The Joint Chiropractic - Mandarin

Dr. LaResa Reed became part of The Joint Chiropractic’s team of local healthcare providers in 2020 when she began serving residents in the Jacksonville area, where she continues doing the work she enjoys so much.

“The thing I like most about being a chiropractor is the ability to give patients an alternative approach to healthcare,” she says. “It’s rewarding to be able to provide quality time with patients and work alongside them as they accomplish their health goals.”

Her patients call her LaResa, and she grew up in Jacksonville, so it’s especially rewarding to be working in her hometown. In her spare time she enjoys listening to jazz, playing the clarinet, and writing quotes.

“I knew chiropractic was my calling when I saw the opioid epidemic,” she says. “I wanted to give my patients an alternative. I desperately wanted to be part of the solution and not the problem.”

She attended Bethune Cookman in Daytona Beach -- where she got a bachelor’s degree in biology -- before returning to school to get her doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange.

LaResa loves working at The Joint’s St. John’s Town Center clinic. “It’s convenient and has a fast-paced atmosphere,” she says. “I love the ability to give patients quality care while respecting their time.”

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The one thing LaResa always has in her refrigerator is grape cranberry juice: “Nothing is more refreshing.”

If she could bring together any four people from history, she would soak up the knowledge. “I would love to listen to the teachings of Christ around the table, jam to the musical sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, have a poetry session by Maya Angelou,” LaResa says. “And I would enjoy the laughter provided by Richard Pryor.”

The coolest thing she has ever done, she says was “go back to school after a 10-year hiatus to pursue my doctorate of chiropractic. It was cool because it inspired others to chase their dreams despite the odds.”

Dr. Kelvin Bolar joined the family of healthcare providers at The Joint Chiropractic in 2019. A graduate of Central Michigan, he earned a bachelor’s degree in health fitness and rehabilitative methods, and a minor in exercise science. He got his doctorate of chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic.

Dr. Kelvin, as his patients call him, is excited to be part of the team of local chiropractors serving Jacksonville.

“The best thing about being in the field of chiropractic is the ability to help someone feel better and get them back to the activities that they enjoy with just the use of my hands,” he says. “The other thing that’s gratifying is getting to meet and treat so many people on a daily basis.”

A product of southeast Michigan who worked previously in Palm Coast, Fla., Dr. Kelvin is married to a fellow chiropractor; they have one son and two dogs, Zane and Jada. When he’s not working or enjoying time with his family, Dr. Kelvin likes working out, going to the movies, building remote control cars and trucks, and riding his motorcycle.

He has a passion for chiropractic because there’s such a direct connection with the patient. “When I learned of the chiropractic profession and how chiropractors literally take a hands-on approach to naturally help improve the lives of patients, I knew it was something that I had to be part of,” he says.

He really appreciates the value of The Joint Chiropractic’s services and the extraordinary availability it provides: “The Joint makes chiropractic care affordable and easily accessible to patients, helping to rid them of the hurdle of sticking to appointment times.”

So as far as Dr. Kelvin is concerned, drop in anytime.

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Dr. Kelvin says the one thing he always has stocked in his refrigerator is milk, and the reason is pretty obvious: “Because I don’t like dry Frosted Flakes.”

If he sat down with any four people from history to create the dinner party of his dreams, Dr. Kelvin would include media mogul Oprah Winfrey, Disney CEO Robert Iger, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. “I would like to have a dinner party with these individuals due to their public reach and employee base,” he says. “I would discuss the benefits of chiropractic care in relation to employee productivity and decreased time off due to musculoskeletal issues. My aim would be to get each of these individuals to offer chiropractic care for all of their employees with The Joint Chiropractic as a national partner provider.”

Although he may not be very adventurous with his cereal, that’s not necessarily the case out in the world. “The coolest thing I have ever done is hike to the top of Mt. Quandary in Colorado,” he says. “With an elevation of 14,265 feet, this is the highest that I have ever hiked. If I were to ever do it again, the only thing that I would change would be the time of year: hiking to 14,000 feet in the middle of winter is terribly cold!”

Dr. Brent Fragola became part of The Joint Chiropractic’s team of local healthcare providers in 2020 when he began serving residents in the Jacksonville area, where he continues doing the work he loves.

