I've been a patient of Dr. Joe for 17 years. He has the most innovative set of skills I've seen in health care. I originally started seeing him for help with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. He is the only doctor who has ever tried to figure out what was actually driving my autoimmunity and offered therapeutic interventions across neurology, nutrition, supplementation and exercise. Every rheumatologist I've ever seen just wanted to prescribe me Humira or Enbrel, drugs costing over $6K a month with some serious side effects. They act on one part of the immune system, TNF-alpha. Not one of them gave me a blood test to see if my TNF-alpha levels were elevated. Dr. Joe never recommends anything without evidence to justify it. I've referred at least a dozen people to him for issues ranging from PTSD, repeated miscarriages, total hair loss, to a host of purely physical issues. All of them had struggled to get their health issues addressed through traditional western doctors without success. Every one of them said he was a "life saver" or "miracle worker". I used to sit for his dog when he went out of town. He is constantly attending seminars or doing trainings to expand his broader skillset or even to learn new techniques for specific patients. I've never seen a medical professional more passionate and dedicated to growing his skills. Most western doctors follow strictly proscribed protocols, heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Joe isn't dogmatic. He is constantly evaluating the cutting edge of medical tech, neurology, and nutrition/supplementation to find evidence-based techniques he can integrate into his practice. read more

I've worked with Dr. Joe Smith on and off for about 6 years. Friends, neighbors, family members, etc have all benefitted from his work. He's absolutely incredible - One skill that Dr. Joe has that most every doctor at this level falls short, is the ability to explain everything in a manner that everyone can understand, and utilize. While I always recommend Dr. Joe to everyone I know - he is a MUST if you've been working with other practitioners without results you need. He understands the body unlike anyone else - his focus is "root cause" type stuff, not just how to stop symptoms. I've had multiple scenarios where I suggest someone go to Dr. Joe, and it takes them years to finally go see him, but immediately see relief from their issues. read more

Dr. Smith is truly a rare find. He is a skilled problem-solver, a trusted adviser, and a gifted educator, inspiring and supporting lasting change in his patients. He helped me understand and resolve some long-term health issues that had other practitioners stumped. He's helped me solve both nutritional and structural issues. Dr. Smith has a powerful skillset including chiropractic, Applied Kinesiology, naturopathy, and traditional Chinese medicine. He is one of the countries foremost experts in Applied Kinesiology a modality that lets him determine which treatments will do the greatest good to your system. You can see why patients literally fly in from other states to see him. If you're ready for results you should work with Dr. Smith. We are truly fortunate to have him in our community. read more

Dr. Joe is brilliant, kind, patient and deeply supportive. I've been to numerous integrative doctors, healers, naturopaths and medical professionals and he's the best! He uncommonly brilliant holistically and scientifically - and knows things and can connect the dots in ways for each unique person and their unique health challenges - that very few practitioners can. I've referred 4-6 of my friends and relatives to him as well and they all agree! read more

Joe Smith is very passionate about his work! My issues are neurological and he was very helpful! read more

I have struggled for years to discover the root cause of my ill health. Dr Joseph Smith took the time to listen to my history and ordered bloodwork. He immediately offered a comprehensive plan. Very quickly upon following the plan I saw an improvement in my health. My sensitivity to gluten and gut issues lead to autoimmune diseases that if not for Dr Joseph Smith would have decimated my future. Chronic migraines, joint inflammation, brain fog, chronic allergies and fatigue seemed to control my life. I now experience a full life. Hiking a few times a week. No more migraine, joint swelling and my sessional allergies are unnoticeable. Dr Joe is my hero! read more

He is a great doctor. Very kind and welcoming. Makes you feel like one of the family. His adjustments are so good almost makes you wanna fall asleep. He really caters to the aching parts of your body. He will talk you through what he's doing and how it's going to benefit you. Very nice guy and he's very personable highly recommend him. read more

I think there's an epidemic of chiropractors thinking they're real doctors, and unfortunately that was my experience with Dr. Smith. I have a very aggressive autoimmune disorder and went to see him based on a fellow disabled person's recommendation. He's a very kind and intelligent person but he consistently oversteps his own medical knowledge by diagnosing problems and prescribing expensive supplements. I would not recommend him to anyone with serious medical issues like myself, but for anyone with basic issues he's probably great. read more

