"Hands On Healing"

2011-11-16T20:27:00.000-08:00

This whole last trimester and the curent one I'm in now I have had the absolute amazing experience to work in the Moline, IL Palmer Clinic. I work with 4 other interns under our Staff or Attending Doctor Brown. She is awesome! She is a caring doctor who does her best for the patients and the interns. I have had the opportunity to see a myriad of cases. This outpatient/community clinic is very different then the student clinic I worked in 2 Trimesters ago. These people have real issues ranging from minor to sever and they want our help. Thus far I have had such a range of experiences and emotions while serving these people. I think most people think that as chiropractors all I see is back pain or neck pain...they couldn't be more wrong. In fact when I'm helping a patient one of the last things I will ask them is how their back or neck is. Chiropractic is a full body approach and we are not back or neck doctors we are nervous system doctors. And because of that we deal with a variety of issues some such as severe neurological issues as well. Recently I have been treating a young man with many problems although he has not been diagnosed with autism but for an easier way to write and communicate his condition I will state he has many symptoms of this. He does not talk and communication is almost difficult at times he also has had some trouble walking and has been known to "scoot" an awkward kneeling scooting motion to get around. He has been under chiropractic care for many years but I have been seeing him for about 5 months. During his last appointment his care taker told me that he had not been scooting since we last saw him a week ago. This is a remarkable improvement in this young mans life and I'm so happy to first have the chance to witness it and second to see chiropractic work in such an awesome way. I have another patient with "foot drop" her foot as she raises her leg drops instead of flexing and creating a normal step. This is due to a herniated lumbar disc. In the past 3 months of care her foot drop has diminished by 65% and continues to get better. Understand her option was chiropractic care or a very invasive back surgery with a small success percent. As I look forward to the end of my Palmer education in June most of the time all I can do is look back and be thankful for getting through it and all the help I had from many people. Recently I had a 9 month old baby come in and was suffering from a sever case of gastroesophageal reflux her mother was worried she would have to stop breast feeding and that her child would not get the proper nutrition. With two adjustments within 3 days the child stopped having the reflux and to top it off (no pun intended) her cradle cap also diminished. Its times like these and many more when I'm able to be so ecstatic to do what I do. I'm thankful to have been led into such a profession to see people get better and to offer a choice in their health. Some of my favorite lyrics are "There's a fire starting in my heart, reaching a fevered pitch and it's bringing me out of the dark" This really describes the way I feel when working in the clinic and taking care of patients. The dark is the Medical world I once put all my faith in as many do. And hoping I can teach my patients the truth about the dark they live in as well. Im hopeful for lots more learning opportunities soon to come as I continue to serve these patients.

KOSAMA

2011-07-25T13:50:00.001-07:00

Since starting school and such a demanding school over the past 3 to 4 years it has been hard to stay in shape and in fact I had totally lost it for a while there. But as the time here ends and I have a bit more time on my hands and a lot more motivation I have decided to get back in shape and change my lifestyle. And to help me do that I joined a very special kind of gym called KOSAMA "Complete Body Transformation". I randomlly discovered this gym by noticing a new building along my daily route. I went home and looked it up and loved what I saw. KOSAMA is a 8 week 6 day a week one hour a day of grueling non-stop exercise course. Each day of the week is different there is Plyometrics, Upperbody, Kickboxing, Kettlebells, Lowerbody and Yoga and soon to come Circuit workouts. Mon-Sat I'm at 4:00am and at the gym by 4:45am to stretch and warm up for what is some of the hardest workouts I have ever done. Some might think an hour isn't so bad but all we get are 10 second breaks after 3 or 4 exercises. We have 5 coaches one up front and 4 walking around making sure you are pushing yourself and staying safe. It is similar to a boot camp work out. But all the coaches are very encouraging and fun to be around. In the first 10 minutes im already drenched and wondering why I'm doing this but as the time goes on I start to love it. It takes everything I have both mentally and physically to make it through each day but afterwards im pumped and excited and have so much more energy. I have completed one week and am starting on my second week the workouts are getting even harder and longer without breaks. Its my goal to use KOSAMA as a boost in the right direction and who knows maybe even continue after 8 weeks.
Also funny thing after checking out what it was I discovered it was created by a Palmer Graduate...so cool.
If you get a chance check out your local KOSAMA Gym and see if you can Handle it..................

