Ep # 177 - Chiropractic Care For Every Stage Of Life

A healthy spine is more than comfort—it’s communication. We sit down with Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers , a family chiropractor with 26 years in practice, to explore how precise, gentle adjustments help the nervous system coordinate everything from posture and muscle balance to immune response. Starting as a teen patient who noticed fewer illnesses after care, Dr. Wendi explains why alignment can change how the body adapts to daily stressors and why relief often arrives before long-term correction.

We dig into the modern posture puzzle: tech neck, screen time, and kids carrying heavy backpacks. You’ll hear practical ways to reduce strain—wear both straps, keep the load high and close, align your ears with your shoulders, and raise screens to eye level. Dr. Wendi breaks down the science of that infamous “pop,” clarifies why children and prenatal patients require ultra-gentle, specialized methods, and shares how she adjusts care for infants with soft, developing spines. If the idea of neck manipulation makes you nervous, her approach centers on specificity over force, using drop tables and light pressure to restore motion safely.

Beyond technique, we trace chiropractic’s roots to 1895 and the field’s evolution toward measurable outcomes. Dr. Wendi reflects on building a community practice, partnering with midwives and doulas, and steering through COVID with clear communication, sanitization, and resilience. Whether your back feels “stuck,” your child’s posture is slipping, or pregnancy has shifted your center of gravity, this conversation offers straightforward guidance and realistic expectations about one-time fixes versus consistent care.

Subscribe for more local expert stories, share this episode with a friend who needs posture help, and leave a review to tell us which spine-saving habit you’re trying next.

Hands on Family Chiropractic
Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers
21 Broadway, Ste E Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677
(201) 505-0001
info@handsonfamilychironj.com
handsonfamilychironj.com

Transcript

Meet Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers

Intro/Close 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Doug Drohan.

Doug Drohan 0:10

Hey, good morning, everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast brought to you by the Bergen Neighbors Media Group. I am your host, Doug Drohan. Today we are we are joined by someone who's uh I've known for quite a while now, maybe going on seven, eight years, Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers. She is the owner of Hands-on-Family Chiropractic based in Woodcliffe Lake on Broadway. Welcome to the show.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 0:32

Hi, thanks for having me.

Why Chiropractic Sparked A Calling

Doug Drohan 0:34

So I always like to uh you know get into like the journey that people have in terms of what brought them to where they are today, whether they're a plumber or a psychic medium or whatever it is that you know kind of at that point in their lives where they decided this is what they want to do for the rest of their life. So, you know, you're a chiropractor. Um you I mean the the name family chiropractic kind of lends itself to thinking you work with people of all ages, but what um like when did you first become a chiropractor? And I guess, you know, I ask a lot of doctors and dentists this like when at what point in your life did you decide I want to get into medicine?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 1:12

So I actually started going to a chiropractor when I was 16 years old. Um, when I was a teenager, I had really bad and uncomfortable uh menstrual cycles, like a lot of discomfort, you know, just just very irregular. So my mom had seen results uh with hers as well. So they decided to take me to a chiropractor. So I'd started going when I was 16, which it did help. But then I noticed like a year later that I wasn't getting sick as often. Like I used to, when I was a kid, I would get strep throat once a winter at least, um, if not more than that. And I noticed that it wasn't happening quite as frequently. And if I did get sick, I would recover much faster. So I thought there had to be something to that. And I and I always felt like I had this um drive to get into the healthcare profession somewhere. You know, I always wanted to help people, but for whatever reason, nursing and medicine didn't really resonate with me. So um it just kind of clicked one day, and I realized like that this made sense to me, you know, that your brain and your nervous system controls your whole body. And if that's not communicating properly, then uh, you know, then maybe your body doesn't work as efficiently as it could. So I looked into it and I I went to chiropractic school.

Spine Alignment And Immunity

Doug Drohan 2:42

So then, yeah, I was gonna ask you, so why do you think going to the chiropractor helped your sore throats and strep throat?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 2:49

Um, because the nerves in the neck control the head, the throat area. The nervous system is directly linked to the immune, you know, definitely directly controls the immune system. So when you're if the spine is out of alignment, it can interfere with how the brain and the body are communicating or how your nervous system is functioning. So if that brain can then communicate more efficiently with the body, then the body can work better and more efficiently and it can adapt to its environment. So, you know, maybe I was just able to, you know, adapt to the bacteria or viruses that I was exposed to better compared to when, you know, when I wasn't under chiropractic care.

