Dr. Raymond Yoza has been a chiropractor since 1982, but his practice extends to treat far more than sore necks and backs. The gentle doctor performs resonant healing, a form of alternative medicine, on people and pets.

Yoza didn't set out to treat pets. He's been using energy healing techniques on humans for 10 years and has seen how much it has helped his patients. Four years ago, a friend's dog became paralyzed. He wasn't sure if he could help the Australian cattle dog mix, but after several visits, Hinano could walk. Today there's a Christmas card photo of Hinano and family on his office wall.

That was the beginning of Yoza's energy healing practice on pets. Since then, he's treated almost every type of domestic animal: dogs, cats, a bird, a mouse and even some exotics.

His office wall is covered with testimonials from happy pet parents. Pictures of Kapono, Vinnie, Kimmi, Daisy, Rusti, Holly, Kiko, Mugi and Baby are displayed proudly.

Baby, the fancy mouse, had two mammary tumors. Kimmi, the Lhasa apso, had retinal degeneration and a rectal tumor. Mugi, a slow loris in Japan, wasn't able to walk for six months. Holly was anemic. All of the testimonials say they are doing much better. In Kimmi's case, the rectal tumor is gone, without surgical intervention, and her eyesight is back to normal.

Yoza says, "Animal patients respond faster with more amazing results than my human patients." He believes that animals are more open to treatment than humans.

He's treated many pet conditions: ulcerated skin, cataracts, cancer, respiratory problems, hair loss, paralysis and blindness. Yoza cannot guarantee complete recovery, but he has seen miraculous results.

More people are getting used to the idea of alternative treatments in health care.

Yoza explains in the simplest of terms how resonant healing works. All living things have a frequency or vibration. Resonant healing is based on this energy. Yoza sends his higher vibration to the patient. This higher frequency facilitates healing by helping the body heal itself.

"Scientists say we only use 10 percent of our brain or less. I believe energy healing uses the part of our brain that we haven't used before," Yoza explains.

The day I visited Yoza's office, Rocky, a Jack Russell terrier, was carried in by his owner, Keiko Hurst. Rocky has a tumor on his cervical spine. In September, he started to limp on his front legs and then it spread to his back legs. Now he's paralyzed from the waist down. Vets have told her that the cancer is terminal. Hurst decided against chemotherapy.

As Rocky lay on the waiting room floor, Yoza kneeled by him, gently touching him with one hand and holding the other hand in the air like he was catching something. During the 30-minute treatment, Rocky dozed next to his owner's legs, relaxed and content, as Yoza directed his energy toward him.

"I was referred by a friend. After the first couple of treatments, nothing happened so I was skeptical. But now after 11 visits, Rocky has a better appetite. His muscle spasms stopped and he can sleep through the night. He's wagging his tail and his hind legs are kicking," says Hurst. Others in the waiting room have attested to seeing the positive changes in Rocky over the past weeks.

It seems that Rocky's spirit is better, too. "He's much more alert now. He used to lay on his blanket for the entire day; now he sits up at times and demands to eat or drink water," says Hurst happily.

After his visits, Rocky sleeps for several hours at home. Yoza says it's because the body is trying to heal after receiving the energy. The sicker the person or animal, the longer they need to rest after treatment.

Charlotte Tokunaga's daughter's beagle, Rusti, started coming five months ago because of severe epilepsy. Rusti had seizures weekly. After visiting Yoza every other week, Rusti's last seizure was more than three months ago.

After seeing how Yoza helped Rusti, Tokunaga became his patient and also brings in her dog, Daisy, for healing. Daisy's vet told Tokunaga that nothing could be done about her pancreatitis, a condition that Daisy had for years. "After a few treatments, Daisy's bloodwork showed that her pancreas went back to normal," says Tokunaga.

Energy healing also has a calming effect. Bobby Zablan's dog, Kiko, an English Staffordshire terrier, enjoys going to see Yoza. "Kiko can't wait to get inside the office. He knows he's going to get treated. He just lies on the waiting room floor and zones out during treatment." Since treatment started, Zablan has noticed that Kiko is less aggressive toward other dogs and is much calmer.

Treatment length for a pet averages 30 minutes and costs $45.

As I watched patients come and go in the busy office, I wondered if Yoza's healing techniques would work on me. As he stood by me sending energy, I could feel a force pulling my whole body back. I tried to right myself but still felt like I was falling backward. For that day, the chronic pain in my neck and shoulder went away and I had more energy when I returned to work that afternoon.

Yoza says he understands that people may be skeptical. Anything new is difficult to understand. He's willing to show anyone what he does and welcomes people to his office. Call him at 488-6330.

Animal lover Leslie Kawamoto has been with the Advertiser for 19 years, or 133 in dog years. Check out her blog at www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs.