Photography by Margaret Licarione
In September 2002, Drs. Kristy Clinton and Tracie Schwab graced Northwest Austin with a novel facility: BackBone Health Restoration Center (BBHRC).
“I wanted to create my own vision of chiropractic care while also encompassing other healing modalities and treatments in order to enhance the patient’s overall experience,” Clinton explains in a calm and positive manner.
“Wellness takes a while to achieve for some,” Schwab adds, “but once you get there, it’s easy to maintain with proper lifestyle choices.”
The focus of this practice is on health restoration. Both doctors have a real passion for chiropractic care.
“We love that it treats the master system of the body (the nervous system), and disruption of the nervous system is through chemical, physical and emotional stress,” Clinton says.
Since stress “is so rampant in our society,” and everyone suffers from some form of it, the dynamic team has found ways to reduce stress so it does not lead to disease or illness.
Adding acupuncture, deep tissue, myofascial release, lymphatic and sports massage, nutritional testing, weight loss and lifestyle programs tailored for each patient, Clinton and Schwab have the expertise, a plethora of knowledge and the compassion to help patients with a boutique approach that caters to each of them on a personal and caring health regimen.
Guiding and educating patients is a continuous process. Patients are in agreement and love going to BBHRC because of the treatments they get, and the staff is part of the unit that enhances their time at the facility into “quality time.”
Clinton smiles. “A majority of our patients notice improvements immediately, and are glad they finally took the time to do something for themselves. By not making patients reliant just upon us, we give them the tools they need to make healthy lifestyle choices, and we form a treatment plan that is customized for them.”
Clinton and Schwab also have a great group of medical specialists they can co-treat with, if necessary for a patient’s healing process.
Schwab kindly elaborates on optimum wellness as the goal BBHRC strives for with each patient who walks through the doors of this exceptional facility.
“People accept their pain because they buy into the theory that it is just because they are getting older, and this is the way it is,” she says. “I have seen patients compensate in so many different ways and ignore it or wait for it to go away.”
Both doctors agree that this is not acceptable.
“These are all signs of your body trying to communicate to you that there is something wrong, and it is trying to get your attention,” Clinton says. “It is much easier to restore health to an area that just started to become bothersome than a chronic problem that has been ignored for years.”
“Optimal wellness is what we should all strive to achieve: where your body is in a state of healing and repair,” Schwab says.
Anyone wanting to receive a wellness check through the aforementioned methodologies needs to contact BBHRC. Having many choices (nutritional deficiency analysis, balance in life, improved energy levels, decreased stress response or just wanting to feel better), making that call and scheduling an appointment is the answer.
The doctors’ delightful dispositions and the amazing creative alternatives they offer make it easy to get on the right track. Their belief that “improper nutrition and diet is still the main cause of disease and illness” is very relevant.
Clinton and Schwab do not do fad diets or quick fixes.
“We show patients how they should eat, what they should eat, how to support systems they may have weakened over time and how to access fat-burning hormones and get their metabolism back on track,” Schwab says.
Both doctors not only received their chiropractic degrees, but also licenses for acupuncture and nutrition. Currently, they both are studying for a Master of Science in Nutrition.
They agreed that they wanted all degrees and licenses so they could create the most effective and current treatment that offers the quickest results and makes their patients happy and healthier.
Their motto should read, “Successful life choices start here.” Our lifestyle choices are what make us or break us.
When the doctors do a follow-up with a patient at the end of his or her program, they always ask for feedback. They say the gratitude and thanks are all they need to know because it is on a consistent basis.
This translates into very promising results for all patients, from newborns to the elderly.
The doctors also have a book in their waiting room that’s filled with patient testimonials regarding their program. They encourage everyone to go in and read the testimonials.
Speaking of writing, Clinton and Schwab co-authored a book with two other doctors titled, “Weight Loss for Life in 10 Easy Steps.” Two of the chapters in the book are dedicated to these wonderful women.
They say the book “is about our journey and why we do what we do.”
“Science has shown us that over 90 percent of all diseases are emotional in nature,” Clinton writes as part of her approach to everyday care. “As the daughter of a psychologist, I have learned that the mind-body connection cannot be ignored.
“My mission in life is to help heal people naturally. I’d like to see more people open up to alternative options for true health. I love working with people who truly want to get healthy – who want to make a difference in their lives, and want to enjoy a better quality of life.
“We all create our own heaven on earth, and I’d like to help people create that for themselves and feel better while they are doing it.”
In Chapter 2 of the book, Schwab details her history, studies and beliefs, which paints a true picture of what BBHRC successfully stands for.
“I studied pre-med, but I realized during my junior year that I wanted to promote health through a wellness approach rather than a surgical approach,” she writes. “Ultimately, I chose chiropractic school so I could help patients in all those areas: nutrition, athletics and wellness through a natural approach.”
Elaborating on that point, Schwab says, “As a chiropractor, I quickly learned that I couldn’t make a patient well just by adjusting his or her spine. If a patient has other health issues, and if that person is making poor lifestyle choices every day, we have to address the whole system.”
Clinton and Schwab share a vision that treating the patient as a whole is what makes them achieve excellent results “beyond what many of our patients dreamed was possible.”
Being providers on most every insurance plan available in the area is certainly another bonus. Not that this model team needs one, but they are true patient advocates.
Doing whatever they can, from satisfying patients to teaching lifestyle changes, results in their patients feeling good and being healthy for life.
Having already purchased the commercial land for a second location or larger office space, “we will expand when the market is right,” Clinton says.
And their long-term goal is to be the premier Austin healing center. How interesting. It appears they are already there.
BackBone Health Restoration Center is located at 3951 West Parmer Lane, Ste. 300, Austin, Texas 78727. The office is open Monday through Friday, and for massage appointments only on Saturday. For more information, call 512-339-2663, visit www.bbhrc.com or send an email to healthy@bbhrc.com. You may also look for BBHRC on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
