Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillary Smith D.C., CCT.
Hillary, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I became interested in natural healthcare and healthy eating in my early 20’s. At that time, it wasn’t as popular as it is now. After a decade working in the music business, I decided that natural medicine was my true calling. Never having been a science person, I went back to college to study biology and chemistry. In 1981, when I was accepted into Chiropractic College there were few options for practicing natural medicine as a licensed professional. I was fortunate that one of the premiere colleges was here in Southern California and I was one of ten women in a class of one hundred and ten the year I began. I am so grateful for the wonderful education I received. Chiropractic College is like medical school with the basic courses, but we focus on nutrition and manipulation rather than drugs and surgery. I began my practice in 1985 and created one of the first healing centers in the Valley. We offered chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, homeopathy and nutritional counseling. Along the way, I was trained in Cranial Sacral Therapy, Zero Balancing earned a Doctorate in Homeopathy and was certified in the first Health Coach program.
Around the time, I graduated Chiropractic College, my mother was diagnosed with dementia and breast cancer. It was a traumatic experience and that stayed with me. The fear that is instilled in daughters of women with breast cancer was not in alignment with the way I felt about being proactive in health. I did not want to rely on a test that couldn’t tell me anything about my health and that could only diagnose disease. In chiropractic philosophy, I learned, “It’s easier to stay well than to get well”. This idea translates to every field of healthcare. Looking for a solution to my own health concerns, I discovered Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging or Thermography. I knew that if I wanted a tool to help me monitor my breast health, I was not alone.
In 2006, I incorporated the technology into my practice. I was fortunate to be trained by a world leader in thermography and have him as my mentor. He was performing a study using thermography at Duke University and I had my training on this beautiful campus. Since that time, I have achieved the highest level of training as a Certified Clinical Thermographer. As the years went by, working with Thermography and empowering women to take charge of their health inspired me to devote my practice to wellness with the thermal camera as my tool. In 2013 I retired from the hands on practice of chiropractic, with gratitude for the almost 30 years I enjoyed, to concentrate on my new passion in natural medicine.
Read the full article at VoyageLA