Francis Helmuth, Jr.
Practice Member of the Strauss Chiropractic Center since September
26, 1972
This month, in our ongoing attempt to recognize extraordinary practice
members of the Strauss Chiropractic Center, we highlight Francis Helmuth,
Jr., a gentleman who describes himself as “holistic.” He
admits that it may have to do with his being the first born in a large
family but he has always been the “responsible type” which
is obvious not only from his fit and lean body but from his calm and
gentle demeanor.
Fran’s recollection of why he started at the Strauss Chiropractic
Center over 31 years ago is vague, despite the fact that it was his
first visit to a chiropractor ever. He thinks it might have been related
to a sports injury as he was and remains an active athlete (although
he admits to not warming up and cooling down as he should which some
times comes back to haunt him). He was in his early 20s and was to
the best of his knowledge in good health. He doesn’t even recall
who referred him to the office, possibly a co-worker, but they set
him on a life changing path. He did recall that Joe was about the
same age as him, that he appeared to be in excellent health and that
he had a good mental attitude, the kind of person Fran says he likes
to be around.
While a bit apprehensive about “having someone twist his neck,”
he found Dr. Joe both skilled and informative and his first adjustment
was otherwise unremarkable. What made the difference for Fran was
the literature that was (and still is) available in the office. “I’m
the analytical type so I need to know why. After reading several pamphlets
and things, chiropractic just made sense to me. The spine controls
the nerve system and has an energy outlet to every part of your body
and if there isn’t full energy there’s no way that your
body can be what it should.” As his understanding of chiropractic
grew, he simply incorporated it into his already healthy and active
lifestyle.
“People are always amazed that at 54 I can basically do the same
things I could in my 20s. I have a high energy level and people want
to know how I do it.” Fran shared his secret and he started by
ex-plaining that it’s not by accident or good fortune that he
is the way he is today. He says, “The main thing I do is get
an adjustment once a week. I also walk everyday, drink plenty of water,
and do some deep breathing and a little yoga (maybe 20 min) every
morning.” When I commented that this wasn’t really rocket
science, he replied, “No it’s not, but the trick is to be
vigilant. To do the little things day in and day out is what really
ends up making such a big difference.” And he’s so right.
Most people just won’t commit to doing the easy things on an
ongoing basis. Either they need instant gratification or they wait
until they’re so far gone that to get back to well requires an
enormous amount of effort if not a miracle. That’s not what chiropractic
is all about.
Fran admits that subluxation is not
a word he was really familiar with until several years ago. It’s
not the kind of word you see any where but in a chiropractor’s
office. You won’t see it on TV, in the papers or surfing the
web, that’s for sure. Someday maybe, but not in the last 31 years.
He describes a subluxation as a state in which your body is not in
complete alignment and your spine distorts your nerve system. Unfortunately,
they are rarely associated with symptoms, so you don’t know when
you have them. That’s why it’s so important to be checked
by a chiropractor regularly. He lists his love for kayaking, yoga
and hiking among the many things that might cause subluxation in his
spine as well as toxins (which he says you can’t avoid even if
you eat totally organic) and tension.
Fran says he’d have his spine checked every day if he could,
noting that there has never been a time that he hasn’t had at
least one subluxation somewhere in his spine. “And why not,”
he says, “there are no side effects, you pay whatever you can
afford (you can’t beat that), come whenever is convenient for
you from 9 AM to 9 PM any weekday without an appointment. Really,
why wouldn’t you come?”
Thanks Fran for your efforts to teach others about chiropractic, for
being so vigilant with the little things in life and for being such
an awesome role model. Remember you can’t know what affect you
are having. Keep up the great work!
© Strauss Chiropractic Center
2003
