10th quarter student Alecia Beckford-Stewart is the ultimate go-getter. Her time at Palmer West has been full of undeniable experiences on her journey to becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic.
From her everyday studies to being SABCA’s president, a Campus Guide and Sports Council Student Engagement Coordinator, Alecia is also Palmer West SACA Secretary and ASG Class Representative.
With her extensive schedule Alecia continues to participate in extracurricular activities. Her latest accomplishment was taking 2nd place at the ACA Rehab Council Virtual Poster Presentation Contest.
The ACA Rehab contest is open to current chiropractic college students who are student members of the ACA attending United States or Canadian schools.
The contest objectives were to create visibility and presence for campus ACA Rehab Councils, solidify focus of collegiate Chiropractic Rehabilitation Councils, foster development of chiropractic rehabilitation and therapeutics, champion academic excellence of chiropractic colleges, create a varied learning experience for virtual symposium attendees and promote mentoring and networking opportunities within the ACA Rehab Council.
For her presentation, Alecia focused on Core Strength Training during Pregnancy for a Female with Low Back Pain.
In the conclusion of her study, she found that “numerous authors and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agree that there are minimal, if any, adverse effects of prescribing exercise during pregnancy. The medical opinion in the early 20th century marked a time where pregnant women were perceived as fragile and weak, therefore they were only encouraged to perform light activity. With more research and review, the changes that occur within the body during pregnancy are seen less as a limitation but rather an opportunity to implement positive behavioral changes. These changes aim to improve the health and strength of the mother and in turn her quality of life. Unless the mother and fetus are at risk of complications, low back pain sparing strategies, core activation to stabilize the torso and core musculature training should be considered an acceptable and regular part of pregnancy.”
Alecia wants to be a chiropractor because she “wants to work in a health care field that affords me the opportunity to help a wide spectrum of individuals from the inside out. Guiding them to optimal health with the use of manual care, exercise, and nutrition.”
“I aspire to inspire the younger generation to see chiropractic not as an alternative method of care or career but as a profession that has so much to offer for personal growth and continuous learning opportunities.”
Congratulations, Alecia! Palmer College is very proud of you.
