Don’t Mask Your Pain! A Doctor’s Personal Story
“About 24 years ago something happened that changed my life’s journey,” says Melissa Soulliere, D.C. with HealthQuest of Southfield. “I was in eleventh grade, playing in a high school volleyball tournament. I jumped up for spike, landed hard on my feet, felt immediate sharp, shooting pain in my lower back and consequently fell to the floor.”
Doctor Soulliere says what happened next, led to her journey to become a doctor. Here’s the rest of her story in her own words.
I was helped off the court and went to the sidelines to stretch and attempted to “fix” my problem so I could continue playing. In about 30 minutes, my pain subsided to about half the intensity so I said I was ready to play. In order to do this, however, I had to be evaluated by a doctor. Protocol they say. So, I went to the clinic. I was evaluated and diagnosed with lower back pain. Obviously. I was prescribed pain medication and told I could continue playing. That’s what I did. I took the pain pills and went on to play in the tournament. All I wanted to do was play.
Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be the person who helped others get out of pain and achieve their health goals. But, I realized that I had been masking my pain and possibly hurting my body by continuing to play. I also realized I did not want others to resort to masking their pain in order to stay in the game.
A Woman On a Mission
It became my mission to find natural solutions for people that were safe and effective. This led me to move to Chicago from Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada. I graduated from the National College of Chiropractic with my doctorate in 1999.
But the fundamental reason I became a doctor is based on events that happened to me in 2005, six years after I graduated.
At 31 years old, I was experiencing symptoms that no one my age should. I was having shortness of breath, inability to sigh, chest pain, jaw pain, radiating arm pain and heart palpitations. I thought I was at death’s door. I was petrified.
I saw many doctors from cardiologists to internists to neurologists. I had test after test after test and all were normal. I was prescribed medication for anxiety and told this was the only option. I hesitated, but ultimately resorted to taking the pills. However, because the pills made me feel drunk, like I’d had a glass or two of whiskey, I decided that I needed to search for a doctor who could help me naturally; someone who would get to the root cause of my issues.
A Whole Body Approach
I was very fortunate to find this doctor, a colleague, who had a whole body approach. She discovered things that were causing my symptoms. I did everything she told me. I never correlated my stress levels, poor eating habits, and overall dietary plan to having a poor effect on my body because I exercised. But, it had a profound effect. I immediately began making changes to my diet adding things in and removing things, began nutrition cleansing and supplementation, and focused on positive outlooks. In time, I never felt more alive and full of life. My symptoms disappeared and I began to live life again.
This is where my journey for the “new me” began; the new doctor, recreated. This is where I truly understood what health was and what it was not and how I needed to approach my private practice and patients in order to help them achieve optimal health and wellness.
To make an appointment with Dr. Soullier, call (248) 552-0510. The office is located at 26751 Southfield Road.