Atlanta woman living with neurological condition finds new confidence through targeted therapy
After the holidays, many people talk about resetting their health, usually by pushing harder.
For one Atlanta woman living with a chronic neurological condition, a reset meant learning how to move again, safely, gently, and without fear.
Retired educator Dr. Sherron Sanders is focused on movement on her own terms.
"It was hard being in gyms with other people and not being able to stay on the treadmill and having to constantly get off so I could get my balance," she said.
Sanders lives with Chiari malformation and ataxia, a neurological disorder that affects balance, coordination, speech, and mobility.
"It was very hard. I would leave feeling defeated, like what am I going to do next to help myself," she said. "I would go home and feel defeated, or feel at 58, what am I going to do next to help myself."
She found something different, not a fitness routine, but a medically guided plan at Inspire Wellness and Aesthetics in Atlanta.
Its co-founder, Dr. Kibibi Wanzu, a board-certified foot and ankle surgeon, prescribed a 12-week integrative program, built around what Sanders' body could handle.
"When each client comes in, we focus less on what's the matter with them and more on what matters to them," Wanzu said.
That meant gentler, movement-targeted therapy and addressing inflammation, a major contributor to pain and mobility loss.
"When you have inflammation, you have pain. Your joints and ligaments start to deteriorate. So if you can target that, especially in a more gentle, restorative manner like red light, you're able to reduce the pain," Wanzu said.
Red light therapy is widely used for skin health, pain, and inflammation. It uses low-level infrared light to fuel cellular repair. Inspire uses FDA-cleared devices — along with Pilates and targeted Power Plate technology, using whole-body vibration to enhance exercises.
For Sanders, it's become a gateway to movement. She says she's lost 20 pounds and, with help from her primary doctor, is shedding prescription drugs.
"I was able to get restoration in my bones and things I didn't think I was capable of doing," she said.
Part of her plan included cryotherapy — short bursts of extreme cold at 185 degrees below zero — designed to reduce inflammation. CBS New Atlanta's Sharon Lawson tried it with Dr. Wanzu — and it's intense! Usually, it's followed by welcomed extreme heat inside a Himalayan salt sauna.
For Sanders, this reset is about what happens when consistency starts to change your life. Confidence and stability — and the belief that healing doesn't have to be rushed or done alone.
"When I tell you it's been a journey," she said. "Coming here has been a lifestyle change for me. It's like giving your life back."
Doctors stress that therapies like red light treatment, cryotherapy, and adaptive fitness programs are not one-size-fits-all.
Anyone considering a new wellness routine, especially those with chronic conditions, should talk with their primary care doctor or specialist before starting.