Success Stories

My daughter has been seeing Dr. Cayer since November 1^st 2004 for ADHD.  I finally had the nerve to try and take her off her medication to see how she would now do without it.  It has been 5 weeks (since Nov 7^th 2005) and her teachers have seen no downward changes in her behavior or studies since she has been off the medication.  I truly believe that her adjustments and occasional treatments in the Meditation Station are responsible for her improved physical and mental health.  I cannot thank Dr. Cayer enough for the changes he has made in my daughter.  

  – Jill J.

My chiropractic adjustments are the highlight of my week. Not only do I feel great physically, but also I always leave with a smile thanks to the fantastic staff. It’s one of the best choices I’ve ever made!

—Jen P.

My overall health and emotional state has never been better. I sleep better than I have in years, and more importantly feel even better first thing in the morning than I have in a long time.

—Nan P.

The Scarborough Chiropractic Family is just that - a family. They all take great care of you. My back is the best it has been in ten years!!

—Pam F.

Dr. Cayer and his staff have succeeded in helping me to overcome my skepticism of chiropractors. I noticed an immediate improvement in my lower back and I have had continued results every week. I have almost forgotten what lower back pain feels like. Thanks to Dr. Cayer and his outstanding staff!!

—Jim L.

Since I’ve been getting adjusted I have not gotten one ear infection. I hardly ever get a cold; in fact, my Mom can’t remember the last time I got one!!

—Bridget E.

At the age of 7, our son Thomas received his first adjustment with Dr. Cayer, mostly because more conventional efforts were not giving us the results we were looking for. You see, Thomas has been diagnosed with a very low IQ and “mentions” of mental retardation and autism. Thomas has continually been approximately 2 years behind his peers in speech and motor skills. He was born with a clubbed foot and renal blockage, and by the age of 2 had undergone three major surgeries.

In addition, Thomas was extremely susceptible to ear infections, colds, flu, and highly allergic to poison ivy. In fact, steroids seemed to be the only way to make him well, and these were being prescribed by our physician, more and more frequently. I started reading about the successes of preventing ear infections in children through chiropractors, and Kevin was a patient of Dr. Cayer’s. Also, Thomas had some prevalent sensory issues, which were interfering with his ability to learn and focus in school as well as participating in family activities such as going to new places, crowded places, and the like. Through my research, I started to realize that our entire nervous system was attached to the spine and it only made sense that if the spine was properly aligned and taken care of, then perhaps Thomas’s own nervous system would start to process information correctly.

Kevin and I told Dr. Cayer that we would be happy if we could avoid ear infections in Thomas throughout the winter months. Secretly, we prayed that some of Thomas’s fears would disappear which would allow him to learn at a normal rate. We got so much more!!! In fact, there were dramatic changes right from the very first visit. In blissful disbelief that these simple adjustments could transform our son into a happy and healthy child, I kept a log. Here’s what we found….

In the car on the way home following the first adjustment, Thomas was able to keep up with the fast pace and sing Jingle Bells with a tape. In other words, aligning his spine gave him greater breath support and the ability to make great gains with his speech. By his third adjustment, Thomas was very giggly and ran more smoothly with no rolling in his foot. His overall coordination improved in body motion and speed. He was able to play street hockey with Daddy for over an hour that day.

At the fourth visit, Tom had developed a terrible cold and had been pretty down and out for most of the prior day. Following his adjustment, he took a long nap. He woke with only minor signs of the cold and little to no cough. Thomas started sleeping better through the night, his temper tantrums became less frequent, and the nervous biting of his lips (which resulted in chapped and bleeding lips) disappeared.

Kevin and I were not the only ones to see a marked improvement, however. By month’s end, Tom’s teacher reported that he was cuddly, easier to keep on task and focused, more “chatty” with classmates, as well as more willing to play and initiate play with his peers. His speech therapist used words like “amazing” and “incredible” when describing Thomas’s progress. His fine motor skills improved to the point where he actually enjoyed writing with his occupational therapist. His fears of height and new situations were rapidly disappearing, and Thomas was more willing to try new things in physical therapy sessions as well.

We continued happily visiting Dr. Cayer throughout the past year. Cold symptoms would disappear the day after an adjustment; he had no ear infections, and experienced only a few dots of poison ivy in the spring - quickly and easily taken care of with Aveeno cream. Many sensory issues were not as prevalent, and our family began enjoying day and weekend trips once again. In addition, Thomas was now able to attend and enjoy school assemblies, concerts, and productions. While resizing Thomas for orthotics inserts this summer, his orthopedic physical therapist noted Tom’s hips were perfectly aligned (the year before there was an ½” difference). In fact, he measured twice before I told him the result was through chiropractic.

