Chiropractic care is often the last option people consider - but what if it should be the first choice? In this episode, Dr. Fab Mancini and Dr. Sherry McAllister reveals the science-backed benefits of chiropractic care, from managing chronic pain to enhancing overall health. Discover how lifestyle choices and a holistic approach play a key role in healing and prevention for lasting wellness. Tune in to learn why chiropractic care is more than just spine adjustments—it’s a gateway to optimal health!

Highlights:

02:45 – The Science of Chiropractic Care

Discover how integrating healthy lifestyle support with guideline-based care can dramatically improve patient outcomes for chronic pain and overall quality of life.

09:55 – Chiropractic Care for Children's Neurological Health

Learn about groundbreaking research showing how chiropractic adjustments can improve children's hyperactivity, sensory motor integration, and prefrontal cortex function.

15:50 – Beyond Pain Management: Whole Being Care

Understand chiropractic's holistic approach that focuses not just on alleviating pain, but on optimizing balance, preventing future health issues, and supporting overall vitality.

21:00 – Shifting from Sick Care to Health Care

Explore the critical need to move from treating symptoms to proactively promoting optimal health through lifestyle modifications and preventative care.

25:40 – The Unexpected Path to Healing

Discover how addressing the root cause of symptoms can lead to surprising and comprehensive healing, even when the apparent source of pain might not be where you expect.

About the Guest: 

Sherry McAllister, DC, M.S. (Ed) CCSP, FACC, serves as President for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, the not-for- profit organization showcasing the benefits of chiropractic care across multiple platforms with over 37,000 members around the globe.

Dr. McAllister earned her Master’s in Science from the University of California East Bay, graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic West, where she served as an Associate Professor. Recently completed Two Certification programs: Stanford Graduate School of Business in Executive Leadership Development and Yale University: Science of Wellbeing.

Website : https://drsherrymcallister.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherrymcallister/

X : https://twitter.com/DrSMcAllister

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Positively-Inspired-Wellness-101063818297547

Connect with Dr. Fab Mancini

www.endingchronicdisease.com

https://drfabmancini.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabmancini/ 

https://www.instagram.com/drfabmancini/

https://www.facebook.com/DrFabMancini 

https://www.youtube.com/@DrFabMancini 

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.

Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!

Subscribe to the podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

Leave us an Apple Podcasts review

Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

Dr. Sherry McAllister: When you have a coach such as a chiropractor, you can optimize balance, and that will create a whole new realm of peace and vitality in your life. Yes, we can alleviate pain, but we also want to prevent it.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Hi, this is Dr Fab Mancini, and I'm so excited that you're here, because today we're going to talk about one of my favorite subjects in the world, and that is chiropractic. And I have with me one of the greatest chiropractors today, Dr Sherry McAllister, which is actually the leader of the foundation for chiropractic progress, Sherry, it's so good to see you again. I've been looking forward to this interview for so long, just because I love the work you're doing and, more importantly, the way that you're educating millions of people as to the value of chiropractic.

Dr. Sherry McAllister: I am so delighted to be with you, Fab.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, we're gonna have a good time, man. Primarily, you know, I don't know if you know this story about me, but the way that I chose to become a chiropractor is that a medical doctor, an orthopedic surgeon at the emergency room at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where I was taken after a whiplash injury, referred me to his chiropractor. He actually told me, I can give you painkillers, I can give you muscle relaxers, but you really need to go see my chiropractor. So he took out his phone. Called the chiropractor. They took me that afternoon, and it changed my life. I felt so much better within six weeks of care. I got involved in interviewing chiropractors because I wanted to learn more. How come my medical professors and pre med nobody ever mentioned to me the potential of becoming a chiropractor, as I met about 62 chiropractors within six months before my graduation from pre med to go to medical school, I got to tell you, Sherry, I just fell in love with not only the chiropractor profession as the doctors that have such a wonderful intention in helping humanity, but also the premise of chiropractic. So let's talk a little bit about the science. Because a lot of times, you know, I hear people mention, you know, I haven't considered chiropractor. I've been told that there's not enough science, but we have a lot of science out there that keeps coming out. And recently, I read a paper that was published in JAMA, which is one of the biggest medical journals out there, talking about the Healthy Lifestyle care versus the guideline based care for low back pain. So tell me a little bit about what is it that we're finding when it comes to the value of chiropractic, especially in low back pain or even chronic pain,