Doug Drohan 3:31

Got it, got it. So um, I mean, you said when your spine is not in alignment, have you ever met someone whose spine is perfectly in alignment?

Tech Neck And Kids’ Posture

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 3:40

Um, sometimes a newborn, yes. Oh, okay, but an adult pro no, because you know, these these misalignments happen through a lot of different, you know, daily stresses. It could be a physical stress or trauma like slipping or falling, um, you know, being on the computer all day in a in a poor, you know, posture position. We find even the birth process itself can can be the first time that the spine can get misaligned. Um, so it's normal daily stresses, you know, that create these misalignments.

Doug Drohan 4:14

So you mentioned being on the computer. So, you know, when you were 16, I don't know that they had uh you know smartphones and computers like we do today. So are you seeing more um you know, more cases that are directly related to posture and posture uh, you know, related to the fact that we're, you know, have our necks bent like this on our phones or on our computers all day. Is that something that you've seen a more of an increase in?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 4:44

I would say it definitely contributes. And I think um, I think especially for you know children, we definitely see it accelerating, you know, the the changes in the spine definitely accelerating faster. You know, one of the things that I look at is like posture. Our posture tells us a lot about what the condition of our spine could be. So, you know, if our if our head is upright, you know, that that and our ears lined up with our shoulder, that's a good position. But a lot of people, their head drops forward in front of their shoulder. They and they might have this slight self-slouched position. So I think, especially with kids with computers and phones and stuff, yes, we do, I do see that happening at a much faster rate.

Backpacks, Load, And Form

Doug Drohan 5:29

The other thing, when I was a kid, uh, I don't think I went to school with a backpack. Um, you know, we carried books. You know, I'm going back a ways. We used to we didn't buy book covers, we would use a brown shopping bag and turn that into a book cover and then decorate it ourselves. I mean, that was something that I think kids did. Yeah, it was pretty cool. But, you know, now I see kids going to school with like roll, you know, backpacks with wheels on them so they can drag them rather than putting them on their back. But damn, those things can be heavy. Um, you know, you talked about in in a recent edition of uh a plug here of Rivervale Neighbors, uh holiday stress on your spine. Um, but what about backpacks with you know kids that are carrying, you know, you know, there was a song by um in Frankie Valley where he carried his books from carried her books from school. Uh My Eyes Adored he carried your books from school, make make believe you're married to me. Um, you know, nobody's carrying your books, your your girlfriend's school books anymore, they're too heavy.

Stress, Muscles, And Misalignment

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 6:34

Yeah, agreed. They, you know, the the books can be heavier, the you know, the load can be heavier if they have to bring all those books home with them, um, you know, definitely. And I think the other thing is, you know, it's cooler to hold it just on one shoulder rather than on both shoulders. If I think that if they if they placed it on both shoulders and then it it has to hit the back in a certain position too, like if it hangs too low, then the child tends to, you know, lean forward at the waist, and that can put more strain on the spine. Um, so yeah, it's the heavy backpacks definitely can affect it.

Doug Drohan 7:10

Now you you talk about um certainly external forces like you know weight, but um what about stress and what does that do to your uh to your spine and then by association to your nervous system?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 7:24

Yeah, so emotional stress is also one of the day the ways that the spine can misalign. So, you know, we get tense, the muscles get really tense, and if those muscles attach to the bones of the spine, it can tug on it or pull on the bones of the spine as well.

Chiropractic Origins And Scope

Doug Drohan 7:40

Okay, okay. So, you know, there was an old um kind of saying, you know, the neck bones connected to the shoulder bone, the shoulder bones connected to my arm, whatever. I mean, obviously everything is interconnected, it's more of an integrated, you know. I I meet a lot of doctors on this show, and many of them talk about functional fitness and integrated medicine, holistic medicine. Um, I guess chiropractic care was one of the first holistic medical practices. And and um would you agree with that? And then just again, just a bit of a history like how far back does chiropractic care go? And then what's the difference between I'm giving you a lot of questions here, uh, chiropractic and orthopedic.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 8:24

So chiropractic started in uh it was September 18th, 1895, was the first adjustment was given in um Davenport, Iowa.