Perhaps one of the best results is that Thomas now reads at his own age level and his math skills are just a bit behind. He comprehends, he predicts, and he has wonderful intonation when he reads (three things we were told he may never be able to do). At a recent parent/teacher conference, we were told that Thomas would be a productive and participatory part of society - a prediction on one dared to make prior. Our son may always have some challenge in his life, but we now know that chiropractic visits on a regular basis will keep him functioning at his full potential, which is just what every parent prays for.

How does on thank a person who has made such a wonderful contribution to our lives? No words can express our appreciation of this kind, gentle-natured man we all know and love as Dr. Stuart Cayer. We sincerely and heart fully submit this testimony in the hopes that another child may experience what Thomas has.

—Tommy L.

Yesterday, February 11 th, upon arriving at your office for my scheduled spinal adjustment, I was told by Cindy that I am now a member of your group’s “Wellness Club” - what a pleasant surprise! Also, I was given a gift bag containing the book “Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul” along with a t-shirt, and valuable coupons. I realized later in the day, after going to my husband’s primary care physician’s appointment with him, and comparing that visit, with my visit to your office earlier in the day, that Scarborough Family Chiropractic offers more than just a typical service to their patients. I have been a patient of yours for approximately 4 years now and every visit to your office has been a pleasure from a physical and mental standpoint. When I first started being a patient, April was always at the front desk, and she always had a warm smile and a friendly hello for me. Your approach to healing is knowledgeable, gentle, and approachable. As you added staff (Nathalie and Cindy) the same degree of friendliness, warmness, confidentiality, and knowledge has been continued. The caring and concern, shown to me during my husband’s recent illness has been one more example of the total patient wellness approach you practice. A visit to your office is uplifting - even on a day when it may be dark and dreary, and I may be suffering from a headache, I always feel like I could skip down the sidewalk after leaving your office!

The physical benefits of chiropractic treatment, for me, have been tremendous. I have been a migraine headache sufferer for approximately 30 years, and have visited physicians in Michigan and Maine for this condition. I had found temporary relief from some of the medications prescribed by these physicians, but still endured headaches at least 5 days out of 7 of the week. I was at the point where I was resigned to the fact that I had chronic migraines, and that I would have to learn to live with the pain. I was having a particularly painful spell of headaches, and mentioned this one day to one of my former co-workers. He told me his story of “relief” by chiropractic treatments he was undergoing, and gave me your name. I called to make an appointment, and was pleasantly pleased and surprised to find that I could make an appointment for the same day. From the first appointment, I started to have a decrease in the amount of headaches I was experiencing, and it’s quite unusual for me now to have a migraine headache at all. I always know that if I do have a migraine, I can find relief by going for a chiropractic adjustment. This method of treatment has helped me significantly more than any of the many migraine medications I have taken over the years! Freedom from this pain changes my whole outlook on life - I am a total believer in chiropractic treatment. Thank you!

—Sarah W.

I'll be the first to admit, this is a pretty strange story…Actually, now that I think about it, my life for the past month has been a crash course in strange. It all started on Mothers Day. I just got some new daily-wear contact lenses that were going to be the end of my four-eyed geek dome, finally. They were so comfortable that I thought it was no big deal to take a nap with them in. A few hours later I woke up with a strange sensation in my left eye-not a black hole or blurred vision or anything like that. I called the Optometrist the next day and explained, I have something weird going on with my eye. It wasn't until I saw her the next day that I discovered I actually had no vision in my left eye-as in I couldn't even see the eye chart, or any number of fingers, or a hand for that matter. That was scary. My Dad who is in his 70ies now, has had bouts with blindness due to adult on-set diabetes. I wanted to rule out any possibility of a genetic disorder, so I called his Ophthalmologist at the Maine Eye Care Center (a top-notch facility by the way) and explained the situation. They insisted that I come in immediately. It was 10 AM; an ophthalmologist saw me at noon. I was diagnosed with Optic Neuritis, described to me as an inflammation of the Optic Nerve. I was also scheduled to see a neurologist and to have an MRI brain scan the next morning because "something" (as in a brain tumor) could be pressing on the optic nerve. Now this was really getting scary. So one Optometrist, one Othamologist, one MRI, and one Neurologist, later, the diagnosis was Idiopathic Optic Neuritis. Also know as "we really don't know what the heck happened to your eye but it should get better".

