The Doctor's Story

 

I was raised one of five children (#4) and learned early to share and enjoy second hand clothes handed down from my older brothers. My dad was an electrical engineer and my mom stayed at home with us until we got older. We cut coupons to make ends meet. We had a lot of laughs and got along well.

 

My grandmother was a very “on-purpose” woman. She would teach us proper table manners and the “proper way” of behaving. Good manners were instilled in me at an early age. Be kind to others. Reach out to help someone.

To this very day, I am the guy that holds the door open for you, lets you pull out in traffic, and tries to be considerate of your needs and feelings.

 

My grandmother always pressed me to be helpful, and I remember her telling me to become a doctor so I could help people with their most pressing need: good health.

 

So over the years, I considered dentistry, optometry, and veterinary, but finally settled on surgery.

 

I was in my second year of pre-med courses when I got the phone call no one wants to get: My dad was in the hospital with a heart attack. He was just 54 years old.

 

This was very hard for me to hear. My father and I were very close. As a child, I followed him everywhere. I learned so much from him. He could fix anything. I learned how to rebuild automobile engines, fix electrical outlets, kitchen appliances…you name it. He was always very proud of me. We got along great! We had good chemistry.

 

When my dad left the hospital, the doctors told him he needed to eliminate all cholesterol from his diet. I remember him boiling all of his meat for about a half an hour, pouring off the fats from the pot, then boiling it again. It tasted like cardboard, but he was willing to do everything they told him to do to avoid another heart attack. He stopped eating eggs, cheese, and just about any food that tasted good.

 

During this time, he started to develop swollen, painful joints. He was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and placed on painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications. These gave him some relief, but his joints were still swollen and painful.

 

Three weeks later, I got another emergency call: My dad had had another heart attack. Later, the doctors said it was probably a reaction to medications, not a heart attack, but my dad said the chest pain was so scary he wouldn’t take any more of the arthritis prescriptions.

 

He was still on his restricted diet, and now, without the drugs, his joint pain was unbearable. His wrists puffed up - the size of grapefruits. He could barely walk. When we helped him up out of chairs, you could see tears running down his cheeks. He was so miserable! He lost all color in his skin, and turned an ashen-grey. I remember thinking he looked like walking death. We all just knew that he was going to die soon.

 

I wanted to help my dad. After all, here I was in premed courses with access to all the latest in the medical field. I went to classes and asked my professors. I read through all the literature. Nothing seemed to help him get back to a good quality of life.

 

My sister suggested her friend’s chiropractor. He had helped relieve my sister of severe migraines, and had helped her with a lot of different health problems.

 

I was incredulous and angry. Why on earth would he want to go to a chiropractor? We came from a long line of medical people. My grandfather was a pediatrician; my mother was an RN; and I was studying to become a doctor. What could a chiropractor possibly know about rheumatoid arthritis? It was bizarre to me, and I was hurt that he would consider any medical alternative. I felt guilty that I could not help him after all he had done for me over the years.

 

But my dad said he would go. Nothing else was helping him, so what did he have to lose?

 

This chiropractor turned our world upside down. He said that if he could get my dad’s body working better, my dad could get relief. He told my dad to go home, have a steak, and eat some eggs! What?? What about all that cholesterol?

 

It turns out that the restrictive, no-cholesterol diet is actually what caused my dad’s arthritis problem. The body needs cholesterol to make hormones: hormones like cortisone, which is a natural anti-inflammatory.

 

Well, in two weeks, my dad was experiencing less pain in his joints. After a couple of months, the swelling had completely disappeared. All the color came back to his skin. He went from death’s door back to his old self! We got my dad back!

 

I was amazed by all of this. It was so contrary to my way of thinking—but it makes so much sense! The body is an awesome creation that has an inborn capacity to heal itself. When the body physiology is altered, the body suffers and disease processes take hold. You don’t develop a problem in one day. It takes time. If we catch it before it’s too late, we can turn that bad physiology around and help the body to heal.

 

Chiropractic is not just about bad backs! It is the largest natural health care system in the country. It helps the body heal naturally by balancing body function via the nerve system, exercise, diet, and nutrition.

 

I was hooked! I finished my premed courses and then applied to Chiropractic College. I’ve never looked back at that decision.

In 1979, I graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic and began my own practice. Originally located in Bradenton, FL, I moved the practice to Tallahassee in 1990.

 

Much as chiropractic brought my dad’s life back to normal, I have been blessed to provide such care to thousands of patients over the past 38 years. My experience has shown me that the human body is an awesome creation designed by God.

 

When you enable His creation to heal itself, miracles can happen.

 

 

Education:

• 1979 - graduated summa cum laude from Palmer College of Chiropractic. Named to Pi Tau Delta Chiropractic Honor Society.

• 1988 - received fellowship in Applied Spinal Biomechanical Engineering*—a method to evaluate and treat spinal distortion patterns such as seen in chronic neck pain, chronic back pain, and scoliosis.

• 2013 - graduated from American Functional Neurology Institute

• 2013 - certified in NeuroCranial Integration—a very gentle technique/method that relieves pressure on the brain and nervous system.

• Currently enrolled in the Functional Neurological Diplomate Program, DABCN (sponsored by the Carrick Institute and the American Chiropractic Association).

• Regularly attending post-graduate courses, reading journals, and attending webinars to stay on top of the latest information in the natural health care field. A few of these courses are: Mastering Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis, Neurotransmitters and the Brain, Cortisol Circadian Rhythm Physiology, and Nitric Oxide and Glutathione Immune Effects.

• Studied under Dr. Michael Johnson D.C., DABCN, author of, "What Do You Do When The Medicines Don't Work?"

• Completed the Course in Peripheral Neuropathy under Dr. David Clark D.C., C.N.

• Studied thyroid disorders and corresponding therapies under Datis Kharrazian, DHSc., DC, MS, author of "Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal."

 

 

*This fellowship was issued by a private organization, not sponsored or recognized by the Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine.