RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - As it turns out, not all chiropractic practices are created equally. That’s why Dr. Stirton, the head doctor at American River Chiropractic and Winters Family Chiropractic, is ready to break down what sets his methodology apart from other practices bound by money and insurance coverage limitations.

With around 23 years of experience under his belt, Dr. Stirton’s been around the block and seen his fair share of booboos, aches, pains, injuries and beyond. Although there’s a wide variety of treatments and remedies people can receive, unfortunately, the corporate health entities Dr. Stirton used to work for were more focused on getting as many patients in as possible and doing only as much as insurance companies would allow.

This wealth over health approach to wellness didn’t sit well with Dr. Stirton or coincide with how he wanted to administer medicine and remedies. So, for the past decade he’s been the head honcho of his own practice at American River Chiropractic and Winters Family Chiropractic for the last five.

“When you include the insurance, it can change how the patients value their health. Because the carrier ultimately has the decision whether they give the care or not and don’t know how well the person is doing. To be honest, what I found is the insurance benefits are all essentially the same – there are tiers to it where people are only allowed 10 to 12 visits,” said Dr. Stirton. “In reality, working in that paradigm I saw that people weren’t getting their healthiest and weren’t getting what chiropractic has been designed and proven to provide patients because it doesn’t plug into the medical insurance model very well. It’s a minimalist model and made to provide you with the minimalist care possible to reach a basic level of improvement. They may advertise that they care, but the reality of that business is they want to take most of your money and spend the least amount on your care. Chiropractic has always been treatment that gives you the best results when you have enough of it.”

Dr. Stirton has always been one to emphasize the importance of regular upkeep of one’s chiropractic care. However, folks often neglect their own healthcare due to any number of reasons with insurance and cost being amongst them. To Dr. Stirton, this diminishes the patient’s and doctor’s involvement in the overall health journey with insurance coverage being the ultimate authority.

“My idea opening this practice was to charge a copay level fee for a more all-included service so there’s no feel of nickel and diming for this or that, so that the patient still got to feel like they can afford everything – and they could – even though insurance wasn’t involved. And, they had endless visits at that copay price,” explained Dr. Stirton. “I’ve been operating my practices this way for the last five years and they’ve blossomed and been well-embraced from cradle to the grave. The hardest working people enjoy it, people with chronic arthritis enjoy it because they can count the healthcare is there and their body gets ample treatment. More than just bringing you up to a minimal level.”

Unbound by insurance bureaucracy, Dr. Stirton is able to throw the clock out of the window and administer treatment for as long as it takes and focus on multiple parts of the body. With customizable/fluid scheduling suited to the needs of each, individual patient, Dr. Stirton able to instill the notion that one’s healthcare journey isn’t a race with a finish line, rather, a lifestyle. Which is why Dr. Stirton’s practice encompasses so much more than just back support.

“I’d say my practice is very much about vitality, and so we also cover nutrition here. My office does more testing than any other office on average for the average patient. In that regard, other offices will be more focused on one thing or do a blood test that just measures levels of things at that time and if you don’t have high cholesterol then you’re good and they won’t worry about you. If you do, they’ll just give you pills to take care of it,” said Dr. Stirton. “My testing is more about finding out what your ratios are between the different minerals in your body. That’s the real science behind how your physiology works. I can test your hair, we can test your mineral balance and at the same time I’m also looking if there’s a toxicity load. Say, if you have heavy metals that are elevated in certain tissues. We look at your overall intake of nutrients and everything we teach our patients here is to help them learn how to create balance in every aspect that’s going to support their health.”

Beyond that, Dr. Stirton also helps his patients tackle sleep issues and how they impact their overall health as well as using state-of-the-art technology in laser scanning to yield a three dimensional rendering of one’s foot to determine where one’s arches are failing – and order functional orthotics to help one feel better on their own two feet.

“Insurance companies think they’re in charge of your health, and that’s why I wanted to start a practice where the patients are in charge of their health and that I’m on their health team. All my staff is trained to care for people like they’re the valet to the king or queen,” said Dr. Stirton. “They’ll ask how the patients are sleeping, how life’s going and treat them like human beings. With parents, treatment is usually a financial and time burden, but with my treatment, it gets cheaper the more you come in for it. That’s the other thing I like, I designed it that way so that the unhealthiest people or the people who value health the most, whatever spectrum you’re on, you won’t get dinged for getting more care or wanting more time and advice. That’s how we reward our patients.”

To learn more about Dr. Stirton’s prices, treatment and more, one can visit his website at americanriverchiropractic.com. One can also visit his Winters office at 9 East Main St, suite 9-F or call at 530-795-4500. Dr. Stirton’s other location is at 2280 Vehicle Drive, #110, Rancho Cordova with phone number 916-776-6362.

To reach out to Dr. Stirton directly, one can email him at [email protected]. It’s like the good doctor always says, “If you’re not certain, ask Dr. Stirton.”