Inspiring Conversations with Thomas J Thomas DC of Bellflower Health and Wellness Center Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas J Thomas DC.

Hi Thomas J, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I first became interested in Chiropractic as a profession in the early 1970’s, when two Chiropractic acquaintances began sharing information about their form of health care. I had no idea there existed a profession within the health care that did not rely upon medications and/or surgery to address a person’s physical complaints. And as a ‘bonus’, be my own boss, make my ow hours and provide for a stable lifestyle.

Shortly thereafter, I located a Chiropractic college within 30 miles of my home, that offered an accelerated 4-year degree program in just 3 1/2 years. The name of the institution was Pasadena University, College of Chiropractic……good news indeed! The not so good newa was, that all of my college units were in Business Administration, and it took me 2 years of part time studies to earn the science and math units required for admission to Pasadena College.

I began my Chiropractic classes in 1976, schoo during the day, and wrking at night to meet tuition and living expenses. I graduated in late 1979, with a Degree of Doctor of Chiropractic in January of 1980……so far so good!

After 2 years as an associate in two different Chiropractic offices in Orange County, I replied to an advertisement in one of our Chiropractic publications, “Chiropractic Practice for Sale in Los Alamitos”. The Doctor was relocating to Northern California and offered a fully equipped office and a relatively small, but viable ‘cash practice’.

Approximately 3 years ago, I had the opportunity to leave the ‘associate’ format of practice, and once again accept a ownership role in a family practice located in Bellflower, California.

Now entering my 45th year of practice, I’m enjoying the opportunity to serve, and look forward to a continuing role as a Chiropractic health care provider.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I purchased the practice in Los Alamitos and began an adventure that lasted nearly 25 years. By the early 2000’s, the ‘bubble had burst’…. the economy in general had taken a downturn, and the health insurance industry followed that downward spiral. Delaying payment for services rendered, in some cases denying claims, and other business practices as a means of discouraging Health Care Insurance reimbursement for services rendered.

The Los Alamitos office was closed, and I joined forces with another Chiropractor as an associate in a small local community hospital, as a means of sharing overhead expenses. And at the same time increasing visibility with local health fairs and other outreach programs……I have applied those principles over the last several years in other local Chiropractic offices.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Bellflower Health and Wellness Center Inc.?
Since starting in the Chiropractic field, I have expanded services from just Chiropractic to include Acupuncture and Massage Therapy services. Acupuncture and massage therapy has been proven to help enhance Chiropractor adjustment; Chiropractic targets the spine as Acupuncture targets nerves and massage therapy targets muscles.

Acupuncture is evidence base Chinese medicine that has been proven by thousands of studies to help with chronic pain, migraines, allergies, insomnia and many other conditions. Acupuncture is the practice of using tiny needles that are inserted into the skin triggering certain points of the body. It’s a minimally invasive method to stimulate nerve-rich areas of skin ton influence organs, tissue, glands and other functions of the body.

Massage therapy is the manipulation of the body’s soft tissue like the muscles and tendons. Techniques are applied most commonly using hands, fingers, elbows forearms or a device. The physical benefits include reduced muscle tension and pain, increase joint mobility and flexibility, improve circulation, stimulate of the lymphatic system and relaxation.

We specialize in manual manipulation of the spine as well as instrument adjustments and deep tissue/sport massages.

What sets us apart from other places is that we put our patients care first. We like to provide an inviting and informative environment, and we like to treat everyone like family.

The purpose of our clinic is to support as many people as possible in their quest for health and to educate them about chiropractic so they many in turn, educate others.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
The simplest Dictionary definition of ‘risk’ that I could find defines risk as “possibility of loss or injury; hazard; peril; danger.”
Within and evaluation of risk vs reward, I suppose I have experienced my fair share of risk during my 10 years of law enforcement, and more than 5000 flight hours as a private and commercial pilot. 10 years or cycling on busy city streets and more recently an average weekly commute of over 200 miles on Southern California freeways.

Obliviously, some of these activities offer a greater inherit risk of injury, danger or worse, and that is where judgement vs fate comes into play.

I would say that the first major risk we took was to continue operating and surviving the covid pandemic. We adhered to all the laws and were able to overcome and save our business.
We do our best to evaluate risk verses reward, then decline or continue with our chiropractic business based upon our best judgement.

Pricing:

• $85 Initial Chiropractic Visit
• $85 Initial Acupuncture Visit
• $80 1 Hr Massage Therapy
• $30 Fire cupping

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Bellflowerhealthandwellnesscenter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellflowerhealthandwellness
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bellflowerhealthandwellnesscenter
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bellflower-health-and-wellness-center-bellflower?osq=Bellflower+Health+And+Wellness+Center

Image Credits
Connie Nateras, Adriana Flores, Robert Gay, Bradley Freesmeier