Dr. Mark Losagio, owner of Losagio Chiropractic Center, in Bethlehem, wanted to be a doctor since he was a little boy. He always imagined he would be a medical doctor, but found himself on a different path after witnessing some events in his parents’ lives.

It began with his father, who had a bad back. His dad would take Dr. Losagio along with him to his chiropractic appointments, and Dr. Losagio was fascinated. The real change, however, came when his mother was experiencing symptoms of fatigue and buzzing and ringing in her ears. She went to five medical doctors—each of whom gave her multiple prescriptions—but none found the cause of her symptoms. She visited two ear, nose and throat physicians, including one who told her nothing was wrong, but he would operate anyway.

“Instead, my mother went to a chiropractor,” explains Dr. Losagio. “Before she even had an X-ray, the doctor told her she had TMJ. After a series of adjustments, everything went away.”

Dr. Losagio says although his mother was hesitant to believe a chiropractor could help her at first, she then recalled that as a child, her mother (his grandmother) took her and her siblings to the chiropractor when they were sick—not a medical doctor—to increase her immunity. As a result, they got better quicker. Which, he says, makes perfect sense as chiropractic care helps millions on their pathway to wellness with its natural, drug-free approach to healthcare. The basic concept of chiropractic is that illness stems from underlying subluxations, or spinal bones that are slightly out of place. These are thought to affect the nerve bundles as they branch off the spinal cord. Therefore, chiropractors do not treat illness directly, but rather seek to correct the spine-related cause.

Determined to help people find the root cause of their ailments, Dr. Losagio received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University School of Chiropractic, in Marietta, Georgia, where he graduated cum laude with honors at the top 10 percent of his class. He went on to further his education and obtain a post-Board Certification in Chiropractic Neurology from Los Angeles Chiropractic College. “It was important to me to have advanced credentials in my field and go that extra mile to learn more,” he explains.

After graduating, Dr. Losagio immediately opened a private practice. From the start, he has treated patients from infants to senior citizens, as well as the most difficult cases such as post-surgery, spinal fusions, neck fusions, chronic and difficult cases, multiple sclerosis patients, Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia, autism, headaches, migraines and neuropathy.

He says that often, when a patient has a problem, it is something that has been going on for decades, but the person just didn’t feel it. “It’s happened over the years and that’s why we look at the spine. We can detect and correct subluxations. We find and treat the cause.”

In 1994, after making his way back to the Lehigh Valley, he opened Losagio Chiropractic Center. Here, he designs a custom care plan for each of his patients, based on the results of a comprehensive examination and X-rays. “I became of doctor of chiropractic to help people. I take a systematic approach that does not include trying to cause their condition or its cause, thus a thorough exam is necessary.”

He offers a digital motion X-ray, the only medical imaging modality that visualizes the human body while in motion. “If most of what we do during our daily activities requires some type of movement and when a person is in pain, remaining still is the best position to alleviate discomfort, why do we keep asking patients to remain still when we perform imaging?” He says it only makes sense to put them in motion to see how joints are moving.

Dr. Losagio adds that his treatment plans are designed to reduce pain and bring about maximum recovery. They include tools such as manual adjustments, ProAdjuster, cold laser, decompression and others.

He adds that a large part of his practice is dedicated to educating patients about the benefits of chiropractic care. He hosts free “dinner talks” for patients and their guests designed to provide insight into symptoms and how chiropractic can help—without drugs or risky surgery. “Drugs only temporarily cover up the pain, while the real source of the problem continues to worsen if they don’t get the proper treatment,” he says. “We help them to understand the alternatives. Safe and gentle adjustments or corrective alignments might be all they need to finally relieve the pain and get back to a fully active life.”

After 26 years of practice, Dr. Losagio says making a difference in patients’ lives is what keeps him passionate about his profession. “People are tired of medication, especially when it doesn’t produce results. I enjoy helping them find answers and ultimately find relief.”

Losagio Chiropractic Center is located at 1220 Illicks Mill Rd., in Bethlehem. For more information, call 610-865-8155 or visit ChiropracticBethlehem.com.