The Back Doctors Podcast

Dr. Edgardo Vargas shares a story of woman who suffered with neck pain for years before finally getting relief with Cox Technic.

Dr. Edgardo Vargas

Chiropractor

Dr. Edgardo Vargas received his Associate Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Puerto Rico, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. His plan was to go to medical school after graduating from university. After exploring deeper, he realized he wanted a specialty that offered a more natural way of healing. He picked chiropractic without knowing much about the field. Dr. Vargas moved to Chicago to study chiropractic. Arriving at the National University of Health Sciences, the students had to go through an evaluation and treatment program. He realized the potential available through chiropractic and how it helped back pain and motor function. He fell in love with it and wanted to know more. He received his Doctor of Chiropractic in 2006 and has been practicing ever since. Dr. Vargas has over 2000 hours training in nutrition and laboratory testing and also received certification as a Functional Medicine Practitioner. He enjoys showing patients how chiropractic can help with any chronic condition they might have.

Resources:

Dr. Vargas’s website

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Spine Health Researcher, Clinician, and Professor, Dr. Christine Goertz shares her life’s work in her new book Take Your Back Back.

RESEARCH & HEALTH POLICY CAREER

I’m Christine Goertz, D.C., Ph.D. I have spent 35 years working with multi-disciplinary teams to conduct research studies and implement best practices designed to optimize care for patients with low back pain.

CURRENT ROLE

I am a Professor in Musculoskeletal Research at the Duke Clinical Research Institute and Vice Chair for the Implementation of Spine Health Innovation in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke University. I am also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health at the University of Iowa. 

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

I received my Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University in 1991 and a Ph.D. in Health Services Research, Policy and Administration from the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota in 1999.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

I have extensive experience in the administration of Federal grants, both as a PI and as a program official at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I have received nearly $45 million in federal funding, as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator, primarily from NIH and the Department of Defense. I have also co-authored more than 135 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

MAKING A GLOBAL IMPACT

I am honored to have delivered invited lectures, keynote talks, clinical grand rounds, and plenary presentations worldwide. Topics include “Research, Its Not Just for Scientists Anymore,” “In Search of the Holy Grail in Low Back Pain Treatment or Anything that Works at All,” and ” Nonpharmacological Approaches to Pain Management.” Venues include the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute Annual Meeting, Georgetown University, Duke University School of Medicine, the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting, the American Chiropractic Association Summit, the World Federation of Chiropractic Research Congress, and the European Chiropractic Union. 

Resources:

Dr. Goertz’s website

The Back Pain Chronicles

Pain Trainer

Take Your Back Back

The Cox 8 Table by Haven Medical

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Spine specialist, Dr. Casey Johnston shares an interesting case of a 58 y.o. triathlete with severe back and leg pain.

Dr. Casey Johnston, D.C. is the owner and Clinical Director for Desert Springs Chiropractic. He has been in full time private practice since 2001. He is an alumnus of Oklahoma State University and Texas Chiropractic College. Prior to his work at DSCC, he worked as the Lead Chiropractor for multi clinic medical organization in Houston, Texas. During his tenure he trained and established chiropractic and rehabilitation protocols for the Chiropractic, Physical Medicine and Physical Therapy Departments for the various clinics.

Dedicated to continually offering the most cutting-edge care, Dr. Johnston consistently trains in new and advanced techniques. Using the most advanced research, Desert Springs offers a dynamic system for assessing and reassessing each patient as an individual. Designing individualized care for each person and their individual needs is our number one priority. Taking time to fully understand each patient’s unique situation has often provided success in complicated cases when medicine, physical therapy, surgery and even other chiropractors have been unable to help.

Dr. Johnston and our staff use Gonstead Chiropractic corrective adjustments, coupled with Titleist Performance Institute (analysis, strength and conditioning) rehab protocols to build an individualized and effective plan of action for our patients. Dr. Johnston employs both hands-on and/or low force mechanical adjusting techniques depending on the individual patients needs and requests.

Dr. J, as he is often called, has significant experience with over 18 years working with injuries to the spinal discs (herniations, bulges, degenerative discs, sciatica, etc.). After injuring his own L5/S1 disc, he developed protocols to help others recover based on his personal experience and success. He often employs Cox Flexion/Distraction (using the Cox 8 table/instrument), decompression, ELDOA and the McKenzie method for disc conditions. Often, we work in combination with primary care physicians, pain management doctors and/or surgeons to achieve the best results for our patients.

Resources:

Dr. Johnston’s webpage

Episode 132 Dr. Casey Johnston – Recurrent Back Pain

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Dr. Njideka Olatunde explains how she uses Reflexology for pain management.

