Dr. Chris Motley DC

I am grateful and thankful to experience, study, and practice healthcare as my chosen field for life. I particularly enjoy practicing it from a Chinese Medicine viewpoint. The art, science, and integration of both eastern and western medicine has been a foundation in my health studies. To say that one form of medicine is better than the other can only create tension and disharmony. Unity of ideas and knowledge is what I believe brings healing and cures. In Chinese Medicine, sickness comes from tension, disharmony, or imbalance. Alignment, ease, and detachment within the body create a space for healing. When all forms of healthcare can fall into alignment, in their proper place, the greatest healing for a patient can occur. A practitioner that believes that they have all the answers to one persons health could miss different approaches to help a patient heal quicker and faster.

 What makes health special is the connectivity of all the pieces. Understanding that each part creates the whole is the basis of healthcare, and most any philosophy. Any healing technique or practice that views the body as a whole (and works from that angle) is something to be searched for.

Holistic healthcare and chiropractic kept my father from back surgery and my brother from weekly allergy shots. Medications, shots, inhalers, and surgeries were respectfully avoided through the application of these types of healthcare . But that does not mean that those forms of medicine aren’t necessary, they are pieces of the puzzle that are needed at times.

As I grow older in the natural health field, I see the benefit and need for all forms of healthcare. It would be naive of me to say that all conditions could be treated with one art form. That is why I like the term holistic healthcare-all of the parts and body are considered.

I come from a mixed heritage-Asian and Caucasian. My mother, who is Korean/Chinese, once stated that I had distant uncles that were medicine men in the mountains of South Korea. Apparently, I’m this type of healthcare, it is in my blood. 

In Most Asian cultures, herbs, acupuncture, acupressure, Qi, tai-chi, qi gong, and Chinese Medicine techniques are my normal routes of healthcare; they is nothing unusual about it in my opinion. TCM could appear different to most, maybe unusual, but it is the aspect of health care that I choose to work from.

I graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Austin Peay State University in 1997. After undergrad, I attended Logan University in Chesterfield, Missouri and completed my Doctorate in Chiropractic with a specialization in Clinical Kinesiology in 2004. 

I chose to specialize in Clinical Kinesiology, because in my opinion, it covers a wide range of testing techniques. 

Kinesiology can incorporate neurological muscle testing

Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques

Nutritional Therapy

Allergy/Sensitivity Therapy

Functional medicine analysis

I started a practice in a small house in Franklin, TN. Over the last 16, I have seen the practice grow to full capacity. I am thankful to God that this path has fulfilled and taught me so many of life’s hidden lessons. Those lessons can be tough. Not only do you see these lessons in your patients, but also through personal experience.

During my sixth year, full onset of Lyme Infection (which I believe I contracted as a teen) began in 2011. It lasted more than three years, and I almost had to stop practice completely. I experienced a wide range of the symptoms of Lyme, which made me question if I could keep practicing and even help anyone again. However, with the treatments from my colleagues and mentors, I came out of all symptoms and infections. I am forever grateful to them. I thank God that I now understand what people with chronic infections go through. Interesting enough, after my battle with Lyme, more and more people came into the office wanting help with chronic infections. 

Energy moves through us and creates attraction for others who need that same help. I am thankful that I have been able to assist and help those with chronic problems for all my years in practice. 

Another scare happened in December 2017. I had a ruptured ulcer that sent me to ICU and surgery. My surgeon, Dr. Rosen said stress was a big factor, and that I would have died if a few more hours had passed. I created a scenario of constantly saying “yes” and never saying “no”. Always pushing myself had quite an impact on my health. I have recovered fully. However, this event created a positive shift in my mentality. This shift helps me in the treatment of patients. 

I am now more aware of the signs of disease and sickness that are based in the “fight, flight, or freeze” mechanism we put on ourselves in this day and age. Being still, staying present, and slowing down is a major source of comfort and focus in my life and health clinic.

The lessons I learn from my own life and patients continuously teach me that self awareness is the first step to healing. Teaching patients to learn how to feel what they feel and not run from it is the initial phase of the journey. This gives power and strength back into a persons life, and opens the door for resolutions.

I want to help teach individuals to learn more about themselves. When they do this, it brings validation and connection within their bodies, and this leads to healing.