Why Pediatrics...

2011-06-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

I often get asked the question of why I'm choosing to work with children and specialize in pediatrics. At our school and most other schools including medical institutions it is a world predominately sot after by female doctors. And that makes since considering the natural mothering instinct in females it seems only natural some would gravitate to that specialization. But as a male and especially one who was all about sports and athletes and rehabilitation the question is asked to me, for real? And after I smile and say with proud yes then the ever constant why? I am not offended when asked why nor do I even mind in fact I enjoy when people ask me about what I have chosen to do. It allows me to explain to them the passion I have for it and even teach them things they were not aware of and yes this even happens with fellow interns.

At my school and even during the time I have been involved in the chiropractic world I have met some doctors who I hold in the highest regard, who I believe actually know and practice true chiropractic. From these doctors I have taken away as much as I can. But over the years I have heard an underline message through the teachings they have offered me. And that message is chiropractic can change children's lives. This by any means is not an over statement. The clinical evidence they bring to the table is irrefutable some of which is personal involving their own child. A doctor who I have had the up-most pleasure of learning from this trimester conveyed a experience to me that changed my life.

This doctor at the time was a recent graduate of Palmer and was starting his family. He had also recently had his second child who was a girl. When she was born all seemed well. But as time went on in the following months they (the parents) noticed that she was not progressing right in a physical manner such as crawling, sitting, and soon to be walking. She seem to lack the ability to do these necessary activities. Her father the recent grad took the baby to Iowa city to the hospital to have some tests run. Some doctors took some tests and reviewed the history as well as watched the child but non of them could come up with a diagnosis (they hoped it was just slow development) . Now the father having been taught the importance of a healthy nervous system continued to adjust the baby regularly. Soon after the child should have been walking and wasn't they brought her back to the hospital and later that day was diagnosed with CP (Cerebral Palsy) Its a disease that encompasses non-progressive motor conditions that causes physical disability thus affecting body movements. The Father at this time broke down. He knew this disease was directly related to the nervous system and could not figure out why chiropractic was not helping. He went home and thought over the case that week. He soon looked at her x-rays one more time to discover he had overlooked a significant finding. His daughter had whats called a AS(anterior & superior) Occiput (the base of your skull). So what that means is she was subluxated so that her base of her skull was moved (AS) thus causing pressure upon her cord in the foramen magnum (the opening at the bottom of your skull where your cord runs through). He later that day adjusted his daughters occiput thus relieving the pressure on her cord and she started to sit up that week. Something she had never done before. In weeks and months following she began to progress rapidly as to almost make up for time lost. In just a few months she was walking. The father did return to the hospital to explain the results and his findings both were looked at in astonishment and then shortly after seemed to forget about it. The Medical doctors didn't understand so they chose to forget about it. The Doctors daughter today lives a healthy regular life and is just starting to practice chiropractic as well.

This doctor had a unwavering determination to help his daughter and was lucky enough to have the knowledge of chiropractic and its abilities to change lives. Understand that he has basically cured a case of CP and he was given no recognition, he was not covered on 60 minutes, nor did any medical community bat an eye at what he had done. There is story after story and clinical experience after clinical experience showing the same miraculous results chiropractic has on children's conditions. Such conditions that have been helped are but not limited to are as follows: Ear infections, bed wetting, Autism, Aspergers, ADD, ADHD, Asthma, MS, CP, Raynauds, fevers, colds, breach children before birth...etc. So many more conditions have been helped.

I know Chiropractic can change children's lives I know that this is where I belong and that this is the reason I'm here today. It excites me to learn more about how to help children and keep them well.

So I guess when people ask me why pediatrics its an easy answer of I want to change lives.

As Time Goes On

2010-03-12T22:46:00.000-08:00

I guess I am just terrible at updating. Probably because I just don't find the time but mostly because my days seem so monotonous that I can't help but not share. Usually I find that after I complete a trimester I find time to reflect back as to what I have done and completed. And I guess this is another one of those times.