“The best thing about being in the chiropractic field is impacting individuals’ health and quality of life through an organic practice of treatment,” he says. “It’s gratifying to treat patients with a conservative approach via manipulation and movement.”

Dr. Brent, as he likes his patients to call him, grew up in Milford, Pa., on the border of New York and New Jersey. When he’s not working, he enjoys weightlifting, walking, and jamming to music. He also likes watching sports, comedies, and documentaries.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science at Temple University, and his doctorate at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange.

Dr. Brent says he knew chiropractic was his life’s calling after witnessing patients’ relief and gratitude after treatment received from chiropractors.

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Dr. Brent says the one thing he always keeps stocked in his refrigerator is cheese. “I eat it every single day,” he says. “A sandwich is not complete without cheese on it.”

His ideal dinner party with anyone from history would include baseball legend Mickey Mantle, rock stars Bret Michaels and Eddie Van Halen, and comedian Kevin James. “I would love to hear the great sport stories and debates with one of the greatest Yankees and baseball players of all time,” he says. “We need Bret Michaels because we need some great vocals to listen to, and Eddie Van Halen because we need some great music. And we need Kevin James because we need some comedy and laughs.”

Dr. Brent says the coolest thing he has ever done was cliff jumping in Jamaica “because of the adrenaline rush along with the beautiful scenery.”

Dr. Benjamin Dieffenbacher joined ​The Joint Chiropractic’s team of local healthcare providers in 2019 when he began serving residents in the Jacksonville area, where he continues doing the work he finds so rewarding.

“The best thing about being a chiropractor is the ability to help people with my hands and the knowledge of the human body,” he says. “Every day brings a new person into my life, someone who has experienced the world differently. Getting to meet people from all walks of life is humbling and beautiful to get to experience.”

Dr. Ben, as his patients call him, grew up in horse country, Ocala, Fla., and worked previously in Miami and Tampa. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing and staying active whether outdoors or indoors.

He attended University of Florida, where he received a bachelor’s degree in applied physiology and kinesiology before getting a doctorate in chiropractic from National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Ill.

“I knew chiropractic was my calling because of my mom,” Dr. Ben says. “My mom was a massage therapist when I was growing up and she was able to help so many people just from the knowledge of the human body and a gentle touch.”

Although most chiropractors are limited to one site location, Dr. Ben works throughout the area at the Orange Park, Jacksonville Harbour Village, St. John’s Town Center, Mandarin, and Jacksonville Beach clinic locations. “What I like most about The Joint is the ability to focus on exactly what the patient needs,” he says. “The Joint cuts through the red tape of the health insurance world and brings chiropractic to you in an affordable and convenient way.”

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Dr. Ben always has the perfect food stored away in his refrigerator: “Eggs are the one thing I have daily. It doesn’t matter the time of day because breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite meals.”

If he could go back in time, he wishes he could sit down with his four grandparents when they were both young and old. “I never met them growing up,” he says, “and I would find it interesting to find out about them, and where I came from.”

Dr. Ben’s most interesting experience took place as a young man. “When I was 19 I traveled out of the country to Costa Rica alone to go surf,” he says. “It was one of my favorite experiences in life because it led me on an adventure that I couldn’t have ever planned. Many things went wrong, but more went right because I kept my head up and I stayed optimistic. In life, I’ve found that the best adventures are when things go wrong.”

Dr. John Davenport became part of The Joint Chiropractic’s team of local healthcare providers in 2021 when he began serving residents in the Jacksonville area, where he continues doing the work he finds gratifying.

“The thing I love most about being in this field is helping people get out of pain,” he says. “It’s rewarding to implement natural means of healing the body that don’t have negative side effects for the patients, such as those that you get with prescriptions.”

Most of his patients call him “Dr. D,” and he worked previously in St. Louis, Mo., and Jacksonville. He was raised in Florida, but his childhood also included Georgia and North Carolina. He and his wife have been married for more than three decades and they have three adult daughters. Wife Julie, “the love of my life,” is an outpatient manager in mental health.

When he’s not spending time with the family, Dr. D likes spending time outdoors walking, hiking, or boating; he also likes to work out, work on cars, play the guitar, travel, and study history.

