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The Books That Changed My Life
By Amy Selby
High profile chiropractors weigh in on the autobiographies, fiction and self-help books that shaped their lives.
I remember the first time I read Anne Frank’s Diary. I was 12 and enthralled with the secret life the Frank family had to lead under Nazi rule. Anne’s entries were so personal and promising, I felt as if I was living in that secret annex with her. Even though I knew her fate, I couldn’t help but rally for a different conclusion. When I read the last entry and the epilogue, I learned that Anne died within months of Allied forces taking over the camp.
After reading her diary, her death was such a personal loss for me. I cried, and I couldn’t let go of the thought that if she just could of held on for another month or so, she would be with us today. This book did not change my 12-year-old life, but it left a deep impression within me, one that is still with me as an adult.
Books continue to be my best sources for inspiration. I have picked my life up by the bootstraps after reading “Write It Down and Make it Happen” by Henriette Anne Klauser and “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway” by Susan Jeffers. I have changed my thoughts and personal reality thanks to books like “Manifest Your Destiny” by Wayne Dyer.
I know I’m not alone. I got the opportunity to interview some of the profession’s greatest coaches and speakers to learn about the books that shaped their lives.
Dr. Shelley Simon, Beyond Practice Management
Shelley Simon, R.N., D.C., M.P.H., Ed.D, has been a booklover since her earliest years. “The hardest thing about responding to this is I’m always reading three or four books at once. It’s been this way my entire life,” says Simon. When she isn’t devouring books, Simon runs a practice management company in Portland, Ore. Here are some of the books that have influenced her life and work.
The Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene “This book takes me back to my childhood. Nancy Drew is a teenage sleuth and a great role model. I remember her as this daring, bold girl who looked for clues to solve problems and mysteries. I loved her. She was spunky, smart, and curious. Looking for clues, being on a quest, and finding solutions was important to me in that time of my life–and still is today.”
The Diaries of Anaïs Nin ”This book had a significant impact on me when I was in my twenties. The Diaries of Anaïs Nin is a collection of five journals she kept over many years. Anaïs was a writer in Paris in the 1930s who had a fascinating history. She lived in the U.S. for part of her life in order to escape World War II in Europe. Her peer group included the authors, artists and philosophers of that time. Throughout her life she spoke to the value of reflecting and living deeply, and of writing about it. When I read Anaïs Nin, I began keeping a journal, which I do to this day. The quote for me that sums up the impact that she had on me is: “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” She challenged conventions and assumptions. She valued dialogue. Her perspective has continued to inform my life. How am I seeing things—is it from my perspective alone, or from multiple perspectives? Anaïs Nin was a fascinating figure, a strong feminist, and a deep thinker”
“The Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramhansa Yogananda “It was the mid-1970s when I read this book. While this is the story of a spiritual search and a commitment to a particular yogic path, the whole book points to life as an inside job. This was the first non-Western philosophy I read. It was an Eastern metaphysical life story, suggesting reality is more than what it seems to be. The author was on a deep search for meaning, and I resonated with that. The book offered a different perspective from what I had grown up with and, among other things, it led me to yoga and meditation. At that time I read the book I was working as a nurse and on my way to medical school. This book, along with some other life experiences and a back injury, led me instead to chiropractic school. I acquired a different perspective on what was going on in healing.”
“Full Catastrophe Living” by Jon Kabat-Zinn “This book is about the wisdom of the body and mind, about what it’s like to face stress and pain and problems with greater ease and have positive outcomes. It’s about mindfulness and being present, a model of healing that I believe chiropractic embodies. Kabat-Zinn presents a holistic model for healing and learning and it helped me understand the power of mindfulness for both the practitioner and patient. At the time I read this book, I’d been a chiropractor for more than 10 years. It underscored my perspective that chiropractors were truly mind-body healers, and that perhaps we did not spend enough time thinking about the mental and emotional aspects of our work and its impact. What grabbed me was the author’s statement that practice is being present on purpose. He was using it in the context of meditation. But, when chiropractors do their work, isn’t that the game? Kabat-Zinn’s point of view aligned with what I knew to be important: mindfulness and being present. And, it is these qualities that continue to shape my life and work.”
Dan Murphy, Faculty Member of Life College of Chiropractic West
Who doesn’t know Dan Murphy, D.C.? Murphy is one of the profession’s most influential speakers and teachers. Many know him for his work in whiplash, neurology, pediatrics, chiropractic research and nutrition. What you many not know about him is that he reads a book a week. Out of his long list of favorites, Murphy shares the one book that he references in every seminar.
“Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life” by Russell Blaylock, M.D. ?“I discovered this author in 1997 when I read his book called ‘Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills.’ For 21 years I have run a spinal trauma certification program. In an effort to learn more about brain injury, I kept an eye out on the guy. He’s written two more books, but this one is my favorite—nothing compares to it. It’s a book on innate intelligence and what happens to the health of individuals when you mess with innate and universal intelligence. Being a chiropractor, I thought it was one dandy book that’s by a neurosurgeon.”
