From CDC Scientist to Chiropractor
If you came in for your adjustment during the last week of April, then you had the opportunity to take our C.O.W. quiz. This is our chance to see how well we are educating you about the importance of the nervous system and the benefits of chiropractic care (Chiropractic Opportunity Week). You also get to learn a little bit more about Dr. Pam and me, the staff, and interns. You now know I have not jumped out of a perfectly good plane, but Dr. Pam has! I also have a metal plate and 8 screws in my right ankle (that’s a story in and of itself), and I held the 800m record for a brief moment in time while I ran track and field at Woodstock High School.
It seems the most surprising fact about me was that I spent six years working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a research molecular biologist. I, like Dr. Pam, spent several years working in a non-chiropractic field before chiropractic found me. I started my journey at the CDC working as a fellow with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. I applied for this position while still completing my undergraduate studies in biology at the University of Georgia. I started working in the Newborn Screening and Molecular Biology Branch with the Newborn Screening Quality Assurance Program. I worked in a laboratory and prepared quality control blood spot samples for public health laboratories to ensure accurate results. I was able to work on some research studies too and be published in the journal Clinical Biochemistry The stability of markers in dried-blood spots for recommended newborn screening disorders in the United States Come to find out, my picture is still on the website! NSQAP 😊 I eventually became a laboratory supervisor working on the National Birth Defects Prevention Study where my team analyzed DNA samples of newborns with birth defects. Not only did I grow and change with my different job titles, but my family grew as well.
I had both of my children while I was employed at the CDC, but the difference between those births is what sparked my interest in chiropractic. My first son was delivered via an emergency c-section. I knew nothing of chiropractic care and the benefits it could offer pregnant women. With my second child, I started under care at 36 weeks pregnant, and I was able to have my VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section)! When I started to bring my children in for chiropractic care, they no longer suffered from asthma and constipation. Seeing the health of my children flourish while under chiropractic care is what sparked my desire to quit my job and go back to school for my doctorate.
I am thankful for my time at the CDC which has given me a unique perspective on what it means to be healthy. I learned to question and analyze data. I learned to problem solve and how to work well with others. I was also constantly surrounded by people who were smarter than me, who had more experience than me, and whom I learned a great deal from. I’ve also learned that you are in charge of your own health and the health of your family. No one else will invest in it. It’s up to you to decide what it means to be healthy. In the book Diet Wise, Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby defines good health as more than the lack of disease. “Abundant energy, well-being, clarity of thinking and zest should be your lot”. “A positive sense of well-being with plenty of energy always ready for use is what should be regarded as normal health”.
Although my job duties at the CDC were fulfilling and beneficial to others, I switched careers in the hopes of being able to give back to others what I had been blessed with through chiropractic care. I now get to interact face to face with others, and really play a part in each patient’s health journey. My definition of health has progressed form just the mere lack of disease and symptoms to a life of optimal function and vitality free from subluxations and nervous system irritation. When you come in for your adjustment, let us know what your definition of health is.
Dr. Shannon