This new trimester is really exciting. Its exciting because I am finally really getting into the Chiropractic aspect of the curriculum. Not to say the other classes have nothing to do with Chiropractic. Because they do without a doubt have a significant importance. But this trimester I am taking classes that when I started seemed like I would never get to. I am in my first actual adjusting class (Toggle Recoil). I'm really excited to learn the technique and continue to practice it. Im also taking my first of many Radiology classes. This class is 2 hours long and runs at a fast pace. But its amazing what your mind can take and withhold at such a pace after completing many Neuroanatomy, Neurophsiology and a host of other 120 credits of science, pathology and physiology classes. Just with the few first classes you can tell that reading X-ray films is almost an art.

This trimester I'm taking 32 credits and the days seem even longer than any other tri. Even my Fridays are taken up with class. I'm in class everyday from 7:30am till about 4:00pm. I think this trimester seems to be taking more out of me just due to the lack of breaks throughout the day. But its really fun to be in the position now to be able to look at elective adjusting courses and other clubs to participate in. Also realizing that next trimester (right around the corner) will become even more filled with factors that make you realize your on your path to becoming a doctor. Next trimester I will be taking my first part of the federal boards and also be introduced to physical diagnosis class and the expensive tools that come with that.

Over all I have to say tha I'm still in love with what I'm doing and continue to enjoy the challenge. Chiropractic is such an important field in the health care industry. Its not just for low back pain, headaches and ear infections. Its so funny to hear people with hold information from a chiropractor about a certain ailment then watch the chiropractor diagnose the problem and the patient stunned not only at the diagnosis but the relief in which chiropractic care offers. At the same time its also awesome to watch patients take note of this and relay other complaints to the doctor at this time and receive care for them. So many people have a misconstrued or limited knowledge as to what Chiropractic and Chiropractors can offer. I think we as a profession are right on the bubble of breaking through and hitting a whole new level of acceptance both in the public's eyes and with others in the medical field. Its a very exciting and positive time to be apart of such a profession.

I would have to say that as time goes on I'm finding out more and more not only about chiropractic and this health care field but about myself. About who I am and who I want to become.

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
--St. Francis of Assisi

2009-07-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

One More Down and Another One Started

It obviously has been a really long time since I have updated this. In fact so long that its sad. I have been really busy with school and it has taken over every last minute of free time I ever thought I had. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy it (most of the time). This program is so interesting everyday in almost every class we learn something that will be vital to our profession. I finished up my finals last trimester and that was like standing in a hurricane trying to catch handfuls of sand. Trying to study for 9 exams to be taken from Friday of one week to Thursday of the next was just as usual, mind crunching. I have now started another trimester here at Palmer and am taking 8 classes this Tri. Times are starting to get intense because my first round of national boards are within view now and that is very scary. I recently had the opportunity to listen to a speaker at school and he impressed something on us that at times school it self can make you forget. At our school we have the motto of “Be the Doctor Now”. It basically means when you graduate you are now a doctor and there is no way that you can just flip a switch and change your life, attitude and yourself to become one on graduation day. So you better start working on it now and make the change over time. He impressed that soon our dress will have to change and that some of our class has already made that adjustment. Once you enter 7th trimester it is forced upon you to wear “Clinic attire” in other words slacks button shirt and tie. Which really isn’t that bad in fact I wear that every Sunday. But to wear that everyday probably for the rest of my career made me realize I would soon have to change. And for anybody that knows me knows that I wear shorts a t-shirt and sandals if I have to other wise I go bare foot. In fact if you look in my closet all there is is exactly that. Since I was young that’s all I have ever worn in fact I still have shirts from 7 to 8 years ago that I still wear consistently today. It just makes me laugh to think I will have to change my dress sooner than I want.

This new trimester has started off well. Two weeks in and things are starting to rev up. I am taking two really cool physiology classes that I really enjoy. The first one is Advanced Neurophysiology the last of three neurophysiology classes. And in it we have been able to look at some really cool studies of Neuro plasticity in where our nervous system can actually mold or remold to certain conditions or situations. Also the second class is Cardiovascular Physiology (CVP). I have always been drawn to the cardiovascular system and have said if I didn’t go into Chiropractic I would have focused on it as a profession.

This trimester I resigned from Palmer College of Chiropractic Student Council. So now I can get involved other aspects of the school. But I did enjoy the year I served on the council and all the people I was able to meet and the activities I was able to be included in. But over all things are going really well at school. The knowledge we are expected to retain is enormous but I think we all know that every bit of it is very important to our future patients.