Huh? I was dazed ….Well, lucky for me (NOT) two weeks later on Memorial Day I was able to completely get my mind off my eye problem. I woke up in the middle of the night in some serious pain. After progressing through the several stages of denial that it's something serious (i.e., must be food poisoning, hours of dry heaves, pain that won't quit, praying for relief), I headed to the emergency room at Mercy Hospital. Right from the start the questions were… where's it hurt? Upper right quadrant. How many pregnancies have you had? Two. Ever been on oral contraceptives (you know that ten page book of precautions that you toss out every month-you might want to read that sometime)? Yes. Anyone in your family ever have gall bladder problems? Yes. Okay…we're pretty sure it's your gall bladder and that it needs to come out.

As my nine-year-old son would say, "WHAT THE HECK"! So now I was really looking for answers. What is going on with me and is there a connection between the eye and the gall bladder? I generally don't get sick. Before this all came on I was actually feeling pretty healthy eating right, running regularly (training for the Marine Corps Marathon in October, actually). The following week I had follow up appointments with the Ophthalmologist, Neurologist, the Surgeon, and now it was time to check in with alternative medicine gurus. Tests, tests, and more tests, - still no answers. Plenty of funky theories (i.e. food allergies, mold allergies, "psychosomatic symbolism for something I refuse to see in my life"), but no answers. So, I instituted the behavior modification and diet changes that were recommended (i.e. Omega 3 until the cows come home, immune system boosters, no wheat, no gluten, no onions, no rice, no chicken [basically, no actually enjoyable foods]). NO RESULTS! I was getting kind of cranky.

Then, on June 18 th I had my regularly scheduled chiropractic appointment. Actually, this was a re-schedule appointment because of my recent surgery. I explained to Stuart what was going on and he moved my neck around and discovered what he called "a pretty significant blockage in the range of motion in my upper neck and base of my skull". He explained that this area is known to affect vision. He asked my permission to make the adjustment because of my "history". Yes, I too had a past chiropractic nightmare that involved passing out, the sound of a train in my head (like in the movies), and waking up on the floor of the chiropractor's office drenched in sweat. It took me ten years of serious back and neck pain before I happened upon Stuart at Lifestyles Gym. He and April were offering free chiropractic assessments and, as luck would have it, my neck was killing me. The only reason I considered another "chiropractic experience" is because he assured me that he would not attempt to adjust me until he thoroughly evaluated what was going on and explained to me what he would be doing. Still, I was VERY reluctant. However, I was also in a lot of pain. Plus, there was something about he and April- I trusted them.

I can honestly say this decision improved my overall health more so than any other health care decision I have made in my life. I had been in three "totaled car" accidents over a twenty-year period (never as driver). Broke my leg skiing at seven, got run over by a horse at nine and broke my arm, broke my collarbone skate boarding at 15 (must be bad karma from a past life-at least that's what I tell myself). Talk about accumulated injuries and add two pregnancies, I was a mess. With Stuart's help, over a relatively short period, I was free of pain. With regular adjustments, I was actually gaining mobility I hadn't seen in years. At age 39 I was training for a marathon. I can honestly say that would have never been possible without Stuart.

So anyway, I said "yeah go ahead what have I got to lose" to the adjustment. I have to tell you that was the mother of all adjustments. I actually felt an immediate rush in my head. When I got up, as had become my custom, I started looking around with my good eye shut to check for progress. I said, "Oh my god I can read your bulletin board". And I really could! I once was blind and now I could see….I could read that bulletin board! And that's the truth. Then I remembered what the ophthalmologist said to me weeks before, it's like something is pressing on the optic nerve. Not a brain tumor, but my own skeletal structure out of alignment perhaps -it's not so far fetched really. The sight in my left eye is not perfect yet, but it's definitely getting there. It really was Amazing Grace (and Stuart).

—Kathy M.

It began at the end of January 2003. I was asked by my sister to go to Curves with her, as she had been going for a little bit of time and she thought it would be “more fun with a friend.” So, she asked me to go. Given my very busy schedule with full-time work, two children, a husband, a dog, a cat and just “life,” I told her I’d have to think about it. I went home and literally cried to my husband about not being able to fit just one more thing in my life, say nothing of going to work out ~ given my weight and my “unwellness.” But, how do you say “no” to your older sister. So, out of guilt and respect, I said the proverbial “yes.” And….what a difference it has made.