This just in!! The amazing Dr. Joseph Smith has curred me of a lifetime of physical discomfort!! I've been to everyone and done EVERYTHING but he was able to figure out exactly what my issue was and what I needed. He is well worth the drive, the money, and the dedication! I've never been so happy!! Thank you so much Dr. Smith!!! =) read more

Dr. Smith is brilliant. He is a Board Licensed Chiropractor and Certified in Applied Kinesiology but includes other therapies in his practice like Homeopathy, Chinese Medicine, Cranial Sacral, Neuro Emotional Technique, as needed. He is young, really smart and fast at figuring out how to help you. I went to him for chiropracitc therapy and got so much more. I also learned I had glutton and dairy allergies that explained a lot of my problems. I feel better than I have in years. The guy has over 400 hours of post grad Applied Kinesiology. He is a runner and is great with athletes. He has integrity and is just a great doc -- whatever your problem, you could start with him and then move out to tradiitional medical, if needed. read more

There aren't enough stars in the Yelp galaxy to express my appreciation and enthusiasm for Dr. Joe and Lighthouse. Within two days of my first visit, he gave me renewed energy, within 11 days, he gave me a new body, within 15 days he gave me a more vibrant personality and a more powerful brain, and I'm sure that when we meet again on day 17, he will have given me a whole new life. In half a month he has corrected a lifetime of struggles. I had given up on myself because I had reached out to every kind of doctor for answers and they only left me with more questions, mainly "Why can't you help me?" followed shortly by "Why am I paying you to tell me that I'm hopeless?" I felt lost and had accepted the darkness as a part of my life until I bumped into Dr. Smith on the street. To say that Dr. Smith has a gift would trivialize his intellect and his devotion to his work, but what he has is far more special than mere skill. In a single glance he can give you a better idea of what's going wrong in your body than you would receive from hours of work with a specialist or single-modality practitioner. Dr. Smith passes no judgment and his openness made me feel comfortable being completely honest with him, instead of presenting the "best" version of myself. My life changed after my first session with Dr. Smith and looking back, I can't believe what bad shape I was in. I am 24 and already my memory, energy, and interest in life were waining (I now know that this was due to brain degeneration... yep, at only 24). Since working with Dr. Smith, I have felt healthier and happier than I have in my entire life -- childhood included -- and after my first adjustment combining chiropractics with neurology, the good doctor gave me the best day of my whole life at age 24. Dr. Smith is brilliant, kind, and driven. He will work as hard as you towards your recovery and if you're willing to give your health 100% of your effort, you will see a 100% improvement in your health and quality of life. His service-based philosophy and commitment to the greater good (if you ask him, the greatest good is to find the cause and he delves directly to the root of all your problems) make him stand apart from any medical practitioner I have known professionally or socially. His motivation is to help you help yourself. He describes his role as being that of a teacher, and he teaches his students how to live healthily in their bodies. With Dr. Smith you will be treated as an individual with a unique set of circumstances and this is the key to recovery-- and, boy, does that recovery happen quickly with personalized treatment. There is no doubt in my mind that Dr. Smith can treat any person suffering from any kind of ailment, and even those who do not yet know that they are ailing. His approach is TRULY holistic and he gathers his techniques from various healing arts, so you are not seeing just one doctor. Every one can benefit from his approach which deals directly with the root cause and works from the ground up. It works not just for physical and mental health, but in all facets of life. Dr. Smith believes that a healthy world is made up of healthy individuals and I am certain that if every person knew a Dr. Smith, the world would see a 100% improvement. Miracles happen more often than you think. *Caution: health and happiness may be habit-forming. read more

Dr. Smith is extremely knowledgeable and patient, taking time to understand your background, determine the root cause of the issue, and then explain his approach to remedying it. I had neck pain and impaired mobility for weeks. He adjusted me and applied various Applied Kinesiology techniques. I recall he pressed somewhere on my shin-- and surprisingly it was sore there. Post treatment, I felt 100% better and have not had that issue since. Amazing. He also brought awareness of the impact/influence of specific food on the body. I have suffered from terrible headaches my whole life and have seen many specialists/allergists/ENTs in an effort to figure out the cause, with no success. Dr. Smith had me closely monitor what I ate and I discovered a correlation with drinking milk and getting a headache. I had no idea all these years. I now drink milk substitutes [rice milk, almond milk]-- and it has made all the difference. Dr. Smith has devoted his life to improving the health and well-being of his patients. I highly recommend him and only wish he would open a second office in SF! read more

