INNOVATIVE CARE: Jameson instills range of experiences in chiropractic practice

July 2, 2024

INNOVATIVE CARE: Jameson instills range of experiences in chiropractic practice

[This story appears in the summer 2024 edition of the Northwest Alumni Magazine. View the print version of the magazine in its entirety by clicking here.]

Dr. Samuel Jameson '98, '02, has always had a desire to help others. Yet, the path he took to his career in chiropractic care has been anything but direct. Today, he calls it "the most difficult job I've ever loved."

In January, he opened Jameson Chiro Plus, in Columbia, Tennessee, the latest step in a chiropractic career he began 15 years ago.

Combining chiropractic precision and fundamentals of kinesiology with biological medicine and advanced neuro-immunology, Jameson concentrates on treating patients with chronic immune dysfunctions and complex health issues, in addition to enhancing athletic performance and well-being. His commitment to integrating varied healthcare methodologies has positioned him to assist patients facing multifaceted health challenges - and as a leader in his field.

After starting on a path toward becoming a physical therapist, Jameson - a native of Chillicothe, Missouri - transferred to Northwest in the fall of 1994 and eventually completed a bachelor's degree in physical education and health. He began his career as a physical education teacher and coach - and added a master's degree at Northwest - but still felt the pull of his potential in the healthcare field.

Dissatisfied with teaching, Jameson had become interested in chiropractic care, particularly its applications to muscle testing and kinesiology. His wife, Haley Hoss Jameson - whom he met while she was an assistant professor of dance at Northwest from 1999 to 2002 - suggested he spend time shadowing a local chiropractor. That experience motivated him to enroll at Cleveland Chiropractic in Kansas City, from which he graduated in 2008.

Jameson soon opened his first practice in Lawson, Missouri, and stayed there until 2015 when his family relocated to Nacogdoches, Texas, where Haley had joined the faculty at Stephen F. Austin State University. Jameson also served on the faculty in its Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and taught consumer health, core concepts of health and foundations of kinesiology.

In 2018, though, Jameson received a call from a friend in Kansas City inquiring about his interest in speaking with Dr. David Jernigan, a leading innovator of precision bioenergetic testing and treatment technologies. Jernigan was seeking a doctor with Jameson's skill set in Chiropractic Plus Kinesiology, or CPK, a treatment technique that incorporates kinesiology - human movement and function - as well as functional medicine and neuroendocrinology to assist patients with chronic conditions.

"It's a unique way to test the body and use that to determine how we're going to work synergistically with the body to help it heal," Jameson said. "It's going back to the basic chiropractic premise that the body knows how to heal, and if you can remove enough stress to the body that the body can heal itself."

Before opening his newest practice this year, Jameson had spent the last six years working with Jernigan, first in Wichita, Kansas, and then in Franklin, Tennessee, at an advanced alternative healthcare center for chronic illness. There he learned how to apply biological medicine, homeopathy and herbal medicine in his treatments.

"If it's got an acronym, I've probably treated a patient with it," Jameson said. "But really what we're attempting to do is to optimize the body."

Jameson's patients, most frequently, are affected by Lyme disease. He also has treated people with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS). He's treated patients with fibromyalgia, postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).

Often, Jameson's patients have tried traditional medical treatments without success, and he takes pride in applying innovative techniques to relieve pain where other doctors could not.

"A lot of times we're kind of their last hope, but we have really good success treating the patients," he said. "It takes time; it's not a quick fix, but it's extremely rewarding when the patients start seeing the light and they see things improving. They're able to start thinking better; their pain is reduced."