When Dr. Philip Cook opened his chiropractic practice more than 40 years ago, chiropractic care was in a period of transition. Modalities that had previously been seen as fringe were beginning to gain broader acceptance. Even so, patients seeking drug-free, surgery-free relief from musculoskeletal pain, back pain, and spinal misalignment often found that chiropractic care was still misunderstood by much of the medical community.
“At that time, when a patient came to me, I was often the fourth or fifth doctor they’d seen,” Dr. Cook said. “They saw me out of desperation or as a last resort, but as more people experienced strong, positive results, perceptions began to change. Today, it’s not uncommon for me to be the first doctor patients seek out for care.”
The tools available to Dr. Cook four decades ago were limited. “I basically had my hands and limited physical therapy, not much else,” Dr. Cook said. “Today, advanced tools allow me to offer my patients much more.” One of these tools is spinal decompression therapy.
Spinal Decompression
“Spinal decompression has been a total gamechanger for our patients,” Dr. Cook said. “It’s one of the most effective non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical treatments available for disc-related conditions of the neck and lower back.”
Spinal decompression therapy is a non-invasive procedure that typically lasts 10 to 15 minutes per treatment. During treatment, patients lie comfortably on a computerized decompression table while gentle stretching creates negative pressure within the spine. This process helps reduce pressure on discs, encourages disc rehydration, and promotes nutrient flow to the affected area.
“When you have bulging, herniated, or degenerative discs or conditions such as spinal stenosis and sciatic leg pain, decompression works by relieving nerve pressure,” Dr. Cook said. “It allows the body to heal itself the way it was designed to.” While spine surgery has a much lower success rate for pain relief, spinal decompression therapy boasts success rates as high as 91% for appropriate candidates.
Red-Light Laser Therapy
The practice is also seeing excellent results with red-light laser therapy, also known as cold laser therapy. “We treat patients in the office for a number of different conditions and also offer home-care devices for our patients,” Dr. Cook said. “We wish that in the future every patient could have their own red-light laser therapy home device.”
Red-light therapy reduces pain and inflammation and speeds up healing by stimulating cellular ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production. It also causes vasodilation, which increases circulation to involved areas. It can be used in the office with higher intensity and deeper penetration for faster results in joints, muscles, and neuropathy, or at home for consistent long-term care of the same issues.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Over the last four decades, chiropractic has settled into several specialties, often incorporating multiple specialties within one practice. One of these is the treatment of peripheral neuropathy nerve damage. “We treat many patients suffering with peripheral neuropathy who’ve been told by their primary care doctors that basically nothing can be done,” Dr. Cook said.
“Many patients have been given medications such as Gabapentin, Cymbalta, or Lyrica which may momentarily help with symptom relief and are commonly used for temporary management,” Dr. Cook said. “However, these drugs do nothing to halt the progression of the problem or address the underlying condition. This is a progressive condition and generally gets worse with time.”
It’s estimated that 30 million Americans suffer from neuropathy nerve damage in their arms, hands, legs, and feet. “Our goal is to find and address the root causes of the neuropathy, and then stop the progression of the nerve damage and improve it to the greatest degree possible,” Dr. Cook said. “I invite readers to visit us to determine whether you’re a good candidate for our program. We also counsel with patients about diet, losing excessive weight when appropriate, exercising, and eliminating inflammatory food for better quality of life and improved healing outcomes. Let’s reduce pain and improve function together.”
Cranial Adjusting Technique
Dr. Cook sees patients from all over Texas — and far beyond — who find relief from head injuries through Cranial Alignment Turner Style (CATS), a technique he says he learned quite by accident 20 years ago. “I’d suffered severe head, neck, and shoulder injuries in a bicycle accident and was having difficulty with my recovery,” he said. “By God’s grace, I found a doctor in Canada who helped me greatly using CATS.” Impressed with his own recovery, he trained and became certified in this technique. He’s since offered that same miraculous relief to thousands of patients over many years.
“When a skull is injured, even misaligned, many effects can occur,” Dr. Cook said. “It can affect the blood supply to the head which can directly affect brain function. Our goal is to restore better functional potential to the head and brain. We’ve treated patients of all ages most frequently those suffering with concussion injuries, headaches including migraines, TMJ problems, vertigo, and brain fog as well as special needs children with learning disabilities and head-injury related conditions.”
Nutrition Counseling
Because Dr. Cook firmly believes optimal health starts from within, nutrition plays a pivotal role in helping his patients achieve overall wellness. Toward that end, his wife, Regina, a certified nutritionist, offers nutritional counseling and health coaching to complement his chiropractic care, partnering with patients to help them not only feel better but truly get better, with the least amount of pharmaceutical or surgical intervention. “I believe in the work Regina is doing because I see it improve patients’ lives every day,” Dr. Cook said.
New Location
The Cook Chiropractic “digs” have changed a lot, too. They recently moved into a new location at 3671 Broadway Boulevard that’s almost 4,000 square feet with wide hallways to accommodate patients on walkers or in wheelchairs and ample easy-access parking. We feel truly blessed and deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served our community for so many years, and we look forward to continuing to care for our patients and their families for many years to come.
Find out more and schedule an appointment at CookChiropracticCenter.com.
“When you have bulging, herniated, or degenerative discs or conditions such as spinal stenosis and sciatic leg pain, decompression works by relieving nerve pressure. It allows the body to heal itself the way it was designed to.”