Also please do your research on Obama's new Government Health Care Plan. For right now I will keep quiet as to what I think about it, but encourage others to really look at it.

I hope to stay up and be more constant with this blog in the future. Hope everyone is doing well.
Please if you have any questions about school or even chiropractic in general please just put them in the comments.

"Look well to the spine for the cause of disease."
-Hippocrates

2008-09-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most if not all of you have heard that there is contention between Medical Doctors (M.D.) and Chiropractors (D.C.). I knew before going into the school that there was an underlying discontent most MD's had with DC's and vice versa. Everyday I go to school, we hear something that pertains to this problem. It astonishes me that still after all of these years, after all of the patients that have been helped, some MD's continue to believe and teach the public false information about chiropractic. Chiropractic can and has been distorted by many people and most problems I think come from false facts floating around.

I will admit there are few rogue chiropractors running around stating that they can cure everything and that MD's are worthless along with all types of medicine, but please keep in mind that that is NOT chiropractic. I personally believe that both DC's and MD's can find a common ground and be useful in both of their respected fields. It's quiet obvious that if you were to fall and break a bone you are not going to run to your chiropractor's office. There are limits to chiropractic as there are with any medical profession.

Somewhere in our history we decided that medicine and surgery was the best route to fix all health conditions. And that all other routes were to be ignored and thought of as insignificant compared to an allopathic view point. I can't understand why, if so many patients have been helped must the standard medical doctor still fight against chiropractic. Many believe that chiropractic is a new age option for health care, but in fact there is strong evidence that accent civilizations would perform spinal adjustments for health. There is both accent Egyptian and Greek writings and pictures of this procedure being done. Chiropractic is anything but new. DD Palmer claims to be the inventor of chiropractic but in fact he was a little late. He was in fact the first in that time era to realize the significance of the spine related to disease and furthermore allow chiropractic the future it has today. There is a great quote I ran across the other day and it says, “Look well to the spine for the cause of disease.” This is a quote from Hippocrates the "father of medicine" the ancient Greek physician. Hippocrates and other Greek physicians in many writings warned people to be aware of an over use of medicine that in fact would hinder man. Keep in mind that the Hippocratic oath created by Hippocrates is the oath that MD's take today. The oath has been distorted so much from its original state that it is almost unrecognizable. In the directly translated Hippocratic oath, it states that a physician will not prescribe a deadly drug that will cause death. Why is it then that JAMA (Journal of American Medical Association) quotes prescribed medicine as being the United States third largest cause for death?

Don't get me wrong I am all for MD's and allopathic medicine, but I just can't stand the profession putting down chiropractic saying it is superior when the profession itself has so much to work on. Maybe it's right that they take the Hippocratic oath, because some tend to be hypocrites. Like I said I believe medicine has its place. Medicine has conquered many diseases that were once thought to be incurable, and has helped many rid themselves of cancer and other horrible diseases. The real question is do we need medicine for everything? Are we saying that our bodies were not built correctly to be able to handle the common cold, or to overcome most cases of chickenpox? Do we constantly need medication for migraines? I only worry about the constant use of medication because of the harmful side effects that it places on our body. As consumers we believe that we are fully warned about side effects of medication when in reality the FDA does not make clear all side effects of drugs. Moreover doctors who prescribe do not teach the patients enough about the medications. Take a common over the counter medication, Aspirin, which many people have taken. Did they know that it has been linked to stomach irritation that may lead to bleeding from the stomach? Also, the constant use of antibiotics is becoming a larger problem that isn't being talked about. I don't have time to delve deep into the problems, but just know that there is an increasing problem of antibiotic resistance in microbes, and that they are also becoming much more prevalent; both in the community and particularly in hospitals. Unfortunately, we have very few types of antibiotics that are able to continue to combat these bacteria. The more we prescribe antibiotics for simple things our body was designed to fight off, the stronger these microbes get year after year and the weaker our own immune system gets. Last year the FDA struggled to find a flu shot because the common flu had morphed so much and so fast they couldn't keep up.

