Bixby, OK Health and Fitness

Dr. Travis Ring could fill a library with his assorted stacks of to-do lists. The head of Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic creates a "schedule of care" for each of his patients, personalizing the tasks so that they address both painful symptoms and their underlying causes. He has several tools at his disposal, the most important of which are his hands—they administer careful adjustments that aim to realign ailing vertebrae. He has also mastered ART, or Active Release Technique, a method that relies on manual therapy and movements by the client to offset the effects of old injuries.

Among other approaches to chiropractic wellness, Dr. Ring utilizes intersegmental traction beds, needleless acupuncture, and massages from his office’s resident licensed massage therapist, Crystal. These varied methods can combat chronic aches resulting from a wide range of conditions, including carpal tunnel and shin splints, in addition to bothersome back and neck spasms. Dr. Ring gears his practice towards families and especially enjoys working with children, as their backs typically have fewer hard-to-remove barnacles than those of adults.

At Life Acceleration, a certified reflexologist applies pressure to specific points on the feet that correspond to various areas of the anatomy, such as the lower back, thyroid, or semicolon. This is referred to as reflexology, a holistic healing technique designed to relax, balance, and energize the body. Life Acceleration also offers life-coaching and mediation services, and beautifies exteriors with facials, microdermabrasion, and waxing treatments. The center extends its strengths to the community by volunteering at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the Tulsa Boys' Home.

Darrick S. Davis and his team see value in the body's ability to heal itself. In answer to drugs and surgeries, Davis cracks his knuckles and sets to work adjusting and massaging the musculature with the help of chiropractic machines. He and his team use physical tests, x-rays, and dark-field nutritional analysis to uncover the cause of maladies such as degenerative disks, sciatica, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Davis individualizes his response to findings—he always makes a different facial expression, then prescribes a course of action that may include spinal adjustments, massage, and physical therapy.

Doctor of Chiropractic Craig Day employs more than 30 years of chiropractic experience as he and his staff help relieve clients’ aches and pains with advanced chiropractic equipment and treatments. In the office’s physical-therapy suite, patients regain their strength and mend tears with the help of electrical-stimulation machines, a traction table, a Zen Pro vibration platform, and the DRX9000—an FDA-cleared decompression machine that helps relieve bulging discs, spinal stenosis, and sciatica problems without the need of surgery. At the onsite radiology lab, spines are x-rayed or sketched by a caricature artist to expose the root of ailments, and two private treatment rooms provide a tranquil space for massages and acupuncture services. Dr. Day's resident nutritionist, meanwhile, examines patients’ cholesterol and blood tests, looking closely for vitamin deficiencies and free-floating Skittles.

When Jessica's brother developed Ogilvie syndrome, a severe intestinal disorder, doctors could do little to help. Jessica and her family found that only colon hydrotherapy—a treatment that flushes the large intestine with warm, filtered water—helped to manage her sibling's symptoms. Remembering their struggle to find a provider in the Tulsa area, Jessica jumped at the chance to become the founding manager of operations at the Colon Care Center of Oklahoma, a hydrotherapy facility that flung open its doors in early 2012. Today, its staff of colon hydrotherapists—all certified by the International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy and some possessing more than 30 years of experience—work to soothe symptoms such as bloating, constipation, and compaction in clients with difficulties similar to Jessica's brother's. During sessions, therapists may assist by monitoring pressure and temperature or leave the room to let the patient manipulate a gravity-fed open system as fans draw away odor. Colon Care Center of Oklahoma recommends hydrotherapy to patients interested in undergoing preventative colon care or reducing bodily toxins. The treatment may also help those about to undergo a colonoscopy who don't respond well to traditional medical cleansing methods such as eating hamburgers stuffed with pipe cleaners.

At his family-owned optometric practice, Dr. Jeff Long sharpens vision with prescription lenses and a selection of more than 40 frames from top designers. In detailed fittings, the able optometrist garnishes peepers in Nike, Oakley, and Juicy Couture frames and outfits spectacles with single-vision, bifocal, and trifocal lenses. A family-friendly establishment, the center extends its services to adults, children, and children stacked in trench coats pretending to be Sherlock Holmes.