By Howard Lackman
Daniel Finck might have stayed at his computer program job in Lodi if daughter DeBorah hadn't had a health crisis at age two.
When a medical diagnosis recommended removing the child's kidney, Finck and his wife Carolee went in search of a second opinion--and a different approach. They consulted local chiropractor Dr. Buddy Hayes. Hayes examined and treated little DeBorah, and assured her worried parents that the problem was neither serious nor lasting. The child would outgrow it, he predicted--as indeed
she did.
"After that experience, my father decided he wanted to help people the way his daughter had been helped," said daughter Danelle Finck-Ferrari, office manager at Stockton's Finck Chiropractic and Wellness Center. "He left his job and went to college in southern California to study for his D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic).
Today, Dr. Daniel Finck (called "Dr. Dan" by his patients and family) shares his practice with a kidney-healthy Dr. DeBorah Finck ("Dr. Deb" to her patients and family). Mom Carolee and sister Danelle take care of the office and assist as needed.
Dr. Dan opened his Stockton office at 602 Lincoln Center in 1973, following graduation from Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles. Daughter Danelle joined the firm after graduated form University of the Pacific in 1989 and Dr. Deb in 1991, after graduating from San Leandro's Life Chiropractic College.
"We've been a committed family practice ever since," Dr. Dan said, who moved his office in 1990 to 702 Porter Ave., in Porter Station, off Pacific Avenue.
The family feeling is evident when you enter an office environment designed to relax patients and promote optimum healing. Patient education and participation in the treatment process are a priority here and help create a bond between doctors and clients.
"We realize that without your health, you have nothing, " Dr. Deb said. "That is why we have made a commitment to educate our patients on the importance of chiropractic wellness, which involves structural balance, nutrition, exercise and limiting toxic exposure.
Because chiropractic has long been the subject of mystery and misinformation, the Fincks have made it their mission to educate the public about its origins, methods and benefits. The word itself is derived from the Greek cheiros (hand) and pracktos (done by) and thus means "done by hand." The ancient Chinese are known to have practiced it, manipulating the lower extremities to alleviate back pain. The Greeks were so familiar with its healing techniques that Hippocrates, father of the famed medical oath, advised knowledge of its principles, saying, "Know ye the spine, for in it lies the causes of many disorders."
The hands-on manipulation associated with chiropractic relief is only part of a treatment plan that examines patients from a total perspective of individual habits and lifestyle.
"They're not coming in for a quick pop of the bones or automatic adjustment, which is the common image of chiropractic, "Mrs. Finck-Ferrari said. "We take an overall wellness perspective and evaluate it. We give them information they can live by and apply to their daily life."
|
|
That patient-friendly approach fits the health-conscious nature of our times, she added. It's also a reason why the once-suspect image of chiropractic is changing.
"It used to be taboo, but this kind of holistic care is becoming the norm," she said.
"An alternative that's been around for several thousand years is coming into its own now because people want quality of health. Quick fixes of prescription medications aren't lasting long-term and they cause other health problems such as early kidney and liver failure.
What differentiates the Finck approach, Mrs. Finck-Ferrari said, is the time taken by its staff to expose patients to numerous alternative health options available to them, sometimes through informa- tional DVDs or recommended reading. Such knowledge breeds confidence.
"By the time the patients leave our office," she said, "they know that if they are committed to their health, wellness is obtainable."
Bill Bestolarides learned that lesson after a painful hip condition made movement all but impossible for him. Surgeons recommended a hip replacement. Bestolarides decided to seek an alternative. He found what he was looking for in Dr. Dan's deep-tissue heat treatments.
Today, Bestolarides is walking again and keeping up weekly treatments that have taken the pain away and made surgery unnecessary.
"I was not a big chiropractic fan before I started, " he admits. "How could they be right when (medical) doctors didn't agree with their methods? But I've become a firm believer. I was on crutches; now I walk without a limp. It's like a miracle to me."
The Finck's believe in alleviating the cause of health problems without the use of invasive drugs or surgery. They work to find the cause of a patient's problem "instead of chasing symptoms"--determining whether the problem is the results of structure, nutrition, electrical pollution, toxins, emotions, or allergies/sensitivities.
"Our approach to health care gives the patient understanding and active participation in his or her health, " Mrs. Ferrari-Finck said.
Curiosity about this ancient but enduring practice brings patients to the Finck office, seeking relief from complaints such as constant headaches, unremitting joint, neck, or low back pain, sciatica, osteo-arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sprain, strains, tendinitis, allergies, digestive disorders and asthma.
"I feel gratified and blessed when I'm able to help a patient with a health problems, especially when they have tried all other healing professionals and, as a last resort, decided to give my office a try, " Dr. Dan said. "I love the challenge and the opportunity to share the knowledge I have acquired over the past three decades in the chance to make a difference in someone's health."
|
