Hello, October: Stay Well and Keep Moving This Fall at Elizabethton Chiropractic

September is packing up and October is at the door. The pumpkins are out in front of the feed stores, there's a chill in the air before sunup, and the first fires of the season are going in wood stoves all over Carter County. The leaves on Roan are turning in earnest now, the fall festivals and church suppers are filling up the weekends, and the yard is asking for one more round of raking before the real color comes down. It's a wonderful time of year — and it's a working time of year. Firewood gets split and stacked, mulch gets hauled, the boots come out of the closet, and the first sniffles of the season start making the rounds at school and at work. This week we're focused on keeping you well and moving through all of it: adjustments for the stiff, creaky mornings that come with cooler weather, real help for a back that gave out lifting something it shouldn't have, faster healing for the sprains and strains of fall, whole-food support for your immune system as cold season arrives, and a special offer to get your feet set up right for boot season.

Office Hours

Mon & Thu: 7:30am–Noon and 1:30–5pm
Tue & Fri: 7:30am–Noon
Wed: 8:30am–Noon and 2–6pm

Phone: 423.542.3337 | Text: 423.380.0877

Loosen Up Those Stiff, Creaky Fall Mornings with Gonstead Chiropractic

You know the feeling. The alarm goes off, the bedroom is cold, and the first few steps to the coffee pot are slow and careful — the low back is tight, the neck doesn't want to turn, and it takes a good half hour and a hot shower before you feel like yourself. A lot of folks chalk that up to age or to the weather, and cooler temperatures really do play a part: muscles tighten in the cold, joints stiffen, and the body doesn't loosen up as readily as it did in July. But cold weather doesn't create stiffness out of nothing. It reveals what's already there. When a joint in the spine or pelvis isn't moving the way it should, the muscles around it stay on guard, and a chilly morning is exactly when that guarding shows up loudest.

What Is the Gonstead Method?

The Gonstead Method is one of the most thorough and precise systems of chiropractic analysis ever developed, and Dr. Dennis has practiced it for 30 years. Rather than adjusting the whole spine in a general way, Gonstead is built around finding the specific joint that's the true source of the problem. That means a careful case history, examination of the spine by hand, instrumentation that detects heat and inflammation along the spine, and, when appropriate, full-spine standing X-rays for the most accurate picture of how everything is lined up. Once the problem segment is identified, it's corrected with a specific, hands-on adjustment — no twisting, no wrenching, and nothing done to a joint that doesn't need it. The result is a correction that's precise, comfortable, and made to hold.

How Gonstead Chiropractic Helps Cold-Weather Stiffness

1. Finds the Joint That Isn't Moving. Stiffness that shows up every cold morning usually traces back to a specific segment that's stuck. Gonstead analysis locates it instead of guessing.
2. Restores Normal Motion. A specific adjustment frees the joint so it can move through its full range, which is what the surrounding muscles have been waiting for.
3. Lets the Guarding Muscles Relax. Muscles brace around a joint that isn't working right. Once the joint moves, they finally get permission to let go.
4. Eases the Morning Low Back. The pelvis and lower lumbar spine are the most common source of that slow, careful walk to the coffee pot.
5. Frees Up a Stiff Neck. Cold weather and a poorly moving upper spine make for a neck that won't check the blind spot. A precise correction helps it turn again.
6. Calms Irritated Nerves. Joints that don't move properly irritate the nerves that exit the spine, which adds ache and tightness to the whole area.
7. Improves Circulation to the Area. Normal motion pumps fluid and blood through the tissues around the spine, which is exactly what stiff, cold tissue is missing.
8. Helps You Start the Day Ready. Most people notice they're moving well much sooner in the morning instead of waiting on a hot shower to loosen up.

Benefits at a Glance

• Specific: The problem joint is identified and corrected, and nothing else is touched.
• Gentle: No twisting or wrenching — a precise, comfortable adjustment.
• Drug-Free: Addresses the mechanics behind the stiffness instead of masking it.
• Time-Tested: Three decades of Gonstead experience in this office.
• Whole-Body Benefit: A spine that moves well supports everything built on it.