If we take a stronger look at the birth control pill we will see that most of us have never heard the truth of the many problems that can occur upon consumption. The birth control pill is pumping synthetic estrogen into many women’s bodies, and they are unable to process it because humans don't have the enzyme to break it down, thus causing a toxic build up and toxic effects. Some of these toxic build-ups can cause such things as Pulmonary embolisms, Diabetes, Adrenal disturbances, Blood clots, High blood pressure, Gallbladder disease, UTI's, Fibroids and even Sterility. Also it has been proven that women who take birth control pills have lower bone mineral density (BMD), especially in the spine. Another great quote I heard is, " Today, newer lower dosage birth control pills maintain high popularity, despite their continued serious health risks for women." "Let me give you my opinion in a straight forward manner: I don't advocate the use of birth control pills. Yes, they are effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies, but the risks far outweigh those benefits." (Carolyn Dean, M.D.) It is things like this that are now being pushed on our nation as if it were candy. Children as young as the age of 9 are being placed on oral contraceptives in order to control acne. Do these risks outweigh the consequences of acne?

Our body is built on a simple premise, if you don't use it you lose it. I'm sure most of us that sat in college and didn't work out half as much as we did before can attest to that fact because many of us lost muscle. Think about the millions of elderly who suffer from osteoarthritis who don't use their bones the way they used to. They don't apply the needed pressure on them to keep them strong. They now ache everyday because of the osteoclast activity. It's the same for our immune system. If we don't allow it to work and use constant medication as a crutch, we will slowly lose it.

I am really only writing this because I'm confused as to why medical doctors and the AMA strive to put an end to something that has so few risks when it can't come within 1/10 of the numbers of patients hurt by medications and surgery each year.
It’s no wonder why MD's malpractice insurance is so much higher then DC's. On average a DC pays $1,500-$2,000 for a yearly malpractice policy. Just a fraction of an MD's.

Again this is not an attack on MD's or their profession. I just believe that if MD's are going to teach others about chiropractic they should get their facts right. Like I said earlier, both MD's and DC's can find a common ground and strive together to bring people to their optimal health.

A Little More Than Half Way!

2008-09-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last posted. So far I have definitely settled into the Palmer routine. It's actually really easy to do. It only consists of a few things getting up early going to class, getting home late from class and studying till I fall asleep. It's actually not that easy it takes the most self discipline that my mind can handle. But when I do buckle down, what an amazing thing my brain can do. Its able to bring in a massive quantity of new information and connect with old information and then with even more new information its able to conclude an answer or a diagnosis or able to find a problem. I'm just fascinated by our brains and the capability that they have. We don't give them enough attention or credit for all that they do for us.

We were able to watch a surgery done on a 8 year old boy who was suffering from Cerebral Palsy. This disease was causing many problems in the boys essential motor functions thus not allowing him to have a normal life. The surgeon was able to dive deep into the boys medulla spinalis and expose a portion from L1 to about L4. She then cut through the dura mater and tested each root one by one to find the roots that were impairing this boys motor function by not sending the correct signals to the brain. As the surgeon stimulated the roots the boys limbs would automatically flex even though he was unconscious. It was just an amazing thing to see the wonders of our CNS and sadly the problems that can occur from defects in such a crucial area of our body. I think all of us in the room would have loved to see this young boy work with a chiropractic adjustment schedule for a couple months and watch the improvements be made without such an extreme invasive surgery. But non the less it was amazing! On a side note the neuro surgeon was born with spine bifida. And it was amazing to see her and hear her story of struggles with her disease and to see all she was able to accomplish.

We are currently studying all the spinal cord fasiculi (tracts) in CNS. And it is literally mindbogglingly to understand and grasp. But one by one they come together and little by little I am able to see how our CNS works with the rest of our body. In this course it takes weeks just to understand a portion of the brain the size of a head of a tac. But that portion like the "Pons" is so significant without it we would not live.

I am finally understanding Bio-Chemistry a little more. Even though my lab group and I had to re-do the hour and a half long lab because we failed to achieve the needed outcome of the experiment. But the lecture information and exams are going better. Spinal anatomy seems to go 100 mph everyday and I spend most of my time in lecture just trying to keep up and then heading home to decipher what I wrote down. In Embryology we learn about some of the most amazing steps and process that must happen in order for humans to reproduce and the strict timeline a females body follows when pregnant and the amount of coordination that it requires for a fetus to come to full term. Gross Anatomy is great as ever we are now on the lower limbs and able to study much larger structures unlike the posterior and anterior antebrachium of the upper limbs. And Neuro Physiology is going as best as it could go. Some how Palmer needs to just liven that class up a little.

