LEA MANTO-BELTRAN, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
DR. CARL SOTTO NG is considered the pioneer of chiropractic medicine in the Philippines. He went into the specialty, backed with a double degree in Genetics and Biology, because he believes that Filipinos deserve expert treatment of their muscolesketal system without the use of invasive treatment.
This patient is being treated on her thoracic spine using chiropractic adjustment PHotos By Mike Perez
As defined by SpineHealth.Com, “Chiropractic is a health care profession dedicated to the non-surgical treatment of disorders of the nervous system and/or musculoskeletal system. Generally, chiropractors maintain a unique focus on spinal manipulation and treatment of surrounding structures.”
“To put it simply, we are spine experts,” Ng explained to The Sunday Times Magazine. “We focus on the spine and we try to fix conditions related to it and other areas of the body.
“We treat musculoskeletal conditions—anything related to joints, bones, and muscles—without the use of invasive methodology like surgery.
“Of course, there’s always a place for everything, and by that we mean surgery, but we try to solve problems first in the least non-invasive possible way. We treat potential patients after a thorough assessment, proper history and, evaluation with orthopedic laboratory results.”
Ng invited The Sunday Times Magazine to take a closer look at this form of alternative medicine to NVigor Healthcare Center in Pasig City, his private practice.
Ng finished his double degree in Genetics and Biology, as well as his clinical training from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, the only evidence-based chiropractic teaching college in that part of North America. He later graduated as Doctor of Chiropractic from University of Toronto. To date, Ng is the only certified Advanced Activator Method Chiropractic Technique practitioner in the Philippines.
Headway
Only four months since opening NVigor Healthcare Center in August, the young doctor happily shared that Filipinos are beginning to get to know the benefits of chiropractic treatment.
The patient stands on a Thompson Table before automatically being lowered down in order to check for leg length inequalities that may be due to musculoskeletal conditions. This table employs drop pieces to help treat these conditions with less force needed
“Oftentimes, people have misconceptions of what a chiropractor is, and it seems they only learn about it through word of mouth,” Ng related. “[As such], all they know depends on what they heard from those who had undergone chiropractic treatment, or knew someone who had the treatment.”
Zooming in on the details of his practice, the doctor described NVigor Healthcare Center as a clinic that specializes in professional, cutting edge, and evidence-based treatment for musculoskeletal problems and conditions. The main function of the clinic is to offer practical treatment options that work through multidisciplinary healthcare cooperation in order to provide the best possible care for the patient. It offers conservative treatment for muscle and joint pain, upper back pain, lower back pain, neck pain, hip pain, arm and hand pain, leg and foot pain, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, headaches, spinal alignment, and other musculoskeletal conditions.
“We have state-of-the-art equipment and world-class services that are not yet available in any hospitals or clinics in the country that offer chiropractic treatment. We further aim to continuously upgrade our facilities and services in the near future.”
Ng said he decided to pursue the alternative medicine via rigid studies in Canada because he wants to make a difference in the quality of healthcare in the Philippines.
“I grew up in the Philippines and I’m a Filipino. My parents are both Filipinos. When I was studying here, my professors often talked about brain drain in the Philippines and how everyone wants to work abroad. I then made the commitment to serve in the place that I love and to help people I love,” Ng recalled.
An advocate of non-invasive treatments, Ng is determined to convince Filipinos to embrace this less riskier means to treat spinal and other related conditions, in order to fully share what he learned abroad on the home front.
“Currently, there are no schools that offer a chiropractic degree in the country,” Ng noted. “Moreover, there are only 27 accredited chiropractors in the Philippines under the Department of Health – Philippine Institute of Traditional and Health Care. So it’s really a challenge for us who are US licensed chiropractors to practice in our own country but I do believe in due time, our profession will be recognized because of the benefits of the treatment we offer.”
NVigor Healthcare Center is located at No. 155 Dr. Sixto Antonio Avenue, Barangay Rosario, Pasig City. For more information, visit nvigor.com.