because the problems aren’t ‘as-they-seem’.”
Learn more about clinical and functional neurology:
Carrick Institute
American Chiropractic Neurology Board
Neurotransmitters and Brain Function
Dr. Andrew explains, “In treating depression and anxiety, you can do lab tests with saliva and urine testing to see where neurotransmitters are out of balance, particularly helpful if you have ADD, depression, or brain fog. We can use targeted amino-acid therapies to help balance people’s brains, which is great for sleep disorders, improving focus, and balancing circadian rhythm (really helpful with Seasonal Affective Disorder!).
“Often, people think metabolic issues are actually brain issues, so these tests are really useful diagnostically. Diabetics need insulin; sometimes people’s brains just don’t make the right neurotransmitters.”
Learn more about neurotransmitters and brain function
Neuroscience Lab Testing
Society for NeuroScience
Clinical Nutrition and Homeopathy
Dr. Andrew explains, “I’ve been taking countless seminars since ’91 because there is so much to learn about this area. Each seminar has a different area of breath, depth, and focus; there are an infinite number of areas to study, ie brain chemistry, blood sugar, vitamins and minerals, high cholesterol, pre- and post-surgery, etc. In a seminar, you get a specialist’s years of clinical research and experience, which drastically cuts down on my trial-and-error.
“Nutrition helps the body to rebuild to be in a maximum state of health. Homeopathy gets down to the cellular level to detoxify and repair the body. You can do so much with natural medicine; we prefer to use drugs and surgery as a last resort, not a first line of defense. In chinese medicine, the phrase is Healthy, happy, dead. You live a long, happy, healthy life, and then you die abruptly.”
Learn more about nutrition and homeopathy
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
National Center for Complimentary & Alternative Medicine – Introduction to Homeopathy
Traditional Herbs and Chinese Herbs
Dr. Andrew explains, “Herbs are another way of addressing of what’s wrong with the patient, but they’re different from supplements—they’re plants, so they’re even more natural. The Chinese herb formulas have been around for 5,000 years and have been tested extensively. You almost can’t hurt someone with herbs. They’re special because they’re comprised of energetic frequencies that are missing in the patient’s body—herbs and plants can work better than pharmacology and regular supplements because dosages include the intelligence of the plant.”
Learn more about traditional and Chinese herbs:
Herb Research Foundation
HerbMed – online database
HerbalPedia
Reference Guide for Herbs
Contact Reflex Analysis
Dr. Andrew explains, “This is a technique that uses AK to check the reflex points, organs, and endocrine (hormone) glands to find out what’s out of balance so you can use nutrition to balance the body. It also checks for bacteria, viruses, yeast-candida, parasite problems, and many other things.”
Learn more about Contact Reflex Analysis
Fellow, International Academy of Medical Acupuncture
Dr. Andrew explains, “If I were to go to chiropractic school today, I’d go to one that offered both chiropractic and acupuncture. I love Chinese medicine; the Chinese figured this stuff out 5,000 years ago. In my acupuncture training, we learned about Chinese / Japanese / French / German / Korean / British / Taiwanese acupuncture; these modalities often contradict each other and might have you do opposite things, but they all still work. Hand / ear / scalp acupuncture were all covered in this course, which gives you options for treatment outside of the spine, stomach, and legs. There are maps on the scalp and all parts of the body that affect your health.
“And that exam was an all-day, fill-in-the-blank, essay exam, the hardest exam I’ve ever taken in my life! No true-false, multiple-choice. I have a machine called EMI (Electro-Meridian Imaging) – I can run a graph of your acupuncture meridians to get an idea of what your body is doing. I can do needless acupuncture; CA / NY / GA don’t allow needles. There are different ways to practice without needles: laser, electronic stimulation device, teishien, acupressure, magnetic beads, there are lots of ways of stimulating the meridians without using needles. I use acupuncture with almost everyone – if there is a problem, there is a meridian imbalance somewhere. The organs / muscles / meridians all go together. Physical problems and internal disorders = meridian imbalance. Acupuncture sets the conditions of balanced energy and blood-flow / circulation combined with nutrition and emotional work that ultimately leads to fast healing.
Learn more about Medical Acupuncture
Certified, Onnetsu Far Infra-Red therapy
Dr. Andrew explains, “Back in the 1970’s, Japanese researchers started working with scientists at NASA, to determine why every living thing on the earth needs sunlight to live. They figured out that the most important energy from the sun is the infra-red frequency spectrum. Onnetsu Far Infra-red therapy puts that energy into your body, which warms up the organs or body parts. All of the cells in your body are supposed to be at an optimum temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If your cells, organs, or tissues are “too cold”, then the enzyme systems and physiology of the cells don’t work properly. There is also a deficiency of energy, circulation, and lymphatic flow. That’s how dysfunction and disease happens.
There is documented evidence and case studies that Onnetsu Far Infra-Red therapy has been used to help people heal from cancer, tuberculosis, hearing loss, brain tumors, kidney failure, fibromyalgia, and other serious disease processes. It’s one of the coolest tools that I have in my bag of tricks.”
Learn more about Onnetsu Far Infra-Red therapy
Certified, Neuro-Emotional Technique
Dr. Andrew explains, “This technique treats the physiology of emotions. It combines chiropractic, AK, Chinese medicine, psychology, homeopathy and nutrition to clear and release the physiological impact of emotions from someone’s body. The body often can’t heal when it’s holding onto conscious / subconscious emotional stuff that “talk therapy” can’t release.
“There are advanced ways of using NET to look at limiting belief systems (clear, release, change) to uncover what programming we’re carrying. I use this technique with almost all my patients – performance anxiety, lifting brain fog, etc. Everyone’s usually stressed out about something, and it’s often contributing to their physical pain.”
Learn more about Neuro-Emotional Technique
Sedona Method and The Release Technique
Dr. Andrew explains, “These techniques are similar to NET in that they look at emotional upset and belief systems people have, with the intention of changing them. They are often very helpful in releasing neuro-emotional stress that is contributing to the patients’ physical and internal disorders.
Learn more about the Sedona Method & Release Technique:
Sedona Method
Release Technique
http://www.davidellzey.com/sedona/
Emotional Freedom Technique
Dr. Andrew explains, “EFT is another tool, similar to NET, to help people release the physiology of emotional stress; it involves tapping on acupuncture meridian points to release stress.”
Learn more about the Emotional Freedom Technique
Certified, Total Body Modification
Dr. Andrew explains, “This is an old-school technique. I was fortunate to train under Victor Frank, the founder and developer. TBM evaluates, resets and rebalances internal organs and most of the known body functions by stimulating reflex points located along the spine, which correct imbalances of functional physiology. It helps with blood sugar metabolism, allergy elimination / harmonization, chemicals, food, medications, pathogens (virus or bacteria).
“The corrections to the spine / cranium / reflex points are done via manual therapy, and this modality treats Lyme disease, chronic infections, lupus, multiple sclerosis, heavy metal toxicity, all these internal organic conditions. I use this technique pretty much on all patients; something will come up that might not even be why they came in, but we’ll treat it to make sure they’re whole and well.”
Learn more about Total Body Modification
Medical Qi Gong.
Dr. Andrew explains, “I’ve been practicing Medical Qi Gong since 2002. It treats acute or chronic Injuries by using your hands to direct energy in the body, like the Chinese version of Reiki.”
To learn more about Medical Qi Gong:
International Institute of Medical Qi Gong
What is medical qi gong?
Music and Sound Healing
Dr. Andrew is certified in Sound Healing with Tom Kenyon.
Dr. Andrew explains, “Sound healing uses your voice and musical instruments (tuning forks, drums, wind instruments) to balance energy in the body. Sound is useful when working with emotions. It’s another tool where we can use sound / vibration to remove energy blocks. Sound / music / rhythm changes your brain by putting it in a more relaxed state, helping you to sleep better, lift brain fog, balance acupuncture meridians, etc. Sound healing is very experiential.
Learn more about Sound Healing
Yuen Method of Chinese Energetics
Dr. Andrew explains, “Yuen Method is a comprehensive energy medicine system developed by a 35th generation Shaolin master is similar to BodyTalk. It’s based in Chinese medicine, incorporating quantum physics, applied kinesiology, chi gong, and it’s blended into the other things I do, in particular supporting my distance / phone session work.”
Learn more about Yuen Method of Chinese Energetics
If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Book an Appointment
First-time patients typically have questions about what to bring to the appointment, how long is the first appointment, etc.
- The first appointment is typically 60-75 minutes. We’ll book an hour.
- If you’ve recently had blood work, x-rays or notes from other doctors, please bring that with you.
- Please bring either a list of all supplements and prescriptions you’re taking, or you can bring the bottles with you.
- If you have a list of things you’d like to go over, please bring it with you (Dr. Andrew will do a complete intake with you regardless).
- Book your appointment with our scheduler, and Sherri, Dr Andrew’s office manager, will be in touch with you to confirm your appointment and make sure your questions are answered.