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Nanaimo chiropractor celebrated, honoured for revolutionary inventions

Nov 20, 2018 | 4:38 PM

NANAIMO — A local Nanaimo chiropractor helped pave new pathways in chiropractic care, on Vancouver Island and beyond, thanks to his revolutionary inventions.

When Dr. Dwain Ingram graduated from chiropractic college in 1959, little did he know what an impact he’d have on the future of the industry.

Originally operating Long Lake Chiropractic out of his house in Nanaimo, Dr. Ingram was the first to bring a unique method of chiropractic treatment known as NUCCA to Vancouver Island. After building the current office on Victoria Ave., Dr. Ingram went on to train 14 associates, and estimates to have helped over 35,000 people in a career spanning nearly 50 years.

Back in the 1960s, he and Dr. Albert Berti were introduced to Dr. Ralph Gregory in Michigan, who created NUCCA – the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association.

The NUCCA method, employed by chiropractors, uses precise X-rays of the head and neck to determine where adjustments need to be made. While Dr. Berti focused on bringing the NUCCA method to the Pacific Northwest and beyond, Dr. Ingram chose to focus on improving the technology.

After creating the company XYZ Equipment – now the Upper Cervical Store, still operating out of Campbell River – Dr. Ingram’s meticulous designs were machined into high-quality pieces of equipment, necessary for providing treatment consistent with the standards of NUCCA.

The pieces may not be flashy, but they are built for precision. No small detail was overlooked in Dr. Ingram’s quest to continue perfecting and advancing the technology needed to employ the NUCCA methods effectively. Chiropractors today can rely on Dr. Ingram’s inventions to fine tune their treatment, to make more accurate adjustments, and to provide highly reproducible X-rays.

Upon retirement in 2007, Long Lake Chiropractic was put into the hands of Dr. Shawn Thomas, who studied under Dr. Ingram.

Dr. Thomas is keen to celebrate the doctor’s remarkable and impactful legacy – earlier this November, Dr. Thomas attended the 2018 NUCCA Conference in Minnesota where they held a special tribute to honour the work of Dr. Dwain Ingram.

Here in Nanaimo, Dr. Shawn Thomas, Dr. Amber Kenmuir, and the staff of Long Lake Chiropractic want to show appreciation for the man who made significant contributions to the engineering side of chiropractic care.

The Open House Tribute is Saturday, November 24th from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Wellington Hall, 3922 Corunna, Nanaimo. The event is free, and all are welcome to come take part. If you’ve been helped by Dr. Ingram and would like to submit a story to share, you can send it via mail, email to longlakechiro@shaw.ca, or stop by in person.

You can get more information here.