On A Plane To France

It begins… or it continues. All hinges on perspective.

As of this week, I have been in practice as a chiropractor in Los Gatos for a decade. It has been a privilege to have the opportunity to help so many people “get healthy and feel better.” I have witnessed the miraculous healing powers of the body, been humbled by cases I could not solve, and awoken many a night with insight into how I might help a patient… impatient for the patients next visit so I could continue my life’s work.

Coming in for landing in Paris, France.

This morning I left my house at 4:30AM on a trip to Paris to study with one of the world’s leading experts on posture, Noelle Perez-Christiaens. She has devoted her life to helping western society not crumble into somatic chaos. I say western society, because in many parts of the developing world people utilize their body daily for physical labor. And in these cultures excellent posture is common, effortless, and the human body resilient.

In our modernized world we have every convenience. We utilize our brain much more than our physical body. Many of us sleep in comfortable beds, sit for our meals, drive to and from work, labor at our desks, and collapse on the couch in the evening. And almost everyone has chronically tight muscles, discomfort with prolonged sitting and standing postures, and bouts of neck, low back, and/or hip pain.

I believe that it is a human being’s birth right to live in a body that feels amazing. When I look at my boys running around, squatting effortlessly, bounding with energy, I see physical ease. No restricted movement. Muscles supple and relaxed. A physical body transporting their ever-learning brain and their soul.

Some would say that is a luxury of youth. Then I see a picture of a sixty-year-old woman carrying water in a bucket on her head from the river to her home. Her spine is straight, she has a look of resilience in her step, and her face has peace and joy as she easily converses with her friends during her daily trek.

 Life in a balanced body at the beach and "stop taking pics dad"

What would life be like in a body that was perfectly balanced? What would it feel like to sit for three hours, unaware of any sensations from our body, able to fully immerse in our mental and spiritual faculties? I had a few hours of this experience a month ago enjoying the production of Wicked. I’ll blog about my experience, but it was mental and emotional euphoria because I was able to completely focus on the musical. Unlike anything I had previously experienced, because my body was utterly silent. No sense of discomfort or tension or strain. Silence.

I think that might be what my boys are experiencing throughout their days and nights. Maybe it is the reason children learn so rapidly. The reason they are full of bliss and wonder. The reason they “sleep like a baby.” Maybe a large part of it has to do with silence from their 650 skeletal muscles. As we age does the constant, nagging static signal from our imbalanced physical body compete with our vibrant experience of the world around us and our true mental capacity?

I’m in search of that still point of physical being. And I want to learn how to help those around me on their journey towards body awareness and balanced posture. My journey has me traveling to the other side of the world currently. I’m excited to share what I learn.

I want to finish this post with gratitude. I have so much to be thankful for in my first ten years of practice:

• Thank you to God for giving me a passion and purpose to help others. I value every day on earth, even the challenging ones. I love being in service to my patients. And I humbly appreciate the wonder which is the human body.
• To my wife, Aryn: you inspire me, push me, comfort me, and I have so much fun with you. I am the man I am because of you. And I become a better man, day-by-day, because of your influence. Thank you for being such a wonderful mother to our children and for encouraging me to take this journey to France to continue my education.
• To the Positive Motion team: Laura and Dr. Nordin - I feel so comforted with you both at the helm of the ship while I’m traveling abroad. Together we help so many people each week and have so much fun doing it. Who could ask for more from our professional lives?
• Jean Couch and Jenn Sherer from the Balance Center / Spinefullness in Palo Alto, CA. A patient seven years ago told me that Jean had ended his chronic back pain with a seventy-five minute “sitting class.” That got my attention and I signed up for the class that day. Thank you for being my teachers.
• To my patients: I love being your chiropractor. I have a dear mentor who once told me that “God will send you patients that you will fail on so that you will learn.” I show up every day at practice with the intention of fixing everything that ails each patient. I don’t always succeed, but when I can’t figure something out, that patient doesn’t ever leave my mind. When reading a journal article, sitting at a medical conference, or consulting with a colleague I am thinking of that patient and if “now” is the moment I am going to learn the secret to help them. Hopefully, my travels in Paris will include some of those moments.

In positive motion,

Brant Pedersen, DC, CCSP

Everyone Deserves a Lifetime

This October 1-3 I had the amazing opportunity to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for The Cure in San Francisco, CA. It was my sixth year being a part of the Sports Medicine team that provides care for the walkers, crew, and staff of the 3-Day. In 2004 I did the event as a chiropractic intern while I was finishing up my clinical internship. In 2006 I was asked to be the Sports Medicine team captain and also lead the group of Palmer West interns as a clinician. I have volunteered in that role since 2006.

The Sports Medicine tent at the 2010 event.

It is so great to be a part of this event. Our goal, everyone participating in the event, is to help find an end to breast cancer, because everyone deserves a lifetime. The spirit of the walkers and crew during those three days is magical and contagious. Indeed, coming off the "high" on Monday after the event can be a shock to your system. This year I was lucky enough to have my wife, my mother, and both my in-laws volunteering with me. Thank you guys!


The real reason I am writing this post is that I want to see the goal of ending breast cancer become a reality. I believe that if we all work together that goal is possible. To that end, we would love to have you as part of next year's event in San Francisco. If you would like to be a part of crew that would be fantastic and lots of fun. There are many different crews from medical to food service to route hydration. You don't have to have any special training, just a servant heart and the desire to be a part of a huge group of happy, smiling people.


