Around this time of year, people often ask me all the time how I got into seeing so many mommas, babies and kiddos being a 9-year veteran of the US Army.
I am single (although have an amazing girlfriend who is responsible for the brilliant office redecoration/transformation you will walk into) and we currently have no children (yet we have two super cute kitties).
But in the wake of Mother’s and Memorial Day, however, I think this deserves revisiting.
I left home when I was 17 years old and found myself neck deep in the mud in upstate New York. It was at the beginning of my cadet basic training at West Point that I realized, my life would never be the same.
While most of my friends at the time and most of teenagers today are concerned about video games and college parties, we were being bred to lead. While I don’t have to get into all of the lessons I learned in the military, one thing was clear:
Life is about The Mission: our SERVICE to the world.
The mission is different for everyone because we are all here for a different purpose. We have several PhDs in the practice making world-changing discoveries in research, we have some of the most amazing MOMS making magic happen everyday, we have some of the most brilliant children whose genius is simply tangible and at the same time super humbling.
The most important reason I started this family chiropractic practice that focuses care surrounding how we bring our little ones into the world is that our world is suffering and our kids are the biggest targets. The richest country in the world with the largest and most vast medical system has, on its watch, 85% of adults and 43% of children suffering from at least one chronic illness.
Chronic illness was reserved for the elderly but now we have Type II Diabetes being diagnosed in children as young as 3. We are finding phase 1 spinal arthritis at age 6 which is why we installed our new digital X-ray system. Chronic disease is not normal, not ok and accusing genetics as a primary instigator is simply biologically il-LOGICAL.
Do I think modern medicine is culpable? Not 100%. But I know that a top determinant of health outcomes is who you choose as your healthcare provider and this goes especially with birth providers and pediatricians.
Hint: Mommas ask your OB-Gyn what their (and their hospital’s) c-section rate is and it will tell you how likely you will go down that same path. Then, ask your pediatrician their stance on Informed Consent regarding childhood vaccinations (which is your constitutional right) and hope you don’t get dismissed from their practice.
When I first started focusing on empowering mothers through prenatal chiropractic care, I got this keen awareness that I was tuning into understanding the commitment and dedication my mom had for my siblings and me. Mothers who see me throughout their pregnancies are taking valuable time and money to do the best they can to have the birth they want for one simple reason: they LOVE their baby more than anything. The women in my family from the top (some of whom delivered babies in our home village in Tainan City, Taiwan) all the way down to my youngest niece Johnny shining brightly in Austin, TX have all been amazing examples of this inherent love in the universe.
It’s a humbling and enlightening experience that has shown me the love and compassion we ALL come into the world with. That wisdom inside every momma that grows, births, nurses and raises their baby is the greatest love and compassion our world has ever known and we are committed to bolstering it everyday.
How can I go from West Point to mommas and babies? In 1998, I was blessed with a medical internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. While it was amazing to witness brain surgery, open heart surgery and the amazing feats modern medicine has at its disposal to save lives, I became more interested in the quality of life these men, women and kids go back to. I was more interested in the community and personal connection of healthcare and decided to wait until I found it… Chiropractic provided it.
Today, our clinic KNOWS we help people live healthier lives. Every patient. Everyday.
We know by choosing our practice, not only will chronic illness be prevented, but that our babies and kiddos who grow up knowing they have this brilliance inside them always assisting in their self-healing. They will live a life where they shine brighter. We know that by empowering and honoring mothers, that we are doing our part to safeguard humanity and our precious earth.
In the end, this Memorial Day, I would be remiss if I did not honor those who have given their lives for the rest of us and our ability to dream. For me, this is SGT White, SPC Arriaga, SGT Thompson and SPC Wright. These men who gave their lives to the collective mission of the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003) allow me today to live my dream and I am forever thankful.
Yes, taking care of families in a true prevention and wellness model is my mission and we are here to serve you.