Dear Friends,
My full name is Cynthia Costa, and I was born in Toronto, Canada. I come from a large, health conscious family. Both of my parents are from the Azores Islands in Portugal, and they have always brought wholesome food to the table and encouraged simple remedies for healing. My family is made of the best people I know, and I am truly blessed that they are healthy and happy.
Since I can remember, I have always wanted to be in the healing profession. It all started when I was five, when my sister and I would feed the elderly in a senior’s home back in Ontario. This is where I developed an appreciation for the stages and development of the human body.
During high school I volunteered in different departments at various hospitals. I was trying to get a clear idea of which profession in the medical field I wanted to focus my post-grad studies on. While working in the hospital was rewarding, I didn’t feel like it was the most positive environment.
Most people were already in a diseased state, and I thought to myself, “There has got to be a better way to educate people about preventative health.” Since I was eight, my Chiropractor always taught me about how the body was designed to heal itself, and he showed me how powerful the nervous system was in governing all bodily functions. He would adjust my spine every month to maintain the health of my nervous system. When I had a sports-related injury, he helped me out of pain quickly so I could get back out and play. I grew up without disease, medication, or surgery.
When I was 20 years old, I ate something bad at a restaurant and contracted Campylobacter food poisoning. I felt ill for two weeks. Just after I was sick, I was given the Hepatitis B vaccine and developed a rare peripheral nervous system disease called Gullian Barre- Syndrome. This disease made me lose all sensation in my extremities, and I couldn’t move. It took three months to fully recover. I refused the conventional treatment of severe blood transfusion and watched as my body began to heal itself. I had to learn how to walk again due to the extreme muscle atrophy, and it was my Chiropractor that functionally recovered my mobility.
After I recovered from my illness (or disease—whichever you prefer), I felt that my decision was clear: I was to devote my life to the profession of Chiropractic healing.
The amazing help and fast recovery that I received showed me how sensitive the nervous system is to toxins and stress. I didn’t want anyone else to go through that experience.
Looking back, I’m grateful that I chose to become a Chiropractor. It’s wonderful and rewarding to see families adopt a healthy lifestyle as they incorporate alternative, natural health remedies. People appreciate fully understanding how disease can manifest in the body. I always strive to identify the initial symptoms and proactively address them through natural tools and remedies instead of turning to surgeries or drugs.
The knowledge I provide helps patients stay active, have fun, excel in their career, and become more emotionally and physically healthy, and improve their family lives.
The gold standard for an alternative health practitioner should be and inclusive approach to that addresses the emotional, chemical, structural and energetic areas of those under their care; I provide the most optimal care that I can give to my patients and community, always striving to improve and educate myself with the latest in research and therapeutic techniques.
The very experiences that guided me to Chiropractic healing contribute to my philosophy about creating a patient-centric experience that responds to individual needs. I help patients to see their health as an internal relationship that they exert control over, which in turn helps them to make more informed lifestyle decisions.
Yours in health,
Dr. Cynthia Costa