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From refugee to chiropractic entrepreneur, Boghosian's life finds healthy alignment By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com L ong before chiropractor Karlos Boghosian began adjusting patients' spines to improve their functionality and health, he made a seismic personal adjustment as a youth whose family fled their homeland amid religious persecution and war. Boghosian, founder and CEO of Hartford-based SoVita Chiropractic Center — which has five locations statewide and just franchised its first location in Pelham, N.H., in what Boghosian hopes can grow to 100 Northeast locations in five years — enjoyed a comfortable early life in Iran. His father, a successful entrepreneur with a holding company that included diverse businesses, provided well for his Armenian-Christian family. After the Iranian Revolution over- threw the shah in 1979, when Boghosian was 7, life began to change dramatically. "We felt like our freedoms and liber- ties were just ripped away from us" overnight, he said, including closure of his school and church. One night, amid the country's increas- ing unrest, Revolutionary Guards kicked in the family's front door, blindfolded Boghosian's father, George, took him at gunpoint and briefly imprisoned him, in part for his past work that included busi- ness with the previous regime. In 1986, with the Iran and Iraq war ongoing, his father freed but banned from leaving the country and with family assets seized, Boghosian's mother fled with him and his two sis- ters to Turkey with nothing. Three years later, he and his family emigrat- ed to Canada. Asked by Canadian customs what they were declaring, "My mom says $150 and that was our start in a new world," said Boghosian, who turned 17 that October, entered school in Toronto, learned English and worked odd jobs to help the family make ends meet. His father was eventually allowed to join his family there in 1992. Boghosian's family still lives in Toronto. Now 44, Boghosian doesn't feel unique, saying many successful people are tried by circumstances in life and vow to emerge stronger, pursue their dreams and exploit their talents. "We all have our own unique stories," he said. "We face challenges, we come out of it and we leave something behind that can help people around us." Strong in science, he anticipated becoming an engineer. While doing undergraduate studies at York University in Toronto, he visited a friend from an Armenian church in Toronto who was enrolled at the University of Bridgeport's College of Chiropractic and who encouraged Boghosian to enroll. He was hooked, changed coursework at York, got his doctor of chiropractic degree at Bridgeport in 2004, bought what was then Capitol Chiropractic on Pratt Street in Hartford and moved in 2009 to a historic home he bought and converted at 24 Lewis St. "The influence that we have on peo- ple's lives is just incredible, so gratify- ing," Boghosian said. "Chiropractic, I always say it's the best-kept secret in the world when it comes to health." Traditional medicine is necessary for myriad conditions, but the science of spinal care holds an important place in health care, too, he said. SoVita (from the Greek word sophos, meaning wisdom, and Latin word vita, meaning life) stresses the importance of preventive spine health and educating patients on good spinal care in addition to providing clinical care. SoVita patients range from new- borns to 95. "Your spine should be maintained and taken care of from the time you're born to the time you die, whether there are symptoms or not, and it's an integral part of your overall health," Boghosian said. The spine can get misaligned from accidents, injuries or poor posture. Mechanically, a chiropractor uses their hands to try to restore the three curves of the spine to their proper position to eliminate mechanical problems, degeneration, or joint, muscular or disc damage. The other component, "which is really the overall benefit of chiropractic," he said, stems from the fact that the ner- vous system runs from the brain through the spine, from which nerves emerge and go throughout the body. Chiropractic adjustments remove the interference in communication between the brain and body, he said. Boghosian and his wife, Shannon, have two children. He enjoys being a dad and is an avid reader, from phi- losophy, including chiropractic phi- losophy, to quantum physics and busi- ness journals. His favorite book? "Probably the Bible," he said. { Executive Profile } Karlos Boghosian Founder and CEO, SoVita Chiropractic Center. Highest education: Doctor of chiropractic, University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic, 2004. H H B J P H O T O \ \ J O H N S T E A R N S 22 GREATER HARTFORD HEALTH • Summer 2017