“Medicine is as much about health care as sand is about sugar. Medicine is about sick care. Chiropractic care is about allowing your body to be 100 percent…and each body has a different 100 percent.” – Dr. Carey Pabouet-Sigafoose
Each ShoreBread interview takes us to a different location, affording us the unique opportunity to meet new local business owners and learn not only about the nuts and bolts of their operation, but also what it is that inspires them, what drives their entrepreneurial passions, and oftentimes, a little bit of insight into their personal stories. This week took us to a small office inside of Gold’s Gym in uptown Ocean City, where we were met by two passionate business owners and an absolutely adorable dog name Rupert who we may or may not have attempted to steal for a few hours of playtime on the beach. Patrick Pabouet-Sigafoose and Dr. Carey Pabouet-Sigafoose opened Chiro100 at the beginning of the year after moving to Ocean City and making it their permanent residence. The duo aims to bring affordable and accessible chiropractic care to area locals and visitors by eliminating insurance and opting for membership packages. Between the calm and welcoming aesthetics of the office, the enthusiasm maintained by Patrick and Dr. Carey, and (of course) the friendly pup, we were eager to learn more…
To say that Dr. Carey comes from a chiropractic family would be a bit of an understatement. His Father, Dr. James Sigafoose is one of the founders of Life University in Atlanta, the largest Chiropractic University in the world. What’s more, Dr Carey and all five of his siblings (and two of their spouses) are chiropractors. But that doesn’t mean Dr. Carey grew up with grand plans of following in his father’s footsteps. “I fought that, I actually tried to be anything but that,” quipped Dr. Carey. “It’s sort of like a goldsmith’s son trying to go out and be a carrot farmer though.” After trying his hand at several other professions, Dr. Carey found that his passion really did lie with the family business. After graduating, practicing for several years, and opening his own businesses in Aberdeen and Canton, he found that while he loved the field he was working in, he abhorred the business side of it. It was at that point that Dr. Carey decided to walk away from his practice entirely, opting instead to move to Cape Cod and operate a Bed & Breakfast! After meeting Patrick and moving to Panama, Dr. Carey was able to fall in love with chiropractic care once again. It was during this time that Patrick, who manages the practice, fell in love with the field too. “I was able to see people change, which is why I always call it a noble profession now,” said Patrick. “You see people change overnight. We have patients where it’s like a switch being turned on inside of them.”
After moving back to Maryland to be closer to family, Patrick and Dr. Carey decided two things: first, that they would open a practice in Maryland, and second, that they needed to be near the ocean. Ocean City seemed like the perfect fit. “People come here to have fun, but a lot of people also come here to be healthy,” pointed out Patrick, adding that they saw a void that needed to be filled in Ocean City for the type of care they planned to offer. Chiro100 maintains a strong focus on holistic care – taking preventative measures to keep your whole body healthy and in balance rather than waiting until pain or injury hits to react. “You might not be feeling any pain right now, but structurally your body will wear out at some point,” said Dr. Carey. Patrick drew a comparison to dental care, saying “you don’t wait until you have a cavity to brush you teeth.” As such, regular visits to a chiropractor can prevent the pains and injuries that people typically wait to occur before seeking help; which is why Chiro100 offers a unique membership program free of insurance, high costs, and schedules.
Chiro100 is a membership based Chiropractic Center, offering affordable services by eliminating the costs associated with insurance companies. Chiro100 does not accept insurance, instead they offer unlimited care memberships where members can come in as little or as often as they like with no appointments, no billing, and no hassle. The focus isn’t on repairing personal injuries (in fact, if you’ve had an accident recently, Dr. Carey will refer you to a Chiropractor who specializes in accident injuries); rather, the focus is on finding and correcting subluxations (a spinal bone out of alignment) to achieve the highest quality of health, or your body’s own 100 percent. “The body is intelligent and given the chance to heal, it will. At Chiro100, we look at your body as a whole unit,” explained Dr. Carey. Each patient receives an initial consultation/session that lasts roughly an hour and a half. Dr. Carey then develops an individual care plan for the patient based on their kinesiology, spinal exam, medical history and full posture exam. Patients can then come as little or as often as they like to receive alignments (which take only a few minutes). Dr. Carey is a big proponent of not pressuring clients to make appointments, although he advises at least one alignment a week once a patient is at the point where they are maintaining their wellness care.
So what exactly is chiropractic treatment? “Simply put, it’s the science, philosophy and art that utilizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery,” said Dr. Carey. At Chiro100, the focus in on reversing the trend of using surgery-followed-by-medication to heal and instead use chiropractic treatment to allow our bodies to work the way they are supposed to – at their 100 percent. “Health is not the absence of disease or sickness,” said Dr. Carey. “Health is not the act of being healthy, it’s the ability of your body to do what it needs to do.” Which is precisely what Dr. Carey hopes to achieve for his patients.
Interested in learning more? Chiro100 is located in the Gold Coast Mall in Gold’s Gym (you do not need to be a member of the gym). Dr. Carey and Patrick also presented a class on migraines this month at Urban Nectar in Berlin, with plans to teach another class in April focusing on posture. Dr. Carey also has a podcast, Sig-Talks, along with a consultation website, sigafoose.com. Finally, you can stop in Chiro100 to meet Dr. Carey and Patrick to learn more…and for a little playtime with Rupert!