I absolutely recommend Dr. Smith to anyone who is open minded and holistically oriented about their health and willing to think outside the box. He is impressively knowledgeable and able to draw on many modalities (chiropractic/applied kinesiology/ nutritional counseling/ plus various others) which he blends with ease. Also, he is incredibly present with you which you feel right away, making for a very personal and unique experience. And, of course, this is how it should be since everyone IS unique and health treatment should be tailored accordingly. Dr. Smith really listens to your body and uses the innate wisdom there as a guide. Therefore the results come more quickly since he is able to connect the dots and think systemically in a way that most mainstream medical practitioners don't. In short, I feel he is a healer in the truest sense of the word and would not hesitate to recommend him highly. Albeit a bit pricey since he doesn't accept insurance, reclaiming my health was worth it. And it took only a few months of seeing him approximately twice a month to clear up the long standing ailments that plagued me. Isn't your health worth it? read more

I was introduced to Dr. Smith at his seminar where he teaches Professional Applied Kinesiology "PAK". I found him to be ahead of his time. He is very powerful teacher and has a strong passion for getting people well. I eventually became one of his clients and have referred many of my close family members to him along with my clients. I truly believe what he does works. He just doesn't adjust what is restricted. He uses PAK to find what, when and how a specific segment of my body needs to be adjusted. It makes sense. I am happy I found Dr. Smith and look forward to progressing on my healing journey with him . read more

Dr. Joe is a literal genius. After several decades and probably 20 traditional doctors, I finally saw him to address debilitating chronic pain and migraines. Not only did he figure out what was causing them - and consequently stop them - but the anxiety I had accepted as normal went away, too. Dr. Joe is unusually devoted to his work, something I don't see in many doctors anymore. He is remarkably gifted and as determined; he listens and explains thoroughly; he sees THE WHOLE person in front of him, rather than reducing patients to a symptom that needs to be muted. He is a true healer. If I had written nothing else, I'd leave this here: he has in no uncertain terms saved my life. If you wonder if it's worth the drive out to Fairfax, the time out of your day, the $, whatever, stop wondering. I am well and happy to an extent on which I had long ago given up. If no one else can figure it out, he can. read more

I have worked with Dr. Joe for about 5 months now. I've waited this long to put up some "reviews" since health journeys are long (mine included) and I didn't want to make any major statements until I had a good sample size of facts. Anyway, I've decided the facts are overwhelmingly in and here's my major statement: Dr. Joe has truly changed my life for the positive and I would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone. I found Dr. Joe through an incredible Youtube lecture he gave on "food sensitivity" and after gathering my courage, reached out to see if he was interested in treating me (my issues revolve around allergy, digestion, blood sugar, terrible energy, Eosinophilic Esophagitis, ect). He was and we began our work (which I'm still in the thick of today). As I do not live in San Francisco, we initially skyped and I was so impressed and excited that he actually listened to my health-story (something sadly many health care practitioners don't do). From my symptoms described and a written questionnaire, he ordered a series of tests he was interested in seeing the results of, which I proceeded to do (mostly blood work, some stool). When these results were in, we once again met online and he gave me his ideas and prescriptions (diet, supplements, lifestyle, ect.) which I've been following since and we tweak when needed. Eventually I went up to SF to see Dr. Joe and did a 4-day intensive which was also fascinating and productive. Now we are in weekly contact, we still do tests and tweak my lifestyle, but my symptoms and outlook are miles and miles improved since I started 5 months ago. I feel safe with Dr. Joe. I trust him completely and feel like he really knows me medically, something which is rare and I'm so grateful for. Dr. Joe is worth every penny, a true, powerful science-based holistic approach to healthcare. He is an incredibly smart and kind person and I am truly honored that I get to work with him. It hasn't been an easy process, but change never is - it is not an exaggeration when I say every aspect of my life has improved under his tutelage. I don't have to feel as bad as I once did. Life doesn't have to be that way. Dr. Joe has empowered me through my health. I am truly, truly grateful. If you are struggling with a health issue that seems too complex to manage (and maybe other Doctors are not listening), I sincerely urge you to give Dr. J a call and see what he has up his sleeve. 10/10 read more

