"Chiropractic care is ultimately about supporting the body to work as well as it can,” affirms Doctor of Chiropractic Andrew Ashton. While chiropractic adjustments are often effective, he knows that sometimes the body needs a little more help.

To assist his patients with maximizing their true health potential, Ashton has grown his practice, A Therapeutic Effect, into a comprehensive wellness center featuring complementary modalities such as massage, therapeutic laser and detoxification services such as infrared sauna and ionic footbath.

“Massage, which addresses the muscular system, and chiropractic, which focuses on skeletal aspects, are very much intertwined and rooted in science,” he explains. Ashton and his wife Sue, a former massage therapist, started A Therapeutic Effect in 2007. As the practice has grown, so has the trust Ashton has earned from his patients.

“I always try to come from a good place and have some type of effect on their lives, whether it’s helping them become healthier or giving them perspective. As a chiropractor, I focus on each aspect of a person’s health. That includes emotional stress that causes the body to become dysfunctional. I will offer patients words for thought or a listening ear.”

Gentle Chiropractic Care: A Cornerstone for Health Maintenance

Ashton specializes in the Torque Release Technique, a gentle, minimally invasive chiropractic adjustment that specifically targets problem areas. The instrument-based method helps take the guesswork out of determining where the body needs adjusting.

“The Torque Release Technique is also less intimidating. Because it’s instrument driven, there is no manual manipulation, which some people aren’t comfortable with,” he explains. “It makes chiropractic care more approachable and helps tackle that barrier of people seeking chiropractic care.”

Although Ashton specializes in orthopedic conditions, he also treats sports injuries, along with autoimmune disorders, radiculopathy and pre-surgical patients. He offers adjustments to babies and pregnant women.

“Pregnancy, labor and delivery can be influenced by the structure of the body. If the musculoskeletal system is aligned properly, often the body will react fine throughout the labor process, resulting in a smoother delivery,” Ashton says. “The birthing process can put a lot of pressure on a baby’s spine, so gentle specific chiropractic adjustments can help babies’ bodies thrive.”

Ashton has observed over the years how more people are seeking less drug-driven, minimally invasive healthcare options that identify root causes and address problems to help their bodies function better. Because chiropractic is a flexible option that supports health and wellness maintenance and acute injuries, he believes it will become a mainstay of healthcare.

“Maintaining the body’s physical frame helps a person maintain overall health. For managing acute care, I see people that have tried conventional options, with no relief. Chiropractic cannot fix what’s broken, but by making sure that the body is aligned where it needs to be, injuries can heal in the proper fashion.”

Complementary Options Maximize Whole Body Health

Therapeutic massage services include relaxation, deep tissue, hot stone, manual lymphatic drainage, craniosacral therapy, manual lymphatic drainage and prenatal. Massage add-on services such as aromatherapy, hot towels, warm bamboo or gua sha, a specialized massage technique often added onto a laser or massage session for specific therapeutic needs, are available with massage therapists on staff that specializes in those areas.

Deep tissue laser therapy is a non-invasive modality that uses laser to penetrate soft tissues and underlying muscles for pain relief and to promote faster healing. “Laser therapy adds a different component to the practice, which quickens the body’s ability to heal itself and become stronger.”

With chemicals found in everything from processed foods typical of the standard American diet, to environmental toxins, detoxification modalities can help cleanse the body and restore natural function. The infrared sauna is designed to help penetrate tissues to produce a deep, detoxifying sweat. It may also help relax joints and muscle tissue.

Also available is the ionic detoxification footbath, which helps pull impurities such as heavy metals from the body through the pores of the feet.

“As we learn about how the body works, we also discover what doesn’t work, so we look at how to fill in those gaps through different complementary modalities,” Ashton emphasizes. Curating complementary modalities that have scientific validity is of upmost importance to Ashton; he includes links to studies on A Therapeutic Effect’s website. “We offer things that are effective and will appeal and work for a broad range of people.”

Location: A Therapeutic Effect, 313D Primrose Lane, Mountville. For more info or to make an appointment, call 717-285-9955, email [email protected] or visit ATherapeuticEffect.com.