Dr. Paige Van Slooten is one busy Upper Cervical Chiropractor. She is one of the founders and coaches of That Something coaching program, as well as The Specific Chiropractic Centers. She is routinely teaching students and young doctors about the principles of Upper Cervical Chiropractic. As of late, she has been doing all this while pregnant.
I am grateful this busy former valedictorian could take time out of her full schedule and answer questions for The Atlas of Life.
Brandon: Why did you decide on a career in chiropractic?
Dr. Paige: “Growing up I knew my calling was to help people and change people’s lives. I pursued pre-med in under-graduate school but never felt a calling despite pressures to pursue medicine or dentistry. One day 3 months before receiving my graduate degree my call to pursue chiropractic was clear as day and from that day forward I knew that my calling was to serve humanity through chiropractic.”
Brandon: How did you get into Upper Cervical Chiropractic?
Dr. Paige: “To be perfectly honest, when I first learned of upper cervical in school I thought it was crazy that anyone would work with only two bones in the body and ignore the rest of the spine. My views were not challenged in school until nine months from graduation when I was challenged with some key philosophical concepts of how I practiced and whether I was truly meeting my true objectives through the way I practiced.
This challenged me to begin researching and proving to myself to find the best way to improve a patient’s nervous system. I began reading many green books like volume 18 and doing research on neurology and thermography. Within three months my passion for chiropractic was renewed as I knew upper cervical was the most precise way for me to help difficult cases and to truly change lives.”
Brandon: You co-founded the Specific Chiropractic Centers and That Something coaching with Dr. Shawn Dill. Can you tell us how the two of you developed a partnership?
Dr. Paige: “Dr. Dill was my philosophy 4 instructor nine months before I graduated from chiropractic school. His class spurred me to question the way I practiced and, to be perfectly honest, to prove him wrong.
I was a quiet student with a 4.0 GPA who once thought my chiropractic education would be fulfilled solely thorough the schooling process. I began researching concepts that I had not been exposed to which spurred me to read the green books and prove why we do things so differently now days and to research thermography and prove why palpation was so much more reliable than any instrument.
My research led to many questions and many long arguments and discussions. After completing volume 18 I finally got the big idea and I realized that upper cervical gave me more passion for chiropractic than I ever had before.
Being student body president and a solid student, Dr. Dill pursued me to help him open The Institute for Advanced Care in Chiropractic at the college. As I began seeing the types of cases and results through upper cervical I was further convinced that this was how I could best serve humanity.
Dr. Dill and I shared a vision that the San Francisco Bay Area needed to know about upper cervical chiropractic. We decided to open The Specific Chiropractic Center in Dublin, CA together in pursuit of that vision. I also wanted to master my skills in upper cervical by learning from the best and in the process realized that there were many others that did not have the opportunity to learn in the manner that I did. Dr. Dill and I decided to take the components of opening a practice and the developmental process I went through of becoming a skilled knee chest practitioner and formulate a program to help allow others to pursue a similar dream.
Since 2006, The Specific Chiropractic Center and That Something Coaching Program has been fulfilling its dreams of helping sick people get well, educating the public and changing the lives of chiropractors.”
Brandon: When someone gets started with That Something coaching, what can they expect?
Dr. Paige: “That Something Coaching Program is not for any and everyone that wants to simply learn or be exposed to upper cervical. It is for those that are seriously committed to challenging themselves to be the best they can be and to those who are passionate about helping people through knee chest upper cervical chiropractic.
Someone can expect to be challenged physically, mentally and emotionally. It is key to physically have strength, skills and stamina. Mentally one needs to be equipped with philosophical foundations and the ability to understand and communicate the effectiveness of the work we do through neurology, thermography and the adjustment. Emotionally, one needs to be prepared for practice and shape the systems and structures for success. Completion of the program truly prepares one for success in practice but not without a year of intense work and dedication.”
Brandon: The Specific Chiropractic Centers are beginning to expand across the country. What is it about the business model of the Specific Chiropractic Centers that fuels their success?
Dr. Paige: “The best of the best from That Something Coaching Program upon acceptance are able to pursue ownership of their own Specific Chiropractic Center. Our vision many years ago was to make a difference in the community and make upper cervical care known to the public. It is through this expansion that we are able to penetrate communities through our presence and marketing to help reach those who are sick and suffering.
First, our success comes from a unified vision and passion. Second, it is the systems and structures that we implement that truly fuels growth and success. Lastly, it is the foundations set by the hard work in the coaching program that prepared these doctors to be individually successful and now bring that success to another level by working as a team.”
Brandon: What is it like watching students develop under your tutelage?
Dr. Paige: “I am blessed to be doing what I love and fulfilling my calling. I have the privilege of practicing upper cervical chiropractic and seeing lives transformed. I also have the privilege of challenging and training other students and doctors which in turn results in even more transformed lives. Being part of the journey for doctors and students to develop their passion and skills is very rewarding. Not much can be better than knowing that all the hard work I put into chiropractic truly makes a difference.”
Brandon: For people still not completely sure why Upper Cervical Chiropractic is so important, can you give them an explanation why?
Dr. Paige: “This question depends on who is asking, the general public or chiropractors.
For chiropractors, I would simply say read volume 18. After you have read volume 18 then we can talk about the importance of precise upper cervical care.
For the public, upper cervical care is vital because it the source for all health and healing messages in the body. If the brain is not able to communicate properly to the organs, and cells of the body the body will be less healthy, develop sickness and eventually disease.
Upper Cervical care is simple yet immensely precise to work with the control center of the body (the brainstem) to restore body and brain communication for health and healing.”
Brandon: What is your vision for the future of Upper Cervical Chiropractic?
Dr. Paige: “That one day whenever someone mentions the word chiropractic they don’t think of back pain or back cracking but they think of the importance of having a healthy nervous system. They think of upper cervical chiropractic and value it as much or more than they value healthcare means like dentistry.”
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
What an incredible journey! I love how your passion for chiropractic became intensified when you read Volume 18 and decided Upper Cervical chiropractic was/is the best way for you to help others. I love it because that is the same transition Brandon had. He didn’t have a love for chiropractic before like he does now!
I think it’s awesome what you have accomplished with your practice and coaching program. I am excited for you though, because in all that you have accomplished (which is a lot!), it will not compare to what you will feel, experience and be as a mother!
Congratulations!
When I got to LifeWest, students would often exclaim, “Oh, your Dr. Paige’s husband!” Internally, I’d chuckle to myself, and say, “Indeed, it appears that my new name is ‘Dr. Paige’s husband’, and it is an honor!” Thank you, Brandon, for your continual efforts to share the thoughts of chiropractic leaders on this forum.
Your welcome, Dr. Paige’s husband!