Ceres, CA Drs and Health Practioners

After scouring the mouths of sailors and marines while in the service of the United States Naval Dental Corps, Dr. Joseph W. Robb set off for Northern California to establish a practice that unites his military-grade skill set with a friendly, professional staff. Dr. Robb's rich professional experience helps to guide his steady hand during dental services that range from routine x-rays and exams to filling cavities caused by misfiring tooth-fairy wands. Teeth hastily form straight rows and strain to show their brightest shades during cosmetic treatments that include whitening and realignment.

PG Laser Center & Chiropractic's presiding chiropractor, Doctor of Chiropractic Joe Glennon, complements his core chiropractic services with therapeutic laser treatments to ease discomfort and enhance exteriors. The center's FDA-cleared Avicenna high-powered laser bombards tissues with infrared energy to reduce pain, promote healing, and increase chances of finding car keys in the dark. Resident massage therapist Abel takes a hands-on approach to easing corporeal tension, employing techniques in quick 10-minute chair massages or 120-minute marathon sessions.

1976 was the United States' 200th birthday. It was the year the $2 bill was issued and the VHS was introduced. It was also the year that licensed acupuncturist and body mender Phil Caylor founded and instructed at one of the first massage schools in Santa Cruz. Now with more than 40 years of experience, Phil expertly slackens musculature with an ample repertoire of techniques.

Initial assessments of the body's overall health may segue into acupuncture to unblock energy flow or into the long, flowing strokes of Swedish massage to ease full-body tension. Whether releasing knots with firm deep-tissue techniques or investigating organ function with nutritional response testing, Phil complements his sessions with relaxation training to ensure wellness at home and pinky-lift training to prevent embarrassment at tea parties.

Goldi Jacques-Maynes, the almost-eponymous founder of Golden Chiropractic, draws on knowledge gleaned while training with leading authorities in sports chiropractic medicine to keep spines happy, healthy, and pliable. Before administering customized treatments, the licensed chiropractor first gets to know her patients through a medical history overview that accounts for past injuries and part-time jobs with Sisyphean construction crews. X-rays afford an internal peek at the spine’s going-ons, and adjustments relieve sublaxations before Dr. Jacques-Maynes calls upon activator adjusting instruments, electrical muscle stimulation, and ultrasound therapy to correct ailing discs.

The center’s resident massage therapists, Monica and Nancy Ferreira, supplement chiropractic treatments with massage techniques cultivated during hours of training. Whether gliding across backs with Swedish-style strokes or placing warm rocks in areas of built-up pressure, Monica and Nancy work to reduce muscle tension and increase joints’ range of motion.

After graduating from the Palmer College of Chiropractic and passing the state board exam, Dr. Jeanne Hofvendahl opened Ben Lomond Chiropractic in 1993. Since then, she's been using a unique blend of low-force adjusting techniques and massage therapy—derived from years of owning a massage practice—to correct skeletal misalignments. After assessing patients' skeletal, muscular, and postural conditions, Dr. Hofvendahl carefully customizes her approach to meet specific physical needs and preferences. She also incorporates physical-therapy techniques, such as deep heat packs and ultrasound, to treat injured muscles or locate tissues accidentally inhaled into the brain.

At the age of 10, Duncan McCollum fell 30 feet from a towering tree while trying to catch sight of a Cal-Stanford football game. With the fall came the consensus of a sprained back and a childhood filled with prescription medications and muscle relaxers to deal with his near-constant pain. He reinjured his back at the age of 20, and his friends, who were convinced that chiropractic care could help, dragged him to a chiropractor against his will. After taking x-rays and examining him, the chiropractor made a startling discovery—Duncan's initial fall from a decade ago had broken his back, and since then it had healed incorrectly.

"I was really nervous when he was about to adjust me for the first time," Duncan says. "After I jumped up from the intense shooting pain, for the first time in over a decade, I felt relief. I could get up and move!"

With continual treatments, Duncan slowly got his life back, and with it came great inspiration. He set out to become a Doctor of Chiropractic in order to help those who felt condemned to living with back pain, as he once did. Now, inside McCollum Wellness Center's cottage-like setting, he warmly welcomes patients and listens to their own life stories before eradicating aches and pains with gentle chiropractic treatments.