Meet The Providors

Seattle Team

Dr. Aixa Santos

Originally from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, Dr. Aixa Santos graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in 2015, having earned the degree of a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She then furthered her education by earning her Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Sherman College of Chiropractic, in Spartanburg, SC. During that time, Dr. Santos participated in Blair Chiropractic Technique seminars and conferences. After graduation, she decided to move to Seattle to work with Dr. Michael Lenarz as an associate doctor.

Dr. Santos came to Health First to make a difference in the world by changing people’s lives and restoring and maintaining optimal health. She embraces the understanding that by removing misalignments to the spine, we remove obstacles to healing and allow the body to heal itself.

Dr. Santos Social practices at our Seattle location, and occasionally we are lucky enough to have her at the Sedro-Woolley location.

Dr. Rae Wang

Dr. Wang obtained her Doctorate degree from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine with specializations of neuromuscular sports medicine. She shares her heritage and cultural traditions with her patients when practicing these holistic medicines and she is passionate about supporting patients to restore health from many chronic issues, including women’s health issues. She enjoys seeing patients greatly benefit from her treatment when introducing; acupuncture, nutrition, diet, lifestyles, herb, minerals, breathing, relaxation exercises (Qi Gong, Tai Chi), and body work (Shiatsu and Tui Na). Dr. Wang also practices other needle-free treatment & heat therapies such as: cupping, gua sha, moxibustion and more.

Growing up with Olympic athletes in her family and her circle, Dr Wang developed her approach to athletic performance with a focus on longevity, balance and long term restoration of health to enhance performance. She also encourages patients to cultivate their internal and external environment: self cultivation thrives in a supportive environment, our social and natural environment is part of our holistic being and holistic healing.

In her free time, she enjoys swimming, spending time with her dog and dog friends at dog parks, traveling with her family, playing with her band visiting area music festivals, Do more of what you love to do, as she always tells her patients, is something she is striving for every day!

Sharon Scott, LMT

I attended the Brenneke School of Massage in Seattle, obtaining my massage therapy license in 1990. Thirty-plus years later, I still enjoy providing massage treatments, taking continuing education courses to improve my skills, and becoming acquainted with each individual patient and their unique history as they journey toward healing.

It's been clear to me for some time that it is *not the stretchy, elastic muscles - but rather the collagen-rich fascia (or connective tissue) - which retains the imprint of injuries. It's collagen which is mainly affected by tears, impacts, inflammation, and subsequent healing, or scar tissue formation. So, to resolve long-standing pain and tension patterns, it's the collagen which must be addressed.

As a client and student, I was introduced to the manual therapy known as Structural Integration - sometimes referred to as Rolfing, or Hellerwork. This is a vigorous (or heavily pressured) approach to straightening out the connective tissue (or fascial web) of the body and proceeds through ten sessions or major themes.

Over time, I began to receive and learn a subtler, more effective method to achieving similar ends - which includes an understanding of cranial-sacral, visceral and neural / vascular manipulation, as central to freeing restrictions in fascia.

So, I use all of these understandings - and am currently still studying! - toward identifying the correct body layer or structure where painful restrictions, adhesions, asymmetries & twisting, persist as a result of traumas new and old.

And my work is a little different: It's not relaxation work - though it can be relaxing; and it's not deep tissue - though it can be quite vigorous, and the intent is certainly deep and lasting. It's a precise and effective identification of persistent restriction patterns, which alleviates or reverses the accumulative effects of injury. The results also accumulate with repeated treatments - but you should feel some surprising relief from the get-go, in the form of increased range of motion and lowered tension.

I truly look forward to learning from & with you, and to being of service in your quest for greater ease and healing!

Sedro Woolley Team

Dr. Michael Lenarz

Dr. Lenarz is the founder of Health First Chiropractic, with four offices throughout Western Washington. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Blair Upper Cervical Society. He is past Chairman of The Board of Trustees at Sherman College of Chiropractic. He also authored The Chiropractic Way, (Bantam Books, 2003), the first introductory book about chiropractic, produced by a major publisher in the history of the profession.

He received Chiropractor of the year from the Blair Chiropractic Society in 2003 and Chiropractor of the year from Sherman College of Chiropractic in 2012. Dr. Lenarz is certified as a Blair Chiropractic Technique instructor with an Advanced Blair Instructor Certification.

He has published two research papers through Sherman College of Chiropractic, International Research and Philosophy Symposium.

In his free time, Dr. Lenarz enjoys exercising and hiking with his family, and running with their pit bull, Clementine. He also is passionate about travel and discovering new destinations to visit.

Dr. Michael Lenarz practices at Health First Chiropractic in Seattle and in Sedro-Woolley, Washington. For more information on Dr. Michael, you can go to drmichaellenarz.com

Nicole Tilson, LMT, CCST

Nicole’s career in massage and bodywork began with her own healing journey that eventually led her to Upper Cervical Chiropractic, and she’s been hooked ever since. She attended Discovery Point School of Massage in 2018 and simultaneously studied Phenomenal Touch, and later, Thai massage at the TMC School of Thailand. She completed a four-month program in dynamic myofascial techniques with an instructor named Dawn Schmidt, LMT. She is certified to offer intra-oral work and breast massage and is certified in craniosacral therapy with Lauren M. Christman, LMT, CBSI/KMI, CCST.

Nicole is a lifelong learner who is continually fascinated by anatomy, the science of movement, the healing process, and most of all, the place where the three intersect. In her free time, Nicole enjoys quilting, spending time with trees, and cuddling her ball python, Cupcake.