The Headache Doctor

  I had never been to a chiropractor before... I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a very calm and inviting atmosphere. I truly enjoy the attention they give and the explanations on why they are doing what they do...

  This is my public-facing response to Dr. Strauss's 1/30/2021 reply to my 1/24/2021 review update.

It is dishonest for her to say she "continuously" offered suggestions of alternate treatment, though it's true she did offer some ideas at several appointments (out of the hundreds of times I saw her). It's also dishonest for her to say I "never" took her advice. Here is what she recommended to me and how I responded:

1) On several occasions, she recommended I see a woman who specializes in muscle tissues who is based in Oregon, but occasionally came to Palo Alto. To be fair to Paula, this specialist may, or may not, have been a significant help for my condition; the recommendation was effectively moot though because I could not get off work in South San Jose early enough to make it to Palo Alto for these limited appointments, as I told Paula several times.
2) She recommended "Alexander" stretching and breathing exercises, which I did do on a consistent basis for awhile; while these exercises weren't harmful, they didn't really add anything to my recovery over other stretches and exercises that were already in my repertoire.
3) She recommended her in-house massage therapists, and all credit to Audrey, who is one of the best therapeutic massage therapists I've ever worked with. But this was an expensive approach that never seemed to really "fix" anything and I could not afford it with enough regularity to deliver meaningful changes.
4) She sold me a flexible back brace that I sometimes used to bind my chest and left shoulder together so I could do things sometimes. It was just a band-aid on the underlying twisting problems she imparted in my body.

What's interesting is that the most effective things I have found for my recovery were NOT recommended by Paula. Here are things that have really helped me, that Paula did not recommend and I either found on my own or were recommended by other people in my life:

1 & 2) For a short period, Paula had an assistant with terrible bedside manners but excellent ideas: she introduced me to the concept of paradoxical breathing, and how to work on correcting it; and she introduced me to the idea of gentle scraping of scar tissue to induce oxygenation. These two concepts have been some of the most helpful in my recovery, and they came from someone Paula fired after a short period of time.
3) Stop seeing Dr. Strauss, she is making you worse...great advice in the last few months of my treatment that really helped me more than anything (once I finally took it.)
4) Conventional physical therapy - 16 weeks of this was one of my primary springboards to recovery
5) Flexible wrist and ankle braces - less than $10 apiece at your local sporting goods store
6) Epsom salts in the bath as a muscle relaxer. Readily available and very helpful.

In short: the advice she offered was rarely helpful, and the advice that was helpful she rarely offered.

More importantly beyond what she did and did not recommend, is the question of professional ethics and liability. Paula and I are both intelligent, well-educated people who hold licenses that are regulated by the California Department of Consumer Affairs; she is a chiropractor and I am an engineer.

If a client came to me as an engineer and said "I want to build this building", and that building was not safe for earthquakes and collapsed, I would be liable; I could not say "but my client wanted me to build it that way!", I would be liable for property damage, negligence, and potential loss of life; that liability could extend to having my license revoked, civil fines, and even criminal liability. The reason professionals can charge $200, $300, $400+ per hour for their time is because the buck is SUPPOSED to stop with them.

I would have seen fit to give Paula 5 stars on Yelp for most of the time I saw her, but hindsight has been much more illuminating than what I could see at the time. Paula sees fit to blame me as the client/patient when she is the professional chiropractor with decades of day-in, day-out experience, and I am just someone who is dealing with back issues for the first time in my life. How can anyone seeking health care be expected to protect themselves from professionals with more knowledge than them? Just like I would never expect a first-time homeowner to design the structure of their own home and succeed at the first try, Dr. Strauss should not expect a first-time chiropractic patient to design their own recovery. That is her role as the licensed, experienced professional. So I am very disappointed at her deflection; it represents an attitude that she has right to all the profits of being a professional but none of the liability. Think about that long and hard before you see her again.

  Dr. Paula Strauss is terrific.  I have occasional neck pain due to my needlework hobby which she can fix with one adjustment.

  Dr. Strauss is amazing! I have tried 5 chiropractors over the years in my recovery from various accidents, and Dr Strauss is by far my favorite. I wish I had found her sooner! She uses technology to help track progress and fine-tune treatment. She is very pleasant and knowledgeable. My migraine, neck and back pain have reduced significantly in just the 3 months that I have been coming to her, and I am super grateful for her expertise. My back and neck issues are complicated due to the number of injuries I've had in my past, and she had helped me in just a short amount of time on areas that no other chiropractor has been able to correct. It has been wonderful working with her. She's receptive to feedback, thoughtful, caring, talented and professional.

  Dr.Strauss is wonderful! I have an ankle displacement and hip that was damaged over time, hurt when I walked and now I'm able to walk and enjoy the gym again!There times are super flexible, holly the receptionist is very nice contacts you for reminders, great place to go to !

  If I could give this place 10 stars I would. She is so knowledgeable and treats you with her highest quality of care. I came in complaining of back pain after going to a different chiropractor for almost 9 months with no significant results, with just 2 back adjustments my back has never felt better. I'm a college student so I spend most of my days sitting, hence my back pain. I bought her trial deal on Groupon and ended up continuing my treatment after the coupon expired. That should tell you how much I loved her treatment. If you are in back pain or need a spine realignment, JUST SCHEDULE THE APPOINTMENT, YOU WON'T REGRET IT