We are now heading into next week loaded with four exams. We have an exam everyday but Wed. We have an Embryology exam, a Spinal Anatomy exam, a Neurophysiology exam and the big CNS exam.

Even though it is tough for me to come home after 10 hrs. of school and continue to study for another 5hrs. My fire is still cooking. Only 4 1/2 weeks left in the trimester but who's counting?

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. "

--Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Bombardment of Tests!

2008-08-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

The first round of tests at Palmer are almost over with. I took my Bio-Chem exam last Thursday, my Spinal Anatomy exam Monday, my Gross Anatomy lecture exam Wednesday and today Friday my (CNS) Neuro Anatomy exam and only one remaining this Monday and that's a Neuro Phys exam. I find some people when talking about the first round of exams talk about it as if it was or is no big deal that they barely studied and were not worried about it. I'm not going to lie or sugar coat it that by far was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I will be honest here I didn't expect it to be that bad of a first round. But lets just say on one of those exams I'm still feeling the wounds from being dragged over the coals.

This type of week was unlike any in undergrad. Normally you have a test or two coming up that you can prepare for for a while in advance and you are on a semester schedule where you sometimes have months between tests. But not any more before all of these exams were given we had started on new testable material for exam #2. So while I was studying for exam one I was putting myself behind already for exam #2 because of the massive overlap in information and lecture. So after the first round I am already playing catch up.

I learned something about myself while studying for this material. Pulling an all nighter for (CNS) Neuro Anatomy or for any class for that matter is absolutely terrible. Two friends and I had the bright idea to study 13hrs straight from 6:00pm to 7:15am and take the exam at 7:30am. Come 4:00am and on my 5th Mtn. Dew (which is ironic because I'm studying about Calcium disodium EDTA, Brominated vegetable oil, Sodium benzoate, Caffeine and their terrible side effects all which are in Mtn. Dew in high amounts) I start to laugh uncontrollably and wander from my studying. And it becomes more of a struggle to stay awake than to learn the material. But all in all it was a memorable time I just wish the things I remember were of Neuro Anatomy.

Its crazy to think that I will be starting my 7th week in the DC program. As I'm sure it is very obvious I'm staying very busy with school work and have little if any time for anything else. I look at fellow class mates who have a family with 4 or 5 kids and I just can't comprehend the amount of energy it would take to be a student a husband and a father of 5.

But still even after this week of grueling days and nights I am just as excited to have this opportunity to attend this awesome school. I have found in order to get through the school I must stay motivated and lately have been thinking of just how important these classes are. Really these classes aren't for me they aren't for a grade or a degree they are so I can help others with their health. So if I slack I'm not only hurting myself but future patients.

I am also greatful to have such great friends who I am able to attend school with. Without them the days would drag and trying to find a better study group would be near to impossible. We all have our strengths and are able lift each other where others may lack.
Thanks guys!

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
--Airstotle

Student Council

2008-08-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have never got involved with any school I have ever attended. And considering I am going to be at Palmer for a long time I thought I would just jump right in and try to get involved. So two weeks ago we had a representative from student council come by and say that there were about 10 positions open for election if any of us wanted to run. I decided this was my chance. So I ran for a coveted position (class representative). And later that week both me and the girl running against each other were asked to give speeches. And she really came prepared, she had a lot of background in both student and civil government so after she concluded her speech I figured I had no chance. So I made my speech which mainly consisted of a lot of jokes and maybe a little friendly smear campaign. But the crowd seemed to love it. And later we were told the results. And I had the majority of the vote and was elected into the position of First Trimester Representative of Class 113.

I really didn't expect to win but am excited for this opportunity. And what an opportunity to be able to help my class become more involved at Palmer and to be able to serve them so their time here is more enjoyable. The people in student council are amazing. They are one of the most helpful and excited about Palmer bunch of people I have met. Starting Palmer and student council in the summer allows us the opportunity to experience the annual homecoming extravaganza right off the bat. And to be elected into student council a couple days before the big event was an experience. The council always throws a large party the first day of homecoming and last night I had the chance to help with that. We served the local Mexican restaurant Azteca to over 600 people while listening to live bands and a great student talent show. The best thing was that it was a family event. Many students brought their wives and children and were able to experience the homecoming kick off together. My class is awesome they are all very energetic about chiropractic and the school itself.