Dr. Sherry McAllister: You know, Fab. I really love the way you opened with your story, because so many times it's the last option people get. And I think you and I can fully appreciate the gratefulness that someone was willing to take that chiropractic message and give it to us and share it with us. So for me, it was the last piece. We call it the last hope. It should be the first choice, not the last choice. So both of us had these experiences where it was given to us and favorably, yet never, we never really had any understanding of what that is. And I think that's what the research is now showing, is the more patients actually know, the better choices and better opportunities become available to them. And this one study the healthy lifestyle care versus guideline based care for low back and someone's really suffering with chronic pain. This is an eye opening research paper, one because we never bring in lifestyle interventions into our life. Many doctors have such a short period of time that we can spend with a patient. So we want to get right to for medical doctors, it's often like you got, it's often a prescription, like an opiate. But now we're really digging down into the science, and what the researchers are finding is when you integrate healthy lifestyle support with guideline based care, the improvements are astronomically better from disability for when you look at the improvements that people have to their current weight. We know obesity is a very big factor in today's world, and also the quality of life that you have, and I think that's one of the important parts, because I don't think there's anyone listening right now that would want a quality of life that is poor and painful and you dread every moment. We really want this lifespan to be your health span to really have those moments of reflection. And I think this study really pulls out that when you think about, for example, chiropractic and you follow the guideline based care for. Low back pain. Well, are we still bringing in those lifestyle choices that make such a big difference, so that we're not adding insult to injury, where the person thinks they're just getting care for their low back and they forget all of the other lifestyle issues?

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, you know, it's interesting, because when I interviewed the chiropractors in the beginning, before I made my decision to become a doctor of chiropractic, one of the things that really stood out for me was their ability to really engage the patient into lifestyle choices. And now we know that this chronic disease epidemic that we're having where over 90% of the healthcare causes going towards chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, chronic pain and many others, we're finding that the lifestyle choices, which in science we call epigenetics, is really where the answers are going to be found. Now, as chiropractors, we've always understood the value of not only adjusting the spine and being able to balance the nervous system that way, but also engaging the patient into paying attention to what may be causing some of the health issues that they're having. So what do you think people need to know about how important lifestyle really is, you know, especially the choices that we're making every day.

Dr. Sherry McAllister: Well, there is, in most things in life, the ability to get better by learning from someone you respect and trust, and I think that spans so many opportunities in our life, whether it's our career, our relationships, especially though our health. So think about this study when you come back to it, it actually complies with life and where chiropractors become treating that patient, not by this symptom, which oftentimes is the most important thing that gets talked about, it's actually not an ideal situation that sets us up for success. In fact, symptom based care is doomed to fail, and therefore, when we get these opportunities to engage with a patient, and as chiropractors, we want to really consider what's going on in their lifestyle, and those factors come under what we call full being care. The big part of this, like anything, is adherence. Are you willing to go the different, the distance, to actually get the benefits? Because if you're not complying with most things in life, you're going to recognize that it's harder to get the outcomes that you want and desire, and in low back pain suffers, that's usually the biggest crutch that we have is, well, it hurts, yes it does, but don't let the pain guide your success, and don't give up, because I believe gaining the best of The time spent that you have with your your care provider, with if it's a chiropractor, those choices that you have when you go home, that's the adherence factor. Are you adhering to the best opportunities that are available to you? And most chiropractors out there really want to be walking the talk with you and guide you to where you want to go, which oftentimes is pain free, but there's so many more levels than that optimum movement and then being able to prevent problems. So the chiropractor is there to to keep you going and collaborate with you so that you get the outcomes that you want to achieve.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, you know, one of the biggest awarenesses that this new administration is having is bringing the statistics about our children and our children's health. We know that right now, many of our children are struggling with chronic diseases early on in life, sometimes multiple chronic diseases, and we know that their lifespan is going to be shorter than the current generation of their parents. We've never seen that in history, and it's almost hard to even believe that your children are not going to live as long as you did. But let's talk a little bit about the science between chiropractic and perhaps maybe a parent or a caregiver out there that is considering bringing their children to chiropractic. I mean, in practice, I had a lot of children because I had a family practice when the parents came in, one of the things that we did is that we encouraged the parents to evaluate their children and also be able to engage their children in lifestyle choices that will hopefully prevent some of these conditions that the parents were struggling with. So let's talk a little bit about the science of what you have seen in your space regarding chiropractic care, and how is it that can support our children beyond just back pain?

