Dr . Zi Liu ( right ) with a member of the Chinese National Olympic team .
When Dr . Hou came to Marietta , Georgia to attend Life U , she found herself not only in a ‘ different world ’ in terms of the different country and culture she was experiencing , but also in terms of the world she came from with traditional Chinese physical therapy as opposed to the vitalistic philosophy of health exhibited at Life U .
“ For me , that was really hard , but I was lucky to have friends . They came from different backgrounds to Life [ U ]. So when we studied neuroanatomy and spinal anatomy , it was difficult for them , but besides language , anatomy knowledge was not a new thing for me . So I could teach them [ anatomy ], and they could teach me the culture and the language , so we could help each other out . Besides that , from a professional way , it was really hard for me to learn the nerve system and the philosophy . In Chiropractic , we have our own philosophy where we believe that the power in our own body can heal everything and help us out of disease . I came from a medical background where we believed in medicines , so at the beginning , it was hard for me .”
Dr . Hou just recently graduated from Life U in June 2021 and has since returned to China to work in the largest national healthcare system in the world , West China Hospital .
“ It ’ s a really huge hospital with approximately 8,000 patient beds ,” noted Hou , “ so I decided to come back and establish Chiropractic as a healthcare discipline . In order to build this system , I have to do the research first . I have to build the credentials to support my training and give myself a voice within the system .”
The research she is doing will take three years to complete , but in the meantime , she will have many opportunities to introduce Chiropractic to the public , staff , doctors , patients and students as long as she works there at conferences .
Dr . Yue Hou (’ 21 ) is shown here ( center ) with Life U Director of Global Initiatives Dr . John Downes ( right ) and his wife Mrs . Ida Downes ( left ).
“ It ’ s much like Dr . Peng Li had spent years to make an impression with the Olympic Committee before getting the opportunity to work with them in 2018 . It ’ s the same for me ; it will take time for me as well , but that is my goal — to develop the chiropractic profession in China .”
For a brand new graduate in such unchartered territories as having to be a pioneer for the chiropractic profession in mainland China , there can be serious pressures and stresses in terms of having to be ‘ perfect ’ in representing the profession amongst the masses of traditional Chinese medical doctors in her place of employment . That ’ s where Dr . Hou is so appreciative of the leadership of Dr . Downes .
“ I feel so lucky to have a mentor like [ Dr . Downes ] to guide me through this process . Even in the U . S ., when doctors encounter complicated cases , they will refer to Dr . Downes , and it ’ s the same for me .”
Costa Rica — Nancy Torres
“ My life changed the day that I encountered Life University 13 years ago ,” says Nancy Torres , Life U ’ s Director of Global Initiatives for Costa Rica . “ My background is in business and public relations , and I was working as a protocol assistant for the President in Costa Rica . I was in a meeting where Life University was present , and I started to realize that the institution brings the support and commitment and what I wanted to bring to my country , which is a change for the healthcare system . I wanted to do something that was important for the country . I came from Greece and was recently moved from there to Costa Rica where I was working for the consulate . When I came here , I wanted to do something meaningful .”
Life University gave Torres the opportunity to work for them , and since then , it has been the best experience that she has ever had . She is very grateful for the results she is seeing and the partnerships that are being created .
“ I think that I ’ m a very lucky person to do something that I really love to do and serve the way that I can in the profession . Through the years , through this partnership that Global Initiatives has started in Costa Rica , we created a program called ‘ Giving and Serving ’, which had different purposes . One of them was to provide chiropractic care to Olympic athletes , so we went to several Olympic Games and supported athletes of high performance . Also , we provided a chiropractic education to two ladies – Drs . Deilyn Solano and Gabriela Alpizar . We chose them because they are leaders ; they have integrity , high values and resilience . My purpose was to create this group of chiropractors , give this possibility to become a chiropractor and come back to Costa Rica and be part of the Chiropractic Association and help to build ties and improve the profession in general .”
Drs . Solano and Alpizar just recently graduated from Life U and have returned to Costa Rica to embark on their careers in Chiropractic and promoting the profession throughout their home country .
“ Now we ’ ve opened up a chiropractic clinic in San Jose where we are actually having a lot of patients ,” said Torres . “ The most important
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