When I began this journey, it was truly to benefit and appease my sister. I went to Curves with her one very cold, bitter and snowy January morning just to suffice her - and it was going to be just one time! What a juxtaposition that was! I use the word journey, because after just one visit to Curves, I experienced a different kind of “workout.” I initially began thinking that I could indeed “fit in” three thirty-minute “workouts” a week. My mind set was purely just fitting it in - not making it a routine, but, again, supporting my sister and maybe losing a few pounds.

I heard the word wellness a lot while at Curves. When I think of wellness, I used to think it was losing weight, being a certain size, looking a certain way and being thin. I have had more revelations during the past year that have literally changed my life - and most definitely have saved my life. What began as a very private experience for me has become a very public experience. After a few visits to Curves, a group of gals were visiting, from a chiropractic practice in town, which was there to do “free assessments.” Knowing I had had some back issues in the past, I thought I’d visit them and see what they had to say. I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Again, it was, in my mind, a one time visit, nothing more that I had to fit into my busy life.

 Scarborough Family Chiropractic followed up with me and provided the results of my assessment and, come to find out, I could benefit from a few visits with Dr. Stuart Cayer. I, once again, thought ‘ how am I ever going to fit another set of dynamics into my life?’ But, hearing the benefits of seeing Dr. Cayer, I found a way to fit it in.

This whole wellness word started to unfold. The support, energy and genuineness at Curves and from Scarborough Family Chiropractic took on a whole new meaning to me. I began to see that with a support group who is truly there to help you, and genuinely cares about your progress (no matter how small or big) was unfolding right before my eyes, and I could see that it is just what I needed to continue to become well. In my mind, wellness is so much more that being a certain size, looking a certain way or losing weight. It involves a wellness inside and outside of one’s body ~ a wellness of one’s physical being, emotional being, spiritual being and most of all an overall feeling of being healthy.

My journey became “public.” I was working out at Curves, seeing Dr. Cayer regularly and making progress. I was indeed losing weight, fitting into different sizes, but more importantly, I was feeling better from the entire regimen that had become so routine to me now. I was now of the mind set of how could I not fit in Curves or my visits with Dr. Cayer? It was now my routine, given how much better I was feeling - inside and out.

I have drawn energy and support from the “staff” at Dr. Cayer’s office. I certainly use that word in its most primitive definition. They are all a support group, a group of people who smile when you walk in; provide positive energy, encouragement ad enthusiasm that I have never experienced with another doctor’s office. I know that for me to go to Curves or to Dr. Cayer’s office, the effort and desire had to come from inside of me, but how can anyone lose, if one has the support and encouragement is effortless and so real from Nathalie, Cindy, April, Lisa and Dr. Cayer! It is just a natural disposition of each of them that has drawn me to openly share my successes with each of them. They have become so much more than a staff at a doctor’s office. And without the support and encouragement, I wouldn’t have the same wellness that I have today - and will continue to have.

I have a goal in mind and I know I will reach that goal - no it isn’t a certain weight or size - it is a definitive sense of wellness and health that I continue to strive for and will attain, with the assistance and support of Scarborough Family Chiropractic. My disposition and confidence is different. It is all because of one very cold, bitter and snowy January morning, just to appease my sister that this journey began. I am more full of life than I have ever been and I feel that instead of keeping my journey private, by sharing my story publicly with others, I can maybe make a small difference in someone else’s life.

I come to Scarborough Family Chiropractic regularly. It is more than a building to me now - it is a place to celebrate everything. Whether it is that I have indeed lost a few more pounds, that my back and posture is better, that my children have had something important happen in their lives, or that my husband made dinner, they want to hear about me. The vested interest that they show is real and it is amazing! It is comforting and necessary. I needed Curves to boost my start, I have needed Scarborough Family Chiropractic to continue my wellness journey and I have needed to share and celebrate along the way.

It is no longer just fitting it into my life. It has become as routine as brushing my teeth or having dinner with my family, that I see Dr. Cayer. My routine has branched out and now involves other places of support too, to assist me in my journey of wellness. The involvement of Lisa Bowie has also attributed to my sense of wellness. Without routine visits to her, I know I wouldn’t sit as straight as I do now (to allow more air in my lungs) nor would I be as relaxed as I am today - the emotional and spiritual wellness is just as important as the physical wellness. Scarborough Family Chiropractic provides it all! Thank you to everyone at SFC, from the bottom of my much healthier heart!

—Nancy P.