Introduction
I am having great success with children and adults with OCD, dyslexia, autism, Asperger’s, ADHD and PANDAS. As a chiropractic neurologist, I do a very detailed and specific examination to find out if a client has any weaknesses (decreased frequency of neuronal firing) in different regions and pathways of the brain. In my clinical practice, EVERY person labeled with each of these disorders has had quite a large hemisphericity (difference in brain signals when comparing left to right). This could be identified and usually can be improved! After an initial examination in my office, I usually can diagnose the brain weaknesses, all by using non-invasive and even fun approaches. Treatment and homework are different depending on the weak areas. When we fire the neurological pathways, the pathways become stronger and stronger, creating neuroplastic change and improved function. [More...]
Testimonials
4yo Boy with ADHD, SPD and possible autism
About the time our son turned 3, he was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder (SPD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We were overwhelmed with this diagnosis and immediately started taking him to occupational therapy. It was nice to feel supported, but we knew it wasn’t going to be enough. A few months later, it was time to enroll him in preschool. Three weeks at a traditional preschool was enough to see it wasn’t going to work out for our “spirited” son. We promptly enrolled him in a developmental preschool through Riverview School District. Again, it felt good to add to our support team, but it wasn’t going to be enough. We added a pediatric eye doctor into the mix to try and address our son’s apparent vision challenges that were impacting his ability to perform simple tasks like draw or climb on playground equipment. After months of eye-patching and exercises, we weren’t getting anywhere. We tried a more intensive pediatric eye program. And again, we were getting nowhere after months of working hard at it. We were determined to equip him to be successful at learning in a classroom.
Enter Dr. Merry.
We admit it. We were skeptical at first. How in the world—after all we had tried—was this going to help our kid?!
BUT… we are true believers now. The real litmus test was when Dr. Merry went on a much-deserved vacation a couple months into treatment and our son didn’t see her for about 2 weeks. His behavior reverted after about a week and we just weren’t prepared for it. We must have had amnesia about how unpleasant his volatile behavior made daily living. Once he resumed treatment, he was back to his new normal. Sold!
Thanks to Dr. Merry’s treatment (and our dedication to doing his prescribed exercises daily—going to give ourselves some credit here—the homework is a must for success!) our son is no longer looking at a special needs classroom, but a regular kindergarten class next school year, with just a bit of in-classroom assistance. This is HUGE!
Having our son work with Dr. Merry has by far been the best, most impactful thing we’ve done for his development. He’s able to handle transitions with much more control, he’s able to go into new social situations with much less screeching and flipping out (in fact, he now has the confidence to initiate conversations with kids and adults, alike!), and he’s able to sit and follow directions in a classroom. Oh, and there are now zero signs of possible Autism! No medication required.
Mother of 7 yr old with autism
I came to Dr Merry to specifically help my son with speech delays but little did I know that I was in for much more. We started sending our son to a private school with aide to help him with table work and prompt him when he gets spaced out (which was quite often). Since we have been visiting Dr Merry, we have noticed that spacing out has reduced a lot and the aide rarely has to prompt him. After about 8 months of treatment, his aide at school was reduced to part time. Last week the aide reported "I am getting bored since your son is pretty independent" 🙂 The ‘team’ at school just decided this week that my son no longer needs an aide at school!
Every night my husband and I used to set an alarm to get up at 3am to take our son to pee so that we can save ourselves from what comes after bed wetting. We haven't woken up at night for the last 2 months. The bed wetting is GONE 🙂 hurray!
His speech is getting better and most importantly his vocabulary and generalization has increased. He also has shown more empathy and can express himself better. After about 2 months of treatment, he said to my husband for the first time, “I love you, daddy.”
We started OT when my son was 5 to help my son hold a pencil & he was never into drawing or craft. He was not able to draw the letters of the alphabet. Directly after a treatment after 8 months of care, he came home, went straight to the playroom by himself, then drew the whole alphabet! Now he wants to join drawing classes to learn how to draw his favorite “dinosaurs”!
I feel Dr Merry's treatment has been the most important thing that we do for the health of our son. We have been seeing her for about 11 months now and we have seen phenomenal changes in our son since.
I love Dr Merry's passion & energy. She always greets us with a big and warm smile. She truly wants the best and she affirms that as part of my son's treatment. She celebrates every accomplishment with true joy. She is always willing to listen and is very flexible and accommodating with our needs. She is always updating herself with new information and I learn something new at every visit 🙂 I am so grateful to have found her.
15 year old girl with PANDAS
Our teenage daughter was diagnosed with PANDAS* at age 9. Extreme levels of OCD, indecision and other symptoms associated with PANDAS were daily issues. Dr. Merry’s neurological assessment diagnosed a severe left brain deficit. Her assessment explained the intense light and sound sensitivity common to PANDAS as well as the reasons for the OCD, inability to deal with uncertainty and physical symptoms. Dr. Merry’s assessment was comprehensive and tied to brain function or lack of function. Dr. Merry’s treatment includes neurological exercises and chiropractic adjustments to strengthen the left brain and build neurological stability. Our daughter saw immediate results in her sensitivity to light and sound. After the first treatment, OCD was gone for a few hours! After 6 weeks of treatment, OCD was gone for 4-5 days and our daughter feels “safe” at school for the first time. After 3 months of treatment, OCD is gone for 7 days and she is better able to focus, think, decide and feels less confused, and more free. She is happier, more tolerant of stress and has hope that her OCD will be gone completely in the near future.