I found out that being in student council comes with some perks. And the best one is the chairs. I know that may sound silly but the chairs in the class rooms at Palmer need to be lets say updated. But in the Student Council office we sit around this sweet large round table with nice leather chairs. And not to mention the job comes with a little stipend. So all in all so far Palmer is awesome. I think what makes Palmer is the people. Since being there I have had the opportunity to meet some fantastic people who really care about chiropractic and what it can do for everyone.

“Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
--Vince Lombardi

Week #3

2008-08-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

Has it been 3 weeks already? It seems like such a blur. Somedays I get home after class and just fall on the couch and wonder what did I get myself into. You start to realize the work load that is put on you never has a break. And the sad thing is most professors started out slow and now they are really turning on the heat. From here to the end of October I have at least 1 quiz and 1 Exam every week. And one week there is an exam and quiz everyday! So I guess you could say the pressure is on. In undergrad it always seemed that Saturday was a break from school and you looked forward to it. But now Saturday I am stuck studying either at home at the library or in an open lab. Its actually the best day to study because I get the most done. But with all that said I haven't grown tired of it and don't think I will. Even though it is a lot of work I feel honored to have the opportunity to wake up everyday to go to one of the finest health care institutions and learn about our bodies from head to toe from inside to out.

I think the most exciting part of the school so far is the Gross Anatomy(where we work with cadavers) and CNS labs we go to. This week in CNS lab we had 30 stations and at each station there was either part of or a whole brain with different things being pointed out. I sat down at a station thinking it was just an empty skull and quickly learned otherwise as I turned it around and saw the face was still intact. This scared both me and the others at the close by stations (it was more or less just unexpected, not gross). But what an opportunity that lab was, we were able to see a brain tumor created in the dura mater and how the brain adapted to it by creating a cavity around it. Also we were able to identify the vessels that are just above the brain stem that most strokes occur in. The brain itself with all of its inner workings is just flabbergasting.

Our Professor in that class is Dr. Gale R Lewellen ( who also is the former stake president for the Davenport Stake) is absolutely amazing. He may have one of the hardest classes to teach but he really allows you to understand and is always willing to explain and make you excited about the subject. Week three was challenging but fun. And I hope to have many more of the same.

"The runner-doctor knows that health has nothing to do with disease. Health has to do with functioning and wholeness and reaching your level of excellence. My health has to do with my life style, with moderation of the soul and the body. It is a matter of discipline of my total person"
"From the athlete, we learn that health is not merely to do with disease, any more than sanctity is the absence of sin. Health, the athlete tells us, is a positive quality, a life force, a vital characteristic clearly recognizable in those who have it."
--George Sheehan, M.D., Running and being

Day 1 & Day 2

2008-07-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

So it's begun! I have waited so long for this, and to have it finally here is exciting. As the days got closer to beginning 1st trimester, friends in upper tri's said they felt bad that I had to go through the beginning 3 trimesters, the hardest of the 10. Most students dread these inconceivably hard first 3 tri's because the work load can cripple you if you take your eye off it for a few seconds.

I'm currently taking 31 credits

Neuroanatomy(with a Lab)
Embryology
Gross Anatomy(with a Lab)
Spinal Anatomy
Rights & Responsibilities
Information literacy
Biochemistry(with a Lab)
Philosophy
Neurophysiology

So far things are going good. We are in class from 7:30am to about 4:00pm and sometimes 5:30pm for Labs. I have to say that I'm really excited about the material being taught. It is so interesting. Well, most of the material is interesting. I would drop Biochemistry in a heartbeat if I could. It is by far the craziest class. I have never been a big chemistry buff, and to have taken 4 classes of chemistry already.... I really don't want another 2 of biochemistry. We have roughly about 140 to 150 students in our class not including the students who are retaking courses, so that usually bumps our class sizes up to about 170 or so.

Right now I am learning how to time manage better than ever. To be able to take such a load of credits one must plan out study time everyday. I'm really excited to wake up everyday to learn the new information. Most of my professors have been at the school for over 30 years and publish in some of the most highly ranked publications on chiropractic in the world. They are specialties in their fields to say the least. Most come to class motivated to share the knowledge with us and motivate us to be just as excited.

