Chiropractor Rockford

Dr. Alex Mera

Chiropractor

Palmer College of Chiropractic

Dr. Alexander T Mera is a natural health doctor and corrective care chiropractor. He attended Michigan State University and Palmer College of Chiropractic. Dr. Alex specializes in structural correction of the spine and the essentials of true health (mind, nervous system, nutrition, detox, and exercise).

Dr. Alex was born and raised in Rockford, IL and has a desire to improve health in the Rockford region. His mission is to inspire and empower as many people as possible to reach their full health potential. This is his focus in his practice at Chiropractic First of Rockford. The entire staff trains diligently to provide the highest quality health care experience so that people are truly inspired to reach new heights and experience the potential God has for them. Dr. Alex trains regularly with top chiropractors and natural health doctors from across the country. He prides himself on staying educated and up to date with the latest and best health information.

Dr. Alex is known to laugh and have a good time both in work and outside of work. When not at work Dr. Alex loves spending time with his wife Amanda and two children Hunter and Lexi. Dr. Alex also enjoys just about every outdoor activity; especially hunting, fishing, boating and golfing.

Dr. Kyle Olson

Chiropractor

National University of Health Sciences

Dr. Kyle Olson has been helping patients live healthy and subluxation-free since joining Chiropractic First of Rockford in 2013. He received his bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Carthage College in 2007, and later that year he married his college sweetheart Sarah. After spending several years working at a pharmaceutical testing facility, and observing the often devastating side effects of medical drugs, he enrolled at National University of Health Sciences and graduated in 2013 with his Doctorate of Chiropractic.

During his years of practice, Dr. Kyle has continued his education in the fields of:

• Pediatric and family chiropractic care
• Care following motor vehicle accidents
• Neuromuscular re-education and stabilization
• Athlete care and injury prevention

Dr. Kyle volunteers and serves as the chiropractor for the Veterans Drop-In Center in Rockford to help local homeless military veterans receive the care and resources they need. He is also a sponsor and supporter of the Nikolas Ritschel Foundation and their annual “Nik’s Home Run” 5k to help young adults battling cancer.

Dr. Kyle and Sarah have two lovely children and family roots that spread into Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. Dr. Kyle is an avid Packer, Brewer, and University of Wisconsin athletics fan and enjoys experiencing live stand up comedy and music events.

Dr. Jake LaVere

Chiropractor

Dr. Jake graduated from the National University of Health Sciences Florida in 2014, where he founded the Sports Council program. His focus and passion lead him towards injury prevention and rehab in sports and movement. He provided triage and emergency care as doctor or medical director for over 200 sporting events ranging from 5k’s, USA Wrestling, Rowing World Championship, World Grand Prix Judo, World Cup and Olympic trial events. He has worked with multiple professional sports teams creating and implementing injury prevention protocols and developing tests for the MLB Combine and incorporating sports science into the USA baseball PDP program.

Dr. Jake has been a featured speaker at numerous medical Eeents including the FCA conference discussing topics ranging from brain and body biomechanics to injury prevention and analyzing objective data. He was awarded a grant and published a study on fall prevention, a program that he co-created working with the University of South Florida neuroscience department. He volunteered at a school, designing a purposeful movement program for autistic children. He’s ecstatic to utilize these experiences to implement unique and effective styles of rehab and long-term spinal correction into his daily clinic work.

Dr. Jake grew up in California and Florida and is in awe of learning about seasons, the Midwest, fireflies, and ranch dressing. After a year of training he is very proud to have completed an Olympic triathlon, ranking somewhere in the lower middle and has no current plans to ever compete in one ever again. He enjoys golf, suspense films and getting beat by his wife while playing the boardgame, Risk. After years of effort he has grown to appreciate his wife’s love of musical theater. His favorite is “Hamilton”. Jenny would like him to read more classic literature. She suggested Beowulf. He’s six pages in (on Cliff’s Notes).

