My story

I wanted to share my story about chiropractic.  I used to be a pre-dental student.  I took all the classes as if I was going to be a dentist.  It meant many of my friends were doing into the health profession as well.  I remember in one of my chemistry classes we were talking about alternative healthcare and the professor had us watch a PBS program that "attacked" the alternative health field.  Chiropractors took the main brunt of it.  The program consisted of an ex-chiropractor chatting with the host (Hawkeye from the TV show MASH if memory serves correctly) about how alternative medicine, in particular chiropractic, is ineffective.  I was on board.  I felt chiropractors had their place but they weren't more then physical therapists.  I was one of chiropractic's biggest opponents.  We discovered medicine for a reason.  It didn't make sense to me how a little "bone crunching" in the back could help "cure" all disease.  It was a comfortable position, especially among fellow pre-med and pre-dental students, and the chiropractors among us were not held in high esteem.

Then a few summers ago my wife and I were working at JanSport when she injured her back.  It was a really bad injury.  It was a slipped disc in the lower spine.  She could hardly move.  All movements hurt her, even just lying in bed was painful.  We didn't have insurance so we weren't going to be able to afford medical attention but my mom sent us to a chiropractor and offered to pay for it.  We went though I was still skeptical he'd be able to help but because he took x-rays and did other test like that I figured he at least would be able to determine how much damage was done.  I drove my wife to the chiropractor's office and it was an ordeal for her to even walk to and from the car.  We sat in the waiting room and filled out all the information.  At this point I thought my wife had just slept in a funny position.  She thought it was much more serious.  The Doc took her into the exam room and I waited for her.  The Doc was really helpful and took care of my wife.  He took the X-rays and after studying them gave her an adjustment.

I would really love to say that it was one of those miracle adjustments where that was the end of it that my lovely wife was free from the injury that day and it hasn't bothered her since.  It wasn't that way but my Wife's condition had improved greatly.  It wasn't the same ordeal to get her to the car and home as it was to get her to the office.  I was shocked, especially after the Doc told us how bad the injury was.  Her condition would have warranted back surgery, and the Doc at that point was worried it still might.  After working with her over the summer my Wife was much improved.  We came back the following summer and the Doc still worked with us.  I'm not sure if he got paid in full by the insurance company or not but we have not seen a bill from the Doc for my wife at all.

It was the Doc's actions towards us, as well as being able to help keep my wife from surgery, that got me really interested in Chiropractic.  There were a few other events that got me away from dentistry but from my Wife's first adjustment on Chiropractics as a profession for me was now an option and was second to dentistry.  While chiropractors tend to get bad publicity (I recall an episode of friends where Ross refuses to go to Rachael's Chiropractor) in a lot of the media they really are helpful.  Chiropractic is still fairly young comparatively to your typical medical doctor.  Shoot in the early age of standard medicine they were letting blood to free the bad spirits causing disease.  I don't think chiropractic will replace standard medicine but we are doctors too and we do have our place.  I am really excited to be getting into this field and I look forward to practicing in my home state of Washington.

Chiropractic and living life to the fullest...

Chiropractic really appeals to me because it is about helping people live their lives to the fullest.  The body is governed by the nervous system.  Everything going on in your body is controlled by the brain.  Chiropractic care uses adjustments to make sure the nervous system is running without impingement to make sure the body is taken care of.  

With chiropractic the goal of the doctor is to maintain 100% life.  One of the doctors here was telling a story about one of his patients.  He starting seeing the man, whom I'll refer to as John, after John had been diagnosed with cancer.  While under chiropractic treatment John noticed an improvement in his living.  Before he was under care he felt disconnected from life, like a blob.  Under care he felt more vitality.  John eventually succumbed to the cancer.  A short while after John's death a young man came to the Doc's office.  He introduced himself to the Doc as John's son.  He thanked the Doc for giving his dad back to his family.  John's son said they had the chance to enjoy the final months with their father.

I want to be able to become that doctor.  The one that can restore vitality to his patients.  I look forward to working with patients and helping them in their lives. Also will make sure I objectively measure what is going on in the body so my patients get the care they need.