This story was originally published in The Tower – Volume 1, 2026.
For Alyssa Wheel, a trimester 9 Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) student, whipping up a batch of cookies offers a break from her studies. Baking has become her favorite form of stress relief while navigating Logan University’s DC program.
“I’ve always enjoyed baking,” Alyssa said. “It’s something I did all the time growing up.”
Originally from Vermont, Alyssa’s parents inspired her to start baking. She often baked for her favorite taste tester, her dad, while growing up. Alyssa spent nearly a decade in Florida and Colorado working as a medical assistant before discovering chiropractic care while employed at an ophthalmology office.
“Our health insurance covered chiropractic care, so I started seeing a chiropractor, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing,’” Alyssa said. “I just found so much relief from it.”
The experience inspired her to pursue formal training, building on her undergraduate degree in wellness and alternative medicine. She appreciates that chiropractic care treats patients naturally.
“The body is designed to heal itself, and as chiropractors, we’re just a part of that process,” Alyssa said. “It really empowers patients to take their health into their own hands.”
After deciding to enroll in Logan’s DC program, Alyssa immersed herself in its rigorous curriculum. During trimester 3, she decided to pull out her old recipe cards and returned to the kitchen, trading common downtime activities like streaming TV shows for kneading dough and frosting cupcakes.
With encouragement from classmates, Alyssa began selling her creations. She sets up a table about once a month at the Fuhr Science Center on Logan’s campus and takes orders through her website. She calls her small side business Sweet Alignment.
“It’s not something that’s supporting me financially through school,” she said. “I usually just break even.”
Alyssa bakes nearly every week, spending about five to seven hours in the kitchen after classes and clinic hours. Her offerings include brownies, cinnamon rolls, sourdough bread and custom cakes, including wedding cakes. Cookies, however, remain her top sellers.
“The strawberry ones are the most popular,” Alyssa said. “They have my homemade strawberry jam, white chocolate chips and freeze-dried strawberries.”
She sees clear parallels between baking and chiropractic care.
“There’s an opportunity for critical thinking and reasoning,” she said. “If something doesn’t go exactly as planned, like I forgot to add sugar, there’s a way to problem solve and turn it into something else. Chiropractic is the same way.”
This spring, Alyssa began her preceptorship at St. Louis Sports Medicine. As she looks ahead, she remains open to where her career may lead.
“My goal is to take care of whomever needs me,” she said. “Wherever I end up is where I am meant to be.”
Baking will likely continue alongside her chiropractic work, if only as a personal passion.
“It’s helped keep me away from things that add stress over time,” Alyssa said. “I get to play in the kitchen, relax and have fun.”