Highland chiropractor teaches patients self care to better enjoy life
Ahmad Sprouse was in massage therapy school, and he was in pain. Luckily, his mentor — a chiropractor — saved him from undergoing surgery by suggesting a set of exercises.
It was the “aha” moment that led Sprouse, now a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine, to dive deeper than massage training and pursue the field of holistic and hands-on care.
Sprouse, of Munster, is the owner of Integrated Body and Medicine in Highland. There he treats patients with stretches, massage, exercises, supplements and nutrition counseling — with the help of a nurse practitioner and physical therapist, to create a team approach.
Sprouse and his staff of seven employees — including his wife, Nakia Sprouse — specialize in spinal health and holistic care. They address a range of conditions, including headaches, sciatica, back pain, shoulder or ankle issues, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure and diabetes.
To heal and enjoy
Sprouse’s approach mirrors that of the mentor who helped him ease his own sciatic nerve pain. It’s a philosophy in which surgery and strong medications are the last option — not the first.
“People don’t want to just take drugs to help their symptoms — they want to get better and healthier, naturally,” said Sprouse, who received his doctorate in 2013 from the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois. “We can teach them to be able to heal themselves … and how to enjoy life, not just get through life.”
Sprouse and others in his field are highlighting the benefits of a non-drug approach this October during National Chiropractic Health Month. The American Chiropractic Association said chiropractic care can “significantly lower risk of requiring an opioid prescription later.”
With the sting of the past decade’s opioid crisis still fresh, providing an option to avoid pain pills is part of what drives Sprouse’s passion for applying his “fascination with medicine” in a holistic way.
So, when a patient comes to see him, Sprouse always asks about their “why,” their reason for wanting to no longer feel sick and tired, but well and energized.
“When a patient knows that you care about them,” he said, “that speaks volumes to how they respond.”
‘They cared more’
Patient Margaret Fluellen, of Hammond, said she noticed the difference in treatment strategies right away. Fluellen has been a patient at Integrated Body and Medicine for most of the seven years since Sprouse took over the business from a retiring chiropractor in 2018.
She’s received treatment for ailments stemming from years on her feet working in the banking industry — back pain caused by scoliosis, knee pain, rotator cuff issues and plantar fasciitis.
Fluellen, who now has a desk job, switched to Sprouse’s practice after first receiving chiropractic care from a chain chiropractic business.
“I felt like they were more personable, and they cared more about me,” she said about the Integrated Body and Medicine team. “They take the time with their clients to discuss what’s really happening.”
It’s part of the business’ mission to “restore health, offer wellness alternatives, break through limitations, foster hope, achieve goals … one spine at a time.”
Philosophy of compassion
Running his own business gives Sprouse the freedom to set the tone for how his staff members treat people and the methods they use. He makes his own schedule, and as a father of a 14- and a 20-year-old, he appreciates the flexibility.
The downside of being in charge as an entrepreneur comes mainly from the challenge of hiring and retaining “people that fit into our philosophy,” he said. “It’s trying to find people who have the same compassion for caring.”
But that compassion and caring — along with the power of chiropractic care to help people thrive — keeps him going. Sprouse said he hopes to grow his business and potentially open a new location elsewhere in the Region, such as Crown Point or Valparaiso.
Patients like Fluellen are pleased and are spreading the word, too — often referring others to Sprouse’s care and talking up the benefits of approaches other than the invasive or medicinal options of traditional health care.
“I like the fact that they just don’t try to give me pills and shots for everything,” Fluellen said. “I like to find something that works better.” •
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