Hello There!

This page is for those of you who want to know a little about me before you trust me with your health… I understand completely!  The next few paragraphs will hopefully paint a good picture for you, but the big thing you will get out of this is that… I am a alternative healthcare nerd (I prefer the term jock, but I can’t be picky)  I love to study how the body works and this is what I do in my spare time:)  Should you decide to come see me you will come to see that I am always trying to improve my knowledge of how to help you.

My four year undergrad was at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) which is known as a science school and I also earned my Wilderness Emergency Medical Tech status (search and rescue) during undergrad.  Working in a hospital during that process helped me realize I didn’t want to be in western medicine where bureaucracy controlled healthcare.  So I decided to go to the four year Palmer College of Chiropractic for my doctorate.  There I was exposed to many forms of alternative medicine and became interested in some of the more difficult techniques such as Sacral Occipital Technic (that is how you spell it… it is an old engineering term used to describe a group of Techniques… ie a Technic)

I spent the last couple of years there at the Palmer Clinic which was my first real practice.  Working on patients everyday.  Learning what works and what doesn’t.  It also showed me where I was lacking and spurred me to continue my study.  During this time I also had the opportunity to travel to India and talk with and work alongside healthcare practitioners there.  This further stimulated my interest in herbs and homeopathy as this is much of what they use.  This brief visit opened my eyes not only to the needs of the people around me, but also to an new way of looking at what we consider “normal.”

Much as I liked working with my patients in Florida I wanted to live near my family in Arizona and I do love the weather here so we packed up and moved across the country.  Once we got here I set up my office as soon as I could.  This was the beginning of 2008.  It was a great time to start a business… for about four months.  At which point about half of my patients lost their jobs.  While this was a very tough time I wanted to keeping helping people so I came up with many of the practices I have today to streamline my practice and keep my overhead down so I can continue to take my time with patients and not fall in the trap of ‘I need to see more patients so I can cover the bills = less time with each patient.’

All throughout this time I continued to study.  People ask me what my hobbies are.  Most people say reading or fly fishing or something along those lines.  For me if you consider a hobby something you do in your spare time and love to do with a passion then my hobbies are alternative health care and raising my children!  Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that is all I talk about:)  That is what I read about on my days off and that is what I love to do!!!  Because of that I have earned specialties in Acupuncture and Physical Medicine Modalities.  I have studied Japanese Acupuncture (I have also lived in Japan for two years) and an emotional Acupuncture protocol called Neuro Emotional Technique.  I have Advanced Practitioner Certification in Sacro Occipital Techinc (lapsed) through the parent organization that teaches it, SORSI, and have taught and SORSI’s yearly homecoming seminar.  I have studied homeopathy, herbal therapy, Soft tissue techniques such as Graston, ART, PNF, etc.  I have trained under Dr. Janet Lang on using nutrition and herbal therapy to balance hormones and other issues such as diabetes, heart conditions, and stress modification.  Having a psychologist I share office space with has piqued my interested in natural methods of healing and balancing the brain chemistry so I was one of two Chiropractors two years ago at the first alternative mental health seminar put on by Andrew Weil and others and had the opportunity to study under him there.  I really could go on, but I think you get the point this is what I love to do!

Having studied so much I have come up with my own blend of techniques I have found to work especially well.  People often come to me for pain syndromes such as Fibromyalgia and other such conditions.  I love working with these people because often they are tired and in a lot of pain so it is truly a delight to see them get out of pain and learn what they need to do to be able to enjoy their lives again.

Others that come to me aren’t in pain.  Due to my training in Acupuncture and other areas people will often come to me with no pain, but they want their allergies eliminated, for their thyroid function restored.  These and other more visceral complaints seem like something you wouldn’t go to a Chiropractor for, but what I do doesn’t heal the problem.  I simply help the body communicate better and give it the things it needs (nutrition, herbs, etc.) that allow it to heal itself.  The body truly is amazing in its ability to heal and regenerate.  I try to help it get over whatever problem is keeping it from doing this and then just stand back and watch in wonder.  Certainly my training makes me very good at helping to get rid of pain, but the things that can be done in balancing the immune system and hormones, desensitizing allergies, and dealing with the effects of long term physical and emotional stress are just as gratifying and fun for me to work with.

I look forward to helping you get over whatever is keeping you from enjoying your life!