By Kristine Thomas
Joey Vance admits he once had “massive brain fog.”
In 2008, he was riding his bicycle at night without a helmet.
“I know it’s kind of embarrassing to tell people I was riding without a helmet,” he said. “I ran over something and crashed and woke up with a concussion.”
He also was dizzy a lot and had some eye twitching. This continued for two years as he was attending college.
In 2010, he moved from North Carolina to Oregon and saw a chiropractic neurologist. “I was having dizziness and hand tremors,” he said. “When I saw the chiropractic neurologist in Lake Oswego he made adjustments in my diet, retraining my brain and other things. I am now 100 percent better.”
The experience inspired him to become a board certified chiropractic neurologist. He has an office at Silver Creek Natural Health, 208 S. Water St.
Eager to share how a healthy brain results in healthy living, Vance invites community members to “Brain Health 101: Protecting our most precious organ.” The free class is 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 3 at the Silver Falls Library, 410 S. Water St.. Healthy fare and refreshments will be served.
Vance will explain how to tame inflammation and restore the brain’s health using nutrition, ancestral diet, exercise and the science of neuroplasticity.
He recently acquired his DACNB, Diplomate of the American Neurology Board.
“This makes me a chiropractic neurologist or functional neurologist … trained to identify dysfunction in the nervous system and use sensory modalities and rehab techniques to treat underlying dysfunction,” he said.
A chiropractic neurologist uses the patient’s body and environment to assess, diagnose and localize areas of dysfunction, Vance said.
The muscular skeletal system and the sensory systems interact with the neurological system and are used to improve quality of life.
Vance said both his dad and stepdad were chiropractors.
“Initially, I didn’t want to be a chiropractor,” he said.
He went to Warren Wilson College in North Carolina where he played basketball for three years. Then to a college in Georgia.
Vance, 35, moved to Oregon with his wife, Amanda, and their now 3-year- old daughter more than a year ago. She works in the viticulture research department at Oregon State University.
From hypertension to intestinal problems, Vance said he has used chiropractic neurology to treat patients. He said he has helped his patients regain mobility, their exercise routine and more.
By asking his patients questions about everything from diet to stress to exercise to chronic pains, he can provide steps for a healthier brain and life.
“What I do can really help people,” he said. “I help the brain function better and improve a person’s quality of life.”
