By Celeste McLaughlin
Jeffrey T. Farrell, Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C), first opened Chiropractic Rehabilitation Center in Tampa Palms in 1996, when he was the only chiropractor in New Tampa. His office shared space with Gold’s Gym at the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center, where Publix is still located.
Nine years ago, several months after the gym closed, Dr. Farrell and his wife Kristi moved their business to its current location in the Somerset Professional Center, one traffic signal south of its previous location. Kristi is one of six Lcensed Massage Therapists (LMTs) at the Chiropractic Rehab Center, where she still sees patients part-time and also works as the office manager.
Dr. Farrell earned his DC degree in 1991, from the New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, after he’d also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in natural sciences from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, in 1988. He says the warm weather and opportunity to live a more active lifestyle brought him to New Tampa in 1992, when he worked with another local doctor for several years before opening the first Chiropractic Rehab Center in ‘96.
As one of the community’s longest-established healthcare professionals, Dr. Farrell says his views on health and wellness have changed after more than 20 years in practice. “What I’ve learned about health – on a personal and professional level,” says Dr. Farrell, “is that most problems are related to lifestyle issues and the repetitive strain of daily activities. Correcting these problems is vitally important to the restoration and maintenance of health.”
He adds that, “The keys to maintaining optimum health are not only chiropractic care and (licensed) massage therapy, but also healthy nutrition, regular exercise, proper sleep and postural modifications (aka “chiropractic adjustments”). Our treatment plans focus on wellness and prevention, not just on the elimination of pain and symptoms.”
He not only advises patients on this holistic approach o total wellness, but he and Kristi and their two sons, Connor, 11, and Baylor, 8, are committed to living a healthy lifestyle, too. “I practice what I preach,” says Dr. Farrell. “I play sports with my kids, I have a bedtime, and I bike about 100 miles each week.”
The health of the whole person is also why the Chiropractic Rehab Center now offers the Ideal Protein weight loss system, which is only available through a doctor’s office. It is not a high-protein diet, but uses a pharmaceutical grade protein to provide a low-calorie, low-fat diet, while training people to make healthier choices. Kristi discovered the program in 2012 and has lost and kept off 50 pounds. “I feel amazing,” she says.
She explains why it’s only available under the supervision of a medical professional: “With weekly visits, we monitor weight, hydration, and fat intake, and provide counseling to be sure people meet their goals related to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.”
Dr. Farrell adds, “The Ideal Protein system teaches people to eat healthier and eliminates the yo-yo effect many people experience when they gain weight after trying a new diet,” says Dr. Farrell. “This program works to educate and help people to change their lifestyle.”
Essential
Education
“Education is the most important thing we can offer our patients,” says Dr. Farrell. In addition to working with patients to discover the lifestyle changes that will help them relieve symptoms, he considers himself a health advocate and ally for them. He is willing to spend time with each of his patients to help them understand their X-rays, MRIs and other test results and will do research to help patients better understand their individual conditions.
“Most doctors just don’t take that kind of time with the patients,” says Kristi. “He has a passion to help his patients understand the causes behind their symptoms until both they and he are completely satisfied. Because of his willingness to go the extra mile, our patients trust him.”
Dr. Farrell adds, “I focus on each individual patient and his or her individual needs,” adding that he believes this approach is why 85% perrcent of his new patients are direct referrals from current patients. “I always try to do the right thing by each individual patient.”
One such patient is Joy Gaziano, a 20-year Meadow Pointe resident who has been seeing Dr. Farrell and Kristi for 15 years. Gaziano says she currently is being treated for a neck injury from a rollover accident on I-75 that she suffered in February, although she insists chiropractic care isn’t just for injury. “I’ve been consistent in receiving massage therapy over the years. For me, it’s an important part of my total health care regimen.”
Gaziano, a medical speech pathologist at the USF College of Medicine, admits her work in the health care field probably helps her to be more attuned to the benefits of chiropractic care.
“Managing my pain and stress helps me to balance my obligations, so I can help others,” she says. “As my healthcare needs have changed, the focus of treatment of has changed.” She adds that Kristi has treated her for pain related to her two pregnancies, including lower back pain and circulation issues, with prenatal massage. “And, of all the recommendations I’ve been given for care during recovery from my accident, massage therapy (at the Chriopractic Rehab Center) has been the most helpful.”
Gaziano adds that not only are Dr. Farrell and Kristi outstanding healthcare professionals, but their business is an asset to the communit.
“Over the years, watching how honest, practical, and consumer-minded they are, I believe they truly care about the healthcare needs of the people in New Tampa.”
Steve Blair, a Tampa Palms resident who works for the USF Foundation, also recommends Chiropractic Rehab Center. He began chiropractic care after a back injury and was referred to Dr. Farrell when he moved to the area six years ago. He has continued treatment over the years, even after his initial pain was resolved.
“Because I receive regular chiropractic care, I’m a much healthier person,” Blair says. “I believe that being regularly manipulated means that my body functions better and I am physically healthier.”
The Chiropractic Rehabilitation Center was just named a “gold winner” in The Tampa Tribune’s 2014 “Best Of” Readers’ Poll, where the office was voted the best chiropractor in northeast Hillsborough County. “We were so surprised to receive this recognition,” says Kristi. “We didn’t solicit votes – we didn’t even know about the contest.”
The Chiropractic Rehab Center is located at 15291 Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms. The office is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (closed for lunch). To make an appointment or to learn more about the center’s services, including the Ideal Protein weight loss system, visit ChiropracticRehabCenter.com or call 971-9422.
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