Another group of celebrities to utilize chiropractic to maximize health and performance are Olympic athletes. Track and field stars Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, and Edwin Moses, as well as, diver Greg Louganis, decathalon athlete Dan O’Brien, and swimmer Sheila Taormina are a few medalists who seek chiropractic care, sometimes immediately before their competitions to enhance performance–without drugs. Boxer Evander Holyfield, was introduced to chiropractic during the 1983 Pan Am Games. He was quoted in 1988 as saying, “I have to have my adjustment before going into the ring”.
Olympic athletes are not the only athletes under chiropractic care. Professional basketball great, Wilt Chamberlain, baseball stars Wade Boggs, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGuire, and football heroes Joe Montana, Drew Pearson, and Fran Tarkenton use chiropractic. Fran Tarkenton joined Wade Boggs in claiming chiropractic has been useful in keeping him productive and prolonging his career. Boggs stated in 1998 that, “By getting an adjustment once a week…I feel I can sustain my career a lot longer.”
No one would claim that celebrities have all the answers. However, it would seem that with all the options celebrity affords them, the fact that they seek chiropractic care to meet their healthcare needs says something about the value of chiropractic for optimum health.