For generations, families in and around Cedar Rapids have been calling Spinal Corrective Center P.C. – Chiropractic for Pediatric Development and Adult Health, their home base for healthcare. Dr. Gene Cretsinger and Dr. Janet Cuhel are long time 100 Year Lifestyle chiropractors. Together they have played a vital role in weaving health and vitality into the very fabric of their community – a community that has embraced living their 100 Year Lifestyle so they can enjoy their fifth season!
The Fifth Season
New York City might be the Big Apple, but Cedar Rapids is the City of Five Seasons. Originally based on the Bible verse, “to everything there is a season…,” the current day explanation from the city leaders is:
Life is the sum of the seasons with which it is filled. And if we have time to enjoy the things most important to us, life is rich and full indeed.
In Cedar Rapids there is time enough…time to enjoy the seasons as they pass. Extra time. Precious time. A fifth season.
The core idea is that the fifth season is a time to enjoy life and find beauty in every day. It serves as a constant reminder for citizens to value what’s important in life. Not a bad north star for a community. And with the help of Spinal Corrective Center P.C. the city of Cedar Rapids is enjoying what we all value most – not just time, but healthy time.
Dr. Gene Cretsinger
Growing up on a farm in central Iowa, Dr. Gene and his family didn’t know about chiropractic care. So, when Gene started getting migraines in high school his family took him to their family doctor. The prescribed medication did little to alleviate the migraines, but it did make Gene even more ill, sidelining him from everything he loved – sports, music, and academics.
In desperation, his family was referred by a friend to a chiropractor. Gene got relief after the first visit. After four visits the migraines were completely gone, and Gene didn’t go back. That was his junior year of high school.
It wasn’t until his first year in college that he began to have headaches. On his own, Gene immediately went to a local chiropractor and once again got relief. This time, however, he kept going. Not only did the headaches disappear but he continued to get healthier. Seeing his interest, the chiropractor suggested that Gene, who was studying education at the time, consider becoming a chiropractor himself.
Intrigued, Gene visited Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa that summer. He already had experienced the power of chiropractic care for himself. The colleges’ philosophy and the concept of vitalism or the innate intelligence present in the body was attractive to Gene and aligned with his values. He enrolled.
Upon graduation, Dr. Gene committed himself to not just providing chiropractic adjustment, but helping people lead healthier and longer lives. Today, after 57 years in practice and still going strong, he’s treated tens of thousands of patients, as many as five generations in a single family, and doesn’t see any end in sight.
Dr. Janet Cuhel
Having sick children is at best tough and at worst heartbreaking. And we can all agree that being a young mom (or dad) is hard. But putting the two together can create…helplessness. Janet Cuhel found herself in that position. Her daughters, one 13 months and one 2 ½ years old, were always sick. Constantly prescribed antibiotics, the youngest had already had ear tubes three times in her short life.
Janet had just gone to business college and started a job as an office manager for a chiropractic office. She knew her job but had no idea what chiropractic care was about. Shortly after she started working Janet needed time off to take her youngest daughter to the doctor – again. That’s when her boss, the chiropractor, sat her down and told her the chiropractic story. He spoke about how he worked with children and adults. He told her about the body’s ability to heal, that same innate intelligence that Gene had experienced. The chiropractor shared with her a path to healing her daughters that wouldn’t – couldn’t – involve drugs or taking them to the pediatrician ever again.
Janet knew in her heart that what the chiropractor was telling her was right, yet it was still a difficult decision to make. However, she took the doctor’s advice and began chiropractic care for her daughters. Today, they are both healthy and successful adults.
Having witnessed the power of chiropractic care, Janet enrolled in Palmer College of Chiropractic. Upon graduation, she further pursued an interest in chiropractic pediatrics and was in the first graduating class of the International Chiropractors Association Pediatric Diplomate Program. She was afforded the opportunity to be mentored by some of the greatest pediatric chiropractors.
In an effort to better understand the needs of families and in particular the rising autism rates, she started attending conferences. Often the only chiropractor in the room, Dr. Janet shared her personal story of hope with families across the country who had tried everything allopathy had to offer but were still left with feelings she had known all too well – hopelessness, helplessness, and uncertainty.
Coming Together
In 1993, Spinal Corrective Center P.C. opened its doors. It quickly became known as a place for families, kids, and people with special needs. Then and now, generations of families in Cedar Rapids turn to Dr.’s Gene and Janet as their family doctors.
With generations of their own families growing up with chiropractic care, the Dr.’s are committed to empowering everyone in their community. Their goal is for no family to ever again say the words, “I wish I would have known….” when it comes to their own health or the health of their family.
Both Dr. Gene and Dr. Janet are quick to say that their own experiences with chiropractic care, when they were the most frustrated and trying to find a better way, were empowering. Both remember their chiropractors being the first to tell them, “I can help you.” Today, they and their team make a point of making sure everyone who comes into their office feels that same degree of help and support.
While chiropractic care has become much more widely used and valued than it was back then, it can still be a difficult choice to make for people who don’t fully understand chiropractic care and the healing ability of the body. That’s why both doctors and their staff focus on providing their patients with the education they need to completely understand – and fully trust – the experience of chiropractic care.
Cedar Rapids’ 100 Year Lifestyle
Cedar Rapids is living their 100 Year Lifestyle, thanks to their primary care providers, Dr. Gene Cretsinger and Dr. Janet Cuhel! If you, a family member, or a friend live near Cedar Rapids, aren’t you lucky! You can check out Spinal Corrective Center P.C. for yourself!
As 100 Year Lifestyle chiropractors, Dr.’s Gene and Janet know that everyone alive today has the potential to live much longer than they anticipate…possibly to 100 or beyond. Spinal Corrective Center P.C. – Chiropractic for Pediatric Development and Adult Health, is making sure families in their community are as healthy as possible so they can enjoy every moment of that 5th season!
