By Amber Mabe

Like the life-giving roots of a tree, or a carefully coated fiber optic cable, our spines are designed to be the body’s center of information and healing. A tree with an unhealthy root system will not thrive. A damaged fiber optic cable will interrupt the flow of information to an entire network of systems. Likewise, a poorly maintained spine will have repercussions within the body and will often prevent a person from reaching their full potential for health and vitality. For Dr. Kim Snider, Dr. Joe Fonke, and the rest of the team at Village Family Chiropractic, promoting healthy spines from an early age is of utmost importance. 

Though their mission is the same, Dr. Kim and Dr. Joe walked very different paths to reach their ultimate destination of providing chiropractic care to families in the Triad. Raised in a military family, Dr. Kim experienced only traditional sick-care medicine practices throughout her childhood and early adult years. “I was very medicated, very vaccinated, and exposed to surgical and other medicinal interventions,” says Dr. Kim. “I was kind of a sick kid. Based on my experiences, the doctor’s office was not a place that I wanted to hang out.” 

Originally following a career path in criminal psychology and working with families in the judicial system, Dr. Kim’s trajectory dramatically changed when she accepted a job in a chiropractic practice. It was there that she first learned about the healing power of the spine. Vertebral Subluxation Complex (misalignment in the spine through chemical, physical, or emotional stress) creates interference between the brain and body, keeping the body from expressing full health, healing, and function. Chiropractic care helps to restore the body’s ability to heal itself by finding and treating subluxation in patients, many of whom were previously unaware of the impact of the spine on their overall health. Amazed by this new perspective on healing, Dr. Kim felt an immediate pull to enroll in chiropractic school. She attended Life University, where she received her Doctorate of Chiropractic after eight years of in-depth study, and ultimately met her husband, Dr. Joe Fonke. 

Dr. Joe’s involvement with chiropractic care began much earlier in life. After a traumatic birth experience, Dr. Joe struggled to meet early milestones and, by the age of four, had not yet spoken. Other behavioral challenges, including erratic behavior and violent outbursts, left Dr. Joe’s parents feeling defeated and hopeless after fruitless consultations with medical doctors and specialists. Dr. Joe was labeled as “special needs” and expected to live a life fraught with difficulty. When his uncle, newly licensed chiropractor Dr. Jerome Fonke, suggested trying chiropractic, 4-year-old Joe began seeing results. Within six months, he was speaking normally, and, within just a few short years, moved from special needs classes into the regular classroom. “The amazing transformation that occurred within me inspired my parents to completely change careers and become chiropractors themselves,” says Dr. Joe. “God made it clear to me that my life’s calling was to be a chiropractor when I was 23. Since embracing His calling, life has led me to meeting my wife, Dr. Kimberly Snider, to having five amazing children (including two sets of twins), and to serve thousands of patients over my career in chiropractic.”

Together, over the past ten years, Dr. Kim and Dr. Joe have built a successful practice with a mission to help families build healthy foundations through chiropractic care and education. Village Family Chiropractic specializes in adjusting infants, expecting mothers, and young children. Their central location and inviting atmosphere make chiropractic care accessible for families across the Triad. One way Village Family Chiropractic helps young families is by combating harmful, popular schools of thought surrounding childbirth and breastfeeding. “Pregnancy should be the most powerful time of a woman’s life,” says Dr. Kim. “You are literally creating life. What is more powerful than that? But fear can pressure women into making decisions that they really do not want to make. Village is about giving people resources, connecting them to people who will help, and giving them the hope that their body was designed for healing.” 

Starting adjustments early in life can change the trajectory of a baby’s life by helping them to feed correctly, sleep well, and grow without interference within the nervous system. Adjustments before, after, and during pregnancy have given many mothers confidence to have more children even after feeling powerless or traumatized because of previous birth experiences. Prenatal care can also improve positioning of the baby, reduce aches and pain, reduce morning sickness, and reduce pubic symphysis dysfunction and tailbone pain. Families who receive chiropractic care are often less prone to illnesses and infections, are less affected by allergies, have more energy, and heal faster from injury or disease than their peers. Chiropractic care can especially benefit children with ADHD, autism, and sensory processing challenges. 

Dr. Kim believes that empowering people to trust the body’s innate ability to heal frees them from the fear and dependence on drugs that accompany typical reactionary sick-care. “We live our life through our nervous system. Chiropractic adjustments help the nervous system be as effective as possible,” she says. “I am not a broken car needing to be fixed, nor is anybody else. We have that innate potential within us to heal. It does not need any help; it just needs no interference.” The Village Community House at Village Family Chiropractic further builds a supportive network for families by offering massage therapy, doulas and childbirth educators, prenatal yoga, access to a naturopathic doctor, and lactation consultants.

The impact that Village Family Chiropractic has on families in the Triad extends far beyond their office doors, however. The team supports local families through donations to food banks and charities, involvement in educational outreaches, and through participation in events such as Parents’ Night Out and the local Parent Appreciation Picnic. Their upcoming Village Holiday Market is what Dr. Kim likes to call their “love letter to the community.” Held at the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, the Village Holiday Market is a free event, including complimentary, professional pictures with Santa, free hot chocolate and cookies, and an exciting lineup of local holiday vendors. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, December 2nd, from 9:00am to 1:00pm.

Whether you are already searching for answers to chronic pain or illness, or desire to be proactive in maintaining your body’s healing system, Village Family Chiropractic would love to help, upholding their mission of empowering, inspiring, and connecting families through quality chiropractic care. Learn more by following them on social media (instagram: @villagefamilychiropractic or facebook: facebook.com/thefamilychiropractor), or visit their website at www.VillageFamilyChiropractic.com.