East Highland Park, VA Health and Fitness

With the help of chiropractic care, a young Doctor of Chiropractic Franklin Luke regained the ability to rotate his neck after a near-devastating football injury. Today, Dr. Luke continues to repay the favor at River City Chiropractic, where he lends his empathy and medical expertise to patients stricken with spinal strains. If the practice’s No. 3 ranking in _Style Weekly_’s 2011 Readers’ Choice poll is any indication, locals seem to have taken notice of his results-oriented approach and effective chiropractic treatments.

Dr. Luke realigns backbones with five primary adjusting techniques, such as a Thompson Terminal Point technique that minimizes the force of adjustment, and a relaxing series of taps that regales vertebrae with renderings of poetry in Morse code. Aside from these hands-on treatments, the chiropractic team promotes spinal health with nutritional advice and suggestions for averting stressors in their daily routines. They dispense whole-food supplements, lead weekly health workshops for members, and bolster clients’ confidence with monthly progress reports and assessments.

A dual-modality health-care clinic, Hawthorne Healing Arts integrates the naturopathic remedies of Craig T. Fasullo, ND, and the Chinese medicine of Maegan N. Hodge, LAc. Together, they develop programs of treatment aimed to restore patients to the peak of health⎯a state that goes beyond the lack of disease to an ebullient state of well being and immunity toward falling over. Through naturopathic medicine, Fasullo aims to reinforce the body's self-sufficiency with homeopathic treatments and nutritional counseling. Hodge, meanwhile, draws from broad training in herbalism and acupuncture to address a long list of ailments, from allergies to chronic pain.

As moms-to-be enter through Inner Child Imaging's naturally lit atrium, rustling boughs of greenery and a fountain's soothing murmurs immediately set them at ease. The serenity of their surroundings doesn't dwindle as they settle into a plush recliner for their ultrasound imaging appointment, preparing for their first view of their baby. The technicians apply the same training and technology used by OB/GYN practices to conduct a brief sonogram scan—then, on the room's 42-inch viewing screen, a pristine depiction of tiny feet, hands, and features greets mothers and an assembly of up to 10 seated guests and additional standing spectators.

The 3-D sonogram studio preserves the scan's resulting images in one of four packages, ranging from the Boy or Girl? option, which determines the baby's sex with 2-D pictures, to the Complete Story option, which sends moms home with color 3-D images, CDs, DVDs, and a list of their child's celebrity lookalikes.

The dental professionals at United Smiles combine their expertise to cover the full range of dental services, from restorative and crown work to endodontics and cosmetic dentistry. The practice spans across four offices, though each office operates under the same philosophy of educating patients with thorough explanations of treatments and setting them at ease in a comfortable environment. This patient-centric credo extends to scheduling appointments on Saturday, as well as the practice's policy of always accepting emergency visits resulting from sudden tooth pain or strong urges to nap in a dental chair.

Doctor of Chiropractic Milan Lassiter, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a certified chiropractic sports physician, employs an array of techniques to realign backbones and improve flexibility. He specializes in treating sports injuries, soft-tissue problems, and back and neck conditions such as herniated discs and a lack of a backbone.

Dr. Lassiter soothes squished spines and oppressed pinched nerves with a computerized decompression table, which gives vertebrae some wiggle room and beckons fluids back to where they belong. While treating athletes, dancers, musicians, or anyone with tightness and tension, he uses the active-release technique to mend abnormal tissues and return them to the wild. Similarly, the Graston technique employs six stainless-steel instruments that Dr. Lassiter glides along strained sinews to uncover damaged areas and prevent scar tissue from forming. He also uses elastic cotton strips, known as Kinesio tape, to reduce swelling, stabilize joints, relieve pain, and subdue loose lips.

Dr. Liu's passion for healing has taken her around the world. After receiving her doctor of medicine degree from Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, she went on to earn an additional master's degree in combined Eastern and Western medicine from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Dr. Liu practiced in the city as a physician, focusing on an East-meets-West approach to health care before carefully folding her expertise and bringing it to the United States.

Today Dr. Liu draws on that experience while performing acupuncture treatments in her private office. She uses the ancient method to treat conditions such as depression, weight control, and women’s health issues. Dr. Liu’s pursuit of well-being extends beyond her healing practice—she also promotes mental and physical calm through her instruction of tai chi.