Hard work indeed pays. Barely four years after she decided to serve people with the healing art of chiropractic, Dr Naa Ashley Dordor was awarded for her tremendous services in the health sector at the Small and Medium Enterprises Ghana Awards (SMEGA) recently.

Her clinic, the Nova Wellness Centre, based at North Ridge in Accra, is an alternative healthcare facility that uses chiropractic, nutrition, exercise and massage to treat illnesses.

The centre, adjudged the Best SME Facility in the health service delivery category, was chosen ahead of several other SMEs selected across the length and breadth of the country.

She and her team took home a prestigious trophy, a citation, certificate and an insurance cover from the sponsors.

The awards ceremony, which was put together by the SMEs Ghana Awards Scheme, in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, World Association of SMEs, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and Vodafone Business Solutions, is to acknowledge, celebrate and encourage excellence among SMEs in Ghana.

In an interview with Dr Dordor, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Lead Chiropractor at the Nova Wellness Centre, she said the awards came as a surprise to her and the entire team.

According to her, if more people take active steps to prevent themselves from falling sick "we will have a healthier workforce to drive the nation forward. That is why it is important we do constant mass health education on chiropractic, exercise, good nutrition and the essence of rest to the entire human body."

Dr Dordor doing what she loves best.

Passion for chiropractic

Dr Dordor fell in love with the profession as a patient herself while she was a student in Canada. However, her passion grew more during a mission trip in Vietnam with fellow students from the Chiropractic College.

"It was at that point I decided I was coming back home to Ghana my country to attend to the health needs of the people through chiropractic healing," she stated.

Through our interactions, it was obvious that health issues relating to children and women were top on her priority list.

Dr Dordor is very passionate about using chiropractic to manage various disorders in children and adults.

Her main focus of treatment is correcting spinal misalignments to bring improvement into the nervous system.

Dr Dordor, who believes in prevention rather than cure, says there is a lot that can be done to prevent people from being sick. "The amount of money we spend on medication and surgeries will reduce significantly,” she indicated.

According to her, a lot of patients, through chiropractic and exercises, are able to put away the painkillers they are so much addicted to with time.

Dr Dordor and her team displaying their award.

All about chiropractic

Dr Dordor explained that chiropractic is the world's biggest natural healthcare science which focuses on correcting spinal misalignments (subluxations) that cause nerve interference and inhibit communication between the brain and body organs.

"This non-surgical drug-free treatment boosts the body's natural healing power," she explained.

Touching on the chiropractic adjustment, she said it was a specific gentle force applied to the spinal vertebra or joint to remove nerve pressure and enhance proper flow of impulses.

"When the body is free from nerve interference, healing is enhanced and symptoms such as asthma, allergies, headaches, neck, back, knee and other joint pains start to improve," she emphasised. 

She further noted that one can suffer his/her first subluxation (spinal misalignment) at birth; but bad posture, improper lifting techniques and accidents, among others, may also lead to subluxations.

When asked how one could know whether or not he or she had a subluxation, Dr Dordor said an entire family could go through their chiropractic evaluation to find out if they indeed had subluxations.

"At the Nova Wellness Centre, we will check your range of motion and posture. You will also do a bio-structural scan and have your prescribed X-rays analysed by our doctors," she stressed.

Dr Dordor mentioned that most people were not aware that children, as well as pregnant women could also have chiropractic adjustments.

"These days you find young children carrying heavy school bags, which is not so good for their health; and in the corporate world the sitting posture of many is equally detrimental to their health," she emphasised.

Dr Dordor with her husband, Michael, and their daughters.

Treatment modalities

When it comes to treatment, therapeutic modalities are utilised during the treatment process to reduce pain, improve local circulation, transfer nutrients and limit inflammation, thus creating an optimal environment for injury repair. 

“The centre also provides massage therapies and facial treatments. Massage therapy complements chiropractic care because it promotes relaxation of the muscle that surrounds the spine and various joints. Facial treatments are equally necessary to keep your skin vibrant and glowing.

"Just as proper nutrition and regular exercises are important parts of heathy living, facial treatments are necessary to slow down the ageing process," she stated.

Young Naa in her Akosombo International School uniform and with her mum

Background

Dr Dordor obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the St Mary's University at Nova Scotia, Canada.

She went on to specialise at the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Devenport Modalities in the USA.

After her graduation, she worked at the Chiro and Wellness Centre in Chicago, Illinois, where she treated many individuals with chiropractic care. After a year, she decided to move back home to Ghana.

In Ghana, Dr Dordor worked with the Spinal Clinic in Accra for about a year before starting her own practice, formerly called Nova Chiropractic Health Centre.

She had her primary education at the Achimota Primary and JHS. She proceeded to the Akosombo International School.

Dr Dordor is married to Mr Michael Dordor with whom she has two girls - Michelle and Maya — who are three and six months old, respectively.

She is also fond of her only brother, Nii Ashitei Ashitey.

"In fact, I credit my successes to the unflinching support from my husband and my entire family. Sometimes, I have to be careful when I discuss ideas with my husband because he will push me so hard to make sure that I achieve my goals. My mum and my in-laws have also been my backbone and I'm always grateful.

"We believe that one of the biggest things standing between corporations and the achievement of their goals is the health of the employees. Our corporate wellness programme has served employees of many organisations. Some churches and schools have also benefitted our free health education and chiropractic care," she pointed out.

Dr Dordor who is currently trying to shed some baby fat loves to eat kenkey with fish and hot pepper.  Her favourite colours are purple and maroon.

To her team, clients and potential ones, she said with a smile: "We have many rivers to cross and mountains to climb and I can't wait.”