Doctor of the Year

Wow!  I am not usually one to toot my own horn, but I am extremely proud to announce that I was just named Doctor of the Year by the California Chiropractic Association.  That is a singular and great honor, but that comes on top of the fact that I was named Doctor of the Year LAST YEAR as well.  Not sure what I have done to be so honored, I am just doing what I love and what I believe in.  Only one other doctor has been so honored in over 100 years- Dr. Danny Gambino in 2014 and 2015.

I was also honored as Doctor of the Year in 2003.  So apparently I have been the only doctor in the 100+ year history of the California Chiropractic Association to earn this honor three times. What it really means is that I have so many other doctors and staff who have helped me get things done, and who quietly work in the background, with little reward or recognition,  pursuing their  dreams and passions.  I could never have done any of this without their help.

I learned a long time ago that I like to have things “my way” and the best way to accomplish that is to take charge.  If your plans make sense, most people will follow.

Why do all this, with no financial reward and hundreds of hours of uncompensated time every year? Because I believe in the mission of Cal Chiro to improve people’s health without drugs and surgery, and I know chiropractic care helps people. Millions. Many of you are afraid to try it.  But as someone who has written a number of “Best Practices” guidelines for the chiropractic profession, used around the country and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, this is science, not my opinion!

Some people are worried about chiropractic care, and some doctors tell patients not to allow chiropractors to adjust their neck. That is just prejudice and bad science.  Yes, bad things can happen, but they are extremely rare.  Studies show the risk of serious events from neck manipulation can occur about once in every 5.86 million adjustments. What is the alternative?  NSAIDs like Ibuprofen.  What is the risk of serious side effects, like liver, kidney, heart or stomach damage and potential death from NDSAIDs? About in in 100,000.  Which is a whole lot safer? Not NSAIDs!

Don’t get me wrong: I work every day with pain management and orthopedic doctors; we all have our place.  I co-authored a recent paper on cost effectiveness of chiropractic care that clearly demonstrates that if you see  a Doctor of Chiropractic FIRST, the costs of your care, your likelihood of using steroid, injections, opioids, surgery or even MRI are dramatically lower.   Bet you never saw that on the news.  Why?

Farabaugh R, Hawk C, Taylor D, Daniels C, Noll C, Schneider M, McGowan J, Whalen W, Wilcox R, Sarnat R, Suiter L, Whedon J. Cost of chiropractic versus medical management of adults with spine-related musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review. Chiropr Man Therap. 2024 Mar 6;32(1):8. doi: 10.1186/s12998-024-00533-4. PMID: 38448998; PMCID: PMC10918856.

People ask me why I do this.  I do it because I believe we each have something we can contribute to any endeavor. Edward Everett Hale said it much better than I ever could:

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

What can you do in the spheres you care about?