I visited this office for a free consultation in October 2011. From the moment I came through the…read moredoor, the staff were all incredibly friendly. The ladies at the front desk are knowledgable and personable and I already felt welcome there. This also helped to calm my nerves as I had never been to a chiropractor before. During my consultation, the entire process, including techniques and methods, was laid out for me very thoroughly. There was never any question at all about the kind of care that I needed or how it would be done. By my second visit, everyone knew my name. I've never had that in any other doctor's office before, and it creates a very welcoming atmosphere. And again, everyone in the Advanced Chiropractic office is friendly, welcoming, professional, and completely willing to help you out if you have any questions at all. It didn't take long for me to start noticing the results of chiropractic. Working in front of a computer, I was so accustomed to my back and neck pain that I never even realized how bad it was. On top of that, I was getting headaches nearly every single day. Thanks to the doctors at Advanced Chiropractic, I no longer experience chronic back and neck pain like I did before. And the headaches? Virtually gone. (Thank you, Dr. TJ!) The doctors talk to you and get to know about your life and how you've been. I saw Dr. Richard once because my regular doctor, Dr. TJ, was away. He asked me about my writing -- which means that he knew a little bit about me and my background. And I wasn't even one of his regular patients. Incredibly impressive. During one of these chats, my sister mentioned to Dr. Laura that she'd had an ear infection for a month. The medicine from her doctor wasn't working and she was frustrating with not being able to hear out of one of her ears. Dr. Laura adjusted her ear (yes, her ear!) and it opened right up. She had no trouble whatsoever after that. I look forward to my visits to Advanced Chiropractic. It's obvious that everyone there loves what they do and they are very passionate about their field. If you're looking for doctors who are absolutely willing to go the extra mile for your care, look no further. It's a shame that Yelp has filtered out so many of Advanced's reviews. If you read Monchi M.'s review, don't listen to it. That sounds absolutely nothing like this office (it seems that reviewer has a propensity for giving 1 star ratings to businesses coast to coast -- I'd be suspicious of THAT). Everything said in that review couldn't be further from the truth. This office cares about its patients, goes out of its way to please them, and is not "money chasing" at all. As a patient with no insurance, I was surprised at how inexpensive it is (I can get an adjustment for less than $30). I can't say enough good things about Advanced Chiropractic in Altoona, Pa. When you come here, you're dealing with professionals who love what they do. I can't imagine going anywhere else.

I'd be suspicious of this place. Patient-pleasing really isn't their forte…read more I went to Dr. MacDonald as I was looking for a new chiropractor. As with most doctors, they don't want to speak with you on the phone, but expect you to come to the office to speak with them...via an appt. I don't work like that when I'm looking for a new doctor. I want a few basic questions answered first. Why should I waste my money on an appt. if you don't offer the type of care I'm looking for. Novel concept, I know. I told the receptionist I wanted to speak with the doctor first, to ask about his treatment technique; she insisted on making an appt. and I declined. She took my name and number anyway. About a week later, his office called, to find out if I wanted to schedule an appt. I told her that once Dr. M. returns my call to answer some basic questions that I'd then consider making an appt. She tried to run interference by asking what my questions were and once she learned they were technical in nature about the different kinds of chiropractic techniques - SOT, Gonstead, Diversified, etc - she admitted that she didn't know. So another week passes until he finally calls me back. He was polite and professional. I asked my questions and decided to give him a chance. I told him what kinds of treatment I was accustomed to and what I didn't like in chiropractic care. Some treatments are harsh and can hurt. I finally go to see him and he asked again what I liked and didn't like. It felt like a repeat of the phone conversation. I asked him if he didn't recall us having this same conversation on the phone beforehand. He looked at me with that "Oh crap" look, as I was holding him accountable for speaking with me. He came back with a slick excuse that he didn't jot down any notes at that time and he apologized. Hmppfff. The treatment went okay and he was quick to advise that I schedule 2-3 treatments/week until we get me back into shape - carefully chosen words, as he didn't say "back into alignment", since he said during the treatment that I didn't seem to have any spinal alignment problems. I mentioned my previous treatment regimen and who I had seen before him and wanted to know if he could follow some of that regimen to get me started under his care. He agreed and said that he'd contact my previous doctor to have my "care file" sent over. So, it was my turn, I was slick enough to tell him that I wanted him to review the file before I made a 2nd appt. - to give him time to develop a plan for my chiropractic needs. He didn't know what to say as I got the impression he doesn't usually have patients say that. He agreed. So he scribbled something in the file and sent me to the front desk. Apparently, what he scribbled had nothing to do with what we just spoke about. The receptionist was eager to make a 2nd appt. and I had to go through the whole spiel again about him getting my old file. What a PITA! I waited a week and called his office to find out if they had the file yet - NO. Another week went by and his office called this time to set up an appt. I asked if they finally had the file and the receptionist had NO CLUE what I was talking about. She put me on hold and then got back to me - no file yet, STILL! At this point I was getting suspicious. I doesn't take two weeks to get a filed transferred. A whole month goes by. His office calls me to schedule a follow-up. Again, we go through the same issue about them getting the file. Now the excuses start coming - how they must've forgotten to request it from the previous doctor, BUT...they would be happy to schedule a next appointment. I declined and insisted that they get the file before we proceed. Out of curiosity, I called my old chiropractor to ask if they ever got a request to send my file to the new chiropractor - the answer was NO! I never heard from his office again. My recommendation - stay clear of this chiropractor. He, and/or his staff, has poor follow-through if you are going to him after being cared for by another chiropractor. **Rebuttal to 6/12/13 comments** It's simply incredible how you attempt to chide and chastise a reviewer for an honest opinion. In regards to my California information, you have heard of this concept called 'moving', 'relocating'?? Yes? People do it all the time. Moreover, the matter of my review was handled discretely as Dr. MacDonald messaged me privately and it was discussed further. I get the distinct impression that you didn't confer with Dr. M. before you posted this retort or you would've known that he already addressed it privately. For you to post something publicly 18+ months after my initial review screams desperation, to discredit any reviewer who is not giving you a 5-star rating. For shame! Additionally, I don't even know who you are as you're not the doctor who treated me, that was Dr. M. Unfortunately, there's nothing to 'clear up' 18+ months after the fact. The way in which my case was handled was unacceptable.