Cold mornings are here to stay for a while — stiff ones don't have to be. Contact our office to schedule a Gonstead evaluation and adjustment.

Lifted Something You Shouldn't Have? Disc Injuries and the DRX9000

It's the season for hauling. Firewood gets split and stacked, mulch and straw come home in the truck bed, the pumpkins and mums get loaded up at the farm stand, and somewhere in the middle of a Saturday a lot of us lift something heavy, twist a little, and feel it — that sharp catch in the low back that stops you where you stand. Sometimes it eases in a day or two. Sometimes it doesn't: the back stays locked up, the pain starts running into the hip or down the leg, and sitting, standing, and bending all hurt in their own way. When lifting and twisting are the cause, the disc is very often the injured part — the cushion between the vertebrae has bulged or herniated and is now pressing on a nerve. And a disc that's been injured needs more than rest and a heating pad to truly recover.

What Is DRX9000 Spinal Decompression?

The DRX9000 is a computer-controlled spinal decompression system that gently and precisely stretches the lumbar spine to create negative pressure inside the injured disc. That negative pressure helps draw bulging or herniated disc material back toward the center and away from the nerve, and it pulls fluid, oxygen, and nutrients into a disc that has very little blood supply of its own — which is exactly why discs heal so slowly on their own. Sessions are done fully clothed, lying comfortably on a padded table, and most people find them relaxing. It is non-surgical, drug-free, and delivered over a course of visits so the disc has time to heal, not just settle down.

How the DRX9000 Helps a Lifting Injury

1. Takes the Pressure Off the Disc. Lifting and twisting load the disc hard. Decompression reverses that load and gives the injured disc room to recover.
2. Encourages the Bulge to Retract. Negative pressure inside the disc helps draw displaced material back where it belongs and off the nerve.
3. Relieves the Nerve Pain. As the pressure comes off, the pain running into the hip or down the leg has a chance to settle.
4. Feeds a Disc That Can't Feed Itself. Discs depend on movement and pressure changes to draw in nutrients. Decompression does that work for an injured disc.
5. Eases the Muscle Lockup. The back muscles that seized up to protect the injury can finally relax once the disc is no longer under threat.
6. Supports Real Healing, Not Just Relief. Rest and pain medication quiet the symptoms. Decompression addresses the injured tissue.
7. Helps Prevent the Next Flare-Up. A disc that has actually recovered is far less likely to give out the next time you pick up a load of firewood.
8. Non-Surgical and Drug-Free. A sensible step to take before considering injections or surgery, with no downtime.

Benefits at a Glance

• Non-Surgical: Relief without an operating room.
• Drug-Free: Treats the injured disc instead of masking the pain.
• Comfortable: Most people find the sessions genuinely relaxing.
• Targeted: Computer-controlled and specific to the injured level.
• Complementary: Works alongside your adjustments and other care.

If a lift went wrong and the back hasn't come around, don't wait it out. Contact our office to find out whether DRX9000 Spinal Decompression is right for you.

Heal Faster from Fall Sprains, Strains, and Slow-Mending Injuries with Pulse PEMF

Fall has its own set of injuries. An ankle rolls on wet leaves or a loose rock on the trail. A wrist gets jammed catching a fall off the ladder. A hamstring pulls at practice, a shoulder gets strained hauling a tarp full of leaves, or a bruise from a Friday night tackle just won't fade. Most of these aren't emergencies, but they are frustrating — the swelling lingers, the joint stays stiff and tender, and what should have been a week of soreness drags into three or four. The body heals injured tissue by bringing in blood, oxygen, and nutrients and clearing out swelling and waste, and that process has a speed of its own. Pulse PEMF is one of the best tools we have for helping it along.

What Is Pulse PEMF?

Pulse PEMF stands for Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy. It delivers gentle, low-frequency electromagnetic pulses through the body's tissues, energizing cells and encouraging them to function the way healthy cells should. Think of it as exercise for your cells — the pulses stimulate cellular metabolism, support blood flow, and help the body's own repair processes work more efficiently. A session simply means relaxing on a comfortable mat or with an applicator placed over the injured area, fully clothed. Most people feel a mild, pleasant pulsing and nothing more. It's non-invasive, drug-free, and used by professional athletes and everyday folks alike to recover faster.