First-hand experience led Dr. D to become a chiropractor. “After being in a car accident, chiropractic care kept me from surgery, so I decided to pursue it as a life profession,” he says.

Dr. D works at the Jacksonville Beach, Jacksonville Harbour Village, St. Johns Town Center, and Mandarin clinics.

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Dr. D says the coolest thing he has done was ride his motorcycle across the country: “It was just the joy of my life to experience the freedom and the great time of meeting all sorts of people.”

Among the four people he would like to meet if he could bring anyone from history together for the ideal dinner party, Dr. D says he would bring together “Jesus because of his wisdom, love, and power; Gen. George Patton because of his interesting military career; ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates because of his knowledge of natural treatment of disease; and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius because of his philosophy.”

The clinics in Jacksonville are proud that Dr. Frank Ramirez joined their team in 2022 to provide important healthcare services to the local community.

“The thing I like best about being in the chiropractic field is being able to help people enjoy their lives better,” he says. “It’s really rewarding to meet people from all walks of life and various types of experiences.”

Raised in Miami, Dr. Ramirez attended Florida State, where he majored in marketing and minored in German studies. When he’s not spending time with his physician assistant wife and their dog, Joey, Dr. Ramirez enjoys staying fit with activities that include surfing and basketball.

He earned his doctorate in chiropractic at Palmer College in Port Orange, where he graduated magna cum laude. He was on the dean’s list at both Palmer and FSU.

“I knew chiropractic was my calling after being a patient for 10 years and realizing that I loved educating people more about chiropractic than anything else,” he says.

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If he could bring together any four people from history for his ideal dinner party, Dr. Ramirez could cover a wide-range of topics. “I would include Jordan Petersen because he’s a very compassionate, charismatic, and accomplished clinical psychologist, and Mike Tyson because he is one of the greatest boxers of all-time who shows passion and honesty in everything he does, even after boxing,” he says. “I enjoy Bill Burr’s brutally honest comedy, and he offers interesting perspectives of life through comedy. I would also include Michael League because he’s a genius modern jazz composer who is as humble as they come.”

Being a native Floridian, Dr. Ramirez says “the coolest thing I’ve ever done was drive an airboat through the everglades.”

The food staple he always keeps stocked in his refrigerator is eggs: “I eat them every day and there are endless ways to cook them.”

Dr. Kevin Zelaya began his journey as a local healthcare provider at The Joint Chiropractic in 2019, but it wasn’t until 2022 that he joined the Jacksonville clinic location to continue doing the work he finds so rewarding.

“The thing I like most about being in the chiropractic field is connecting with people on a deep level to help them grow, feel better, and regain ownership of their health,” he says. “I get to teach people about their bodies and also be physically active in the work that we do.”

“The other thing that’s gratifying is the knowledge and skills that I have gained allow me to connect and be of benefit to people anywhere that I go.”

Dr. Kevin, as his patients call him, grew up in Alpharetta, Ga., and worked previously in Portland, Ore., Palm Coast, Fla., and Jacksonville.

He and his chiropractor wife, who share a dog and cat, love the outdoors, including kayaking and paddle boarding. His other hobbies include “learning and taking care of tropical plants -- I love big-leafed philodendrons.”

He attended Georgia State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and a minor in psychology; he then received his doctorate in chiropractic from Life University in Marietta, Ga.

“I experienced the benefits of chiropractic as a young athlete and saw the benefit to my mother, who suffered from vertigo. “The health and lifestyle benefits of chiropractic are extraordinary,” he says.

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Dr. Kevin loves to be entertained and says his ideal dinner party would include BJ Palmer, the developer of chiropractic, basketball great Dennis Rodman, President Donald Trump, and rapper T.I. “Can you think of a more eclectic gathering of individuals,” he says. “Not a single clue how the dinner would go, but I can guarantee I’d be entertained or would have a good story to tell from it.”

Dr. Kevin says the most amazing experience of his life is going on chiropractic mission trips to serve underprivileged communities in India, Brazil, El Salvador, and homeless shelters in Atlanta. “These trips are extraordinarily rewarding because of the heartwarming experiences felt while serving others in combination with my love for traveling with friends and loved ones,” he says.

The food that Dr. Kevin always keeps stocked in his refrigerator are pickled onions: “They’re simple to prepare and you can eat them with just about anything.”