Speaker 1 8:33

Wow.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 8:34

Um, I guess we're pretty proud of that. You know, we we uh celebrate chiropractic's birthday every year. So um yeah, it started 1895, and that's where the first chiropractic college was uh formed then as well in uh Davenport, Iowa. So I think it's my understanding too at the same time that like homeopathic medicine was also um you know around as well. So I don't I don't know if we were the earliest, but uh but definitely early, you know, it's it's been quite a quite a few years. And then the difference between um uh orthopedist, you said I think well, an orthopedist, um if it's my understanding, they don't manipulate the spine. The osteopath manipulates the spine. And the difference is that they are more um aligned or in conjunction with the medical profession, and they also can prescribe medicine where we're a drug-free person profession. We're not we're not able to prescribe medicine that's out of our scope of practice.

Family, Prenatal, And Pediatric Care

Doug Drohan 9:40

Right, right. So let's talk about the scope of your practice because I mentioned it's you know hands-on family chiropractic. So, what kind of chiropractic care do you uh provide?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 9:51

So we provide chiropractic care for everyone, the whole family, anybody from newborn up to you know senior citizens. Um the whole the whole family.

Doug Drohan 10:03

Right now, Pete, so I I first went to a chiropractor. I was in high school, and I had a uh knee condition called Osgood Schlader's disease, and uh they called it disease. I don't know if it was really a disease. I had knee pain from something I did play in basketball. Believe it or not, I I was a pretty good basketball player up until 10th grade, then I hurt my knee. And um that was the first time I went to uh uh chiropractor, it was actually a father and son practice. So I was, you know, I was well into high school. I didn't realize, like, you know, as a um, you know, elementary school first grader or whatever, second grader, 12-year-old, that you know, they could go for a chiropractic care. So is that something that and then prenatal chiropractic is different, but I could imagine why that's important because you got all that new weight that you're carrying. But what's different about like pediatric care versus working with an adult?

Safety, Techniques, And The “Pop”

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 11:02

Well, it's it's very different because especially the the little ones, um, you know, infants or um uh under under age 10, really, under age seven to seven to ten, is their spine is completely different than adult spines. Um, you know, the as an infant, their bones aren't fully developed, they're very cartilaginous and soft. So it's a completely different um adjustment or you know, care than it is it is for the adults. Um, we're not looking for the that cracking or that osseous sound, you know, when adjusting them. Sometimes it's just a little bit of pressure um, you know, on the area of the spine and um, you know, to to make the the correction or the adjustment.

Doug Drohan 11:52

Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. So what do you say to people that are maybe a little worried about having somebody crack their spine or manipulate their spine or their neck? You know, what do you what how can you um put somebody at ease if they have those concerns?

How Methods Evolved Over Time

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 12:10

So first I explain to them that what that noise is is not the bones cracking. You know, when you think about it, if you've ever had a bone that's even just been slightly fractured, that's very painful. So we're not cracking bones because then I wouldn't even excuse me, be able to touch the person, you know, in a day or two because they'd be in so much pain. So what that noise is is in the joint, um, there's fluid in that joint, and we get little gas bubbles or air bubbles in there, and that's what the popping noise is. It's just it's just the air bubbles that are popping. Um, so it's not bones, we don't crack bones, but I also use a uh variety of techniques that if somebody is not comfortable with let's say their neck being adjusted a certain way, I have tables that have what's called drop pieces and they can assist me with the adjustment and it's it makes them more comfortable. You know, I'm not gonna say it's gentler because you know, any adjustment that I do in my office is designed to be very specific. Um we're not just like twisting necks and racking spines or do, you know, doing that. It's specific to make a correction so that we can get the results that we're looking for. So, but in my office, there's different techniques that I can utilize to help a person who might be uncomfortable, you know, with an adjustment.

