Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Back in the dark ages, {he chuckles}, I graduated from Fresno State and then went to Palmer College in Davenport, IA in 1979. I am a Californian, born and raised guy, so I came back to California in 1980 and got my chiropractor’s license, and have been practicing in different capacities since 1980. During this time, I worked with Dr. John Brimhall, we lectured throughout the United States about the role that nutrition plays in adrenal fatigue and the importance of having good digestion. Through this experience, I was inspired to start my own wellness practice in Ripon, California. A little further down the road I met Dr. Annu Navani, she shared her multidisciplinary approach to pain management with me which I thought was fascinating, it really aligned with my beliefs about effective patient recovery. I decided at that point to join the team, I am glad I did.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Let me start by telling this quick story. During my childhood, I never remember a time when my dad did not have a book in his hand. I thought, oh man, that looks like the most boring thing in the world, why would somebody like to read all the time? Funny enough, {he smiles} I turned into him, I love reading. If I have an opportunity to learn something new, I will do it. Lately, I’ve been learning a lot about functional neurology and traumatic brain injury. Learning is a big part of what I like to do; I love it. Some other things about me, I enjoy following sports, I am a bit of OCD when it comes to working out, I love to travel; I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to travel all over the world.
Why did you decide to choose to work at the Fresno location?
Annu was starting a new practice in Fresno. It looked like it might be a fun opportunity. When the Fresno location first started, I was seeing one patient a week, the practice has grown to a full schedule in the last year and a half, it has been neat to be part of.
How long have you been practicing as a physician and why did you decide to become a physician?
I have been practicing for 40–plus years, wow, how did that happen? When I started at Fresno State, I thought I was going to be a high school coach but then I realized I may have to confront ill-tempered parents of kids that were not athletically gifted. Winning the game was incredibly important when I was growing up, so I realized that coaching was not something I should do. A counselor brought chiropractic to my attention, it looked like a profession I might enjoy, so I chose that route, which turned out to be the perfect career path for me. It has been extremely rewarding to see people become healthier and happier.
What type of medical treatments do you specialize in?
Chiropractic care is my primary concentration in the Fresno office. We see some patients that have severe back and neck injuries and pain, so we must be progressive in our treatment approach. I am a part of the Functional Rehabilitation Program (FRP). I have a love and strong background in nutrition which I use to help patients in the FRP program understand the importance of a healthy diet in dealing with chronic and acute pain. I help with the Work Hardening Program, which is coupled with FRP. Recently, I have had the privilege of helping with the Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program (TBI), which is one of our newest programs. This program has been exciting to be a part of; everything starts with the brain, I believe that Boomerang Healthcare is moving to be in the forefront of healing traumatic brain injuries, so that has become a passion of mine as well.
What is your favorite Boomerang Healthcare patient success story?
My favorite patient success story was a gentleman who came into our FRP with a serious hand and wrist injury, a fracture from a fall and could only carry five pounds when he started, he was so deconditioned, enduring a couple of minutes on the treadmill before he needed to sit down. When he graduated FRP, he was carrying 45 pounds on the fractured wrist, to this day I could still recall watching him walk around with that weight; he became the poster boy for the treadmill, he was on it all the time, he did not want to get off. It was pretty cool to witness; I do not take all the credit for his recovery, it took everybody in the clinic including the psychologist, medical doctor, pain management, the FRP coordinator, and of course the patient’s willingness for him to do as well as he did.
What is the best part about working with the Boomerang Healthcare team?
I like to use the analogy of an injured football player when referring to the Boomerang Healthcare team, as soon as a sports player suffers an injury a whole team of specialists’ swarms around the player, be it the orthopedist, psychologists, physical therapist, trainer, and nutritionists to help that player get back on the field as fast as possible. That is what we do for each patient here at Boomerang Healthcare. Our whole team swarms around that patient to get them back to work, family, and activities they love as fast as possible by working together to produce the best treatment plan for that patient.
