What led you to a career in chiropractic?
I had a neck injury as a 6-year-old child.
My brother and I were jumping up and down on the bed to see who could go higher, and I felt a crack in my neck. My right ear immediately went over to my right shoulder in complete spasm. I was in terrible pain, and my parents thought that I broke my neck. They brought me to the emergency room and while X-rays showed no fractures, they determined I had a pulled muscle and I was prescribed muscle relaxers.
After a month or two, my neck began to improve, but I began experiencing frequent colds, strep throats and tonsillitis. For many years, I was sick about once a month. As the symptoms got worse, my parents took me to see specialists, but they could not identify or treat the issue.
When I was 18, I met a chiropractor who shared that I might have a misalignment in my spine. An X-ray showed that my atlas had shifted all the way to the left about as far as it could physiologically go. My first adjustment cleared up my sinuses. My sinuses had been clogged for so long, I didn’t realize I wasn’t breathing normally.
The chiropractor explained to me that we are supposed to be healthy. And the only time we get sick is when there’s pressure on our nervous system, which prevents us from being healthy.
I had two immediate thoughts when I heard this. One: “this is the greatest thing I’ve ever heard. You mean, we don’t have to walk around afraid to ‘catch’ something? There’s something we can do to improve our health without waiting in fear for illness to strike us?”
And two: “why is this the first time I’m ever hearing about this?!! How could I possibly have gone 18 years without hearing about the wonders of chiropractic and natural healthcare? And why did not one of the medical specialists know about chiropractic or recommend me to see one?!”
I decided right then that I was going to be a chiropractor so that I could help children, and their parents, avoid what I went through for 12 years. It was a moment that truly changed the rest of my life. I went from being constantly ill to going years without so much as a cold.
What motivated you to join the ANJC Board and what are you hoping to accomplish?
I had an opportunity to serve on the ANJC Board of Directors several years ago.
I’m thrilled to re-join the Board because it’s important to me to give back to my profession and provide insight and feedback from my own experience being in practice for 36 years, and from my colleagues throughout the state, to build goals and strategies so our organization and profession grows and prospers.
In your opinion, what is the best way an ANJC member can help their colleagues?
There are so many ways chiropractors practicing in our state can make an impact on our profession.
Number one, encourage your friends and colleagues and recent graduates to join our state association. There is strength in numbers and the more members we have, the more information, insight and guidance we can collect to ensure we are steering the organization in the right direction.
Second, support the ANJC PAC. The funds raised through our Political Action Committee provide direct support to drive change, including increasing reimbursement. The strength of our PAC is how we have gotten things done in the past and will certainly be true today.
Why do you like being a chiropractor?
Being a chiropractor is a calling for us, not a job. I love seeing patients.
I feel so blessed that I get to treat and help patients every day and provide care that only a chiropractor can. We are truly fortunate to be able to be practicing chiropractors. I am looking forward to the next 36 years!
What do you see for the future of chiropractic?
I have seen so many changes in my 36 years of practice.
When I graduated from Palmer in the late 80s, we were just starting to come into our own as a profession. We had recently won the Wilks decision, and the medical doctors started finally referring to us and sending us patients.
Today, chiropractic is no longer “alternative care.” We see many more visits to our practices than the medical community does. Many of our patients come to us first for safe and effective treatment for everything from traditional neck and back pain to treatment for asthma and allergies.
The greatest challenge we have today in our profession is to be able to see the volume of patients who want to see us.
Thanks to the hard work of the ANJC and the leadership of our past presidents, especially our first, Dr. Michael Spadafino, and Dr. Steve Clarke, who got our Scope of Practice updated in 2010, we have greater access to patients than ever before.
Learn more about Dr. James Campbell and his practice, Campbell Chiropractic Center: campbellchiro.com
0 Comments