Hidden Gems: Meet Dr. Janine Crifasi of Arizona Chiropractic Neurology Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Janine Crifasi.

Hi Dr. Janine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My life began with neurological compromise. I entered this life as a surviving twin, incurred multiple concssions starting as an infant that squirmed off of the changing table and as a toddler faollowing my father downstairs by climbing over the “not so safety” gate. The learning disabilities, created cognitive and social -emotional challenges in my life. Physically the sensory motor mismatches I experienced led to clumsiness and often my mother referred to me as an accident waiting to happen due to being clumsy despite excellent athletic prowess. There was always a feeling of being less than despite exceptional family support. Having spent much time in doctors offices and emergency rooms for myself and family the information was fascinating to me but not always well explained and the results were not always adequate. For the more complex situations I needed to lean in to the doctors and nurses to get answers. The “let’s see” mentality or “that is all we can do” was unnerving. The holisitc approach suited me best with the blend of the allopathic model of comanagment was the path I chose to take. Life Chiropractic College West my alma mater was very adept with resources for those of us with learning challenges to help us become successful doctors by giving us resources and skills to learn and share. Knowledge is useless if it is not shared with those in need. Upon graduating my cousin died from being one of the earliest and misdiagnosed Lyme Disease patients, her nervous system become dessimated. My parents died young with complex health issues involving their central nervous systems, and unresolved health issues not to mention friends and family with similar issues. I needed to help people with the more complex issues.

I chose to stand behind Ghandis words of “Be the change you want to see in the world.” In the mid 1990’s myself and two schoolmates learned about and encouraged our campus President to bring Integrative Functional Clinical Neuroscience to campus. We all saw the implications of our aging society and wanted to do whatever we could to protect the implications of neurodegeneration not to mention neurodevelopmental challenges. Dimentia currently in 2025 displays a the risk factors of 1 out of 3 of us dying with dimentia often due to unresolved neurological compromise during our lifetime. Expectations without csignificant changes in managment of this slippery slope is projected to become 1 out of 2 of us, that is half our population!

The brain governs every action, reaction and function the body makes and has with the integral network of neurological connections. These connections are withing the brain itself, with the body and most certainly with the gut -“our second brain”. Our amazing body is very complex but it is imperative that it be assessed and cared for constantly, managed precisely especially after a physical, metabolic or developmental trauma.
Not having specific, methodical modes of treatment rendered me at that time unable to help many family memebers. The shortcoming in their management inspired me to dedicate my life to doing what I can with clinically proven methods to optimize brain imbalances and sunsequent health issues.
I just completed coauthoring The Brain Restore Solution-A Systemized Science Backed Approach in solving today’s Brain Health Problems with Dr. Trevor Berry. We have launched the local chapter of the Brain Restore Centers here in Chandler within our Premier Integrative Functional Neurology Center in Chandler at the Arizona Chiropractic Neurology Center in November. Being part of this brain health movement has been an honor. Not only prociding resources for patients but being able to help other practitioners around the country and hopefully soon the world to help the at risk community from young ages to the elderly is a legacy I am excited to be part of.
The most important part of being a Doctor is teaching patients and the community that there are options, that we can retrain their brain with The Brain Restore Program and Integrative Functional modalities. Making myself available and sharing the message of hope with patients, speaking nationally and internationally to the public and other health care practiioners is what inspires me every single day to make changes.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Struggles in our profession are; the lack of awarenees as to the newer Fucntional Health concept and models. The perspectives of functional health and wellness care varies somewhat from traditional medical models of sick patient care. There is a need with the complexities of health condtions now for both traditional and functional models for people suffering from residual conditions such as latent unresolved residual post traumatic conditions, metabolic compromise such as autoimmune conditions, neurodegenerative diagnoses, post concussion disorders as well as balance/vestibular or positional compromise. Not to mention with the neurological impact of tick borne illnesses like Lyme disease and mold. As Executive Director of several clinics in New England I spent a few years working with the Lyme and Pans Center in Massachusetts in honor of my cousin. Far more people suffer in silence and endure living a less than sub par existence with chronic conditions. This hurts us a person as well as a society when we do not live up to our own potential. Family, relationships and ecomincs suffer. Some coditions can shorten life expectancy and radically alter families.
To have such a robust society that has so many unresolved health issues plaguing us and not knowing there is Hope for their Health saddens me yet motivates me.
The brain health crisis can no longer be the best kept secret. The next 25 years are critical for brain health! We offer comprehensive testing with objectificable markers and solution driven clinically tested modalities. Medical profession interrefer collaborate on research data often based on positive experiences of patients and are excepting and comanaging so many patients. Earlier in my careeer that was not the case, there were stigmas to my degrees.
We are an out of pocket cost, which is confusing and frustrating for patients when we all spend so very much on premiums for insurances. Advantages to being out of network are that we are able to spend quality time with patients, we do not need to gain authorization from carriers and patient’s can schedule easily with the office. I will even offer a complimentary 15 minute consultation prior to coming to the office if needed. They know that they can get in touch with me or others in the office to feel heard and to better understand with their circumstances in or out of the office. To see is to know, to not see is to guess! We will not guess about what is going on with patient health issues nor do we expect them to guess about what or why we are caring for them and their particular needs.

We’ve been impressed with Arizona Chiropractic Neurology Center, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Integrative Functional Clinical Neuroscience has been organized as a health care method for 40 years. The components of neuroscience have been understood far longer than that time line. Modern day research and technology coupled with the implementation of brain based rehabilitation activities coupled with the examination assesment integrations into the model is what is newer and becoming more validated by the rapidly growing neuroscience profession. Having brought this campus, into practice and now to the health care community at large with a wonderful support system of like minded pracitioners is exciting for me personally and for the patients I can help treat patients directly locally, indirectly through community discussions or professionally educating other pracitioners about the Brain Restore Program and the Functional Neurology therapeutic model. Our office prides itself on being able to examine, identify and use scientifically designed measureable diagnostics for testing and treatment of patient care. Implementing plans that are relevant based on data such as qEEG brain mapping for neurofeedback purposes, Balance Tracking System to graph patient movement in the most sensitive clincially acceptable model, Vestbular Nystagraphy Goggles (VNG) to better see eye movement patterns and assocaties brain region compromise, Tilt table testing, Somatosensory Integrative SMI training equipment as well rehabilitation activities. Our treatments are based on the appropriate diagnositcs and what patients refer to as the most comprehensive examination and explantions they ever experienced.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Giving people Hope for Their Health while creating positive changes in someones activity and quality of life is my goal. I never want to over promise reults because everyone is different, but the office experiences patient successes daily. Helping people meet and sometimes exceed thier personal health benchmarks, especially with brain health changes is what excites us and gets us all to get out of bed and help our patients. Certainly not every one is a miracle story of wheelchair to walking, or tremors resolving. Improvement and change are daily goals. Regaining balance and improving cognitive performance, regulating mood and assimilating traumas, sleep improvements are some of the cases we see daily. Patients that were barely able to communicate now joking with family are milestones and lifchanging. People feeling improvments in completing activities of daily living, being able to return to work, students to become more proficient in learning or adults in execution of tasks. Brain fog is a common symptom patients have, to be able to think clearer is a magnificent feeling.
I always say Your Quality of Life is directly related to YOUR Quality of Health without one You can not have the other!

Pricing:

• Varies depending upon the program and individual needs of the patient.
• qEEG brain mappng for Veterans and First responders for the remainder of 2025 are free.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://azchironeuro.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janine.crifasi
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/azchironeuro/