It was a wrestling injury that set Dr. Christopher Sullivan on his career path. It was his love of wrestling that led him to Johnstown to set up his Synergy Chiropractic office in Richland Township.

Sullivan, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, was studying toward his medical degree at Iowa State University and wrestling for the school.

During his wrestling career, Sullivan suffered an injury to his shoulder that depleted his range of motion and caused numbness and tingling in his arms and fingers. When he was given little hope for recovery, a friend recommended that he see a chiropractor.

Within six weeks of chiropractic treatment, he had regained his full range of motion and the numbness and tingling were gone. He was impressed with his newfound health and even more impressed with the explanation he was given – that the body is a self-healing, self-regulating organism when it doesn’t have interference. In fact, he was so impressed that he changed his plans to become a medical doctor, instead choosing to become a doctor of chiropractic medicine.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in biology from Iowa State, he went on to receive his advanced degree from the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.

Sullivan came to Pennsylvania to complete an internship with a general practitioner in Kittanning, Armstrong County. Because he loved wrestling and knew that nearby Pitt-Johnstown was a premier Division II wrestling school, Sullivan decided to take in a match. That trip started a romance with the area.

“I love it here,” he said. “I knew this is where I wanted to live, practice and eventually raise my family. The landscape is great with the hills and the trees. The people are nice, and the Richland School District is superb. I felt very welcomed here right from the beginning.”

He opened his office in Richland with the motto: Healthier People Make a Healthier Planet.

“Good health doesn’t come from a pill. People have to take an active stance in their health, and by doing so they can achieve their full health potential through diet, exercise and regular chiropractic care.”

Sullivan equates the body’s nervous system to a giant communications system.

“Misalignment in the spine puts pressure on nerves and information doesn’t get to the brain. Regular chiropractic care is important, but it’s equally important to approach healthy living as a lifestyle choice and not wait for symptoms of illness before deciding to try to live healthfully.

“If 50 percent of our nation adopted a healthy lifestyle, the positive impact on our economy would be profound.”

Sullivan cites a recent study from Fidelity Bank that shows a couple will need $225,000 in cash to supplement insurance and Medicare to cover medical expenses after retirement.

“Many people say we need better health-care coverage, but there’s no way to give everyone in the United States and additional $200,000 in medical benefits,” he said. “Clearly we don’t need more health coverage – we need more health.

“Not only does this generation need to get healthy, we need to educate the next generation on what it means to be healthy.”

To help send his message, Sullivan holds free seminars at his office every other Tuesday and is more than willing to donate his time to the community to conduct seminars to help people achieve optimum health.

“If people take a proactive approach in health, they can experience life at 100 percent well being – physical, mental and social – on a daily basis,” he said.