“Here is a lift for your shoe. There is nothing more I can do for you.”
These are the words from the orthopedic surgeon when as a 12-year-old boy, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. I had been experiencing severe muscle spasms and back pain, but the surgeon had no answers to improve my symptoms. The scoliosis was not advanced enough to require surgery so he gave me a prescription for a lift to be built into my left shoe. After my visit with the surgeon I reported the diagnosis to my Mom, who quickly scheduled an appointment for me with our chiropractor neighbor.
Dr. Paul Gullickson DC, had helped my Mom several years prior, with severe pain, numbness and tingling in her neck that traveled down her left arm. At the time, my Mom was in her forties and had undergone a surgical procedure, but emerged from hospitalization with severe pinch in her neck that radiated down her arm.
Her symptoms affected her ability to be a wife and a mother of five children. A sister-in-law suggested she go to a chiropractor after the medical doctors had done nothing to alleviate her pain. The publicized high-impact chiropractic procedures caused her great concern and she was afraid to make the appointment. Finding no relief for her symptoms, she finally made the appointment. She started to notice a difference after her first, gentle adjustment from Dr. Gullickson DC, and within weeks she was pain free.
Likewise, with Dr. Paul’s help, my muscle spasms and back pain were quieted and I was able to resume activities such as soccer, football, alpine skiing, and mountain biking. I loved going to see Dr. Gullickson! …mainly because of how I felt after each adjustment. I moved easier, there was no pain, and I could do the activities I loved. I still have spinal scoliosis. Yet, I am pain free, and keep my body that way with regular adjustments. I am a lifetime chiropractic patient!
This positive personal experience influenced my choice to pursue a Doctorate of Chiropractic degree.
Education
I completed the pre-med prerequisites and received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Spanish with a minor in chemistry from Brigham Young University in August 2004. I received my Doctorate of Chiropractic degree from Los Angeles Chiropractic College of Southern California University of Health Sciences in April of 2008, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
The first two years of chiropractic school were like taking a drink from a fire hydrant! Studying anatomy, biology, physiology, histology, microbology, immunology, biomechanics, biochemistry, nutrition and neuroscience was intimidatingd due to the shear volume of information. I loved my dissection anatomy lab. The body truly is astonishing as you study it and apply all the studies of the body together! There are so many things going on just under our skin and at the cellular level that we never see or think about. The body’s intelligence orchestrates it all through the central nervous system.
In our modern society our bodies are bombarded with stress. Physical, emotional and chemical stressors create in our body a constant sense of “fight or flight” which causes an interference load on the nervous system, slowing down and impeding the brain’s ability to coordinate healthy body functions. This tension on the nerves creates micro dysfunctions of muscle and organ, which over time grow into to greater systemic dysfunction and symptoms.
Chiropractic care locates and addresses the areas in the spine where the distressed nerves are causing these prolonged micro dysfunctions. Chiropractic adjustments are powerful at restoring health, because they work to correct the nerve disfuction brought on by the physiologic responses of stress on the body. The adjustment clears the interference on the nervious system allowing the body to self regulate proper nerve function.
Chiropractic is unique in that it has the potential to prevent injury, sickness, and dysfunction by maintaining improved nerve regulation so that your body deals with all of life’s stressors better. It does not make you bulletproof, but it does make your body more dynamic in it’s ability to successfully interact with the physical, emotional and chemical stressors of life.
Practice and Philosophy
I started practicing in Glendora CA, and Pomona, CA, in January of 2009. Since then I have helped patients with everything from sports injuries, carpal tunnel, TMJ/jaw issues, migraines, herniated discs, fractured vertebra, spinal fusion surgery, back pain, neck pain, head/concussion traumas, rotator cuff injuries, knee injuries and much, much more. I have worked with people injured on the job, in automobile accidents, and at home. I have helped restore proper nerve function to expecting mother to help prepare their bodies for the birth process and to their new born babies after birth to help them recover from the process and thrive.
I want those who come to join our practice family to know that I want to grow old with your family. I want you to understand that you grow into good health or bad health. Good health requires a nervous system free of restriction and interference. Getting adjusted frees the nervous system of restriction and interference allowing the power of the body to express health. Waiting for pain and dysfunction is not a health
Yes, our bodies are amazing, but like anything we own it will break down when abused and neglected. Most of the time the body starts to break down way before you experience pain or other major symptoms.
Chiropractic adjustments remove the interference that impedes your body’s natural healing ability. It restores proper motion to joints and removes the inflammatory pathways that choke off the nerves, which are the highways for communication between the brain and the rest of the body. By restoring proper motion and position to the joints, tension on the nerve is decreased and the body’s innate ability to heal is restored as the communication between the brain and body resumes without interference. Proper function of the body is then restored and the power that made the body heals the body.
Family/Hobbies
I have been married to my best friend for over 15 years. We have four busy kids who keep us “on our toes.” My hobby is spending time with my family! Together we enjoy fishing, hiking, camping, shooting, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, riding bikes and playing all kinds of sports. My wife and I work out 5-6 days a week. We juice and eat a whole foods diet. We limit eating processed or fast food. We are active in church and scouts. Life is busy and we try to spend much of it outside!
When my kids get sick, they are adjusted, receive good nutrition and are encouraged to rest. We will often use essential oils to manage their symptoms. We occasionally use medication but only as a last resort–not the first defense. Living the chiropractic lifestyle has helped my family stay healthier and save money. It really is a better life with chiropractic.
Thank you for visiting our website. I look forward to meeting you in person and learning how we may be of service to you.