Doug Drohan 13:34

Got it, got it. So, how is how is like care, chiropractic care evolved since the 1890s? Like, what have you learned? You know, what is the has the discipline learned over the last century and a and a half almost of um you know the way uh to manipulate you know the spine and um or has it basically been almost the same for over a hundred years?

Why Backs Feel “Stuck”

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 14:01

Um I think it's evolved a lot. I mean, BJ Palmer is the one who developed chiropractic into the profession that it is, and he he did do a lot of you know research, you know, back then, whatever whatever research he could do, um, you know, with the equipment that he had at that point. Um, but the the techniques have changed, you know, other chiropractors have come along and developed other techniques, you know, that work well also. I think it's definitely, I mean, even BJ Palmer had he was very, he was quite scientific in in the way he provided the adjustment, and he had tried to have measurements like before and after the adjustment to make sure that he was getting the results he wanted. And a lot of the techniques nowadays do the same thing. You know, there are a lot of things that we do to to look at and measure. Are we getting the results that we need? Did we make the correct adjustments? Um, so I think it's evolved, yes, just like everything does. But but it's also it also still has that same premise, you know, that it started out with as well. And I think, you know, of course, there's a lot more research nowadays, you know, with universities and things like that, they're they're able to do a lot more research into chiropractic.

One Adjustment Or Ongoing Care

Doug Drohan 15:16

So when my back feels kind of like stuck, you know, I feel like, oh man, I got like uh, I don't know, it just feels I don't for want of a better word, I don't know if you've had patients complain, like, I feel like it just, you know, needs to be cracked or so or adjusted. What is that? What's happening there?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 15:34

So that's the bone of the spine. If it's if it's out of alignment, if it's misaligned, if it's not in its proper position, you know, it shifts and then it interferes with how our nervous system is functioning. So if those nerves are controlling the muscles, let's say in that area of the spine, those muscles can get really tight. Um, so it could be what you're feeling is that joint is again stuck, exactly what you're saying, stuck, not moving like it should.

Speaker 1 16:02

Okay.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 16:02

And over time, as those muscles get tight around it to try to guard it and protect it, um, you know, then you're just feeling more stiffness and more tightness because now you're feeling it in the muscles as well.

Building A Practice And Marketing

Doug Drohan 16:14

Got it. So will one adjustment kind of fix me, or is it something you need to come in for on a regular basis?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 16:23

Um, that's hard for me to tell right now. Like, yeah, obviously, somebody needs an exam, you know, to see if somebody's had a problem for a long time. I find that most of the problems adults have usually began sometime during childhood. Um, you know, it could have been during sports or just a slip and fall that somebody had. And over the years, as that problem continues, you know, it just gets a little bit worse and a little bit worse and a little bit worse. So if somebody's had a problem for a long time, then it's gonna take time to really correct it. If you want to feel better, that usually happens much faster.

Doug Drohan 16:57

Got it, got it. So, how long let's you know, let's talk about your your business, your company. So, how long have you been in business? How long has hands-on family chiropractic been around?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 17:06

Uh, 26 and a half years.

Doug Drohan 17:09

Whoa.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 17:09

Yeah.

Doug Drohan 17:10

Wow. Wow. So you so at after school, you went out on your own immediately or did you work for actually I did not.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 17:17

I associated for uh a couple different offices. At first, I was in uh Pennsylvania because I was when I first graduated, I had a Pennsylvania license, but not a New Jersey license yet. So um so I practiced in Pennsylvania for a little while, and then I had come to New Jersey and practiced there for a family chiropractor. Um, and I was with them for about I guess three and a half years total. Um, so about three and a half years, I think it was three years, and then I decided to look for my own space, and then that's when I opened up my own office.

Operating Through COVID

Doug Drohan 17:53

Got it, got it. So, what has that been like being, you know, you didn't go to business school, right? So you decided to start your own practice, and a lot of chiropractors do, as do dentists and other doctors, but they always tell me, yeah, no one taught me marketing, no one taught me account, no one taught me how to manage people, you know, um, all the overhead you have. Like, what has that been like over the over the two decades?