How Pulse PEMF Supports Injury Healing

1. Energizes the Cells Doing the Repair. Healing takes energy at the cellular level. PEMF supports the cell's ability to produce it.
2. Improves Blood Flow to the Injury. More circulation means more oxygen and nutrients reaching the tissue that needs to rebuild.
3. Helps Move Swelling Out. Better flow through the area helps the body clear the fluid and waste that keep a joint puffy and stiff.
4. Supports Comfort Without Medication. Many people find the injured area simply feels better after a session, without reaching for a pill.
5. Helps Sprained Ligaments and Strained Muscles Recover. Soft tissue heals faster when it's well supplied and well energized.
6. Supports Bone Healing. PEMF has a long history of use in supporting the body's bone-repair process after fractures and stress injuries.
7. Keeps the Joint Moving. Less swelling and stiffness means the ankle or wrist can be moved sooner, which is itself part of healing well.
8. Complements Your Adjustments. An injury heals best when the joints above and below it are moving correctly and the tissue is well nourished.

Benefits at a Glance

• Non-Invasive: No needles, no incisions, nothing to take.
• Relaxing: Most people find the sessions restful.
• Targeted or Whole-Body: Focus on one injury or support recovery head to toe.
• Fast Sessions: Easily fits into a lunch break or a stop on the way home.
• Drug-Free: Works with your body's own healing.

Don't let a fall injury take the whole season from you. Contact our office to schedule a Pulse PEMF session.

Get Ahead of Cold Season with Congaplex® and Immuplex®

You can feel it coming. The kids come home from school with a sniffle, somebody at work is coughing in the next cubicle, and the church bulletin has a few more names on the prayer list for "under the weather." The first weeks of October are when cold season really gets rolling in our part of the country, and the people who come through it best are usually the ones who got their bodies ready before the first bug showed up — not the ones scrambling for a remedy after. Your immune system runs on nutrients, and two whole food–based supplements from Standard Process are built to give it what it needs: Congaplex® for short-term support when you feel something coming on, and Immuplex® for steady, everyday immune support all season long.*

What Are Congaplex® and Immuplex®?

Both are made by Standard Process, which has been producing whole food–based supplements for practitioners for more than 90 years, using ingredients grown largely on its own certified organic farm. Congaplex® is designed for short-term use to support the immune system when you feel the first signs of a challenge — it combines whole-food sources of vitamin C and vitamin A with calcium and other nutrients that support healthy immune response and the body's natural defenses.* Immuplex® is built for the long haul: a blend of vitamins, minerals like zinc and selenium, and whole-food ingredients that support the immune system day in and day out, so the body is ready before it's tested.* Together they cover both ends of cold season — staying strong and responding quickly.*

How Congaplex® and Immuplex® Support Your Health

1. Supports a Healthy Immune Response. Both products provide nutrients the immune system depends on to do its job.*
2. Provides Whole-Food Vitamin C. Congaplex® delivers vitamin C from whole-food sources, one of the best-known immune-supporting nutrients.*
3. Supports Healthy Mucous Membranes. Vitamin A supports the tissues in the nose and throat that are the body's first line of defense.*
4. Supplies Zinc and Selenium. Immuplex® provides these minerals that support normal immune function and are easy to run short on.*
5. Supports the Body's Natural Defenses Every Day. Immuplex® is meant for consistent, season-long use so you're ready before the first bug shows up.*
6. Gives You a Short-Term Response Tool. Congaplex® is what to reach for at the first sniffle or scratchy throat.*
7. Supports Overall Wellness. A body that's well nourished handles stress, weather changes, and busy weeks better all around.*
8. Complements Chiropractic Care. A well-functioning nervous system and a well-supported immune system go hand in hand.*

Benefits at a Glance

• Two-Part Approach: Everyday support plus a quick-response option.*
• Whole-Food Based: Nutrients from real food ingredients, many grown on the Standard Process organic farm.
• Family-Friendly: Ask us about appropriate use for kids and adults.
• Trusted Quality: More than 90 years serving practitioners.
• Easy to Get: Pick them up at the office or order online for direct shipping.

