Meet Dr. Alessandra Colón
FEATURE
PROFILE
Chiropractor goes viral with Crack Addicts on TLC
DR. ALESSANDRA COLÓN has a deep compassion for those seeking improved health and wellness. After surviving stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer at 14 years old, Dr. Colón developed a passion for learning about the human body, nutrition, and natural disease prevention.
After graduating from The University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science, Dr. Colon’s devotion led her to pursue her Doctorate of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Daytona, Florida. At Palmer, she was challenged and instructed by leading professionals in the field and augmented her skill set with proficiencies in sports therapy, rehabilitation, and nutritional guidance.
During her studies, Dr. Colon desired to test her abilities further and reach out to a global community. Between 2010 and 2012, she traveled to the Grenadines, the Dominican Republic, and India, offering free chiropractic care to over 4,000 people. Her commitment to promoting optimal health and well-being has been integral in freeing people from pain and increasing her patients’ whole-body performance ever since.
Her journey did not end there. After spending years running marathons alongside her mother and brother in the fight against cancer, she was nominated to campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. After 10 weeks, she raised over $60,000 and was crowned the 2015 Woman of the Year. Dr. Colon went on to become Palm Beach lllustrated’s Top Chiropractor of 2018 and Best of Palm Beach 2020 and 2021. Today, she serves her community as a living inspiration to us all and a daily reminder to fight for the things you believe in.
TAC: How did this TV program “Crack Addicts” come about? Did you find them, or did they find you?
AC: It was funny, actually. I received an email from production asking if I was interested in doing a reality show about chiropractic because they found me on TikTok. My immediate reaction was, “Yeah, right. It’s not real,” and then I deleted the email.
Two weeks later, they wrote back, wondering why I hadn’t responded. At that point, my social media personnel decided to respond, and before I knew it, after interviews, I was filming the first pilot. At first, we were not sure if production would even approve the show. At eight and-a-half months pregnant, I received the wonderful news that TLC was bringing me on board for the first televised chiropractic television series. We ended up filming season one at six weeks postpartum, following the birth of my firstborn.
TAC: How did the title come about? Was it your idea?
AC: The title was chosen by the network. It was a title I had to learn to embrace, and I am sure glad I did because so much good came from it.
TAC: What types of patients does your practice typically attract?
AC: I generally have a family practice, ranging from pediatrics to professional NBA, NFL, golf, and tennis players. However, because my practice is integrative with physical therapy, I get a wide variety of postoperative rehab to extreme cases I will co-manage. And now, with the show, extreme cases are lining up around the corner.
BRINGING CHIROPRACTIC TO THE FOREFRONT WITH REALITY TV
TAC: How many patients do you see on a typical day before the show?
AC: I have been blessed to run a busy clinic for 10 years. Most days, on average, I see more than 50 clients a day. A typical month ranges from 600 to 800 clients by myself.
TAC: And after the show?
AC: There is now a waiting list of over 10,000 patients to see me, with almost 50 phone calls an hour. This does not include any of my social media inquiries. I am currently hiring and relocating to a larger space to expand and scale my practice for more patients. I am also working on a nationwide directory for a “Miss Chiropractic approved” referral system. I would love to be able to help as many people as I can, so my team and I are gearing up for 2024.
TAC: Why did you become a chiropractor?
AC: I knew early on that I always wanted to help people, and it became very clear when I had cancer. I wanted to go into health care. My mom put me into a summer program at Cal Berkeley in California to meet Patch Adams. If you don’t know him, Patch Adams clowned around cancer centers. He believed and initiated that positivity and happiness help heal people at an energetic level. When I learned about the chiropractic triad encompassing the mental, physical, and nutritional — and that was what chiropractic was about — I was in. I knew it was what I needed to do.
Additionally, dealing with so many complications from chemo and cancer, chiropractic gave me an avenue to maintain my health naturally, as opposed to taking so many medications.
TAC: What was your social media presence before the show?
