One of Tammy Bialek’s patients, a man in his 70s, stopped in recently for his re-examination--and to say thanks. Bialek helped this patient get rid of his pain so he could get on with his life. Before he left, he shared some words that brought tears to Bialek’s eyes.
“He said, ‘On New Year’s Eve, you must really sit back and feel good when you reflect on the year and all the people you’ve helped. You’ve changed so many lives.’ It brings tears to my eyes because I do feel so good about that,” said Bialek, who opened Bialek Chiropractic in Snyder in 2016.
“What is your why? If you don’t know your ‘why’ for what you are doing, you’re lost. My ‘why’ is the people in my community, my family, my friends--helping people and making a difference in their life,” Bialek said.
Bialek wants to empower people to feel and look their best, the same way she was helped by her chiropractor nearly 20 years ago when she broke her foot. At that time, Bialek was still in her first career, as a professional dancer in Guam and Japan. (She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in dance from the University at Buffalo.)
“As a dancer, I very much valued and appreciated chiropractic. It kept me moving,” she said. Bialek’s foot injury forced her to come to the realization that she wouldn’t be able to dance forever, and that she needed a backup plan.
The idea came while Bialek was having lunch with her chiropractor in Guam, June Larkin, whom Bialek revered. Larkin said Bialek was meant to be a chiropractor. “It just resonated with me so profoundly. She said it, and I got chills,” Bialek recalled.
She retired from dance in 1999 and enrolled in the Logan Chiropractic College in St. Louis, Mo., where she earned both her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees. She graduated in 2004 and moved to Chicago, where she opened her first practice.
A Buffalo native, Bialek decided she needed to return to Western New York when her younger brother, Scott, and his wife started having kids. “I didn’t want to be this auntie they only saw once a year,” said Bialek, the oldest of three siblings. So, in May 2007, Bialek sold her practice and moved back to Buffalo.
She worked as an associate in other chiropractic offices in the area to re-establish herself in the community. When she decided it was time to open her own practice, Bialek reached out to some of her former mentors in the Chicago area for guidance. She also sought the services of the Small Business Development Center at SUNY Buffalo State, which helped her solidify her business plan.
Bialek found the perfect home for her practice, at 4575 Main St., in Snyder, and opened her doors in 2016. It’s the same building that houses Buffalo OB-GYN and Power Yoga Buffalo. “I absolutely love this space, and I love being in Snyder,” Bialek said.
Bialek sees men and women of all ages. For many people, the thought of going to a chiropractor conjures images of the doctor cracking and twisting a patient’s body to treat what’s causing their discomfort. Bialek Chiropractic dispels that by using a gentle, low-force approach to chiropractic health care known as the Activator Method.
It’s a nationally recognized technique that’s been used for more than 45 years. The Activator Method utilizes specific protocols to detect spinal joint dysfunction, analyze leg length inequality, identify issues with body mechanics, and test neurological reflexes.
When practiced by a proficiency-rated doctor, the Activator Method gives fast, consistent results, which means shorter and fewer treatments. Bialek is an Activator Method instructor and is also an advanced proficiency rated provider.
Empower is a word Bialek says often, and that’s exactly what she tries to do for her patients. That’s why Bialek Chiropractic is more than just a chiropractic office. Bialek’s space also includes Andrea Langston, an integrative nutrition specialist and owner of Thrive Nutrition & Wellness, as well as licensed massage therapist Samantha Noeson.
In addition, Bialek offers something called the Holistic Hub, a monthly gathering where holistic practitioners come in to discuss topics such as nutrition, personal training and meditation, among others. The talks are free and open to anyone in the community. There’s also a monthly book club as part of the Holistic Hub.
“My philosophy on health is that the body is self-healing and self-regulating, if we give it what it needs,” Bialek said. “It’s all about empowering people to make better choices and giving them the tools to do that.”