Dr. Sherry McAllister: Well, like most things, if you think about them, hindsight, is 2020. Okay, so let's, let's look at one study that actually just came out, and I think it's one of those eye opening moments. It's actually came out in February of this year, 2025 and it really looks back on the records of school age children receiving chiropractic care. So what happened? I love this study because now parents can have a realization that research is out there. So when you're looking at a retrospective study, you're looking at what really happened. How does that impact my child? Should I take him? Is it safe? I get it as a parent, as you do, fat is being able to ask yourself, What can chiropractic bring to the to the child's life. And that was the study. And when you look at a study of quality of life for our children, we want the very best for them. And in this study, they really looked at the statistical analysis, so all of the data on the improvements, what improvements did the children yet, when they got chiropractic as a school aged child, and they get into this survey, it's called the pediatric quality of life inventory, and it showcased that over the 12 weeks of chiropractic care that these young people received, that they had significant improvements, especially when it came to the hyperactivity domain, which a lot of children, they just get kind of wiggly in their seat and they're hyperactive, and it's harder for them to really sit down and learn. And that domain of strength and difficulty that they were talking about really helps the children understand that, for example, you know, being being able to have a focused and clear understanding of what's trying to be taught to those children that changes the quality of life. But it wasn't just that part about the learning. There were physical changes that happened in these young people when they were playing sports, the running, the jumping, you remember going on the playground and just having these daily activities that you loved. They had improvement with that. They had improvement with social activities. You know, their play dates, their school events when they were recorded on Survey. But the last part was just overall general health. They had the reduction in minor ailments that I think every parent wants for their child,

Dr. Fab Mancini: And that's really why I brought the question, is because, as a parent, we always want what's best for our child, but it's like, it seems like, as a parent, we are allowing our children to make the same decisions that got us sick, except they're getting sicker younger, and as they develop these conditions at a younger age, that's what's impacting their quality of life, their ability to function. I mean, one of the things that I love about their study is also that it was talking about the sensory motor integration of the prefrontal cortex, which really impacts the brain the neurology of that individual. Tell me a little bit about what you read into the study when you read that part.

