Journey into Chiropractic


Vanessa Wise, DC Chairperson, Chiropractic Quality Assurance Commission


I did not grow up with chiropractic, nor did I have a family member who was a practicing chiropractor. I was introduced to chiropractic rather forcefully when I was rear-ended at around seventy miles per hour and woke up bleeding from my head in the middle of the intersection. My Honda Accord was smashed with over $14,000 worth of damage and after pulling over to the side of the road my first instinct was to get out of the car because I was afraid it was going to blow up like in the movies.


I was taken to Kaiser by ambulance, where I worked in Bariatric Surgery, and waited in the ER for three hours. After trying to tell them I had a concussion, which they dismissed, I was given something for the shock.


I luckily woke up the next day but noticed that I felt extremely dizzy; in fact, I could barely stand, let alone walk. The pills they had given me all had side effects stating ‘could cause nausea and dizziness’. Quickly deciding I wouldn’t be taking those, I tried to figure out what to do to make the vertigo go away. Unable to work or drive, I had to rely on my family for help.


I would be driven to various medical appointments where no one could help me and where I left more frustrated than before I got there. Finally, one of the surgeons I worked with told me to see a chiropractor. The first words out of my mouth were, “What’s a chiropractor?” He just said, “Trust me, they can help.”


I found one and made an appointment. Upon entering, I was treated with care and concern, X-rays were done of my spine and I finally felt like someone was listening to my issues. After they reviewed the X-rays, I got adjusted and miraculously, the constant nausea, vertigo, and dizziness I had had for six weeks went away. I couldn’t believe the profound effects that adjustment had!


I had gotten in the crash in October and by April I quit my job and began Chiropractic college where I learned why the adjustment


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worked. It was explained to me that the body has the innate ability to heal itself. This simple statement made so much sense but no one had ever explained it. I was enthralled.


Chiropractic had given me back my life and when asked to apply to be on the Chiropractic Quality Assurance Commission, I agreed, wanting to help the profession. The Commission is tasked with protecting the public and fielding complaints that the public has made against chiropractors.


The Commission recently became independent. Only the Medical Doctor and Nursing Commission also had this distinction. Being an independent Commission allows us to have more autonomy, manage our own staff and have less Department of Health (DOH) oversight.


Most of our staff have been with our Commission for many years, which is helpful for historical context and institutional knowledge. Consequently, we don’t have to continually reeducate our staff due to high turnover rates, nor do we have to share our staff as they are solely dedicated to chiropractic activities.


After my first year as a Commission member, I joined the budget committee, where we decided to lower the licensure fees. There was good reason for this. Whenever there’s a budgetary surplus, the State Legislature can swoop in and take it for use in other agencies. For this reason, the Commission wants to maintain some working capital but not a lot.


It’s important to understand that the chiropractic licensure fees pay for all of the work of the Commission, the small staff the Commission employs full-time, support staff in DOH, for example, the information technology staff, human resources, etc. and all staff involved in the discipline process, including the DOH investigators, staff attorneys and assistant attorneys general, along with possible expert witnesses and hearing costs.


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