about us – Dr. Kirsten Thomas and Dr. John Varga
About Us:
Introducing in balance chiropractic + acupuncture clinic’s Readers’ Choice Award winning chiropractors, Dr. Kirsten Thomas and Dr. John Varga. Read more about our education, expertise, chiropractic and personal interests.
Dr. Kirsten Thomas, B.Sc. (Hons), D.C.
- Bachelor of Science – Honours Kinesiology
- Doctor of Chiropractic
- Certified Animal Chiropractor
- Certified Acupuncture Provider
- ART Certification
- Neurofunctional Sports Performance Practitioner
- Fellow of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association
- Webster Technique Certification
- TPI Golf Fitness Instructor
- Personal Trainer Specialist
- Medical Compression Hosiery Fitter
- Custom Orthotic Fitter
With 8 years of post-secondary education and over 20 years of ongoing professional development, Markham Chiropractor, Dr. Kirsten Thomas is dedicated to helping others enhance their quality of life by offering attentive, professional care.
As a chiropractic patient herself for over 30 years, Dr. Thomas has seen first-hand how a combination of chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue therapy, acupuncture and corrective exercises can help decrease pain and prevent further injury.
Since opening in balance chiropractic + acupuncture clinic in January 2009, Dr. Kirsten Thomas is very proud that her patients voted her Best Chiropractor and Best Acupuncture Provider, as well as Best Clinic in Markham in the Markham Economist & Sun’s Readers’ Choice Awards – 29 times! She has also been voted Top Chiropractor in Markham in the Top Choice Awards.
Education
Dr. Kirsten Thomas first attended the University of Western Ontario graduating in 2000 with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.
Further Studies
Acupuncture
Dr. Thomas completed the Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program in 2004 and Advanced Neurofunctional Program in 2015 at McMaster University. Focusing on functional assessment, micro-conditioning and advanced needling techniques for upper and lower limb sports injuries, Dr. Thomas has earned the designation of Neurofunctional Sports Performance Practitioner. She has completed additional courses in acupuncture for headaches, sports injuries, stress-related problems and women’s health issues. In 2016, she then completed the Functional Integrated Acupuncture courses at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in acute and chronic pain management as well as sports injuries
Active Release Techniques (ART), Fascial Abrasion Technique (FAT), Cupping and Kinesiology Taping
Additionally, Dr. Thomas received her Active Release Techniques (ART) certification in Spine, Upper Extremity, Lower Extremity, Nerve Entrapment, and Active Palpation protocols beginning in 2003.
Dr. Thomas completed the Fascial Abrasion Technique course in 2018 with the FIT Institute, kinesiology taping courses from K Taping Academy of Canada and Rock Tape Canada along with cupping (Rock Pods) and flossing (Rock Floss) courses.
These techniques are an excellent adjunct to chiropractic care and have been an integral part of Dr. Thomas’s practice since 2003.
Pregnancy and Pediatrics
As a mother herself, Dr. Thomas knows how important it is to receive chiropractic treatment, active release techniques and exercise advice throughout pregnancy and the post-natal period from a qualified provider.
In 2003, Dr. Thomas completed the one-year fellowship program and Webster Technique certification from the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. This program focused on chiropractic care for pregnant women and children.
Since then, she has taken many additional courses on pre / post-natal chiropractic and pediatrics from many notable lecturers and has studied advanced topics such as sports injuries, working with challenged children and providing kinesiology taping for women’s health issues. Dr. Thomas trusted cranial and chiropractic treatment on her own son when he was just 24 hours old and continues his care on a routine basis.
Golf Fitness and Corrective Exercise
Dr. Thomas became a Certified Golf Fitness Instructor with Titleist Performance Institute in 2011 to help golfers improve their game by improving their fitness levels.
Additionally, Dr. Thomas has attended numerous workshops and seminars on corrective exercise rehabilitation including Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) A and B, Movement Flow and Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) from many notable presenters. She also received her certification as a Personal Trainer Specialist with Can-Fit Pro in 2005.
