Stories and reflections from our community on transformation, nervous system care, and collective healing.
The Long Arc of Wellness: Stories From Patients in Long-Term Care
Healing rarely follows a straight line, and for patients like Ebony and Sarah, the long arc of wellness has been less about perfection and more about partnership. Ebony went from sleepless nights and stress-knotted stomachs to coaching tennis again with ease, crediting the way her physical healing unlocked mental clarity. Sarah found her footing too as clearer sinuses, newfound strength, and rooted confidence reshaped how she moves through the world. Their stories remind us that long-term care isn’t a quick fix; it’s a rhythm, a relationship, a shedding of old layers over time. And in that slow, steady transformation, liberation begins.
The Body as an Elder
The body is an elder long before we ever notice it — carrying lineage in its posture, wisdom in its habits, and quiet truths in every ache and exhale. In many Asian and Indigenous traditions, the body isn’t just a biological machine; it’s a living archive that records storms and stillness, resilience and renewal. At Kaname Chiropractic, we meet the body as a storyteller, not a problem to fix. Each adjustment is a conversation with memory, a way of restoring flow so the nervous system can remember safety again. When you slow down and listen — really listen — you begin to hear what your muscles, breath, and bones have been saying all along: you’re held, you’re learning, and you’re still becoming.
Indigenous Teachings on Healing and Relationship to Land
Caring for elders is one of the oldest forms of devotion, echoed in Japanese keirō, Chinese understandings of qi, and Indigenous traditions that honor wisdom-keepers as the anchors of memory and meaning. Dr. Mari often describes adjusting an elder’s spine as meeting a living archive — shoulders shaped by decades of carrying family burdens, hips that held entire generations steady, breath that has survived whole eras. At Kaname, we see elders as the kaname, the vital hinge through which love, wisdom, and lineage flow. Gentle chiropractic care becomes less about “fixing” and more about witnessing, restoring dignity, and reminding the body it is still cherished.
Biohacking in the Family: A Lineage of Healing Across Generations
Visiting Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto with my family was a journey through Japan’s living history — from Benzaiten’s flowing wisdom to the preserved beauty of Kyoto’s temples. As a chiropractor rooted in Hiroshima heritage, I was reminded that healing and travel both begin with balance, presence and connection.
Celebrating Filipino American History Month: Healing, Heritage & Community
At Kaname Chiropractic, Filipino American History Month is a time to honor healing traditions, heritage, and the values that unite our Fil-Am community — from hilot and bayanihan to modern chiropractic care. Led by Dr. Cassie Sum in San Mateo, alongside Dr. Justin Mariano and Dr. Kaylee Rivera, we celebrate the stories and movement that connect us all.
Understanding Fight, Flight, Freeze & Fawn as Body Patterns
Learn how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn show up as body patterns, and how chiropractic adjustments support trauma recovery.
The Spine Remembers: How We Hold and Heal Trauma
Discover how trauma is stored in the body and spine, and how chiropractic care helps release tension, grief, and stress patterns safely.
Healing Is Cultural: Remembering the Old Ways in Modern Care
Healing has never been a solitary act. Across Latinx and Indigenous traditions, it has always meant tending not just to the body, but to the bonds that connect us—to family, to land, to spirit. Practices like curanderismo remind us that health is communal and cyclical, rooted in rhythm and relationship.
Fall Equinox Reflections: A Lineage of Care
This Fall Equinox, I’m reflecting on what it means to grow in balance—2 years as Kaname Chiropractic, 9 years in practice, and a lineage of care spanning generations, from my father to my brother and our Kaname family of doctors. Healing, like the seasons, is a cycle of renewal.
Wellness Isn’t Just Self-Care—It’s Community Care
When we think of “wellness,” we often imagine something private and personal. But at Kaname Chiropractic, healing is never just a solo practice—it’s something we co-create in community.
What Your Nervous System Needs Isn’t Always What You Were Taught
We’re often told to push through, keep going, and ignore our discomfort. But your nervous system doesn’t lie. At Kaname, we believe those signals aren’t failures—they’re invitations to listen, heal, and return to balance.
Back to School, Back to Balance: Posture, Nutrition & Wellness Tips for the Year Ahead
Backpacks, early mornings, homework—and a lot of sitting. The school year brings new challenges for your child’s posture, focus, and overall well-being. Small daily choices, from the way they carry their books to the food they eat before class, can make a big difference in how they feel and function. Here’s our Kaname Chiropractic guide to keeping kids strong, balanced, and energized all year long.
Postpartum as a Portal: Healing in Community with Káren & Kawi
Midwife. Mama. Six months postpartum. Káren’s story reminds us that healing doesn’t follow a timeline and instead reminds us that it follows connection. At Kaname, where care is shared and supported by staff and patients alike, we honor postpartum as a portal, and interdependence as the path.
Interdependence, Not Independence: The Collective Nature of Healing
As the U.S. marks another Independence Day, we ask: what does healing look like when we move away from rugged individualism and toward collective care?
Lean: On Healing, Home, and Taking Up Space
When Lean came to Kaname Chiropractic, they were seeking more than physical relief; they were looking for a space to feel seen, safe, and supported. In a world that often asks queer, fat and trans bodies to shrink, Kaname became a place where Lean could expand. This blog shares their journey of alignment—not just of the spine, but of identity, confidence and community—and how healing, here, became an act of resistance and belonging.
The Role of Movement in Self-Care & Healing
Chiropractic adjustments don’t just shift bones—they unlock breath, emotion and energy.
How Posture Affects Confidence & Self-Expression
There Are No Straight Lines in Nature—So Why Do We Expect Them From Our Bodies?
Hi, I'm Dr. Marisa Sum, DC!
As a chiropractor, I specialize in central nervous system health.
As a nutritionist, I specialize in gut/brain/immune system health.
As a doula, mother & activist, I specialize in women's and children's health rights.
I am dedicated to helping you reclaim your mind, body and spirit. In order to serve more people, I am excited to share the same knowledge and resources I share with my patients here.