How To Find The Office

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 18:16

So it's definitely been a lot of trial and error and you know, learning um along the way. So um, you know, it's I just find it interesting that you know, you could see an advertisement. Well, back then it was an advertisement, you know, in a journal or a paper or whatever on uh, you know, something that worked great for other people, got really great results. Like I remember I'll never forget there was this ad that um you put it as like an insert in like a newspaper. So it might have gone in like our local free newspaper or something. And people were were, you know, raving about it. They got such great results, and so I did it and I got okay results. But so it was it was just I found it interesting that things that may have worked well for other people might have just been okay for me, you know, and not the greatest. Um, I have to say, my most enjoyable um, I think marketing is more like one-on-one connection with people. Like when I decided that I wanted to really get into uh prenatal care, that I started to connect with a bunch of midwives in our area and doulas and just you know, a bunch of people that were involved in the childbirth process. And uh that was the most enjoyable, and I and I would say, of course, the most um rewarding and and probably got the most referrals from from people like that. But yeah, it's definitely been a lot of trial and error, especially the business end of it. You you don't have any idea what it's like till you're in there.

Doug Drohan 19:49

Yeah, staffing. And and then how did you uh like what happened during COVID and how did you stay afloat?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 19:56

So, well, of course, it you know, like for everybody it was definitely stressful, but we fortunately were able to stay open. And um it was, I think it was a little bit before COVID, and my employee had decided to leave. She's she was with me for like 10 years, and she left for another job somewhere else. And I I just was at that point I was able to do it by myself for a little while. So I didn't hire anybody right away, and then COVID hit, which worked out perfect because I didn't have any staff to worry about.

Speaker 1 20:33

Okay.

Proactive Health And Closing

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 20:33

So I just, you know, I masked, I did the procedures that you know we were all supposed to do, just to make it safe in the office, clean the tables after, you know, the adjustments to make it, you know, sanitary and clean for the patients.

Speaker 1 20:48

Right.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 20:48

For the first two weeks, it definitely slowed down a lot. Like that was a big hit and it it was stressful. And then after a couple weeks, um, some of my patients who have been with me for a really long time have were just like, okay, we're coming in, you know, like tell me what you're doing, you know, to are we gonna be safe? So um I just explained everything and they were comfortable with it. So luckily we did okay. And after a few months, we really started to see it grow again. You know, people were really getting getting out more, I think, by May, and we started to see new patients increase. So it definitely turned around quickly.

Doug Drohan 21:21

And then, you know, people wanted to make sure they were staying healthy and yes, yeah.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 21:25

That was that was my long-term patients, wanted to be in there and make sure they were getting their adjustments. And I I I have to say our patients did well through it. You know, we I had some who didn't have any symptoms if they caught COVID. Others had the symptoms, but they they got through it okay.

Doug Drohan 21:42

So yeah, that's great. That's great. So, how would people find you? Like where where is your office located and and what's the best way to contact you?

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 21:50

So we're on Broadway in Woodcliffe Lake, and we're actually just north of the shop right in Hillsdale on the opposite side of the street. Yeah, um, it's 21 Broadway. In Widcliffe Lake. My phone, our phone number is uh 201-505-0001. And then we have a website at well as well. It's handsonfamilychironj.com

Doug Drohan 22:15

Got it. Got it. So if somebody wanted a book appointment, they can just go online and do that, fill out a form.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 22:21

Actually, we don't do online booking yet, but we they could call the office and um I have a receptionist that can help them with that. They could go through the website actually and email us. We could do it that way as well.

Doug Drohan 22:31

Got it. Excellent.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 22:33

Yeah.

Doug Drohan 22:33

Well, Dr. Wendi, this was great. I really appreciate you sharing all your insight with us. And uh, you know, it is enlightening. And um, you know, I think in a world of uh, you know, reactive medicine, it's great to, you know, to delve into things that are more proactive and and more like integrated in terms of how everything's connected, and it's not just about taking a pill. So um, you know, we could talk afterwards about, you know, there's certain family members that that have been uh become patients. But uh anyway, no, thank you very much for being a guest on the show.

Dr. Wendi Polhemus-Rodgers 23:09

And thank you for having me.

Doug Drohan 23:10

Yeah, you and I will be right back. We're just gonna have Chuck say a few words.

Intro/Close 23:14

Okay. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpbergen.com. That's gnpbergen.com or call 201 298 8325.