Dr. Sherry McAllister: Well, we know that the brain has a massively important function when it comes to how the person deals with life, and that nervous system is created, in part to be protected and also to engage in what you're going to be doing that day. So imagine when you don't have the light turned on fully, it's the child's brain, and when that doesn't happen, then there's other factors that start to weigh into it. So this particular study, when it measured some of the neurological changes, they recognized that children that were hyperactive. It's kind of like when you're talking to someone on the phone and they're static, you're not getting the clear message this is happening to these young people, and what I loved about them being able to have the study out there is it's one of those times where we can reflect that chiropractic care has an impact on the neurological functions in children. That means everything, especially when they're growing, and that prefrontal cortex is very small at their age. And if we start to impact the flow of the energy and how that particular child is able to learn, that changes the game for everything that it could set them up for a whole different world. If they, in fact, have no static they get all of the information coming in is clear, it's concise, and now they're being able to actually be prepared to learn and learn in a way that really helps them focus and utilize the materials that they're coming into. So chiropractic care, they say no research. I say that that research for a parent, that is epic opportunity. Way to get chiropractic care into the lives of our pediatric patients.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, you know, one of the things that I know a lot of people out there may not be aware of is that chiropractic is an evidence based science, natural science profession. It's actually one of the leading ones, especially in the United States, and we're integrated into the healthcare system, whether it's Medicare, Medicaid, major Med, all the insurance plans, and even including personal injury and but you go out there Cheryl, and you're educating millions of people as to what is chiropractic. What would you say is the one thing that you would love people to understand and know about what the value of chiropractic is, that you feel that there seems to be still a lot of misconceptions out there.

Dr. Sherry McAllister: Oftentimes chiropractic becomes that last choice, and that's very difficult, because then we end up with from ranging from scar tissue to a lot of time hope. And one of the things that I recognize having crossed back and forth across the the nation is without hope. It's very difficult to cope, especially when it comes to chronic pain. And so many are facing these types of issues, of chronic problems coming into their lives, whether it be a child or an adult, and we actually really want to open the discussion up to whole being care, to not just come for chronic pain, because we know we're good at that, and we really do want to help people get out of chronic pain, because pain changes your life, and we get that, and we're We're really, truly with you. The question now is, can we open up a conversation where we can optimize people's health, and that comes with lifestyle changes, from nourishment on how we're feeding ourselves to movement, because oftentimes even the best Olympic athlete will favor aside, and it comes down to balance. If there are words that really mean, the best outcomes, balance and harmony are what we want in our lives. I think when you have a coach, such as a chiropractor, you can optimize balance, and that will create a whole new realm of peace and vitality in your life, the optimization of who you are and what you're trying to do in your life only gets better. Yes, we can alleviate pain, but we also want to prevent it. So if we can catch things before they happen, that's really the key, and that whole being care having a chiropractor to walk through some of the lifestyle modifications that you may not have thought of, such as, I sleep on my stomach at night, and you never knew that that's a problem. These are some of the things that chiropractors can walk into to really gage the quality of your life and where it can improve.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, you know, one of the things that I realized is that over the last 35 years that I've been a doctor of chiropractic, I've had so many patients that have come to me and said, I wish one of my doctors in the past would have told me that chiropractic might have helped me, because, you know, we get results in most spaces where other people don't, and it's because our approach is Different, and today we live in a world that conventional medicine is amazing in saving lives, especially when we have an urgent issue, and we have some incredible pharmaceuticals that can actually regulate the body when it's about to die. So nobody's questioning that. But that is only maybe 5% maybe even 10% of all of healthcare, over 90% of healthcare, relies on these things that we're talking about, and that is what I've always said. It's important that you include chiropractors in your medical support system, whether it's having your medical doctor and maybe a doctor of chiropractor that can give you a different opinion, because we're trained very different than traditional medicine. I mean, as you know, you remember, in school, we drive so much, not only lifestyle, like nutrition, the importance of movement, the importance of posture, the importance of a lifestyle that is healthy, all of those things are part of our curriculum. They're part of our practice. And many times, what I notice is that individuals will get second and third opinions on the same type of practice or the same specialty that they got their first opinion from. So the key thing that I would love for people to understand is that chiropractor should be a first line of experiencing if it can help you, because we are not going to prescribe pharmaceuticals. We do not do surgeries. What we do do very well is evaluate and find the root cause of your problem, trying to dig in and. Work with you as a patient to try to identify where is this coming from. And then, of course, we work primarily with the nervous system, but we work with all the systems of the body to try to help your body do what it's meant to do, which is to self heal. You Your body has the ability to heal. The problem is, many times we take it for granted, or we override it with a medication, taking away the wisdom and the ability to do its own healing because we're in a hurry, because we want to stop that pain, because we want to feel better immediately, instead of letting the natural process go on. Where do you see, in your opinion, Sherry, as we close this incredible session that we had, where do you see the role of chiropractic within the next year, two or three years, especially when we're dealing with a society, a humanity, that is secret than it's ever been in the history of humankind,

