A native of Kailua-Kona, Dr. Jesse Broderson, now in his forties, began his chiropractic journey at the early age of 8.
“My brothers and I accompanied our mother to appointments with Dr. Rhody Edwards at his Malama Chiropractic Clinic in Kailua-Kona. When he had a bit of time following Mom’s treatment, he’d give us adjustments – I immediately loved everything about it, the cracking, the clicking and especially how good I felt afterwards,” he says. “Dr. Rhody was a bit of a legend here, everyone admired him. He was a buttoned-up professional in the office, and an avid surfer and tremendous role model for all of us groms (young, inexperienced surfers) at local surf breaks.”
Today, Jesse has morphed from devoted patient to owner of the respected clinic founded by Dr. Rhody in 1983. Taking over the reins in 2020, together with his chiropractor wife Dr. Shannon Hogan, the duo is excited to be carrying on the clinic’s legacy of health and wellness.
“Stepping into the practice was a bit of an adjustment for some of Dr. Rhody’s long-time patients who had known me as a kid. Surprise, I’m your doctor now,” he says.
But that wasn’t always his plan. He set out to college on the mainland, choosing classes on fitness and health that supported his desire to pursue a career as a personal trainer.
“At home on summer break, a visit to Dr. Rhody’s office changed that when he asked me one question: Had I ever considered studying chiropractic medicine instead? It was just the nudge I needed to reverse direction,” Jesse says.
Enrolling at Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward six months later, he found his true path as well as a spouse and future business partner, Shannon Hogan.
“We were literally in every class together during the three-year accelerated program we both had chosen,” Shannon says. “Everything about it just resonated with us – we both embrace a positive, healthy lifestyle focused on maintaining wellness and preventing illness rather than treating disease.”
With undergraduate degrees and doctorate hands, the couple headed to Southern California to look for the right opportunity to set up a clinic together.
“That was our plan, but we discovered there were no open doors, and nothing was falling into place for us there,” she says.
It was time to explore all options, according to Jesse, including the possibility of giving up on Southern California and moving back home to Kona. And, as fortune would have it, the timing was perfect.
“I guess that possibility was always in the back of my mind and when I got a call from Dr. Rhody it felt like a blessing – with God’s timing and guidance, he was leading me back to where I needed to be,” Jesse says.
Dr. Rhody was retiring, and he knew Jesse would be a great fit to take over the practice here, Shannon says. “What better fit than a talented Kona boy stepping into the role?”
Fate or blessing, they sealed the deal. Twenty years later, Jesse says, he is honored to share chiropractic health care and all aspects of living a healthy lifestyle with his hometown community together with the team of wellness professionals he and Shannon have assembled.
“We all have the same goal, which is providing safe, effective healthcare that results in lasting relief for our patients. Our clinic offers holistic treatments tailored to each individual’s specific needs, including traditional manual adjustments, low force instrument adjustments, traction and therapeutic modalities such as massage and acupuncture,” Jesse says.
These are all techniques, Shannon says, that heal the body and restore it to its natural fully functioning state.
Most recently, the team has added Class II Low Level Laser therapy to their arsenal of healing tools following research on various treatments that offer an alternative to surgery and other invasive therapies.
“The FDA recently has cleared laser therapy for the treatment of chronic and acute muscular pain. There is also exciting new research being done on how laser therapy may be effective in treating autistic and Alzheimer patients, as well as those suffering from depression and anxiety,” Jesse says.
Using light energy stimulates the body which makes sense since nothing survives without sunlight, according to Jesse. “It’s very cool to offer something like this in addition to more traditional therapies.”
A former vice president of the Hawai’i State Chiropractic Association, Jesse continues to work with the group to support and promote the profession he cares so much about. In his free time, he continues to surf, something he plans to do “well into my later years” by taking care of both body and mind.
“These bodies of ours take a lot of work, there’s no getting around that and the older we get the more work it takes. Stretching, staying hydrated, taking supplements, eating and living as clean as possible are all important – as well as choosing chiropractic health care, of course,” he says.
While he grew up surfing all the well-known and not so well-known Kona surf breaks, he hesitates to call out any favorites. “Wherever the waves are good, that’s where you’ll find me on any given day.”
Malama Chiropractic Clinic, MalamaChiropractic.com, (808) 329-7797, 74-5620 Palani Road, suite 102, Kailua-Kona.
"Had I ever considered studying chiropractic medicine instead?"
“These bodies of ours take a lot of work, there’s no getting around that."