So far Palmer is great, a lot of work but great.

"I studied the lives of great men and famous women, and I found that the men and women who got to the top were those who did the jobs they had in hand, with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm."
--Henry Truman

2008-06-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

"I Dare You to Move"

This journey started a while ago. I guess you could say that it started back when I was playing baseball. I had been pitching for many years, and the art of pitching put a large strain on my body. The fundamentals needed put a significant amount of that strain on my back. It is a repetitive motion with no room for error or tweaking to shift the pain. As I would release from the middle of my wind up, a sharp pain would shoot through my back and would interfere with the delivery of the ball to the plate. It would also hinder my ability to last in later innings. This was a problem if I were to continue. My mom suggested I see her chiropractor who happened to be my best friends' dad at the time. He was able to work with me to help the pain subside without changing my windup or delivery. This was all done through chiropractic adjustments and specific stretches to increase my muscles to support my back in the needed motions of pitching. This was a problem on and off the field. Shortly after I stopped playing baseball (and stopped my chiropractic visits) my pain came back. My wife Liz had countless opportunities to watch as my back would seize up without notice and I would fall to my knees. Also, my diaphragm would flex expelling all my air for a few moments. I would have to slowly stretch out and wait for the muscles to loosen up so I could walk and stand upright again.

This is what has driven me to want to come to Palmer College of Chiropractic. I started out looking at the requirements to attend such a school and they looked hefty. At that time I only had a few junior college credits, and didn't have such a direction in a career. I quickly decided that the schooling just to get there was too hard and not meant for me. As time went on and I got married, I realized I needed to settle down and pick something, but pick something I loved and wanted to do and that would provide both monetary means and time with my family.

Liz had the opportunity to work for a chiropractor in Utah, and I had expressed to him that I once looked into being a chiropractor, but got scared away by the schooling and prospects of success in the career. He explained as long as I was driven to complete it I would get through the school and success would come with work put into the business. This motivated me to look into attending a chiropractic school once again. I was currently attending UVSC and noticed that many chiropractic schools had dates to come a give presentations at the school. So my friend Marc and I attended these, and I knew from the beginning of the meeting with Palmer College of Chiropractic that this was the school I wanted to attend. The philosophy and fundamentals were aligned with what I wanted to do. The fact that they are known as the "Harvard" of chiropractic schools didn't harm my decision either. I figured if I was going to do this I might as well go to the best school. I found out what I had to do and the prerequisites needed to enter the program. Both Liz and I prayed and felt this was the right decision. So we packed up and moved to "nowhere" Davenport Iowa, the birth place of chiropractic. I can remember as we rolled into town and saw our "site unseen" apartment. We both questioned what we had done, but as time has gone on we have been reassured time and time again that this was the right choice.

So, I started my journey of the prerequisites: 2biology classes, 2 chemistry classes, 2 organic chemistry classes and 2 physics classes along with another 36 credits of bachelors classes at Palmer.

I now have completed my Bachelors of Science degree and am preparing to start grad school. This is a funny thought if you knew me in high school. I couldn't care less about my grades in high school. This is obvious if you look at my graduating accumulative GPA of 1.95( I didn't even have a 2.0 is that even possible?) All I cared about was sports, music, and other stupid stuff. It's funny what joining the church, getting married, and making new friends will do to you(it has changed my life 180 degrees).

And now the time has come. So many hours of study, and so many stressful nights before exams and to think the hard stuff hasn't even begun, I can only sit back and laugh. I've been told that this school will be the hardest thing I have ever done, but in the end will have a great reward. Considering the first year and half mimics med. school minus the pharmacology classes, and each trimester will be an average of 30 credits and 9 to 10 classes compared to my usual 15 credits is hard to swallow also. I am sure if Liz is by my side, and I do the things that I am supposed to, mentally, physically, and spiritually, I will make it through and enjoy the time spent here.

I decided to create this blog because I wanted to document my journey through Chiropractic school, and considering my handwriting looks like a 3rd grader and I can't even read it, I figured I better type, and what better way then by blogging. So this blog is my experiences and knowledge gained of the miracle of chiropractic as I excel, stumble, fall and pick myself back up again through Palmer College of Chiropractic. Here's to the future.....

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."
-- Lance Armstrong