For over 40 years, Dr. Olatunde has been at the forefront of holistic wellness, specializing in medication-free alternatives to pain relief. As a Master Reflexologist and leading expert in the transformative practice of Touchology™ and Reflexology, she has empowered thousands to break free from the cycle of pain, using the power of touch as a first-line approach before treatment.

With a unique blend of time-honored healing traditions and modern wellness strategies, Dr. Olatunde’s work bridges the gap between natural health solutions and conventional medicine. She has trained over 2,500 Reflexology practitioners, mentored countless others, and transformed over 3,000 lives through her holistic pain relief methods.

Pain doesn’t have to control your life, and relief is not only possible—it’s just a touch away. Whether you’re struggling with physical, emotional, or mental pain, Dr. Olatunde is here to guide you on a journey toward healing and empowerment, helping you live a pain-free life.

Resources:

Find a Reflexologist

Dr. Olatunde’s website

The Cox 8 Table by Haven Medical

Dr. Austin McGraw, newly trained in Cox Technic, shares his success in treating a roofer with back and leg pain.

A graduate of Texas Chiropractic College, Dr. McGraw is Cox Technic Certified in treating the lumbar spine.

Resources:

Connect with Dr. McGraw

Find a Back Doctor certified in Cox Technic

The Cox 8 Table by Haven Medical

Spine specialist, Dr. John Murray shares a story of a patient who had a multi-level spinal fusion and then had another surgery to remove all the hardware from his spine.

Dr. John Murray

Located in Clinton, NJ, Dr. John G. Murray Jr. is a board-certified Chiropractor providing affordable, high-quality care since 1980. Dr. Murray serves Hunterdon and Warren counties as well as the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

His vision is to promote health and well being through chiropractic adjustments, sound nutrition, specific exercise, and positive attitude. In other words, patients learn to move well, eat well, and think well.

“Empowering our patients to understand that their lifestyle choices make a difference is the greatest thing we can do.”

Dr. Murray utilizes proven chiropractic techniques ranging from full spine adjusting to upper cervical technique as well as extremities. Adjustments are performed by hand or by an arthostim instrument, always utilizing the gentlest force possible.

Resources:

Dr. Murray’s website

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On this episode, Dr. Nameer Haider shares with us various minimally invasive surgical procedures that he utilizes as well as combining these surgeries with neuromodulation and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Nameer R. Haider MD,FAAPM&R,DABPM

For more than twenty years, Dr. Nameer R. Haider has built his career around a simple but profound belief: people living with chronic pain deserve more than temporary relief — they deserve their lives back. That belief has carried him from medical school in Pakistan to operating rooms and innovation labs across the United States, shaping him into one of the most respected voices in spinal and skeletal pain treatment.

Dr. Haider’s journey began at King Edward Medical University, where he graduated with honors before moving to the United States to pursue surgical training. Those early years — a surgical internship in North Carolina, a demanding residency in New York, and a chief residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine exposed him to patients whose lives had been narrowed by pain. Many had tried everything. Many had been told to “learn to live with it.” He refused to accept that. 

He went on to complete a fellowship in interventional pain management, immersing himself in the emerging science of minimally invasive techniques.  Over time, he became known not just for his technical skill, but for his willingness to sit with patients who felt forgotten by the system — people who had spent years searching for answers that never came.

Today, Dr. Haider is triple-board-certified and serves in leadership roles across several respected institutions, including as chairman of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Faxton–St. Luke’s Healthcare and fellowship training director at the Minimally Invasive Pain Institute. But titles alone don’t capture the heart of his work.

What sets him apart is the way he bridges disciplines — surgery, rehabilitation, neuromodulation, and pain medicine — to create solutions for people who have run out of options. His patients often arrive exhausted, discouraged, and skeptical. They leave
with something they haven’t felt in years: possibility. 

As Chief Innovation Officer at SynerFuse, Dr. Haider is helping to redefine what’s possible for chronic lower-back-pain treatment. His work focuses on a patent-protected approach that combines spinal fusion with direct nerve stimulation — a method designed to address the very limitations that have kept so many patients trapped in cycles of failed surgeries and recurring pain. It’s a convergence of rigorous science and deep empathy, shaped by decades of listening to people who felt unseen. 

Colleagues describe him as a surgeon who never stops asking, “What else can we do?”  Patients describe him as someone who finally understood what they were going through. And in a healthcare landscape where chronic pain is often treated as an
afterthought, Dr. Haider has become a voice pushing the field forward — insisting that innovation must be measured not just in technology, but in the lives it restores. 

For individuals who have tried every conservative therapy, every injection, every medication, and still find themselves stuck, Dr. Haider represents something rare: a clinician-innovator who sees both the barriers in the system and the human beings behind them. His work continues to shape a future where chronic pain is not a life sentence, but a challenge medicine is finally prepared to meet.

