Meet Dr. Josh Wilson of Wilson Family Chiropractic in Edmond
What brought you into the specialty of family chiropractic?
I love kids! One of my mentors had a pediatric chiropractic office. She took care of my wife and my oldest son while I was in school and when she got pregnant with our second child. When my second son was born, she gave him his first adjustment at two days old. I loved it! I was able to see the vast difference in how my second child responded to his development compared to my first child who wasn’t adjusted until he was almost two. I have always loved helping people out. But once I started seeing the impact it made on kids- it was the biggest thing that drew me towards this.
I took a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in Jan 2012. The first day we went to a small village. The kids there were awesome! They set our tables up outside of their school. (Which was a 12×12 metal building!) There was a line of about 50 kids. They didn’t even know what I was doing. They just knew we were there and were like, “I want a part of this!” So I adjusted them all! I remember how I felt on that day. There were four of us there, and between all of us we adjusted about 500 people that day!( 2/3s of them were kids.) It was one of the most rewarding days of my life! I thought to myself, “That’s what I want when I get back home.”
Dr. Wilson with his children.
And it is a little bit of a struggle: asking a mom to hand her baby to a 240lb bearded guy. Mom’s are especially wary after I adjust them first. “Are you going to do the same thing to them that you did to me?” I made a video of me adjusting a child and put it on my Facebook page. Showing that to parents is always comforting to them. I also demonstrate to them how much pressure it requires to adjust a child, which is extremely light. Parent’s put more force on the child’s spine by picking them up than I do when I adjust them.
What issues can you help resolve for Pediatric Clients?
The number one thing we see is ear infections! We also see colic, reflux, constipation, diarrhea, asthma, acid reflux. Just this past month we worked on helping an asthmatic boy, he hasn’t used his inhaler since he began care with me! Another boy has been on prilosec (medication for acid reflux) for 4 years, now he takes it very sparingly as opposed to daily!
During the birthing process there is a lot of trauma to the baby’s spine. Especially in a situation where they have to use forceps or they pull on the baby’s head. During a c-section there is trauma from them trying to get the baby out through the incision. On average, 40-70 pounds of pressure are forced on the neck of the baby. It puts stress on the nervous system and causes many issues that are often times not resolved.
More recently we’ve been seeing more sensory disorders: add, adhd. A lot of those issues stem from the nervous system being overwhelmed; it is not able to process all of the information that’s coming through to their brains.
“It’s easier to keep a child healthy than to fix a broken adult.” ~Dr. Josh Wilson
Is it possible for chiropractic to help ADD and ADHD kids?
Absolutely. I see it happen all the time. Now it’s not one of those things that is the answer to all of your problems, but adjustments help the nervous system function better. Obviously it doesn’t address all the issues: home life, foods kids are eating, screen time, not enough exercise, and sensory play! Adjustments are a big factor, but it is not the one and only.
I am studying a new program called: EPIC PEDIATRICS that specifically helps kids with Autism, Asperger, ADD, ADHD, and other sensory disorders. We call it the Perfect Storm. I will be doing workshops this fall to help educate my community on ways to help. It’s a full spectrum life wellness program.
What are the educational requirements for a Chiropractor? Where did you go to school?
My undergrad was in business. I attended doctorate school at Parker Chiropractic College in Dallas. It’s a four year program on top of my undergrad studies. While I was at parker I also gained two extra bachelor’s degrees in anatomy and health and wellness in addition to my doctorate.
We are also required to take continuing education to maintain our licenses.
Are there any contraindications for chiropractic?
There are a few, but with most conditions we can still adjust with modification.
Many people are concerned about strokes and aneurysms. You are more likely to have a stroke going to a hairdresser and getting your hair washed in the sink! It’s one of those things: it can happen, but it is not common. I pay about five hundred dollars a year for malpractice insurance where a general health care practitioner pays 5 figures a year. That alone tells you how safe getting adjusted regularly is.
How long have you been practicing here in Edmond?
