Susan Barry calls herself a wounded healer. The chiropractor had her own business for 10 years in Gardnerville when she became ill with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome and had to quit.
"My own illness and subsequent recovery makes me uniquely sympathetic to illness in others," said Barry, who currently works with fibromyalgia/CFIDS as a focus since she's returned to her practice.
Fibromyalgia is characterized by fatigue and musculoskeletal pain and may also cause sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression.
"I have found a new approach with chiropractic that has improved my symptoms by 75-80 percent. I hope to help others with similar problems," she said. "Sometimes it just helps to know how to cope and deal with it."
The chiropractor said the disorder can be mistaken for thyroid problems or multiple sclerosis.
"People need to go through medical doctors to have tests to show that it's nothing else but fibromyalgia," she said.
"I was a traditional chiropractor for 10 years, but my current passion is helping fibro patients," said Barry.
Barry is available to speak to groups on the subjects of chiropractic and fibromyalgia. She will be teaching adult education classes on fibromyalgia at Western Nevada Community College in the fall.
"It's undiagnosed and misdiagnosed - nobody's sure of the number of people who have it," she said. "I'm compassionate and understanding because I've lived it."
Barry gives free chiropractic clinics on the first and third Saturdays of the month. No appointment needed - first come, first helped.
"People can get to meet me and find out that chiropractors aren't scary," Barry said. "I do everything I do, exams and adjustments, free at these clinics.
"As we give, we receive. That's important to me."
Barry Chiropractic is inside Bohner Chiropractic, 1685 Highway 395, Suite 7 in Minden. Call 782-4541 for more information.
What: Barry Chiropractic
Where: 1685 Highway 395, Suite 7, Minden
When: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2-6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, other times available by appointment
Info: 782-4541
