5 Year Anniversary Open House!

5 Years!

Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's been that long, and other times I feel like I've been doing this forever.  In a good way, that is.  I love being a chiropractor.  Our new location is working out great, and I wanted to have a party to celebrate our time in service to our community.

The party will be at Brilliant Life at its new location:

708 Broadway, Suite 170, Tacoma, WA.  It's on the mezzanine level, so take the stairs up one flight or the elevator to the M level.  We'll make sure the doors are open for you, so come on in!  Parking in front of the building is pay to park for 2 hours, or up the street it's free for 90 minutes.  One note, if you pay for 2 hours, you get the whole day for free on Saturdays, so just do that and stay the whole time!


Some of the exciting prizes to be had this weekend:

Massages from two great practitioners
6 Week Intro to Yoga at Source Yoga
Introductory Acupuncture Session
A Gift Certificate to Gateway to India
Three Sessions with Lean Body Lifestyles
A Free Initial Visit from Brilliant Life Chiropractic
A Sailboat Ride!

We're still collecting prizes, but that's what we have so far!  There will of course be good food, drinks, and free massage plus adjusting demonstrations for those who have never discovered Dr. Paul's gentle touch!

Kids are welcome!

There will also be some exciting special offers for new practice members, so bring your friends and family along.

I hope to see you there!

"Just put it back in place!"

Hi everyone!

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything to this blog, and I apologize for that.  I am committed to getting pertinent and relevant information out to you, and I haven't been doing that.  I could tell you that it's been crazy during the holiday season and with the move, but those are just excuses, and the real truth is that I didn't do it.  So now I'm doing it!

I want to address something that is a common misconception about chiropractic.  The idea that all we're doing is putting a bone back in its proper place.  It's an understandable thought.  We talk about the idea of alignment, or at least, most chiropractors do, so whether you've heard me say it, or you've heard another doc talk about it, the idea is out there.  The thing is, this is only a simplistic, and therefore slightly flawed understanding of how the body deals with stress, and therefore, how the adjustment works to help the body to integrate it.  The image to the right shows three lumbar vertebrae in close approximation.

Other images would show one of these vertebrae pushing backwards, perhaps, and then angry red nerves coming out of that area would show just how much pain the person is experiencing.  And yes, this happens.

Typically, however, the subluxation (the "misalignment" which results in nerve interference) has more to do with how the area is moving, not where it's sitting.  The adjustment is more about allowing the body to release a pattern of tension that is preventing a normal movement pattern then it is about taking something and shoving it back to where I think it should go.  It's all about movement, folks!

When the tension is nominal, and the spine is free to move, then the nerves aren't being interfered with.  What's more, the vertebrae have a greater freedom and ability to be in lots of different locations, but with a strength and stability that allows them to do it!  That's also the reason why I don't tell people to be really careful after an adjustment.  They aren't going to knock it "out of place".  It really doesn't work quite like that.  I simply advise them to pay attention to what their body is asking of them, and try to honor that if they can.

Now, this is an advanced concept in chiropractic.  There are chiropractors who would disagree with me.  So if it doesn't work for you, don't take it in.  Just gloss over this blog post and ask me to "Just put it back in place!"

I'm happy to oblige!