Q: What differences did you see in your health growing up as a child in a chiropractic family?
A: Neither I, nor my two sisters was ever vaccinated, something that was practically unheard of in the 1960’s. Mom and Dad tell the story of finding a pediatrician who would falsify our paperwork so that it indicated that we had been vaccinated. He even had to scratch our skin without inoculating us so that we would have the telltale signs of vaccination for the school authorities. These measures wouldn’t have to be taken today, but it gives a good idea of the attitudes prevalent at the time.
I attribute the fact that I have never suffered from a serious illness, and can’t remember the last time I had a cold or the flu, to the fact that I was never vaccinated and my immune system was allowed to develop naturally. When we were children, my sisters and I would bounce back from the occasional cold or flu long before the other kids. While, from a parent’s point of view, having a healthy child is a great thing, having a chiropractic parent meant never being able to use the excuse, “I don’t feel good today,” to get out of going to school! My parents tell the story of when I got the mumps as a toddler. Dad woke up and adjusted my feverish body every hour on the hour all night long. By the next morning the mumps were completely gone! That care plan certainly doesn’t match up with the three visits a week regimen that many chiropractors robotically prescribe today!
Q: What legacy would you like to leave personally and professionally?
A: I’d like to leave behind a world better off for the contribution chiropractic makes to the health of individuals, communities, societies, nations, and the brotherhood of man. A world in which children and adults aren’t indiscriminately drugged and where Senior Citizens experience a vibrant quality of life and abundant health until the day they lie down to their final rest. A world in which it is accepted knowledge that health comes from within and not from outside the body. A world where men and women respect their bodies and the world they live in, and recognize that the two are inseparably connected. A world in which chiropractic receives the rightful recognition it deserves!
Dr. Mark Sanna is the CEO of Breakthrough Coaching, LLC, a leading resource for personal coaching to chiropractic and multidisciplinary practices throughout the country. He can be reached at Breakthrough Coaching, LLC, by calling 1-800-7-ADVICE.