About Our Team

“My life changed when chiropractic restored my health and freed me from the asthma I had lived with since childhood. Since that moment, my mission has been to help others—especially children and families—experience the body’s extraordinary ability to heal.”

Dr. Jeffrey Ptak’s journey into chiropractic began with a profound personal healing experience that shaped the direction of his life and career. After suffering from chronic asthma since childhood following his forceps delivery birth, chiropractic care restored his health and ultimately eliminated the asthma he had lived with for 23 years. Experiencing this transformation firsthand revealed to him the remarkable healing potential of the human body and inspired a lifelong commitment to helping others experience the same freedom and vitality.

Raised in New York City, Dr. Ptak originally planned to pursue a career in medicine. During his early academic studies, however, he began questioning the prevailing medical philosophy of waiting until the body becomes sick or symptomatic before intervening. Seeking a deeper understanding of the relationship between the brain, behavior, and human health, he entered a PhD graduate study program in Neuropsychology.

While is graduate school, a serious neck and back injury resulting in herniated discs would soon alter the course of his life. When conventional medical treatment failed to restore his health, he turned to chiropractic care. As his spine began to heal under chiropractic treatment, something even more remarkable occurred—the chronic asthma he had suffered from since childhood gradually improved and ultimately disappeared.  From 3 medications per day, to none!

That experience became the defining inspiration for his life’s work. Having personally experienced the suffering asthma can bring, Dr. Ptak developed a deep desire to help others—especially children—experience greater health, vitality, and freedom.

Motivated by this transformation, he enrolled at Los Angeles Chiropractic College, where he earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 1985.

A lifelong athlete who grew up playing baseball, football, and hockey, Dr. Ptak developed a strong interest in helping athletes recover from injury, improve performance, and maintain optimal function. In 1986, he founded Ptak Family Chiropractic in Santa Monica, where he has spent four decades caring for individuals and families and helping patients restore their health through natural chiropractic care.

Throughout his career, Dr. Ptak has pursued extensive postgraduate education to deepen his clinical expertise and better serve his patients. His advanced training includes acupuncture, clinical nutrition, rehabilitative therapies, and Functional Neurology through the Carrick Institute, allowing him to better understand and support the complex relationship between the brain, spine, nervous system, and overall health.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Ptak has pursued extensive graduate studies focused on consciousness, healing, and human potential. He earned his first Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica in 2012, followed by a second Master’s Degree with an emphasis in Consciousness, Health and Healing in 2016. Continuing his academic and spiritual studies, he earned a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Science in 2021 from Peace Theological Seminary and College of Philosophy in Los Angeles.

In recognition of his continued dedication to spiritual scholarship and service, Dr. Ptak earned his Doctorate in Spiritual Science on June 25, 2025 from Peace Theological Seminary and College of Philosophy.

Today, Dr. Ptak integrates decades of clinical experience with a holistic philosophy that honors the body’s innate intelligence and capacity for healing. Rather than focusing solely on symptoms, his approach centers on identifying and correcting underlying structural and neurological imbalances that may interfere with the body’s ability to function at its highest potential.

While his practice is based in Santa Monica, patients have traveled from throughout Los Angeles, across the United States, and from around the world seeking his care.

His greatest fulfillment continues to come from helping patients—especially children—experience the kind of healing and freedom that first inspired him to become a chiropractor.

Dr. Ptak is an active member of the International Chiropractic Association, the California Chiropractic Association, and the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. Through his work, he continues to advocate for a more holistic vision of healthcare—one that honors the body’s innate intelligence and its extraordinary capacity to heal.