Dr. Johnny Kirk

Chiropractor

National University of Health Sciences

Dr. Johnny is passionate about leading his patients to their full potential when it comes to health and happiness. He received his Bachelors Degree from Carthage College where he studied biology and chemistry. He saw the power of chiropractic during a medical mission trip in Nicaragua and learned how it could impact so many people’s lives. One of his goals is to go back to Nicaragua someday, so he could give back just like the chiropractor who inspired him.

While earning his Doctorate Degree at National University of Health Sciences he worked at numerous clinics developing different chiropractic techniques and spinal rehab. He believes anyone is capable of living their best life with the help of spinal corrections, therapeutic exercise, mental health and proper nutrition.

Dr. Johnny was born and raised in Schaumburg, IL and is excited about this new chapter in the community of Rockford. He is an enthusiast for exercise and used to be a personal trainer at his home town’s gym. When he is not treating patients at Chiropractic First of Rockford he enjoys playing golf, bike riding, or spending time with his family every Sunday.

Dr. Adam Young

Chiropractor

Palmer College of Chiropractic

Dr. Adam is from Shannon, Illinois and graduated from Eastland High School. He then went to the University of Nebraska – Lincoln where he started working at a chiropractic office and playing rugby.

Upon completion of an undergraduate degree in Business Management, he then attended the original chiropractic school in Davenport, Iowa. There he continued playing rugby for Palmer. Rugby and chiropractic? The two do not necessarily sound like they go together, but they really do. As a player he was exposed to various types of sports injuries. Being able to deal with these injuries and help others overcome theirs, became a big part of week to week operations while in season. Whatever issues happened as a result from a match on Saturday, would be addressed in the student clinic on Monday.

While attending chiropractic school Dr. Adam reconnected with and married the love of his life Elizabeth. They have two wonderful children Hallie and George, who keep life interesting. Dr. Adam enjoys hunting, fishing, camping and spending time with family.

Empowering people within their community to have optimal health is Dr. Adam’s main goal. He started at Chiropractic First of Rockford in 2021 and is very passionate about caring for families.

Dr. Wren Felton

Chiropractor

Palmer College of Chiropractic

Dr. Wren grew up in Rockford, IL and graduated from Winnebago High School along with RVC. She continued her education at the University of Northern Iowa, attaining her undergraduate degree in Biology while playing collegiate rugby. After graduating from UNI, Dr. Wren suffered a back injury that threatened to end her time in sports. Instead of opting for surgery, she chose to see a chiropractor and returned to all activity better than ever. Following that experience, she wanted to be able to change people’s lives the way chiropractic changed her’s and pursued her future career by attending Palmer where she continued playing rugby for the Palmer team. Dr. Wren is passionate about giving back and growing the Rockford area community. On top of caring for patients and helping them strive to reach their peak health, in her free time she is a captain of the Rockford rugby team and a local artist.

Dr. Mario Rosales

Chiropractor

Palmer College of Chiropractic

Dr. Mario was born in Maquoketa, Iowa but grew up in the Rockford area. He is a second generation chiropractor. While attending Northern Illinois University as an athletic training student, he saw during his clinical rotations the inability to fully give the proper care to his athletes and decided to switch to a biology major so he could attend Palmer College, with his mom being his inspiration of course.

While attending Palmer College, Dr. Mario became a graduate assistant and helped to teach and proctor exams for the rehabilitation and the neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) courses. The constant exposure to these courses and having the responsibility of teaching them, further reinforced Dr. Mario’s knowledge of chiropractic. Dr. Mario enjoyed this so much that he is currently working on his diplomate in International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (DIANM).

Dr. Mario is married to his wife Emily. They have 4 kids, Emma, Adin, Reagan, and Owen. When Dr. Mario is not in the clinic, you will find him in the gym or at home spending quality time with the family.

Dr. Mae Arvay

Chiropractor

Raised in the beautiful state of Colorado, Dr. Mae Arvay has been surrounded by chiropractic her entire life. As the daughter of a chiropractor and a proud “Chiro-Kid,” she’s been receiving care since birth—and she’s seen the impact it can make at every age.

A lifelong athlete and wellness advocate, Dr. Mae knows firsthand how chiropractic care helps keep the body moving, performing, and healing at its best. Her background in sports, combined with years of experience working in chiropractic offices, inspired her to follow in her father’s footsteps and serve others through natural health care.

Dr. Mae is passionate about helping people of all ages—whether it’s supporting growing families, active kids, weekend warriors, or lifelong athletes. She brings a heart for community, a love for movement, and a commitment to compassionate care into every adjustment.

When she’s not in the office, you’ll find her staying active, enjoying the outdoors or enjoying all Illinois has to offer. Her mission is simple: to help people move better, feel better, and live fully—one adjustment at a time.

Lori Erdmier

Office Manager

Lori has been serving as our office manager since we opened. She studied Business Management at Bradley University and applies that knowledge to everyday activities at Chiropractic First of Rockford. She is passionate about our health center being the best it can possibly be so that she can give our patients the experience they deserve, which allows them to lead the life God intended them to lead. Lori has been married to Gary for 40 years and has 3 children and 3 grandchildren.

Deb Holder

5 Essentials CA

Deb began care at CFOR in October 2011. One year later she joined the staff as a 5 Essentials CA. After making huge improvements in her own health by applying the 5 Essentials (clean thinking, spinal alignment, clean eating, exercise & removing toxins) her desire is to educate people so they too can reach a greater level of health, where the body is given the chance to heal & thrive the way God intended. She previously gave care to many in her 35 years as a dental hygienist and is blessed to continue to enrich lives through chiropractic care. She has been married to Alan for 39 years. She has 3 children and 7 grandchildren.

Cait Spradlin

X-ray Technician and Chiropractic Assistant

Cait has been a patient since 2012 and she started working at the office since October 2016. She is passionate about generational health and enjoys gardening. She is a mother of two and married to the love of her life, Ryan.

Bethsaida Lopez

Bilingual CA

Bethsaida is one of our bilingual CA’s. She started as a patient in 2017 and soon after started working at CFOR. She is currently a college student finishing her Associated degree. She is one of ten siblings and enjoys spending time with all her family, especially her nieces and nephews! She has learned so much about Chiropractic care and the positive impact it has on life. Her favorite thing about coming into the office is hearing the patient’s testimonials!

Aimee Ruthe

Assistant Manager

Aimee started at Chiropractic First as a patient in 2017. After completing her undergraduate degree, Aimee and her husband Collin moved to Zimbabwe to do missions work for a year. When they moved back, Aimee found her place at CFOR in 2020. Aimee’s passion is to serve and help others reach their fullest potential in health, soul, and mind. She loves to encourage and empower others to live out the 5 essentials so they can greater impact Rockford and the surrounding areas.

Aimee and Collin have been married for 7 years. They have one daughter. Aimee enjoys painting, taking photos, running, and exploring the outdoors.

Leah Micek

Insurance Specialist

Leah started at Chiropractic First of Rockford in November of 2019. She has been in the health insurance industry for the past 25 years. Married to Mitch, they have 4 daughters and 4 grandkids She is excited to learn and promote Chiropractic care as well as learning about a healthier lifestyle to be the best person she can be in order to impact our community.

Makenzie Krebeck

Nutrition Specialist and Assistant Manager

Makenzie’s been part of the CFOR team since April 2021. She has been working in Max Living since 2017. She attended Harlem High School and has been living in the Rockford area for the majority of her life. She received a double bachelors degree from Kaplan University in Nutrition Science and Health Science. She is certified in Max Metabolix with Maxliving. At Chiropractic First of Rockford, she is one of the two Assistant Managers, the head Exam CA and the Nutrition Specialist. She has a passion for sharing the true meaning of health with her community by empowering others to make major lifestyle changes that will remove interference and allow the body to heal and function by itself. Besides her passion for health, she also enjoys kayaking, biking, skiing, camping and traveling.

Itzel Villagomez

Spanish CA

Itzel joined the team of Chiropractic First in November of 2023. After learning the 5 essentials she is excited to apply them to her everyday life and introduce them to friends and family along the way. During her spare time she enjoys reading and writing. She also enjoys spending time with her family and her boyfriend, Jonathan.