Resources:

Dr. Nameer’s website

Show sponsor:

The Cox Table by Haven Medical

Dr. Andrew Serlin shares his experience treating a patient with degenerative disc disease and stenosis that is so prevalent in today’s aging population.

Andrew B. Serlin, DC/LMT/JD
DC Instructor and Clinician – NUHS Whole Health Center, Lombard

After practicing chiropractic medicine for 13 years, Dr. Serlin started working at the NUHS Whole Health Center as a floating clinician in 2018, and as a full-time attending clinician since 2019. He also serves as a faculty advisor for the NUHS Tai Chi & Qi Gong student club.  

Before becoming a chiropractic physician, he worked as an attorney in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office from 1990 to 1997 and operated a law office in the Pilsen neighborhood from 1997 to 2000. He also became a Chair-Qualified Arbitrator for the Cook County Mandatory Arbitration program in 1997 and continues to arbitrate in that program today.  

He earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from National University of Health Sciences, his Juris Doctor from University of Illinois Law School in Champaign and his bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also licensed in acupuncture and graduated valedictorian of the NUHS Massage Therapy program in 2021.  

Outside of NUHS, Dr. Serlin volunteers with the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) since 2000 in the roles of Coach, Intermediate Referee, Coach Instructor, Safety Director, Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate and member of the Deerfield AYSO Region #1007 Board of Directors. He has also practiced Martial Arts since 1983 (Shorin-Ryu Karate, Kung Fu and Tai Chi). He currently teaches Tai Chi/QiGong at the Presbyterian Homes in Lake Forest in a skilled nursing setting and a memory care unit and at the Levy Senior Center in Evanston.  

These roles have allowed Dr. Serlin the opportunity to teach in some capacity the ages of 3-106. “I enjoy the opportunity to teach and share information with many different groups of people. I enjoy learning about life from the perspective that they share with me,” he said. “I find much gratification in sharing my knowledge and life experiences in return. It has been my observation that the more I teach my students, the more I learn and grow myself.”  

Education: DC Instructor and Clinician – NUHS Whole Health Center, Lombard
BA, University of Wisconsin, 1986
JD, University of Illinois – College of Law, 1989
DC, National University of Health Sciences, 2005   Resources:

aserlin@nuhs.edu

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Spine specialist, Dr. Adam Propper shares his professional experience using Cox® Technic and advocates for more students, doctors, and patients to learn more about its effectiveness.

Dr. Adam Propper, D.C., C.C.S.P.

When I was 8 years old, I suffered a severe head and neck trauma. Shortly after came my migraine headaches. My doctors had no answers for my problem and I suffered many years with these debilitating headaches.

Fortunately, one of my college classmates invited me to her office and I became a chiropractic patient. She told me how my problem came from nerve pressure in my spine. I had no idea what chiropractic was, but her explanation made so much sense to me.  None of my doctors told me I could be helped.  Not only did my headaches get resolved, my overall health and immunity improved. Chiropractic worked! It saved my life and stopped my suffering. From that point on I was dedicated to becoming a chiropractor and helping others the way I was helped.

Today my practice is filled with people who come to us with all sorts of problems. My patients want to stop taking medications for pain; they want a clear concise diagnosis and treatment plan; they don’t want to spend hours waiting or being treated in a doctor’s office. And most of all, My patients want and get results!.

I love chiropractic and the simplicity of how chiropractic works. It can change a person’s life.

I have personally trained with Dr. James Cox, D.C. DACBR, and some of the top chiropractors in the world. They taught me how to be a healer: First: It’s about listening to people carefully. Second: It’s about applying the Philosophy, Art, and Science of chiropractic correctly. That’s our purpose. My staff and  I would be honored to have the opportunity to help you and your family.

Resources:

The Healer’s Hands on Amazon

Dr. Propper’s website

The Cox 8 Table by Haven Medical

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Episode 80 Dr. Adam Propper – Cox® Technic for Severe Neck Pain

Dr. James Kirk of Odessa, Texas specializes in treating the most difficult spine related conditions and shares the story of a gentleman facing spine surgery with a synovial cyst causing foot drop.

Dr. J W Kirk is the owner and CEO of Clark Chiropractic Clinic, P.C. He was born in Odessa, he graduated from Parker College of Chiropractic in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Human Anatomy and a Doctorate in Chiropractic. His undergraduate studies were at North Harris County College and Texas Tech University. He has been a Rotarian since 1992 and serves on their board. He is a board member of the Odessa Fire Fighters Pension Fund. He is an Elder at Odessa Bible Church. He is a Certified Cox flexion/distraction practitioner. He and each doctor practice with a ‘Low Force’ technique called Directional Non-force Technique or DNFT. 

Dr. Kirk’s website

1-432-337-5553

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The Cox 8 Table made by Haven Medical