When we look back at the high caliber of doctors and students who have joined us on trips in the past, we cannot help but see Dr. Grayson Ernst! He is an amazing chiropractor and we were so lucky to work with him! We hope you enjoy the writing of his first hand experience as much as we do!

It is my honor to be spotlighted for the Tanaka Chiropractic Missions feature article! My name is Dr. T. Grayson Ernst, DC and I am a recent graduate of Los Angeles Chiropractic College. My wife and I have both been on a Tanaka Mission trip, are Gonstead Doctors, and presently practicing in beautiful Madison, NJ.

I was inspired to attend Chiropractic school because my father had a debilitating back injury when I was a child, and a Chiropractor was the only one able to get him back on his feet. I thought it was an amazing profession but wasn’t called to it until after serving as a Marine Corps Officer for seven years. While serving in Okinawa, Japan I happened across Dr. Ian Rossborough’s amazing Gonstead videos on YouTube… I knew at that moment that this was my life’s calling.

Originally, I heard about this amazing Gonstead Mission Trip from upper term students at our Chiropractic College. The rumor was that there was a 1:1 doctor to student ratio, high patient volume, and a very giving/professional attitude about the whole trip. Additionally, the price was about a quarter of what the school’s mission trip cost. Since the school mission trips were expensive, party-centered, and Gonstead was discouraged… it was a no-brainer, I HAD to get on at least one mission trip before graduating!

At the time of the mission trip, I had only been studying Gonstead for about a year and my adjusting was spotty at best. If you are a student, I suggest learning prone cervical adjusting first… it is a lifesaver. I had attended many high quality Gonstead seminars, to include Dr. Wood’s Gonstead Bootcamp and the Gonstead Seminar. Additionally, my future wife and I harassed every Gonstead Doctor within driving distance who would let us in the doors as we prepared to serve patients.

The year I attended, we were all practicing in one very large room with dividers. This was my favorite part of the entire trip. What an honor to be surrounded by so many great Gonstead Doctors! I had never seen the technique in action like that and the mentorship we students received was perfect. There is nothing like it for a young student!! I have been on several church mission trips in the past and I think that Tanaka Missions is the best I have ever been on. It is the perfect mixture of growth, service, friendship, and impact upon people’s lives. I plan to go again in the near future!

The moment I enjoyed most with a patient was also my most interesting case. Gonstead is so effective and powerful that almost every patient got better, and they were all so giving and sweet! It was the patient that I messed up on that I enjoyed most. There was an elderly patient with an L-5 spondylolisthesis (broken vertebra) and low back pain. I did my work-up and decided to gently adjust this man’s L-4… and his debilitating low back pain got way worse! Despite this, his attitude and faith in me remained strong at the next visit! I took my patient notes over to Dr. Randal Johnson, since I knew I needed help. For those of you who don’t know Randal, imagine a kind, large, 6’6” Viking with 30-40 years of practice experience… he doesn’t have to try to be intimidating. He listened to me, quietly reviewed my notes, then looked at me with complete confusion and said, “So you decided to adjust the segment above a Spondy?” His facial expression was priceless. Let’s just say that I corrected myself immediately and my patient’s faith in me was rewarded by a reduction in pain. How better to learn? When better to make an honest mistake? At the end of the trip, this same patient brought wedding rings for me and my future wife. We had an informal wedding ceremony and said our vows in front of a knee chest. I will never forget this!!

Students, never doubt the power of Gonstead Chiropractic. You will most likely question it and make excuses for why your patient is not responding. If your patient is not getting better and you know it is a Chiropractic problem, then just own that your care is probably inadequate, and patients need you to rise to the challenge. Reach out to great Gonstead Doctors… your patients deserve it! I still reach out constantly and old Gonstead Doctors always deliver. If anyone ever needs help, then my phone, office, and couch are always available.

My special thanks to Dr. Justine Rhee for inspiring my wife to become the Gonstead Doctor she is, to Dr. Randal Johnson for his endless patience and mentorship, and Dr. Jen Liu for being the most positive, helpful, and sweetest person I know. The Tanaka Chiropractic Missions Team is unstoppable!

In Health,

Dr. T. Grayson Ernst, DC

Gonstead Chiropractor

135 Main Street

Madison NJ, 07940

(862)258-1264

drgraysondc@gmail.com