Dr. Ram Parikh is just as enthusiastic about his chiropractic practice today as he when he opened it in 1999.

Parikh, owner of Discover Chiropractic, 227 S. Chestnut St., remains just as fully convinced in the efficacy of his treatments.

“First thing is, I totally believe in what I do. I 100 percent believe in the body's natural ability to heal itself,” he said. “Using chiropractic, nutrition and positive mental attitude can affect people's lives.

“If you really think about how the body works, chiropractic should be the first health option because of the way the body's designed,” he said.

“Chiropractic takes the pressure off the nerves to allow your body to heal itself because all healing comes from the inside out.”

The rubbing of bone on nerve, called subluxation, is responsible for back pain, headaches, disc problems, shoulder problems, numbness and tingling in the limbs and sciatica, or pain down the legs, he said.

Parikh stated nearly any kind of stress can cause a subluxation: a fall or an accident, even a very mild one that happened years ago; bad sleeping position; poor posture; fatigue; dental work; a difficult birth; emotional stress; poor nutrition or a combination of stresses.

A subluxation need not happen all at once. It could occur in a patient's body over time, coming on gradually.

In his 13 years of practice and through seeing thousands of patients, one thing has remained constant.

“People are ignoring the core problem and trying to cover it up with Tylenol and making it worse instead of fixing it right away,” he said.

Subluxations, often referred to as a “pinched neve,” do not go away by themselves. No amount of painkillers can fix them.

Parikh said he is able to use chiropractic adjustment techniques to gently realign a patient's body and release the internal stress.

“Take the pressure off the nerve, and your body can heal and function the way it's supposed to,” he said.

Parikh has a list of suggestions for people to help their body function and to improve their lives in general.

n People need to change their diets. He suggests eating more raw fruits and vegetables and a lot less processed food products.

n People need to exercise more, at least two to three times a week. Parikh recommends interval training, a technique in which the person engages in an intense high-energy physical outburst for a minute and then rests for a minute.

“You can run as fast as you can in one minute, then rest. Or you can use a bicycle or a treadmill,” Parikh said. “Do this for 15 minutes, two or three times a week and you are done.”

n Reduce stress by reading positive, uplifting material.

n Get enough sleep. Seven hours a night are recommended. “That's the only time the body has to heal itself,” Parikh said. He recommended sleeping on one's back with a pillow under the knees to keep the back in proper alignment during the night.

n Get chiropractic care.

Parikh set up his practice soon after finishing up an internship in Buffalo.

“I love this area. It is similar to where I grew up, down in Florida,” he said.

Parikh did some research, looking to set up a business in a suburb of a major city.

“I looked at Cranberry and Butler, and I liked Butler,” he said. He began to build a practice quickly.

“I just met a lot of people and did a lot of talks at health fairs and just really put myself out there,” he said.

<B>Name: </B>Ram N. Parikh D.C.<B>Address: </B>Butler<B>Family: </B>Single<B>Education: </B>University of Central Florida, Logan College of Chiropractic, St. Louis<I>‘Don't ever give up on your health.'</I>

<B>Name: </B>Discover Chiropractic<B>Address: </B>227 S. Chestnut St.<B>Service: </B>Treats patients from pediatrics to geriatrics with chiropractic care, spinal decompression, rehabilitation, weight-loss programs and neuropathy programs.<B>Employees:</B> Four<B>Mission statement:</B> “To unconditionally love and serve all our patients with the best chiropractic care and service on the planet.”

Dr. Ram Parikh, owner of Discover Chiropractic, offered these tips to build any business:• “You have to believe in what you do without a doubt.”• Do a little homework. Do research and make sure there is a demand for the product and service you are offering.• Make your product and service affordable.• Make sure you give more than you receive, whether it's in goods or services.• Don't be afraid to ask for a referral or do a little advertising. “If Coke still advertises after all these years, so should you.”

Dr. Ram Parikh, owner of Discover Chiropractic, has five ideas he thinks would improve the life of Butler County residents.• Create more jobs.• “Having more industry here. I would say it’s more of a blue-collar area.”• Have more winter activities.• A crime-prevention program.• “Have more events in Butler so that people across the state or the region could come here because I think it’s a beautiful area.”