D.C. Alumna, Faculty Clinician 

“Holistic Pillars”

Bayamón, Puerto Rico is a rural but attractive suburb known for museums, family-friendly attractions and various sports facilities. Dr. Astrid Cabrera grew up in Bayamón as the youngest of three kids, surrounded by the natural wonders of picturesque mountains and the livestock of neighbors. She completed all schooling in Puerto Rico up through her undergraduate Biology degree from the University of Puerto Rico, and then she began to look farther afield for her next steps.

Unconsciously, Dr. Cabrera had absorbed a little seedling of an idea of what it means to live out and promote a holistic lifestyle. Whenever there was a health need in the household, her parents and grandparents made prioritized home remedies and plant-based healing before turning to formalized medications or treatments in more severe cases.

“As a kid, you have 1,000 dreams in terms of where you want to go. One of them, I always wanted to help people. And my mom kind of like planted the seed of Chiropractic because I was very good massaging her and finding the right spot where it hurts and to make it feel better,” Dr. Cabrera said.

Like many young upstarts interested in working in the healthcare field, Dr. Cabrera thought she wanted to be a medical doctor. That dream eventually morphed into more academic pursuits of a Ph.D., as she developed a genuine love and respect for research. However, it wasn’t the path she wanted, as it did not appear to support a well-balanced social, familial and work life. Chiropractic was the small but persistent voice in the background waiting for her to notice.

Then, the President of Life University (Life U) at that time, Dr. Guy Riekeman, came to speak at her university in Puerto Rico toward the end of her undergraduate tenure. She was impressed because “just seeing the president of a school care that much to recruit students spoke by itself, because usually you never meet the president of any school that you go to.” That is one compelling difference she first noted about Life U, how administration makes a point to be interactive with students at the ground level in order to foster open communication and connections.

Dr. Cabrera came for a Life Leadership Weekend after having already applied to the Doctor of Chiropractic program. She received the happy news of her acceptance, and “the rest is history.”

And now at the other side of it, as a practicing chiropractor and additionally as a Life U Faculty Clinician, Dr. Cabrera gets to pour into students from all kinds of backgrounds. It is exciting when a good number of these students do come from Puerto Rico as well, so she has that initial point of reference with them.

Yet, it is important to remember that students bring many different experiences and preconceived notions to the table, so she starts by digging deeper into their reasons for joining the program, their expectations and their background. Often, it is helping students develop a realistic outlook on what their learning, their abilities and their ultimate care strategies will look like . Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are excellent chiropractors. With that said, Dr. Cabrera does encourage her students to dream big, to consider a far-flung internship or new opportunity with excitement instead of fear.

“I make them dream big – get out of their comfort zones,” Dr. Cabrera said.

A few best practices from the desk of Dr. Cabrera:

·      One misconception I have to correct in students is the search for a “crack” sound in an adjustment. A cracking sound during an adjustment is not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing; it is just a sound that may occur as joints move. Yet, the sound is not the adjustment; it is the movement of a subluxation back into proper alignment. So, don’t worry about hearing a sound or not.

·      It’s important to learn what you most want to focus on in Chiropractic. It is equally important to be able to identify when there are cases that require different specialties and to develop relationships, so you know where to confidently refer patients for the best care possible.

·      Remember when speaking to patients, they don’t often have the depth of chiropractic knowledge that you do. You must find a way to explain why the chiropractic care they are receiving is beneficial in language that is understandable to the average person.

Today, Dr. Cabrera chases the ever-present need for balance, with two lovely daughters and her husband in tow. Creating a lifestyle of holistic health starts at home, from promoting a diet of whole foods and limiting processed items, to getting out and being physically active – in addition to the professional work and housework that never seem to end. No one ever said it was easy, but the best things never are.