When acupuncturist Moira McCarthy met chiropractor Dr. Jeff Ulery in 2001, the connection was instantaneous.

"We met at a networking event, and right off, we realized that we had the same ideas and principles about how we like to run our practice," McCarthy says. They began referring patients to each other until they merged their practices in 2008, forming Whole Body Health in Austin.

While it may sound a little unconventional, combining practices gets to the root of the professional philosophy shared by Ulery and McCarthy.

"When someone comes into this office, I don't think twice about suggesting Moira," Ulery says. "If they come in and they need a physician or they need surgery, we're going to get them out – get them to where they need to go."

"We found that when we blend what we do, we get better results," McCarthy adds. "Our goal is always the best outcome for the patients." Ulery agrees, saying the focus at Whole Body Health is to provide patients with knowledge, resources and treatments, and thus, create the best opportunity for healing.

That may mean implementing lifestyle and dietary changes, brain balancing, detoxification therapy or craniosacial therapy in addition to acupuncture and chiropractic treatments. In fact, in that same spirit of holistic treatment, the duo have begun looking at locations for their next endeavor: a complete wellness center housing medical doctors, psychotherapists, a rehabilitation center, a nutritionist and yoga and Pilates instructors under one roof.

The body, as Ulery is fond of saying, is a system of systems, and he believes the lack of communication – and sometimes cooperation – between allopathic and holistic practitioners negatively impacts patients. "When we're working as a health-care team, the patient benefits," he says. "In many instances, the medical field has lost sight of what's most important: the patients."

McCarthy agrees. She says patients are often confused and frustrated when they have to jump around from specialist to specialist. "I think people are looking for solutions, and when possible, they like to have them in one place," she says. "They like to know that when they come here, they will get answers to their health concerns and the best care that we can provide."

At Whole Body Health, McCarthy and Ulery say they do not treat disease. Instead, they focus on root cause of illness and on creating an environment that allows the body to heal itself. They also provide preventative care for patients without any specific disease. "People think they need to be broken before they see a doctor," Ulery says. "They lose the concept of wellness, which is that a healthy body doesn't have symptoms." The approach has been popular.

Neissa Springmann has been a patient since May 2009. She says she came to Whole Body Health after friends recommended Ulery's services. "At the time, I was 31, and I was considered to be very fit and healthy," Springmann says, "but I was experiencing chronic aches and just didn't feel like a 31-year-old healthy body should feel."

Springmann had also been trying to get pregnant, but felt that something was "off" with her body. She saw Ulery for chiropractic adjustments, and he suggested that she might also have food allergies and should make some dietary adjustments. Springmann, who is now expecting her first child, says that caring, holistic approach is what she likes best about Ulery and Whole Body Health. "He doesn't try to give you a pill and say, 'Okay, this is going to fix it all,'" she says. "He very simply gets to the root of the problem and is able, with very holistic and practical means, to fix the problem."

Although Springmann and others swear by Whole Body Health, Ulery and McCarthy understand and respect that there are those who are wary of holistic healing, chiropractic care and acupuncture. "I think the most common misconception about alternative health care is that it's weird or too far outside the box," Ulery says.

"Alternative health care isn't for everybody," McCarthy adds. "If someone is uncomfortable with approaching their wellness through what we offer, I'm not going to force that on anybody." Ironically, both Ulery and McCarthy were gradual converts to holistic health care. Ulery, whose mother was a nurse and whose stepfather was a physician, taught and coached for 10 years before going back to school to study physical therapy and sports medicine. His plan was to go into business with his stepfather. But as he began to learn more about homeopathic care, his goals began to shift.

"The more I learned about the philosophy of alternative health care – that the body has the ability to heal itself, the more excited and passionate I became about the field of alternative health care," he says. McCarthy, then a geologist working in Houston, became interested in holistic healing while earning her black belt in Tai Chi and Shao Lin external martial arts in the '90s. She says she also began studying Eastern forms of health care and became very interested in acupuncture. In 1994, she received her acupuncturist license and began her practice.

The duo suggests that people frustrated with their health-care experience keep an open mind about alternative treatment. "I'm not here to change someone's mind," Ulery says. "Exhaust all your options, and if you're still not happy with your results, then give us a shot."

For more information, visit austinwholebodyhealth.com or call 512-354-7932.