Wellness in Your Own Backyard: A Gentle Touch

Q&A with Vanessa Wulff, D.C.

Q: What’s your background and area of specialty?

A: I was born and raised in Livermore, completed the eight-year Doctor of Chiropractic program and a year residency in the NUCCA technique. I live here in the East Bay with my husband and one year old son, and I practice in Dublin.

Q: Why NUCCA?

A: After hurting my back at work years ago, I saw a chiropractor and she helped with my back pain. I told her about the migraine headaches I'd been plagued with since I was 5 years old. I was in the midst of a migraine onset when the chiropractor examined the top part of my neck, adjusted it, and I instantly could feel the migraine start to go away. I knew in that moment that I had found my calling: I wanted to give this gift of health to others. In school I learned about how unique the upper cervical spine is and how NUCCA in particular can gently and effectively restore balance to the body. After experiencing NUCCA first hand I have become healthier than I ever thought I could be. I used to have migraines a few times a month, now I've had only three in the last 10 years. No more medications or feeling helpless when it comes to my health, I have a completely new and amazing outlook on life! NUCCA focusses on gentle, precise adjustments of the top two bones of the spine which protect the brain stem, resulting in balance through the entire body. There’s no twisting or popping and our goal is to, with as few treatments as possible, restore the body’s natural healing ability.

Q: Who can you help?

A: I’ve helped people from newborns to folks in their nineties. Patients see improvement in a variety of ailments including neck and low back pain, headaches, digestive problems, MS symptoms and various other chronic conditions. If you have noticed an unbalanced posture or a strength disparity on one side, it could well be caused by a misalignment of the upper spine.

Q: Can you tell us about a particular patient you’ve helped?

A: Demi was six weeks old when she first came into the office. She'd been put into ICU and hospitalized shortly after birth for breathing problems attributed to an infection and reflux. She could not nurse, had trouble eating even from a bottle, and couldn't keep much food down, making it hard for her to put on weight. She could only turn her head to one side and couldn't sleep on her back or with her neck unsupported. As a result she slept very little. Her mother had heard how gentle NUCCA chiropractic is and decided to see if Demi could be helped. After a thorough examination I determined that Demi was in fact out of alignment and I gently adjusted the first vertebra in her neck. She instantly calmed down and fell asleep on the way home. She began to eat more and keep it down, and even was able to start nursing. Her medication was reduced and she could eat, sleep and thrive. Now she is a healthy and energetic 2 year old with no sign of the problems she had so early in life.

Here’s a video of Dr. Wulff discussing her work. She can be reached at Dublin Family Chiropractic and by phone at (925) 999-0017.

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is owner and head trainer at Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They offer personal training and small group fitness solutions and an innovative, medically endorsed web-based group healthy eating coaching program.