About 3 and 1/2 years.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
It’s not a job! I haven’t worked in 5 or 6 years. Everyday I wake up and put my feet on the floor with a smile on my face because of what I get to do. Very rarely do I have a day where I feel like hitting the snooze button and staying in bed. Everyday is not the best, but knowing that I can tell people there’s a better way is incredible.
Somewhere there is mom at her wit’s end because her baby won’t sleep, or there is someone who is terrified of another surgery. I have even been to the hospitals to adjust babies in the NICU. My mentor once adjusted a baby who was in the NICU. His vitals immediately stabilized and he was out of the hospital in one day, and this after a week of specialists running tests and finding no answers. I know there are people out there that need to hear this story! I want my patients to know that there is an alternative to drugs, inhalers, allergies medications, surgeries!
What’s the worst thing about your job?
The business aspect. I have bills to pay and a family to support and it can be a little stressful. I get a “high” from getting to help people, and I forget about the business side of things.
Do you offer any other alternative or complementary therapies in addition to chiropractic adjustments?
The majority of my patients go on an intersegmental traction table to stimulate acupressure points and increase blood flow to prepare them for the adjustment. After the adjustment we do a vibration therapy that was developed by NASA to help astronauts increase bone density after being in outer space. It also helps stimulate movement in joint proprioceptors. Some people have had subluxations for so long that their joints don’t move and function properly. I also do some acupuncture in the office. Aside from that I find someone who is really awesome at what they do and refer out! Massage therapists, Nutritionists, Orthopedic surgeons.
What makes you a good chiropractor?
My certainty and belief in what I do. I’ve never been lacking in faith and confidence in myself, I’m just confident in what I do! I have learned from the best, and I am the best. When you come in and hand me your child, no one will give him a better adjustment than me! I have a belief that everyone who God sends to me is put there for a reason!
Why did you want to start your own practice?
When I got out of my undergraduate I worked in sales, so I worked for someone else. I was never truly happy. Everyone I ever met who was working for themselves was happy! I knew it was God’s plan for me to start my own practice.
What drove you to this field? Why did you want to become a chiropractor?
Dr. Wilson in his office with pediatric patients.
I have always had a passion for helping people. When I was in fitness and health 15 years ago I was a personal trainer. But it never really fulfilled me. I knew there was something more out there. My mentor, ( who was at the time my chiropractor) told me the second time I came to his office that I needed to look into becoming a chiropractor. So I went home and looked at the curriculum and thought: “I can’t even pronounce half of these classes. There is no way I’m doing this.” Eventually I moved up to Edmond and became friends with a lot of Chiropractors. After a couple failed attempts of trying to start a career out of college I decided to find something I really enjoyed doing. All of my friends who were happy were chiropractors. So I thought: “There must be something to this.” That was the surface level.
One of the deeper reasons that helped me define the “why” was: my mom and grandma. They were victims of the 1995 Murrah Building bombing. My grandma severely injured her back while trying to help one of her co-workers get out. The next 10 years she spent in doctors offices having failed surgery after failed surgery. It got to the point where she became addicted to pain medication. She wasn’t the same person I knew growing up. After I started school I realized that there was more to this than helping people get out of pain. Where was the chiropractor my grandma needed to tell her that surgery was not the answer? “You’ve had two failed ones, why do it again?” Now she’s to the point where she can’t get up and take care of herself. When I go and see her it reminds me why I’m doing this: I can’t bring her back to how she used to be, but there is another grandma out there that I can help. That’s what drives me to this next level of thinking bigger and developing the certainty and passion that I have for my career. It’s helping people live a healthier lifestyle.
I’d give anything to have my grandma back to the way she used to be. My mom would too!
BJ Palmer once said: “You never know how far reaching something you think, say or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.”
Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and talk to you about your practice.
Dr. Wilson is a family practice chiropractor in Edmond. His office is located at 14511 N Santa Fe
Edmond, OK 73013. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Wilson and his practice, visit his website at wilsonchirookc.com.