After an extremely long health journey that involved so many doctors and five years of my life, I am content because I have a doctor that I trust and have full faith in. When I met Dr. Joe, his approach was different. It was evident from the moment we met that he truly cared. Dr. Joe worked tirelessly and never gave up until he finally found the root cause of my issues. Once we understood my health challenges, Dr. Joe developed a plan to guide me back to optimal health. During the process of testing, reviewing lab results, and evaluating various treatments, Dr. Joe made sure my mental health and stress levels were managed properly. He gave me meditations and pep talks and was a true supporter throughout the entire process. When I was healthy enough to exercise again, he evaluated my exercise routines to ensure that I was exercising optimally for my condition. As I became healthier, he checked in on me and has always been available when I needed him. I know this statement is very bold, but I can honestly say, Dr. Joe saved my life. It feels wonderful to know I am in good hands and that I truly trust my doctor. read more

I have sat on writing this review for a long time but ultimately I have decided its my moral obligation to say something to prevent others from having the bad experience I had. I had a pretty terrible experience with this chiropractor and have used this story as an example to warn off other folks from seeing chiropractors who are treating way beyond their training. I have a diagnosis of a rare auto immune condition. While he was enthusiastic about treating me, and came recommended by someone I trusted, it became extremely clear that Chiro Smith was out of his depth in treating me/my condition. His recommendations did not make sense, there was a lot of smoke and mirror type talk/action, he used neurological terms out of context and in the wrong way (I checked with two neurologists) and frankly a lot of BS hocus pocus. And I am a VERY liberal minded and informed person when it comes to healing. It took almost a month to get the promised follow up e mail, and I had to harass his office for it, when it came was it totally incomplete - very unprofessional - when I questioned this, the questions went unanswered - he had obviously forgotten many of the things that he promised to follow up on. He claimed that in order to continue the "healing" that took place in his office there were no exercises I could do at home, but I needed to continue returning to the Bay Area for appointments in his office, of course at a high cost to me. He also implied that I should go off my medication, which is the only thing preventing me from possibly waking up blind or paralyzed. I am an extremely holistic and medication averse person but unfortunately for me this medication is a medical necessity, which I explained to him. I was very disappointed after all of this, especially since I had spent around $1000 to see him. I know that others have had positive experiences with this chiro, I can only speak to my own experience. Perhaps less rare/complicated cases or those who are at the beginning of their healing journey rather than way down the path would have a better result. This is my cautionary tale and after this experience I will never again see a chiropractor to do the work of a functional MD. Buyer beware, for me this chiropractor joins the ranks of the many selling snake oil to the desperate. read more

Dr. Smith, in my opinion, is one of the best Doctors in the world. His attention to detail combined with his passion to finding the root cause of dysfunction sets him apart from all others. I have a long history of health problems varying from PMS, Kidney issues, Hypoglycemia, Parasites, Yeast Fungus, Leaky Gut Syndrome and Carpel Tunnel. In his treatments, Dr. Smith works with body on a chemical, physical and emotion level. With this approach, not only was Dr. Smith able to significantly help me with ALL my current health problems but also with imbalances in my body that might have created future problems if left unchanged. I owe my good health and better quality of life to Dr. Smith for helping me heal myself without drugs or surgery. I believe with the right attitude and tools, the body can heal itself from just about anything. Dr. Smith is the Doctor that can find out what each individual body needs for optimum healing. Thank you Dr. Smith for all the great you have done in my life, and the lives of my friends and family members. read more

I come from a family of western medicine Doc's so I was biased learning about what chiropractic can offer. In just a few months I'm sold. I've never come across a doctor whose job is caring for me as a whole human being- physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual etc.. I have struggled with anxiety and also digestive and GI problems my whole life. In just a few months, I've learned so much! Dr. Joe and other good chiropractors educate you instead of treat you like a diseased person. They bring you to optimal health by not just focusing on reducing the symptoms but by actually going to the root of the issues and allowing your body to learn to heal itself. I trust Dr. Joe and will continue to see him because I have seen such wonderful improvements and I would recommend him to anyone and everyone! read more

This review has been long over due..but now that I have been cured of all my 'random' ailments I have had time to reflect on just how incredible this practitioner is. Not only is he unsurpassed at what he does (fix you!) he is so interesting to listen to you almost wish you could be at the doctors all day! Dr. Joe has literally re-programmed me at record speed and I can honestly say I have never had a boring, suspect, or anxious moment in his care. He is always thinking, compassionate (sometimes funny) and takes great care to really listen, no matter how petty I thought my problem might have been. Ultimately, he has educated me so I can take care of myself, and I should think for anyone that is the greatest achievement, isn't it? read more