Wei Wei graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern Health Sciences University in 2016. She was the class valedictorian and was named Sweere Academic Scholar twice during her time in chiropractic school. Before this most recent bout of graduate studies, she served in the U.S. Army as a commissioned officer. Her adventures in the military took her to far flung lands, there and back again. Like Bilbo Baggins, the journey instilled a curious yearning for books and academic pursuits. Wei Wei had previously studied psychology and biology at the University of Virginia, even following through with completing a master of science degree in exercise science with a concentration in sport psychology at California University in Pennsylvania. Psychology was uniquely useful during her time in the military and abroad, but her positive experiences with chiropractic care inspired her to shift academic gears. Now, her knowledge of neurology matches her foundation of psychology, and she finds that both disciplines influence her practice of chiropractic. She closed her private practice in Riverside, CA in 2019. She moved abroad and served as the chiropractor of an overseas U.S. military hospital from late 2019 to mid 2024. During that time, she applied to and was accepted to medical school. She has since matriculated to medical school and documents her journey through this new academic endeavor. In her spare time, Wei Wei enjoys the practice of Ashtanga yoga. She also believes that she is a mediocre soccer player.
What is chiropractic?
“Pressure on nerves causes irritation and tension with deranged functions as a result. Why not release the pressure? Why not adjust the cause instead of treating the effects? Why not?”
“Life is the expression of tone. In that sentence is the basic principle of chiropractic. Tone is the normal degree of nerve tension. Tone is expressed in functions by the normal elasticity, activity, strength, and excitability of the various organs, as observed in a state of health. Consequently, the cause of disease is any variation of tone–nerves too tense or too slack.”
D.D. Palmer, in Text-Book of the Science, Art and Philosophy of Chiropractic for Students and Practitioners
What is subluxation?
“A lesion or dysfunction in a joint or motion segment in which alignment, movement integrity and/or physiological function are altered, although contact between joint surfaces remains intact. It is essentially a functional entity, which may influence biomechanical and neural integrity.”
World Health Organization. Guidelines On Basic Training And Safety In Chiropractic. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2005:4.
“Subluxation is defined as a motion segment, in which alignment, movement integrity, and/or physiological function of the spine, are altered, although contact between joint surfaces remains intact.”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Overview Of Medicare Policy Regarding Chiropractic Services. Chicago: American Hospital Association; 2017:3.
“Subluxation is a neurological imbalance or distortion in the body associated with adverse physiological responses and/or structural changes, which may become persistent and progressive. The most frequent site for the chiropractic correction of the subluxation is via the vertebral column.”
Clinical Practice Guidelines. 4th ed. Council on Chiropractic Practice; 2013:21. http://ccp-guidelines.org/guideline-2013.pdf. Accessed September 7, 2018.