Married to the TIC

By Dr.’s Ryan and Denise Dopps

Often times we are asked “Don’t you love being married to a Chiropractor?” With a smirk on our faces we look at each other and simple answer “Yes, of course!”

The real truth lies deeper. Let me explain.

Most people would assume that the best part of marrying a fellow Chiropractor is the fact that you can get adjusted at will. I know that both of us will agree, a late night adjustment or a cervical adjustment at C1 to remove a headache on the weekend is fantastic, but those are only the perks of our marriage. In fact, there is actually some down side to a spouse that also dons the title of Doctor of Chiropractic.

Imagine trying to set up for that perfect adjustment and then your husband says… “I hope your not going to do that move!” or “Honey, your line of drive is off, go ahead and move superior just a little bit..” And in reality, no one knows my spine or my wife’s better than each other. But it’s true, we are each others worst critics and hecklers!

The funny thing is that we both understand that if we would just keep our mouths shut and let the doctor do their work, the adjustment would have a far more positive outcome than if we were to critique the others technique.

As with any relationship, the chiropractic marriage also has its challenges. One major challenge that we have at times struggled with is the balancing act of raising a family and having a dynamic chiropractic career. In our shared practice we have evolved our working dynamics as our family has grown with the addition of children. When we first started practice, we both worked everyday. We were in the office during the week, doing some sort of promotional event on most weekends, and attending every community event we could get ourselves to. However, that has had to change a bit as we have children now and our flexibility has diminished. So we adapted, we shifted our work schedule a few times, and even bring our kids in the office with us twice a week.  We have found that this works out great so that we both can continue to serve patients but yet still have some one on one time with the kids.

Although we definitely do not have the time for weekend marketing in the way we used to, we now are at soccer games, the YMCA, children’s birthday parties talking the ‘TIC.  Surprisingly. we have found that this marketing is just as efficient and powerful. It was hard for us to determine how to balance our family life with work, as no one seemed to be in the same situation. Although I’m not sure that there is a set formula for how to manage child care that would have worked either. It is all based on what is possible, priorities, and balance.

Another challenge that we have ran into, and probably that largest is… dealing with double the student loan debt. This, in our opinion, is the absolute worst thing about being married to a chiropractor. Imagine having double the loan debt that one doctor has… the thought of having to pay DOUBLE for the rest of our lives brings chills down MY spine. Although the numbers are daunting that lie above our heads, the potential to help more people is also greatly increased. In fact, we have seen that our synergy in the office helps to take us beyond just doubling the numbers.

I like to think about it like this; the average chiropractic patient will spend approximately $2,000 per year on our chiropractic services.. and the average student loan debt being around $200,000.. each of us has essentially prepaid for 100 years of chiropractic care!

On the flip side of the equation, there are so many advantages to being married to a chiropractor, its hard putting them in some type of numerical ranking or list. One of the nicest things, is that you always have someone to cover for you. If I am running late at a meeting, Denise can step in and adjust my patients until I arrive. Not only that, but you have the best and most reliable associate that you’d ever want. Seriously, we feel blessed that we have the ability to be in the office with each other, it is amazing.

A huge advantage that we feel triumphs other doctors in our area is the energy that we feel we create. We try to play off of each others strengths and weaknesses. For instance, Denise has a strong desire for teaching nutrition and educating women on prenatal/maternity/newborn chiropractic, so naturally those interested in that will gravitate toward her. I on the the other hand, I enjoy focusing on corporate wellness and working with the professional athletes in our town. Due to our individual interests and likes/dislikes we can custom tailor what type of patients we attract into our office, thus serving a wider array of the population.

To us, chiropractic is not just something that happens on the adjusting tables in our office. [quote_center]Chiropractic is a Lifestyle. More importantly, Chiropractic is a Philosophy by which We Live.[/quote_center]

1958112_645449645521984_2084506774_nWe are so deeply connected to our profession that it has become who we are, much like a marriage. The major tenets of the chiropractic philosophy run deep in our family and are obvious to those around us. We are humbled in the fact that our bodies are designed to thrive when the nervous system that is structurally and functionally sound. Our family motto is always to always “walk the walk” of the Chiropractic lifestyle. This is the best part about being married to a chiropractor.. the 100% congruency of our philosophies.

