After growing up in Barbados, Dr. Una Forde, DC, moved to the United States to go to school for pediatric medicine. “I started out in pre-med.” Forde says. “But then I was introduced to alternative medicine, took a few classes in herbology and homeopathy and I was really interested in it.” Forde transferred to Northwestern Health Sciences University, in Bloomington, and finished her degree as a chiropractor. She felt that chiropractic medicine would bridge her traditional medical education with her new, alternative focus.

Today Forde owns Golden Sun Chiropractic, an alternative wellness clinic in St. Louis Park. She chose the name Golden Sun as a reminder of her upbringing in Barbados and as a symbol for the relationship between the healing power of the sun and the healing nature of her work. “I was reading a book that spoke about meditating on a golden sun and I thought it was a really cool way to represent what I was doing,” Forde says. “I love to work with my hands and help the body heal itself holistically.”

Golden Sun offers several chiropractic treatment techniques, including traditional chiropractic or hands-on adjustments, sacral-occipital technique (wedges strategically placed underneath the body to improve alignment) and cranial adjustments, which work on the bones in the skull to improve cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) flow. “The nervous system and the brain, which get their proper nutrition from cerebral spinal fluid, control everything that functions in the body, such as muscles, joints and organs,” Forde explains. “If the nervous system is in balance then the entire body functions better.”

Golden Sun also provides acupuncture, massage, trigger-point therapy, applied kinesiology and nutrition counseling. Forde uses multiple therapies to remove any barriers to her patients’ inner healing ability. “When you give the body proper care, it can heal itself from a number of ailments,” she says.

Forde considers Golden Sun a family practice and treats people of all ages and lifestyles. “I like to see a variety of people with a variety of complaints,” she says, from newborns and infants who have trouble sleeping due to a birth trauma, to seniors who have arthritic problems and want to improve their mobility. She also sees patients who have experienced car accidents and work injuries and those who suffer from allergies, food sensitivities, behavioral problems and hormone-related conditions.

Besides those with acute and chronic health issues, Forde also sees patients aiming to prevent the onset of sickness or injury. “I have patients who are proactive with their health; they exercise regularly and want to come in to prevent problems,” she says. “They see the benefit of being in alignment and see me regularly so they can keep exercising and doing the things that they like to do in order to stay healthy.”

Such patients are encouraging to Forde. Since she began practicing chiropractic in 1991, she has seen the growing acceptance of alternative and chiropractic medicine. “I respect and recognize the importance of surgery and medications when they are necessary, but it is becoming more well-known that first starting with a conservative, preventative treatment like chiropractic or physical therapy is better in the long run,” she says. “It needs to be this way because it’s a valuable tool, fairly inexpensive, non-invasive and has helped hundreds of thousands of people become healthier overall.”

As a way of giving back to the community, Golden Sun is offering a 2014 special on initial exams to raise money for non-profit organization Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The goal is to raise $4,000, and Forde is donating new patients’ exam fees to the organization. “I want to change the world one person at a time,” Forde says. “People who feel better are usually happier, and happy people can change society in the long run.”

Forde’s encourages her patients is to honor their inner healers. “Try to find ways to assist the healer within and take care of your body, whether through chiropractic or other alternative modalities,” she says. “In the 22 years I’ve been in practice, I’ve enjoyed working with people and helping them get in balance, back to health. It’s been a great run, a true joy.”

Golden Sun Chiropractic is located at 6009 Wayzata Blvd., Ste. 106, St. Louis Park. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 952-922-1478 or visit GoldenSunChiro.com.

Michelle Hamburger is a freelance writer and can be reached at [email protected].