Before we went to see Dr. Merry, extreme anger and frustration could overwhelm her, causing her to act out, scream or bang her head in frustration. Some days, she was unable to decide anything and would just hide all day. She somehow managed to make it through the school day but would fall apart once she was home. Homework was impossible to do at times. (For 6 years her function improved gradually) with homeopathy, osteopathic adjustments and counseling. However, PANDAS can be cyclic and intermittent. At that time, any extra load on her immune system such as allergies, a cut, a cold or even a bruise would cause the PANDAS symptoms to return until her immune load was reduced. A cycle could last a few days to months. Teeth extractions, antibiotics or respiratory viruses were all bad news. Daily life issues sometimes became impossible to handle.
Dr. Merry diagnosed many neurological symptoms and her treatment, along with daily exercises, has increased my daughter’s brain function and quality of life. Her anger is gone, her enjoyment is back and her ability to handle stress at school, uncertainty and the drama of being a teenager is more tolerable and "normal".
At this time, my daughter has been seeing Dr. Merry for six months for a severe left brain deficit. My husband and I noticed changes in her within the first few treatments. However, the crippling constant OCD voice in her head was gone after 3 months and has not returned. Her ability to process information and calmly think things through has improved, allowing her to handle complex school work and everyday logistics. Her anxiety is now at a more "normal" level as she learns to recognize and not perform the OCD habits (physical habits such as checking locks and mental habits such as thinking she is a terrible person).
Her biggest fear for the last 7 years has been that her family will be shot and die. This fear has overwhelmed her, resulting in many OCD rituals, therapy and lost sleep. Two weeks ago at night, gun shots were fired along the highway adjacent to our rural home. Two hours later, shots were fired into the pasture next to our house, maybe to poach some elk, but the shots were terrifyingly loud inside the house. It wasn't clear if the shots would continue or they would be fired toward our house. We called the police and didn't sleep much that night. Before seeing Dr. Merry, my daughter would have needed to be sedated with medication and would have spent hours in therapy working through this incident, unable to process risk, fear and reality. Instead, that night we talked about the risks and whether we needed to evacuate. We decided it was safe but had a backup plan involving the police. My daughter did not need any medication. She did not even mention it again! The next day she started school and her day went well. I am amazed at the changes I see in her.
Without this treatment by Dr. Merry, my daughter's limitations and fears would have possibly prevented her from going off to college or living a life full of happiness, freedom and creativity. Her hopes for college and becoming a scientist to cure climate change, or being a neuroscientist working on brain function in humans and animals are all possible now. Her light and sound sensitivity limited her daily interactions and now, though the sensitivity is still there, it is manageable. She was able to take an AP college test, do well and didn't even have a nervous stomach ache.
Yesterday for the first time, she discovered she could listen to her teacher lecture AND write notes at the same time. She used to listen then write, missing part of the lecture. This is her first time ever multitasking. This is a huge leap in her brain function and ability to process information.
We have been to many specialist over the years. Dr. Merry's treatment heals the brain malfunction. No drugs. Real healing and improvement.
*PANDAS: Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS) describes a hypothesis that there exists a subset of children with rapid onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or tic disorders and these symptoms are caused by group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) infections.
~ mother of 10 year old female, bed wetting
I brought my 10 year old daughter in to see Dr. Harris years ago. She was still wetting the bed. But I was even more concerned with how heavily she slept. Even after a long sleep, I would have to shake her awake and call her name. Dr. Harris described how there is a part of the brain on the top right that controls the desire to urinate. I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but I knew that she knew what she was talking about. Shortly after going to see her, my daughter not only stopped having these embarrassing accidents, but she doesn’t struggle to wake up anymore either. She’s even doing better in school. My daughter now goes to sleepovers without stress. Thank you!
~ mother of 7 year old with autism
Dr. Merry has been treating our 7 year old son for Autism for about 6 months In that time he's transformed from being angry and anxious, with frequent anxiety attacks and being verbally and physically violent toward his younger sister, to being much calmer, and better able to handle his emotions. I've also noticed that his "brain skills" have improved dramatically, especially his handwriting and drawing. He is now enrolled in full day, mainstream kindergarten with minimal assistance and is doing great work…working at grade level in reading and math, etc. When my son was first tested on the ATEC score he was a 39, after he was diagnosed with high functioning autism. After 6 months of treatment, I scored him as a 9 and he is considered no longer autistic!
I love Dr. Merry's happy energy. She treats my son for autism, but I feel like I usually leave the appointments feeling better, too. She is so cheerful and caring, it's the type of personalized medical care that is almost impossible to find at a doctor's office these days. She is really a doctor who listens and HEARS what I have to say, and makes me a true partner in the care and treatment of my son. She is so smart, you know she "gets it" and is always sharing new research with me... it's great to learn how to help my son's brain and body work better, and it's REALLY great to see the improvements he's made. If you are thinking about working with Dr. Merry, I would strongly encourage you to do so.