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Claudia Anrig, D.C.:
Destined to be a Chiropractor

She attended Pacific States Chiropractic College, but graduated from Life College in 1982 when the schools merged to form Life Chiropractic College West in her last six months of school. Then, she began practice with her father, Dr. Ernst Anrig.

In 1989, she co-founded the Peter Pan Potential, which is a comprehensive chiropractic pediatric program that she taught to thousands of chiropractors around the world, along with Dr. Judy Forrester.

A few years ago, she co-edited Pediatric Chiropractic, along with Dr. Greg Plaugher, which has been the fastest selling textbook in the history of the profession. Also, she has written numerous articles for various professional publications covering different aspects of providing chiropractic care to children.

Recently, she has designed a 360-hour course for a Diplomate in Chiropractic Pediatrics that will teach advanced pediatric technique skills. Previously, Anrig designed the 120-hour pediatric certification program, which must be completed to qualify for the Diplomate program.

In a recent interview, she talked about her devotion to the chiropractic profession.

Why did you decide on a career in chiropractic?

Anrig: My mom was in her third pregnancy, and she was having a lot of pain and couldn’t function. We were living in Michigan at that time, and the doctors said once you have the baby everything will be better. My mom gave birth, then she couldn’t walk anymore. Basically they (the doctors) told her that she would have to live with it. My dad was like Mr. Mom. He worked all day and took care of everything that needed to be taken care of at night with three kids.

One day my dad was grocery shopping and someone asked, "I haven’t seen your wife and kids around. Is everything fine?" My dad told him the story, and he said, "You have to go see a chiropractor." So my parents, who are Swiss immigrants, ended up going to a chiropractor, who did a whole evaluation on her and started adjusting her. She started to improve and it was tremendous.

Then we relocated to Arizona, and years later my mom gets in the same predicament. This episode was worse than the first one, so finally they decided to go see a chiropractor. He evaluated her, adjusted her and she had exactly the same improvement, but there was a huge difference between the two chiropractors. The second chiropractor actually educated my parents by showing them the report of findings on X-rays, explaining her spine, her degeneration and that her problems started when she was a child.

As a result of education from the chiropractor’s office, my parents decided that since many of these things that happen as a adult really occur in children, they should their bring their children in for chiropractic care. I started getting adjusted at about five, not because I was sick but because it was for prevention, just like early dentistry work.

Then, when I was just about to turn 7, my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told them I wanted full-spine X-rays, so I could take them to school and give lectures why everybody needed to be under chiropractic care. My mom and dad were so amazed by my request that they told our chiropractor; he was so flabbergasted that he gave me full-spine X-rays at no charge. He rolled them up and put them underneath my little arms, and I went to school. For two days on breaks, I had the X-rays taped up and I gave lectures on the need and necessity of chiropractic care. I was predetermined to be a chiropractor.

At that age, I knew I was going to grow up to be a chiropractor, I knew I was going lecture and I always knew I was going to write a book. We moved to LA and my dad went back for a second career at 39 to chiropractic college. I knew if dad could do it, I could do that, too. My brother (Daniel) and sister (Susi) are chiropractors, as well. We all decided to be chiropractors and help other people like our mom was helped.

Was it difficult making the transition from student to chiropractor?

Anrig: Well, it is different. I started in (father’s) practice, but I wasn’t given any special treatment. Matter of fact, I think I had to work twice as hard as my father’s associate doctor. I am sure they were watching to make sure I wasn’t going to get any preferential treatment. Nothing was handed to me. I was raised with a strong work ethic.

How do you view chiropractic?

Anrig: It is so limitless to serve a patient and to serve our community. Many have no idea of the ripple effect when you improve somebody’s function. The different layers of a person’s life that is affected. You can clearly help healthy families function better. Whether it is physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually, everything at a higher function. I feel it is an honor to participate in helping others.

Is chiropractic a good career choice for women?

Anrig: Absolutely. I think that the one thing that women chiropractors struggle with is when they finish up their education, then they get to practice and they slow down to have children. They struggle with the idea about that choice of being in full-time practice or "How do I modify my life?"

Watching my friends for about 20 years now, the one thing I would like to share is that it is okay to stop practice for awhile. It’s okay to put chiropractic second or third in your life, while you enjoy the fun of going through pregnancy and raising your children. I see a lot of my colleagues who struggle with it, and I am thinking, "Don’t struggle with it; it’s okay."

Describe your typical day.

Anrig: I maintain a high-volume practice and my involvement in our profession, the board of directors positions I hold. I have to juggle. Then I still field questions with colleagues on the phone and try to troubleshoot there. It is a hectic pace; I never slow down.

What projects have you been involved in?

Anrig: I took many seminars in my college days and during the first few years of practice. They were a big influence because of what they were able to show me about how to communicate the subluxation, for me, a wellness family-oriented practitioner, from almost day one of my practice. As a result, my first venture in teaching was with Dr. Judy Forrester from Calgary, Alberta. We realized that nobody was teaching family wellness care, and nobody was teaching how to make a chiropractor’s office a family practice. Dr. Forrester and I studied for over a year, and we went to Czechoslovakia and studied with a researcher.

In 1989, we came out with the Peter Pan Potential. It was the very first time in our profession where we comprehensively taught family wellness care. We taught that for close to 10 years to thousands and thousands of doctors and their staff. It was just unbelievable. I do still continue to teach it on a periodical basis. We also designed a lot of educational pieces for our doctors – pamphlets, brochures, posters, video tapes and slide presentations. We really created educational material that was very high-end.

Any other projects?

I have always felt the need to write a textbook. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a textbook to work from, with the scientific references and academic approach to it, it is really frustrating not to have that information available. Dr. Greg Plaugher and I co-edited the Pediatric Chiropractic textbook. I worked on that for about five years. I called in favors from my friends. I had people write chapters in areas where they had expertise. I think what makes this book really strong is that you actually have people who are practicing chiropractors. It is strong book that I have been able to contribute to the profession.

What about your volunteer involvement?

Over the years, I have been involved with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. I got on Dr. Larry Webster’s (ICPA founder) board of directors at a very early age; I was one of the original board members. Dr. Webster was a dear friend for years, and it was his desire that I might take over the ICPA when he retired and continue to work for it. But unfortunately, he passed away about three years ago, so the board put me on as their first president for the organization, and I have poured a lot of my time into the ICPA.

One of the areas I have been working with is the 120-hour certification program taught worldwide that teaches doctors how to take care of a child patients. The last couple of years, I’ve actually been working on the Diplomate program for the ICPA. The first college to offer the program will be Life University.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?

Anrig: Adjusting babies.

What do you like about being a chiropractor?

Anrig: I like everything. I love being alive and it is nice being able to show up every day and put on this performance and enjoy it. I am very, very blessed to wake up every day and thank God for giving me something that I love so much. It’s a good life.

Why is it important to give back to the profession?

Anrig: I think it is the biggest mistake that a lot of doctors do (not giving back). Some people give more because their lives allow for it. Whatever their gift is, I would encourage them to do it. I guess I find there is joy that comes back.

You are always going to have to give back to the profession because your profession has given you so much. It’s your responsibility to give back, otherwise how will the next generation be able to enjoy the benefits? The generation before us went to jail for us, so I am not giving that much compared to what they gave. I don’t know what that is like. I have not suffered for our profession.