Why I Chose Chiropractic

Ever since I can remember I started out wanting to be a neurosurgeon (brain) or heart surgeon. After several years in the military while working at one of the largest hospitals, Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, I decided I did not want to have anything to do with medicine.

Here’s the short version…. I hurt my spine really bad after I got out of the Air Force. I went to see a Chiropractor and he fixed me up. I could not believe how much better I felt after just one treatment.  After a few more sessions,  I decided I wanted to help others like I had been helped with this drug free all natural chiropractic care.  I went to Chiropractic School and the rest, as the saying goes, is history. That was over twenty five years ago and I’m looking forward to the next twenty five years!

You can read the longer version about why I decided not to pursue a career as a surgeon….. if you’d like…. in my book, HANGING OUT FOR THE HEALTH OF IT.

The following is a shortened version of….  Searching For Truth.

From Chapter 3

SEARCHING FOR TRUTH

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” -Thomas A. Edison

Since I was very young, I had dreamed of being a doctor. The thought of heart or brain surgery fascinated me. I wanted to help save lives. But life is such an incredible journey and there are turns and detours that you may not be expecting.

I woke up with severe lower back pain. It took me about ten minutes to crawl out of bed and stand up. I had severe muscle spasms and a very sharp pain. It felt like a knife stabbing me in the back.

Depending on how I moved my body I would feel a very sharp pain in my spine and the pain would shoot down into my buttocks. My legs felt like they were not going to hold me up. The pain was so severe that it would knock the breath out of me and I would have to freeze and be still. I would have to wait about half a minute and let the pain pass before I was able to move again.

My mother saw me go through several bouts of this back pain and she suggested that I go see a doctor. I refused, telling her that all they would do is give me pills, which I did not want. I had seen enough of medical doctors and prescription drugs while at Wilford Hall Medical Center.

Several months passed and I would still get those sharp intense pains in my back. I had to be careful not to move suddenly or in certain ways. I had to move almost like a robot. I was not able to play tennis or ride my bike, which I used to do regularly. Life went on despite my pain and limited movement.

A Revelation

After a couple of weeks of chiropractic care my back was like new. This young and caring chiropractor was my new hero. I will always remember this one particular day that I went in for my spinal adjustment.

Dr. LaRock’s assistant took me into one of the treatment rooms and had me lay down on the adjusting table. She massaged my back with a massager for a couple of minutes. She told me that Dr. LaRock would be right in to see me. I was very relaxed laying face down with my eyes closed.

All of a sudden, it hit me like a bolt of lightening. It was like someone had turned on a light in a dark room.  I wanted to be a chiropractor and help people just like Dr. LaRock was helping me!

I prayed and prayed about whether or not this was the right career for me to pursue. Was this my mission in life? Was this my destiny? Was this an answer to my prayers? Or did HE have other plans for me? I wanted to be really sure that I was making the right decision. Time would tell.

I kept the thought of becoming a chiropractor in the back of my mind.  I continued to pray about whether or not to pursue that. I was going to move to Florida and work at a resort as a bartender but my mother suggested that I not waste any more time and get back in school. I took her advice and I moved to Dallas, TX. I had to take two years of pre-med courses in order to apply to Parker College of Chiropractic.

A Mission with a Vision and a Purpose with a Passion

I continued to study chiropractic with a passion. I also studied many different healing therapies like massage, cranial sacral therapy, chiropractic sports medicine, bloodless surgery, polarity therapy, energy healing and everything that I could find on natural healing and preventative care.

I read every book on health and wellness I could get my hands on even though a lot of the information did not make sense to me at the time. I wanted to learn as much as I could and be the best student that I could possibly be. I always had the philosophy that whatever you choose to do in life be the best at it.

One of the things I learned in chiropractic school was that it is BEST AND SAFER  to exhaust natural treatments FIRST before resorting to prescription drugs or surgery.

I love the chiropractic philosophy of using no drugs or surgery. That does not mean that drugs or surgery are never needed. But they are OVERUTILIZED.

Obviously if you have a gunshot wound or a bone sticking out of you arm or leg you definitely need surgery.

Chiropractic is about finding the real cause of disease and making the necessary corrections to restore balance and health to your body.

Chiropractic is about making healthy choices, taking care of your body through proper eating, exercise, taking vitamins and preventing health problems in the first place.

Needless to say, I developed an incredible love and passion for natural chiropractic care.