Cold season is coming whether we're ready or not — so let's get ready. Contact our office to talk through whether Congaplex® and Immuplex® are right for you and your family. You can pick them up at the office or order online and have them shipped straight to your door.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Boot Season Is Here — Get Any Custom Orthotic for $249 with Single Pair Savings

The sandals are going back in the closet and the boots are coming out: work boots for the yard, hiking boots for the trail, and the good pair for church and the fall festivals. Here's the thing about boots — they're stiffer and heavier than summer shoes, and if your feet were already tired, achy, or rolling inward in flip-flops, a boot doesn't fix that. It just hides it under a thicker sole while your arches, heels, knees, hips, and low back keep paying for it. A custom orthotic built for your feet turns any boot into a stable, supportive foundation for the whole body. And for a limited time, Foot Levelers is making that easier than it's ever been: any single pair of custom orthotics for just $249 — including the Nexi® standard-size pillow, flip-flops, and XP3® Recover Slides.

What Are Foot Levelers Orthotics?

Foot Levelers orthotics are custom-made Stabilizing Orthotics built from a 3D scan of your individual feet. Unlike a generic insole off the shelf — which typically addresses one arch, if any — they're designed to support all three arches of the foot, creating a balanced, level platform for the ankles, knees, hips, and spine stacked above them. They come in styles built for work boots, hiking boots, athletic shoes, dress shoes, everyday wear, and even sandals and slides, so there's a pair for every boot in the closet. We offer a free foot scan right here in the office.

How Foot Levelers Support You Through Boot Season

1. Supports All Three Arches. Full support keeps the foot stable inside a stiff boot instead of collapsing with every step.
2. Makes a Heavy Boot Feel Lighter. When the foot is properly supported, the muscles stop working overtime to stabilize it, and the whole leg tires more slowly.
3. Protects the Heels. Long days in work boots on hard ground are rough on the heel. A custom orthotic cushions and stabilizes it.
4. Steadies the Ankles. A stable foot rolls less on uneven ground, whether that's a trail, a job site, or a leaf-covered yard.
5. Eases Knee and Hip Strain. Balanced foot mechanics keep the joints above the foot tracking straight instead of grinding to compensate.
6. Keeps the Low Back Level. A level foundation means the pelvis and spine aren't tilting to make up for an arch that's dropped.
7. Works in Every Pair You Own. Move one pair between boots, or use Single Pair Savings to set up the pair you wear the most.
8. Complements Chiropractic Adjustments. Adjustments hold better when the foundation beneath the spine is level and stable.

Benefits at a Glance

• Custom Made: Built from a scan of your own feet, not a generic mold.
• $249 for Any Pair: Single Pair Savings covers every style — limited time only.
• Free Scan: No cost to find out what your feet actually need.
• Multiple Styles: Work boot, hiking, casual, dress, sandal, and slide options.
• Whole-Body Benefit: Support that reaches the knees, hips, and back.

Boot season lasts a long time around here — get your feet ready for it. Contact our office to schedule a free Foot Levelers scan and take advantage of Single Pair Savings while it lasts.

Let's Make October a Good One

October in the mountains is about as good as it gets — the color, the festivals, the cool evenings, the first fire in the stove. You want to be out in it, feeling good, not stiff in the mornings, sidelined by a back that gave out, nursing an ankle, or down with the first cold of the season. Whether that means loosening up with a Gonstead adjustment, healing a lifting injury with the DRX9000, recovering faster with Pulse PEMF, getting your immune system ready with Congaplex® and Immuplex®, or setting your feet up for boot season with a $249 pair of Foot Levelers, we're here to help.

Give us a call at 423.542.3337 or text us at 423.380.0877 to get scheduled. We'd love to see you.

Yours In Health, Dr. Dennis & Your EC Team (Larry & Zak)!