AN
INTERVIEW WITH DR. DAN
Q: Why did you decide
to become a Chiropractor?
A: Looking back, I
would have to say that I did not choose chiropractic. It was
more like chiropractic chose me. I can see now that there
were forces at work, larger than myself and my own insignificant
desires, that pulled together and, in a very real and concrete
way, drew me in to the chiropractic field. I always wanted
to be a doctor. I remember telling my mother when I was very
young, like 5 years old, that I wanted to be a brain surgeon
so that I could help people.
My father was dramatically healed by a chiropractor before
I was born. He contracted diptheria, which is a very dangerous
and sometimes fatal bacterial infection, when he was 16 years
old. Back then, they had no vaccine for this and the medical
doctors gave him a dose of something called antitoxin, which
is a very strong toxin. Well, it wiped out the diptheria right
along with his nervous system. He had a severe reaction to
the antitoxin that left him completely paralyzed. He could
not move a single muscle and could not even chew his food.
He was hospitalized for several weeks before the medical doctors
sent him home without a cure. They said that he would never
walk again. He was bed-ridden for several more weeks.
Not long
after, one friday night, a visiting minister prayed over him.
The next morning, a stranger knocked on my grandmother's door
and introduced himself as a chiropractor. He was from a nearby
town and had heard about her son and offered to help. He had
travelled well over an hour. My grandmother explained that
they had no money and owed the hospital a large sum of money.
The good doctor ignored her and walked into the house and
found his way back into my father's bedroom, where he started
working on him. He returned every saturday for 3 months. After
3 visits, my dad was able to crawl around on his hands and
knees. By the end of the summer, he regained full motor function
of his body and is still strong and healthy as a horse to
this day. He is now 74 years old, a retired carpenter, but
still a hard worker.
That story has always stuck with me. I was probably less than
12 years old myself when I received my first chiropractic
adjustment. I had no idea what a chiropractor did, but I remember
being curious about it. My parents had no idea that I went
to see one. My mother went occasionally for migraine headaches,
but she never took us kids. I vividly remember laying on my
back and the doctor holding my ankles and looking me up and
down, form head to toe. I knew that he was observing me very
closely. Then he adjusted my neck and a light went on in my
head, figuratively speaking. I immediately sensed that what
he just did to me needed to be done, that it was the right
thing to do. I asked him how he knew to do that and, more
importantly, why. He just smiled and gave me a simple explanation,
that he had just straightened out my spine and released my
nervous system from blockages. It completely made sense to
me. Even as a kid, I could grasp the truth in that.
I honestly feel that I was meant to be a chiropractor. I couldn't
imagine doing anything else. The whole lifestyle is so appealing
to me, being health-oriented as opposed to disease-oriented.
Living naturally, allowing the governing principles of Life
to work for you instead of against you. It is a much more
positive and meaningful way of Life. I mean, I am even physically
built to be a chiropractor. I have quick reflexes, alot of
upper body strength, and long monkey arms. I have no trouble
wrapping them around large people. I feel extremely grateful
to be able to practice chiropractic. All people have talents
and all talents are gifts. I believe that our gifts should
be shared with others, even if it means hard work and self
sacrifice.
Q: Who adjusts you?
A: I definitely take
my own medicine. I would be a hurting puppy right now if I
did not recieve regular chiropractic care. The practice of
chiropractic is physically challenging and sometimes menatally
draining. There is an unwritten rule in chiropractic- we all
take care of one another. Actually, it is more of a code,
an honor among thieves. I can travel anywhere in the world
and find a chiropractor to work on me. I have had many, many
doctors step into my office from near and far. We swap "war
stories" while we swap treatment. I remember a long time
ago, while driving to Florida for vacation, experiencing blurred
vision. My neck felt tight and I realized that I had not been
adjusted in a long time. I started looking for the next chiropractic
office and finally found one open that was close to the beach.
I simply walked in and asked if their was a doctor in the
house. He was just as glad to see me as I was to see him.
After we got through with each other, my blurred vision went
away and his low back was ready for more patients. It all
took less than 20 minutes. There is no shame in receiving
help. You cannot give away that which you do not possess.
Recently, though, I have been regularly swapping out with
Dr. David Hall in Fairview, Goergia.
Q: What are your other
interests and hobbies?
A: I enjoy getting
lost in anything that is both creative and challenging. A
busy day at the office keeps me in the flow. Some doctors
might get bored with practice after a while, but keeping up
with new techniques and attending seminars helps keep me interested.
I would have to say that I get alot of peak experiences with
gardening, which is like a meditation with me. I can spend
an entire day in the yard and completely lose track of time.
There is something primal and instinctive with turning the
soil. I can pretty much melt into the smell, the sounds, and
the sights of nature.
I like to try different things, so I am pretty much a jack-of-all-trades
and master-of-none, so to speak. I'll try my hand at a musical
instrument, then get a telescope and learn the basics of astronomy,
then move on to something else. I like to build things and
spend alot of time on home improvement projects. I like to
lay tile and do wood-working...that sort of thing. I like
to write, and am currently enjoying working on this website
with my webmaster, who takes care of the frustrating part
for me.
My kids, I have three children, they keep me interested in
new hobbies. My oldest son is really into playing guitar,
so I enjoy experiencing that with him. It used to be skateboards
and y0-yo's and video games. My other son plays guitar also,
but is especially good at composing music on the piano. He
is also an avid reader like myself, so we spend many hours
together at the bookstore and reading together in our own
little, private nooks in and around the house. My daughter
is my shadow- she follows me around and helps me with whatever
I am doing. We all like to ride dirt bikes and 4-wheelers
and go riding together on the trails around our house. As
far as sports go, we've tried them all. We all go snow skiing
every year and we go mountain biking, play baseball, football,
and basketball. Currently, I have been on a chess kick with
my nephew, who is also helping me with my golf game.
Q: You work with your
wife. How does that work out?
A: Extremely well.
We have people saying that they could never work with their
spouse. I guess that some couples are just that way. They
have seperate bank accounts and all that. Whatever works for
them. All I know is that Tabatha and I complement one another
very well. She fills in the gaps of my weak points and I would
like to say that I fill in hers, but if the truth be known-
I don't think that she really has any. My practice would be
a shadow of what it is if it were not for her. She takes care
of the majority of the business end, which frees me up to
focus on patient care. But she still fertilizes the practice
with her contagious enthusiasm and her love for our patients.
She is really good at networking with our patients and going
above and beyond with them. She takes just as good of care
of them as I do. We should all start calling her Dr. Tabatha.
I think the key to our success is not taking ourselves too
seriously. We both know that life is too short to be wasted
on silly power struggles and petty drama. We know what has
to be done and we do it without arguing or compalaining. Some
couples psychologically project onto one another. For some
reason, we don't. Just a good match, I guess. Even around
the house, she naturally picks up on what she needs to do
and I get told what to do. No, not really, but sometimes I
might need a little more nudging than she does. I am not lazy,
but I do like to play. I still remember the look on her face
when, soon after we got married, a neighborhood kid came to
the door and asked if I could come out and play. She said
that I could after I got done with my chores. It all comes
down to creating your own balance as a couple. Our motto has
always been "work hard...play hard."
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Doctor Dan Your Own Question
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