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Dr. Joseph Flesia: The
Chiropractic Warrior
By Pattie Stechschulte
Joseph M. Flesia Jr., D.C., affectionately known as “Dr. Joe” to
those in the chiropractic profession, passed away on July 6, 2004, following
an extended battle with illness.
Best known as one of the most popular and requested speakers in the chiropractic
profession, Dr. Flesia founded Renaissance International in 1977 with Dr. Guy
Riekeman. Through his practice and travels, he touched the lives of thousands
of chiropractors and helping them achieve success by building wellness-based
practices.
“Joseph and I spent 10 years of our lives together, traveling across the
globe lecturing together,” says Dr. Guy Riekeman, president of Life University.
“The first time I had dinner with him (pre-ATMs), he was 17 cents short.
That night, he drove 25 miles to return the 17 cents. He would never allow himself
to be in anyone’s debt, but paradoxically, thousands of chiropractors
and millions of people will forever be indebted to him. I trusted him with my
life and my dreams.”
He was a master of drama, a visionary of the possibilities for health and the
implications of removing interference to the wisdom of the body through the
nervous system. Not only because of his passion and intellect, but also from
personal experience having adjusted tens of thousands of patients when he was
in practice.
“Chiropractic Today for a Better World Tomorrow”
Flesia had a vision. He created the concept of wellness chiropractic and the
certainty that subluxations were linked to the birthing process. He used medical
science to elevate the validity of chiropractic.
“He possessed that special talent of melding science and philosophy for
the greater good of both chiropractic and humanity in the late 1970s,”
said Dr. Kevin Pallis from the New Renaissance International. “Dr. Joe
delivered the stunning message of the component basis of the vertebral subluxation
complex as a direct extension of chiropractic philosophy. For the first time
in our profession, the innate intelligence philosophy of chiropractic had the
muscle of medical science on its side, rather than in opposition to it.”
Known as the chiropractic “warrior,” Flesia spoke to enthusiastic
groups of chiropractors and students around the country, sometimes dressed as
a Roman warrior.
“Dr. Joe’s name was frequently used in the same breath as the word
warrior, and he was truly a chiropractic warrior. He, like many warriors, was
nothing short of genius,” remembers Dr. Riekeman. “He was always
prepared and his ability to motivate a crowd was a lesson for any aspiring speaker.
Dr. Joe, however, was also an academic whose intellect never rested. He taught
classes ranging from in-depth discussions on chiropractic philosophy to physical
diagnosis. His impact on the profession was profound.
“He gave us the lecture-chart healthcare class and the first healthcare
videotapes before most Americans owned a VCR. Perhaps Dr. Joe’s greatest
professional contribution was the way he articulated the five components of
the vertebral subluxation complex, which are taught in many chiropractic colleges
today. Most specifically was his intellectual contribution of the four phases
of subluxation degeneration, which are now a part of the chiropractic lexicon,”
adds Riekeman.
Remembering the “Warrior”
“Dr. Joe will be remembered as a visionary, and a pioneer in human development
and personal growth who awakened thousands of chiropractors so that they, in
turn, could awaken hundreds of thousands of people,” imparts Dr. Pallis.
“I cried at his passing. I miss my friend. The world was too simple and
mediocre for him. He never really understood its workings and, when he did,
couldn’t fathom its insanity,” expressed Riekeman. “He warned
us about the predicament of the species before most knew we had a dilemma. He
spoke of the magical child as a colorful way of reminding us what the potential
of a human might be, long before anyone had declared the human potential movement.
He never deviated from the cause. But then, isn’t that the definition
of a warrior, which he was even with his last breath.”
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