Inspired by their own experiences as kids, couple focuses on providing health care rather than ‘sick care,’ finding ‘the why’ in patients’ health problems

VANCOUVER, Wash. Getting sick all the time is almost a rite of passage for kids growing up. It certainly was for Ellie Detwiler, D.C., and Kevin Shearer, D.C.

Born in Michigan, Shearer was regularly sick as a child and, like many, was treated with medications and antibiotics that did nothing to address the root of his illnesses. Detwiler’s story in her native Ohio was a similar one, as she struggled with severe ear infections most of her childhood.

“The good news,” Detwiler said, “is that it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Inspired by their childhoods, Detwiler and Shearer pursued careers in chiropractic as the first step in changing health care as usual. The two met while attending Palmer College of Chiropractic, the school at which chiropractic was, for all intents and purposes, born.

They earned their doctor of chiropractic degrees and, five years into their practice, began studying quantum neurology. Not only would this specialization set them apart from the pack, as Vancouver, Wash. – where they set up shop in June 2007 – has many chiropractors, but it is also an integral piece of the functional medicine puzzle.

Functional medicine seeks to answer the question of “Why?” rather than “What is the right drug for this disease?” Essentially, true health care versus “sick care.” To do this, the body is seen as a whole rather than as a collection of parts.

Focusing on functional nerve issues, quantum neurology is a technique that tests for “short circuits” in the nervous system by adding stress to see what is not responding properly in the body. Quantum Integrated Health is the only facility in Southwest Washington – and one of only a handful in the country – that practices quantum neurology.

Today, Quantum Integrated Health focuses on treating families, providing them with the natural health care services they would have wanted growing up.

Focusing on the “why” of disease instead of just treating symptoms, Quantum Integrated Health’s services include: chiropractic, massage therapy, functional medicine (including quantum neurology), detoxification and weight loss.

“Our ultimate goal is to facilitate our patients’ innate healing capacity and lead them to true wellness,” Shearer said. “Each patient’s program is an individually tailored therapeutic program that’s specific to their health needs. We use a variety of specialty lab tests to identify the core imbalances that are contributing to their health problems. We assess their nutritional status and vitamin levels, digestive health and detoxification capacity, adrenal stress, food sensitivities and more.”

The goal is to find the root cause(s) of patients’ health concerns – the “why.” Luckily for those in Vancouver and Portland, it’s working. Just one example of this is close to home for Shearer and Detwiler. They have two healthy children who have never been exposed to medications or antibiotics. Their vision is for every family to know this kind of health.

For more information on Quantum Integrated Health, visit QuantumIntegratedHealth.com or call 360-944-4437.