I am originally from South Africa. I immigrated to the States with my family when I was 16. I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and a Doctorate of Chiropractic. I am the owner of Seahurst Chiropractic Clinic and the Executive Director of Burien Center for Health and Wellbeing.
For the majority of my young life I was a gymnast. Like most athletes I had my share of injuries, shin splints being the most severe. I was in so much pain that there were times I had to withdraw from one event or another and sometimes from an entire competition. Due to my body overcompensating for the leg pain, my low back started to hurt. But I ignored it. I was an athlete after all and could deal with the pain. But the pain started limiting my flexibility and after a while I could barely bend. I had developed a stress fracture in the small of my back. I went from one physician to another, from one specialist to another, and was put on one medication after another until I was finally told to quit the sport. Frustrated and unwilling to give the sport up, my parents finally took me to a chiropractor. Under his care I was able to continue competing, pain free, no drugs, no surgery. I competed internationally for 8 years and earned a full scholarship to undergraduate college in the United States. Chiropractic changed my life and enabled me to fulfill my dreams. I became a chiropractor so I could do the same for other people.
After graduating from Chiropractic school, I knew the beautiful State of Washington was where I would make my home. My parents and siblings had moved to Seattle and it was important for me to be close to my family. Subsequent to working with well known chiropractors, my brother and I bought Seahurst Chiropractic in Burien and persuaded our parents to work in the practice with us. My brother currently operates our other chiropractic clinic in Marysville. As my family would say, “finally” I got married. And have two amazing, healthy children.
My practice has evolved over the past 21 years. My own history of pain and suffering as a result of incorrect posture contributed to the initial focus of my practice being to help people of all ages correct the structural integrity of their spines. I had extensive training in the biomechanics of the spine using Pettibon technique. I knew from my experience, that ignoring ones posture was like ignoring brushing your teeth. It leads to more complex, more painful, more detrimental and more costly effects later. Acute and chronic musculoskeletal disorders, whiplash injuries, sports injuries and work related injuries all lent themselves to poor positioning of the spine and ultimately degeneration and deterioration of the body. I equipped my practice with the most updated, state of the art therapies including whole food nutrition, decompression and cold laser. My goal was to help people regain their health, decrease their pain, improve their function and their postures, and lessen their need for invasive interventions.
It was after my first encounter with a child that was disabled from a birth trauma that ignited my passion to further my studies on chiropractic and pregnancy and chiropractic pediatric care. I studied the effects of pregnancy and birth on the mother and infant, the advantages of natural births, the cascade of neurologic (ADD, ADHD, etc) and physiologic events that can result from poor spinal alignment, the effects of vaccinations, the devastating affairs of nutrition, or lack of, in our country and the unfortunate overuse of prescribed medication. I fell pregnant for the first time at 42 and again at 45. Because of my age I was immediately considered “high risk” but my midwives thought otherwise and so did I. I had two healthy pregnancies and two natural births, both in a beautiful birthing center, drug free. I am raising my unvaccinated children on an organic as possible diet. They were adjusted the moment they were born, get adjusted regularly now and are rarely, if ever, sick. They have never eaten at a fast food restaurant nor have they ever taken any medication. As a mother, it became my mission to teach families about their options, about healthy pregnancies, natural births and a drug free approach to alleviating sickness with spinal health, proper nutrition and exercise. The focus of my practice became about the children, about teaching how our future generations did not have to look forward to a life full of disease, or a life shorter than their parents would be.
Alleviating sickness is a daunting task. Living a healthy lifestyle is an enormous and difficult commitment. We live in a fast paced, “easy access” society and exposure to toxins in our environment is unavoidable. The rapid rise in mental health issues among children and adolescents, including ADD, ADHD, autism, compulsive disorders, suicide, etc is distressing and disturbing. There is a need today more than ever for a balance between a healthy mind and a healthy body. As much as I advocate a drug free life through spinal healthcare and proper nutrition, I know that it alone is not always possible. Having healthy communities, healthy children and healthy families requires a collaborative team of providers. With my mission growing ever stronger I added that team, a medical doctor, nurse practitioners, mental health therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and an exercise specialist. A team that will take care of you, your body, your mind, and your soul.
Dr. Yael has been taking care of of the community in Burien for more than 20 years, and has helped countless patients achieve their goals of improved health and live a life with less pain. Contact us for an appointment and see if she can help you or a family member.