By ELLEN KOLMAN - Staff Writer - ekolman@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA — Kist Family Chiropractic opened 10 years ago with the goal of helping people to feel better and improve their health.
“We treat our patients as if they were family,” said Dr. James Kist, who co-owns the chiropractic practice with his wife, Dr. Tara Oakey-Kist.
Kist and Oakey-Kist met at Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis and have been married for 12 years.
Kist, who is an Ashtabula native, was first introduced to chiropractic in high school, when he experienced a sports injury.
“I found chiropractic to be very interesting, pursued it and found I really enjoyed it,” he said.
Oakey-Kist, who is originally from the Pittsburgh area, knew she wanted to be a chiropractor since she was 3 years old.
“My mom was hurt, and on Christmas she couldn’t play with us. Then she went to see a chiropractor. And when she got home, she could play with us again, and I thought that was pretty neat. And I never changed my mind,” she said.
Kist Family Chiropractic will treat everyone in the family, treating muscle-skeletal injuries, disc hernias, knee and shoulder-blade difficulties, and much more.
“People think we do only backs, but we also do an advanced form of acupuncture without needles, called auriculotherapy,” Kist said. “It helps with pain and weight-loss issues.”
Another treatment available is infrared therapy for arthritis sufferers, which has very good results, he said.
“A lot of times people tell me I’m am their last hope, and we do make them better,” he said. “I know chiropractic works because I have seen it over and over again.”
“James is caring and dedicated. He is always willing to stay late to help someone because he cares about people and wants to make them better,” Oakey-Kist said.
Kist and Oakey-Kist not only practice and live in the area, but also they are concerned about their community and have hosted Kids Day in September for the past 10 years. This year’s event will be noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Ashtabula office, 510 W. 44th St.
“Everything we have is all free for kids,” Kist said. “We have done real well here, and this is a great way to give back to the community.”
Included at Kids Day are scoliosis and dental checks, fingerprinting, free food and fun games.
“We can fix scoliosis if it is caught young enough so the kids can get adjusted. Getting adjusted doesn’t hurt them; it helps them,” he said.
Another childhood ailment that chiropractic adjustments can help is ear infections.
“It is important for parents to become educated about what chiropractic can do for their children’s health,” Kist said.
Kist Family Chiropractic also has a second office in Madison, located at 2711 Hubbard Road, and Kist and Oakey-Kist split their time between the Ashtabula and the Madison offices.
“We have chosen to have just the two of us doctors in order to maintain that personal touch and consistency with our patients; building trust is very important to me,” Kist said.
“We are also the only chiropractic practice in the area with two offices,” he said.
Kist Family Chiropractic employs four people in addition to the doctors, including Sylvia Heusinger, who has been the office manager for the Ashtabula office for more than eight years.
“Chiropractic is the healthy way to go,” Oakey-Kist said. “We see people who have been to everyone, and it is nice that we can make them better.”
Call Kist Family Chiropractic for an appointment in Ashtabula (440-992-1500) or in Madison (440-428-0711).
