By Leilani Haywood
Tribune Reporter
Dr. David S. Zak creates memories for hundreds of children and families through his chiropractic business and being known as the Christmas light guy for downtown Lee’s Summit. Dr. Zak is celebrating 35 years of helping individuals feel better. “I like watching people get well,” he said. Chiropractic is a branch of health care based on proper function of the spine and the nervous system.
His passion and expertise in chiropractic has put him in positions of leadership as the Missouri representative for the International Chiropractic Association and a member of the Missouri Chiropractic Physicians Association Board of Directors.
Dr. Zak experienced amazing results after a chiropractic visit when he was 11-years-old for lower back pain. After that visit, he didn’t have any allergy symptoms for several years. “That chiropractor said to me one of these days you might make a good chiropractor,” he said. “The seed was planted in me because I saw what it did for me.” He believes that if you remove the obstacles to health through a spinal adjustment, the body can express a greater potential for health.
“People need to know how amazing their bodies are,” he said. “I remove the obstacles to give the body what it needs. I’ve seen bedwetting and stomach problems improve. When a body is healthier, healing can happen.”
Hundreds of pictures of children dot Zak Chiropractic’s walls. When a child gets an adjustment for the first time, Dr. Zak’s staff take a picture. “My walls are covered with pictures of kids. Sometimes the child brings in their doll or stuffed animal for a spinal adjustment.”
“We take a picture of stuffed animal or doll and send it to them with a special note,” he said. “A spinal adjustment is special enough to bring doll or stuffed animal, who they love.” Dr. Zak’s love for creating memories for children and families spills over to his leadership for downtown Lee’s Summit Christmas lights.
“My job is to figure out where the Christmas lights go and pay the bills while Parks and Recreation staff and outside contractors install the lights,” he said. “In the early 1990s we came up with idea for what we wanted to see happen for downtown. Lee’s Summit can be a destination for people around the metro to come for the day for the Christmas lights, restaurants and shops. When we get together with Lee’s Summit Parks and Rec and we are like a bunch of kids in a candy store. We’re creating memories for kids and we’re part of families’ holiday tradition. I love to see families downtown taking pictures during the holidays, and kids with their noses pressed against shop windows.”
Dr. Zak said planning is year-round and installation begins in August for downtown Christmas lights and holiday décor. Parks and Rec employees and contractors stay busy day and night to have everything ready for that special day in November when all of the lights get turned on. “Then our job is to make sure the lights stay on for seven weeks,” he said.
Zak Chiropractic is located at 208 SE Third Street in Lee’s Summit. Call 816-525-9900 to make an appointment or visit their website at ZakChiropractic.com.