Chiropractic Adjusting
Dr. Thomas has certifications with the Thompson Technique and the Motion Palpation Institute in Spine and Extremity adjusting procedures.
Dr. Thomas completed Level 1 and 2 Cranial Adjusting techniques which are very helpful in the treatment of headaches, concussions, and TMJ dysfunction as well as in improving flatheads in babies.
Orthotics
Dr. Thomas has completed advanced custom orthotic therapy, condition-based orthotic therapy, sport-specific orthotic therapy, orthotic therapy for children and medical compression therapy courses with The Orthotic Group.
Animal Chiropractic Certification
As the first (and only) Certified Animal Chiropractor practicing in Markham, Dr. Thomas is very excited to offer animal adjustments to cats, dogs and bunnies from across the GTA.
In 2010, Dr. Thomas completed the animal chiropractic certification program through the Healing Oasis Wellness Centre of Canada / Veterinary Chiropractic Learning Center in Brantford. This course consisted of 210 hours of supervised instruction in the treatment of canines, felines, and equines.
Dr. Thomas then completed the Advanced Canine Techniques course in 2013 and the Soft Tissue Therapies for Canines in 2022. Dr. Thomas successfully passed the board exams to become a certified member of the College of Animal Chiropractors in 2010.
Personal
Dr. Thomas happily welcomed her son Curtis in 2014 – they love golf, skiing, playing outside and their cat. Her other passions are fitness / yoga, curling, ballet, gardening and reading.
Please click the logo below to read Dr. Thomas’s reviews on ratemds.com and google.com
For our existing patients, please feel free to write a review to let us know how we are doing!
The referral of a friend or family member is the greatest compliment we can receive. Your referrals are always appreciated.
Thank you for your trust in our care!
Dr. John Varga, B.Sc. (Hons), D.C.
- Bachelor of Science – Honours Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Doctor of Chiropractic
- ART Certification
- Webster Technique Certification
- Custom Orthotic Fitter
- Ossur Bracing Provider
Dr. John Varga grew up in Hamilton and has been providing chiropractic care to the Hamilton area community since 1999. Over the years, he has expanded his practice to Stoney Creek (Hudson Integrative Health) in 2008, the Distillery District in downtown Toronto (Lemon Water Wellness Clinic) in 2017 and the Cornell neighbourhood of Markham (Markham Chiropractor @ in balance chiropractic + acupuncture clinic) in 2019.
With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Varga specializes in treating patients of all ages, including babies, pregnant women, professional athletes and everyone else in between. He is highly regarded for helping his patients understand the nature or source of their pain and providing various techniques for treatment and ongoing wellness. His first patient ever is still a regular maintenance patient in his clinic.
Qualifications
Dr. Varga graduated from The University of Waterloo with a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry. Dr. Varga then decided to pursue his life long dream of becoming a chiropractor.
In 1998, he graduated from the New York Chiropractic College and won the Clinic Award for excellence demonstrated in areas of diagnosis and patient care, an early indicator of the kind of treatment he would come to provide.
Services provided
Dr. Varga offers initial assessments, diagnoses and treatment for a wide range of issues, including neck and back pain, extremity joint pain, headaches, muscles aches and more.
Dr. Varga will review your treatment options which may include chiropractic adjustments or mobilizations (either manual or with the Activator), soft tissue therapy, laser, IFC, ultrasound, kinesiology taping, custom made orthotics or bracing and specialized care for expectant mothers and babies.
These therapies are designed to relieve pressure, reduce inflammation and pain, improve your nerve function, relax trigger points and promote ongoing wellness.
Dr. Varga’s Mission
As a friendly and outgoing professional, Dr. Varga’s goal is to actively promote the health and wellness of his patients through chiropractic care emphasizing nutrition, injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Hobbies and Interests
Outside of his practice, Dr. Varga enjoys spending time with his family, time at the cottage, traveling, dirt bike racing and time in the kitchen whipping up the latest culinary specialty.
Fun Fact about Dr. Varga
While chiropractic is Dr. Varga’s passion, he also enjoys contributing to his community as a minor hockey official when he is not in the clinic.