Joseph Morse

Age: 31

Hometown: Ithaca

Occupation: Chiropractor,

co-owner of Tree of Life Health and Wellness, Ithaca

Each Tuesday, The

Citizen features a health professional from the

Finger Lakes community

in The Banks:

This week, we spotlight Joseph Morse.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

A: Just seeing people who are sick get better. People who have said “I went to the doctor and they don't know what's wrong with me. And kind of uncovering things in a patient that nobody else can find. I see a lot of people get well.

Q: What is the most challenging?

A: Probably integrating everything as far as duties in my life. Seeing patients is the best part, but there is a lot of paperwork. Dealing with insurance companies can be real difficult, but that's almost half of what my job is.

Q: Do you see people coming to you for a common reason?

A: Like I said, things that are hard to find. I feel tired and fatigued, and I don't know what's wrong. I get a lot of that. And a lot of pain.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you could give someone to stay healthy?

A: Definitely prevention. Coming in and having regular visits with a doctor who looks at the function of the body as opposed to just symptoms is a really important thing to do.

Q: What's the most common misconception you hear from clients?

A: A lot of people come in and say this is what's wrong with me, I want to get better. A lot of people don't really understand what health really is. Health is more than how you feel. You can feel great and be unhealthy. And likewise, sometimes you'll have horrible symptoms, and it is actually a sign of health. True health is more about how your body functions.

Q: What's your ideal cure for the common cold?

A: People usually get a cold because their body isn't functioning right. One person can be exposed to the cold virus and get a cold, and another person can be exposed to it and not. It's just that your body is not working as well as it should. My main thing is to get your nervous system working as well as it can to help fight it off as opposed to medicating it and covering up symptoms.

Q: What are people most surprised about after being treated.

A: A lot, people come in for one thing and other things clear up that they never expected. Plus, a lot of times, people say they get headaches that are normal. But headaches aren't a normal part of the way your body should be functioning.