AC: Before the show, I was solely on Instagram, with only 3,000 subscribers, and TikTok, with 345,000 followers. Now you can find me on YouTube and Facebook, as well as multiple streaming platforms, such as TLC, HBO Max, Discovery, and Hulu. Currently, my Instagram is growing, with an average of 100 new subscribers a day.
TAC: What kind of responses have you seen because of the show from peers and the public?
AC: This was my greatest fear when I signed up for the show — the worry about how my peers would react and the pressure of representing a profession on a nationwide scale for the first time while trying to encompass the different avenues of chiropractic. In the end, I had no choice but to be myself and lean into the show with good intentions. To my surprise, most of the profession has been wonderfully supportive. I continue to receive messages and fan mail from peers congratulating me for shining a light on chiropractic. Patients are walking in the door nationwide because of the show. What a blessing and testament after only one season.
Personal Profile
• FAMILY: husband, David Lauck; son, Aiden Lauck (8 months); stepdaughter, Ryann Lauck (11 years old)
• RECREATION AND LEISURE: Tennis, yoga, cooking, singing, and piano
• SEMINAR ATTENDANCE: FCA, MAC, Chirointesive, Fablife, and Chirothon
• VACATIONS: Utah, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Colombia for long weekends; Florida for staycations (Naples, Florida Keys, and Tampa); and Europe once or twice a year for long weeks (our favorite is Italy)
Practice Particulars
• CLINIC: Miss Chiropractic Wellness & Spa
• CLINIC SIZE: 3,200 sq. ft.
• PATIENTS PER DAY: 60 to more than 120, and expanding
• OFFICE HOURS: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesdays from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• TECHNIQUES: Diversified, Activator, Thompson drop, seated diversified
TAC: What do you see for the future of chiropractic?
AC: It is truly unbelievable that I am the first chiropractor on a national televised series. My dream for the future of chiropractic would be to bring alternative medicine to the forefront. Chiropractors have had a “negative” connotation for a while now, whether it be the years we have fought against the AMA or a poor narrative driven by the public eye. Let’s be honest, we have all heard it: “We are not real doctors,” “We cause strokes,” “We practice voodoo,” “We are not science-based physicians...” I intend to reduce the stigma that our profession has lived with for so long by spreading word to the masses about the benefits of chiropractic. Ultimately, I hope to open doors to more patients and increase healthy lifestyles; whether it be mind, body, or nutrition. By doing this we can address the true pandemic of ovennedicated, malnourished, and sedentary lives that are a driving force in disease. In my eyes, it is time to showcase that chiropractic is truly the most natural solution for so many ailments. We are doctors of the nervous system, and it does not get more whole-body-encompassing than that. Alternative medicine has its place in this world for healing in abundance.
TAC: Any final words for our readers?
AC: If you are ever struggling, whether it is because of the structure of your practice, social media, or patient retention, it is always best to do “you.” If you’re fun and entertaining, then entertain. If you’re an educator, then educate. If there is a specific way you practice, whether it is pediatric care or neurology, then speak to it. Do what you’re great at instead of mimicking others. You will find that your practice and presence in the community will grow naturally because you come off as your authentic self, and who can’t love that?
To give you a clear idea of what an amazing chiropractor uses to run her practice, we’ve asked Dr. Colon to share with us some specific products and equipment that they use to reach their practice’s goal of bringing health into their community.
• TABLES: ERGOSTYLE ES 2000 GEN II and ERGOSTYLE FX, and Chattanooga decompression table.
• DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT: Digital X-ray
• REHABILITATION EQUIPMENT: Ultrasound, TheraBands, kinesio taping, cupping, scraping, massage guns, full physical therapy rehabilitation. Coming soon: dry needling, laser, and medspa services.
• COMPUTER SOFTWARE: PayDC.
• OTHER COMPANIES I LOVE: Charlotte’s Web CBD for Sleep Gummies; 32d CBD 3,000 mg lotion for pain relief; Actif Organics Prenatal Vitamin; Owyn Protein Shake; Theragun; Miss Chiropractic Luxury Mattress by Clover Lane coupled with Pillowise custom pillows.