Dr. Sherry McAllister: This, I believe now is going to be the opportunity for us to reflect and really take inventory of where we have been. We have seen the numbers rise, the depression, the anxiety, the worry, the obesity, the cardiovascular disease, the hypertension, all of these pieces are sick care, and we have hyper, vigilantly focused on sick care, I think now, just like when someone says, look where you want the ball to go, that's where we need to be for the Future. Where do we want every single American or global reality to happen, and that's health. We want them to have optimum health, and we want to focus on that, not on the sick care. So all of the pieces, it's like a puzzle, is that now we know how to treat sick care, and we've become very good at it. Now we want to be in that realm of where is it in this puzzle that we can bring pieces together so that we can ensure success, from a child in kindergarten to a 98 year old who is just looking to be able to take her groceries in from her car sickness is unfortunate, and it's something we need to address, but it's everyone's responsibility, and that is the ability to respond to the lifestyle modifications that will make your lifestyle change because you have the information, And I think it is the responsibility of the government, every healthcare provider to be strong and showcase you can do X, Y and Z, or you'll end up on path A, B and C. When you're well educated, you make better choices.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, we don't want anyone out there to become a statistic. And I love the fact that after 35 years of being in this industry and this profession, I am so grateful that there is more collaboration that I've seen between medical doctors and chiropractors. We have chiropractors working in hospitals. We have chiropractors working with professional teams. We have chiropractors working in corporate America to try to maintain employees healthy. So this is a great opportunity. If you're listening and watching this video, I want you to give yourself an opportunity to get an evaluation by a doctor of chiropractic, seek a different opinion and see if they can add some value to what you may already be doing. Or if you find frustrated, you're self frustrated that there is no potential pharmaceutical or even surgical intervention that can address some of the issues that you're dealing with. Try and see a doctor of chiropractic. We're trained to try to do everything possible to support your body, to heal itself. We don't do the healing. We're only facilitators of that healing, because the only thing that heals is you, and you have to learn to accept and be responsible for that. The answers are within you, and every choice you're making right now is either going to lead you to more suffering or it's going to lead you towards resolution and optimum health. That would that's what, in my opinion, chiropractic is here for, and it's a wonderful opportunity for you. We've been around for 130 years. We're here for you to support you as much as you can, as much as we can, but you have to make the decisions. So come and see us, see what we can offer you, and, more importantly, give yourself permission to experience chiropractic because, you know, Sherry at the end of the day, nothing speaks louder than the result that we get after a chiropractic adjustment. Any last parting words that you would like to leave us with

Dr. Sherry McAllister: Shock? I think I want to leave you with shock. That there's times in your life where you just need to be woken up and see something totally different. It's like sticking your finger on a battery and all of a sudden you have that little zit. I just want to leave you with my own personal story, which should make you realize that it's okay to give yourself permission. Like you said, fab is I had a shoulder problem, and I was at a conference last weekend, and I thought it was my shoulder, and I asked for an adjustment, and he adjusted my neck. I smile because I was shocked. Had no shoulder pain. So remind yourself that even though you have a symptom, it may not be the cause, and that's really where we want to get to in our lives. Find the cause, and all else will fall in place.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, thank you so much for your time and for the amazing work that you and the foundation for chiropractic progress is doing to help bring awareness to the value of chiropractic to millions of people, not only in the United States, but around the world. And for those of you that are listening, thank you for being with us, and I hope that you'll take me up on it and go see a doctor of chiropractic and see maybe what value they can bring to you and the health of your family. God bless you, and I will see you soon.