A Michigan chiropractor takes his practice outdoors with a unique sanctuary that promotes relaxation before and after the adjustment.
By Jennifer LeClaire
The Greater Lansing Chiropractic Center is not your garden variety chiropractic
office. Owner Dan Schultz, D.C., goes out of his way to give his patients a
breath of fresh air by creating a relaxing outdoor environment that looks more
like a luscious garden than a doctor’s office.
That’s because he built an outdoor sanctuary modeled after B.J. Palmer’s
rose garden. Schultz believes that B.J. Palmer created the rose garden because
he wanted patients to be closer to nature as they experienced the adjustment.
“The natural environment somehow facilitates patients’ ability to
connect to their innate intelligence,” says Schultz, who has been practicing
chiropractic for 14 years. “My patients absolutely love it. If we don’t
have the tables out on the deck, then they request it.”
One look at the deck and it is easy to see why Schultz is so convinced that
fresh air adjustments on a sunny Michigan afternoon enhance patient comfort.
Schultz designed a 2,200-square-foot wooden red cedar deck with a gazebo and
adjoining sunroom enclosed with glass to protect patients from the elements
as they relax before or after getting adjusted on one of three outdoor standard
bench tables. The project came with a price tag of $120,000, but he says the
investment has paid dividends with patient satisfaction and personal enjoyment
over the past decade. Schultz is sure that the tranquil setting helps woo patients
back to his office for regular wellness adjustments.
“All the money that I have ever spent on the deck and gazebo has come
back to me 10-fold because when people walk through our doors they say, ‘Oh,
I love it here. I feel comfortable. I’d like to spend the day here,’”
Schultz says. “At least once every couple of weeks a patient will ask
if they can bring their friend in to show them around and we allow them to do
that. It is an especially relaxing environment for people who have never experienced
chiropractic before.”
The visual impact
The deck features as its centerpiece a gazebo 19 feet in diameter with a pergola
overhead, giving the adjustment area a look reminiscent of Renaissance gardens
with their grand architectural details. The pergola provides just the right
mix of shade and light into the structure through latticework. Canvas, hammock-like
seating called Skychairs hang from the beams of the pergola. The garden atmosphere
is complete with about 50 different species of plants, including plenty of ferns
and hanging flower baskets.
Why all the plants? Because Schultz knows that plants do more than brighten
up an environment. Plants have real health benefits. In fact, studies show that
plants can have a positive effect on our mood, reducing stress and improving
attitudes. Plants also improve air quality, ease asthma symptoms and increase
energy levels. Some studies have even shown that just looking at trees and plants
reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and relieves tension in muscles.
The plants, flowers and the red cedar planks not only play into the beauty of
the sanctuary, they exude a pleasant aroma and help maintain a cool and clean
environment. Cedar is a co-efficient wood, meaning that even on hot days it
is cool to sit on and its naturally occurring organic compounds (called thujaplicins)
give off a richly distinct fragrance that smells good to humans and repels insects,
moths and other pests. The aromatic blend seems to have a relaxing effect on
the patients, says Schultz, and none of his patients have been allergic to the
scents, a possibility of which he is always aware.
Schultz’s unique approach is not just gaining the acceptance of his patients;
it is also beginning to gain the attention of the trade.
“Doctors around the world are looking for ways to make their patients
more comfortable, offer them a favorable experience, and maximize the healing
process,” says Ron Hendrickson, executive director of the International
Chiropractor’s Association. “Chiropractic is very versatile. The
essential elements of quality care are transportable and can be deployed in
any environment.”
The audio impact
In addition to the visual beauty and natural scents, music rounds out the sensory
experience during the adjustment. Schultz plays music in the nearby sunroom
that provides a faint melody for patients to enjoy. That’s a good strategy,
according to researchers. Few can deny the relaxing and calming affects gentle
music has on the mind. Studies show that music positively affects many different
parts of the brain and provides a distraction from negative thoughts.
In fact, new studies demonstrate that soothing music can improve blood pressure
and cardiovascular function. A study from Harvard suggests that the right music
can activate the same portions of the brain that respond to powerful stimuli
such as food, sex and addictive drugs. And a New York study determined that
surgical patients who listened to music just before an operation maintained
normal blood pressure and felt calmer before and after the operation while those
who waited in silence experienced hypertension.
Schultz says the only obstacle he has come up against over the past decade is
weather. When it rains he and his staff have to hustle to bring the tables indoors.
But that only happens a couple of times a year, he notes, and he is well prepared
for the sprint after his experience as a triathlete in the 1995 Hawaiian Ironman
World Championship. Moreover, the deck and gazebo have helped Schultz instill
a sense of community at his practice. He orchestrates picnics and barbeques
on the deck all spring, summer and fall. “People hang out in the sky chairs
and swing their kids,” he says. “Kids really love it here. They
fight to see who gets on the table first.”
Those rainy days
So what do Schultz and his patients do on cold or rainy days? They move the
practice indoors. The inside of the clinic is just as unique as the outside,
with green plants galore from floor to ceiling in a cedar wood environment with
arches and skylights. Patients can get cozy on one of the leather couches and
warm their feet by the fireplace during the winter months as they read educational
books, magazines and publications or watch videos from the lending library.
There is also an interactive “Innate Energy” museum quality exhibit
that entertains and educates adults and kids alike. Schultz says the exhibit
attracts a lot of people to his clinic, including classes of elementary and
high school students. Exhibit components include an equilibrium scale, a hand
battery, a electronic parrot that talks about posture and a number of anatomical
pieces that allow you to look inside the body.
Tom Hyde, spokesperson for the American Chiropractic Association, is impressed
with the facility’s concept: “If you provide patients with a peaceful,
placid environment it helps them relax more. The scenery and the smell also
help. Marketed correctly, this innovative concept would help attract patients
to a wonderful experience in a natural environment. It is also good for the
doctor because he works in a pleasing, soothing environment.”
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