This chiropractic lifestyle is incorporated in everything that we do. From on-purpose thinking, to what we eat, how we exercise,  and even how we are raising our children.

The reality is, we don’t have to have lengthy discussions as to when and if we are going to use Tylenol to reduce a fever, vaccine schedules, or if we feel that adjusting an infant is beneficial. If we disagree, and that is a rarity, it is usually over something to the degree of eating “grain-free” verses “gluten-free”. We always know each other’s philosophy on an issue because our belief systems are identical. I feel that this has allowed us the freedom to live the way we do, under the umbrella of chiropractic and true wellness living.

10502413_10152361888130528_7688379975808014056_nI feel very blessed that Denise has the same understanding on every aspect of health and wellness that I do. We also have worked hard to develop the ADIO philosohy within our children. Our oldest who is 4 years old will ask if gum has aspartame in it before putting it in his mouth, or as we pass a fast food chain yells “People get out of there! Its going to kill you!” He will say things like “He probably needs an adjustment…” My little girl, almost 2 years old, floored my wife and I both when she asked for an adjustment after throwing up one morning.

The integrity and ideals that we are instilling into our family and hopefully children are incalculable. We couldn’t ask for a better gift than to raise more people that know the real answers to health. My wife and I both feel like we couldn’t have made ourselves a more perfect choice in our career, for better or worse and until death do us part!

And as BJ said: “I love you, because you love what I love,”

 

Ryan and Denise Dopps D.C.’s

 

 

SONY DSCDr. Ryan Dopps
Board Certified Doctor of Chiropractic
Everyone who sees Dr. Ryan Dopps knows they are in good hands, as his warm and friendly personality mixes well with his objective approach to getting you better. Dr. Ryan enjoys working with patients to not only to help to alleviate pain but also helping them achieve their health and wellness goals including nutrition and biomechinal evaluations. He is a frequent guest speaker for Corporate Wellness programs regarding preventative measures about stress management and the multitude of benefits that come from leading a healthy lifestyle. As the active district President for the Kansas Chiropractic Association, Dr. Ryan organizes events to educate several Sedgwick County Chiropractors on the latest chiropractic and medical research.  Dr. Ryan holds volunteer-based board positions in several groups (including Prairie Fire Marathon and a non-profit local organization) and is the official Team Chiropractor for the Wichita Thunder professional hockey team.  From infants to professional athletes, Dr. Ryan finds great joy in helping anyone he comes in contact with! He is truly a health and wellness leader in the Wichita community. We are proud of our lead doctor here at Dopps Chiropractic for his commitment to his patients and his profession!  In his spare time, Dr. Ryan enjoys exercising, doing triathlons and spending time with his wife and their two children.

Professional Accolades:
– Member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association
– Kansas Chiropractic Association – District President for Sedgwick County (2009-2014)
– Wichita Thunder – Team Chiropractor (2009-2014)
– Board Member for the Prairie Fire Race Series (2012-2014), Andover YMCA (2013), Dopps Group Advertising (2007-2014), Active Member of WEA (Wichita KS 2012-2014)
– Marketing and Media Director Dopps Group Advertising (2010-2014)
– Board Certified Chiropractor – Nationally Certified and State Licensed
– Doctoral at Parker University in Dallas, Tx
– Undergraduate at The University of Kansas

 

SONY DSCDr. Denise Dopps
Board Certified Doctor of Chiropractic
Dr. Denise graduated from Parker College of Chiropractic in 2007 where she specialized in Diversified, Thompson, and Upper Cervical techniques. Dr. Denise is also trained in Gonstead, SOT, and Activator. She is board certified for all 50 states for both chiropractic and physiotherapy and holds memberships in professional organizations. She is devoted to her patients and has adjusted age ranges from 1 day old to 92 years old. Her passion for health and wellness shows through in her lifestyle and it is evident that she loves helping people get back on their feet and back into their lives! Dr. Denise is here to help you with your journey to a better, healthier you!Professional Accolades:

– Professional memberships include/have included: of the Kansas Chiropractic Association, International Chiropractic Association, American Chiropractic Association, Parker Alumni Association, and Who’s Who of Colleges and Universities.
– Board Certified Chiropractor – Nationally and State recognized
– Doctoral at Parker University in Dallas, Tx
– Undergraduate at Baker College