“The key point is the theme to the entire book: Do all degenerative diseases have a common denominator? They do, it’s free radicals. I started to realize how chiropractic dovetails into that. The genesis of free radicals have accelerated as a consequence.”
“For example, energy in the form of coal. Coal is a stage from mercury. Mercury is the number one metal free radical generator. Chiropractic has been involved as the leaders in the push against mercury present in vaccinations. Blaylock talks about mercury toxicity—it’s screwing up people’s health drastically because it’s against innate intelligence.”
“The strategy to detoxify the body and neutralize free radicals is by eating whole fruits and vegetables, and not junk—it all interferes with how the body functions. I think all chiropractors should read this book.”
Jason Deitch, D.C., Chief Wellness Officer for The Master’s Circle
At The Master’s Circle Jason Deitch is responsible for bringing wellness programs to its members. Last March he co-authored a book with Dr. Bob Hoffman, “Discover Wellness: How Staying Healthy Can Make You Rich” to spread the wellness message to the masses. There are two books that are largely responsible for Deitch’s path to wellness.
“The Wellness Revolution” by Paul Zane Pilzner “I discovered ‘The Wellness Revolution’ several years ago. It was the first book that explored the future of what the wellness industry will look like in America. It’s written by an economist, not a chiropractor—it’s the first book that provided an outside validation of what I always hoped to be true as a chiropractor, and now I had confirmation from a financial and economic standpoint.”
“The message was essentially delivering wellness services over the next 10 years will become the next trillion dollar industry next to food and pharmaceuticals/drugs. And, it gave me a vision of what opportunity chiropractors have in serving America.”
“Chiropractic Textbook” by Ralph Stephenson “The ‘Chiropractic Textbook’ is where I solidified my passion for the chiropractic story. I’m a graduate of Life, and I discovered it at the very beginning of school. I learned that health is an expression of life and the free flow of energy throughout the body, not the absence of disease. It taught me that being healthy is a result of deliberate effort and a byproduct of nature, not just a lack of symptoms. Really, the ‘Chiropractic Textbook’ is the most elegant, complete explanation of how big and powerful the chiropractic adjustment is and can be in making the world a better place and making people a better expression of themselves. It’s one of my treasured books.”
Kevin Wong, D.C., Orinda Chiropractic Center
This San Francisco Bay area chiropractor specializes in feet. The book that changed his life is partly responsible for Wong’s work as a speaker for FootLevelers.
“You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay “This was the beginning for me—into the personal growth books, to make myself a better person. It introduced me to the power of thought. This has been swept up lately with ‘The Secret.’ It is marketing, but it sends a good message.”
“I discovered ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ about five years ago. The life coach I was using at the time recommended it. I decided to take this book in. I earmarked pages with important passages. It was a page-turner and it made me understand the power of what you think determines your reality.”
“The book offered different aspects, there’s a section on the human body and it attributes lower back problems with money issues. Thoughts can manifest with physical problems, and you can’t discount what [patients] are thinking for what they are feeling. I applied it to my own life. I have a solid practice.”
“This book taught me to be careful of what you’re thinking; your thoughts can manifest in certain ways. Thoughts are powerful. It affected every aspect of my life, even with the teaching I do with FootLevelers. I was teaching seminars in Washington, D.C., since I walked into school. I tutored in chiropractic college and then at Palmer West. It was my goal to be noticed by FootLevelers. That goal became a reality when Bill Austen, with FootLevelers, watched me speak. Now I’m loving my life. I have a full-time practice and seminar schedule.”
Jeff Spencer, M.A., D.C., Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician
Jeff Spencer is in private practice, but he is never tied down to one office. “I travel the world to meet with my client base,” he says. Spencer has seen Lance Armstrong and his cycling team through seven Tour de Frances and has a long client list of Olympic medalists and professional athletes. Frequent air travel gives Spencer time for reading and he shares a title that contains the philosophies that mold his practice and daily life.
“Energy Medicine The Scientific Basis” by James Oschman “This book provides the scientific basis on how different therapies that use frequency, light wave length, electricity and the hands can dramatically excel the restoration of health and optimal human performance. It’s an absolutely must-read for every health care practitioner.”
“I learned that you can heal fast or slow, it all depends on what you do. And when you’re using your hands, frequencies and wave lengths, healing and health restoration, happen much more quickly than conventional health delivery systems. I instinctively knew that there was a faster way to get and keep people well. This brought the science behind it to light.”
“I use my hands every day with every patient and they are their own generator of frequency and wave length. I also use physical medicine modalities that employ frequency and wave length, such as cold laser and microcurrent.”
©2006 Today's Chiropractic