If you would like to be a walker you will want to join a team to make the process of training, getting ready, and walking the event, one of fellowship with other cool people. There is a team local to the Los Gatos area that has been doing the event for years. They are a great group of people, tons of fun, and full of heart. Cathy Haire coordinates the team named "WalkersforKnockersSF" and I know she would love to have you join her team. The upcoming event is September 9 - 11, 2011. Here is the link to sign up on Cathy's team: http://www.the3day.org/goto/WalkersforKnockersSF. If you register before November 23, 2010 and put in the code CURE2011 you will receive $35 off the normal registration fee of $90.


If you can't make it to the event and would still like to be a part of the cure, you can make a tax-deductible donation by following this link: Susan G. Komen 3-Day for The Cure Donation. If you have any specific questions about being part of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day team in any capacity please feel free to email me: DrBP@me.com.


Here's looking forward to the 2011 event and a world without breast cancer! 


Dr. Brant Pedersen (DC)

Dr. Pedersen Visits Sacramento

On Tuesday, May 11, 2010, Dr. Brant Pedersen (DC) visited the State's Capitol to speak with legislators about chiropractic health care. He was part of a group of members of the California Chiropractic Association (CCA). The effort is annual event aimed at educating lawmakers on chiropractic's scope of practice, cost-effectiveness, and exceptional patient outcomes.

"This is my ninth year participating in this event. I really enjoy getting to speak with our elected officials and teach them about how chiropractic helps so many people." says Dr. Pedersen, "With our Country in such a health care crisis it is important that we look for cost-effective and patient-centered care that gets people back to their work and play. Chiropractic is just that in many cases."

One of the studies that Dr. Pedersen shared with legislators on Tuesday was from the Archives of Internal Medicine (2004; 164:1985-1992). This study was a data analysis comparing more than 700,000 health plan members with an additional chiropractic coverage benefit and 1 million members of the same health plan without the chiropractic benefit. The study showed that members who received chiropractic care had lower annual total health care expenditures, lower utilization of x-rays and MRI's, lower rates of back surgery, and less hospitalization.

The more we study and learn about chiropractic the more we realize its benefit for a wide range of health conditions. This is an exciting time to be alive and a great time to get healthy and feel better!

Chiropractic and the Winter Olympics 2010

Chiropractic care as part of the Olympic Games started back in 1976 when Dr. Leroy Perry, D.C., provided care for athletes representing Antigua during the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada. In 1980, during the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY, Dr. George Goodheart, D.C., became the first official chiropractor appointed to Team USA. Dr. Goodheart also was the founder of the International College of Applied Kinesiology (AK).

All of the subsequent Olympic Games have seen Team USA with Doctors of Chiropractic, or D.C.s, as part of the medical team. However, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, chiropractic care was included inside the Olympic Village Polyclinic, a multi-disciplinary facility that offers comprehensive health care and medical services. While doctors of chiropractic (D.C.s) have historically been included on the Olympic medical staff, the 2010 Winter Olympics marked the first time that D.C.’s from the host country will be treating athletes and officials from around the world directly inside the Polyclinic.

“This is an historic event not only for the chiropractic profession, but also the athletes who will now have access to the care that will help them prepare their bodies for competition,” states Michael Reed, D.C., MS, DACBSP, and Team USA Medical Director (USOC). “These athletes train hard and endure significant physical demands. Sports-focused D.C.s, along with other members of the sports medicine team, are specially skilled to assist them in reaching peak performance.”

Throughout the years, chiropractic has become a mainstay in the care of world-class athletes, leading to a growing number of D.C.s included in the Olympic Games. Countless athletes attribute the care they receive from their chiropractors — working along-side other health care professionals – as a key to properly preparing their bodies to perform optimally.

Dr. Brant Pedersen, D.C. has had the honor treating a number of Olympic athletes in his Los Gatos clinic over the years. Most recently he worked with one of the members of Team USA rowing who participated in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Dr. Pedersen (DC) Speaks at Palmer West All-School Assembly

On January 13, 2010, Dr. Brant Pedersen (DC) spoke to an all-school assembly at Palmer College of Chiropractic, West Campus. The College, his alma mater, is located in San Jose, CA on Tasman Drive. He was asked by the Associated Student Government to give a speech to the student body, faculty, and staff regarding "Secrets of Success."

"It is wonderful and humbling to be asked to speak at my chiropractic college" says Dr. Pedersen. "My goal was to inspire the students to realize what an amazing career they are preparing to enter." Dr. Pedersen has stated numerous times that the chiropractic profession is just starting to bloom. From chiropractic's inclusion in the military, the medical director of the US Olympic Training Facility being a chiropractor, and doctors of chiropractic getting hospital privileges, we are seeing a new world opening up for chiropractors.

Dr. Pedersen has returned to his alma mater numerous times over the past five years to give presentations to the students on Applied Kinesiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Ankle Sprains, Conservative Management of Sprain/Strain Injuries, and Starting Your Own Chiropractic Practice, among others.

"I know that I was inspired as a student when I heard doctors come back and talk about what it was like in practice" says Dr. Pedersen "If I can give back even a little inspiration to those students currently in chiropractic college, then my time prepping and speaking at Palmer West is well worth it."

Dr. Pedersen (DC) Attends Meeting With Chiropractic Leaders

On December 4, 2009 Dr. Brant Pedersen (DC) attended an intimate invitational meeting at Palmer College of Chiropractic West (PCCW) with the President of PCCW, Dr William Meeker, Dr. Thomas Souza (author of Differential Diagnosis and Management for the Chiropractor), and Dr. William Morgan (chiropractor on staff at Bethesda Naval Hospital, the U.S. President's hospital).

Over lunch at the PCCW campus, strategies were discussed regarding how to best improve the success of young chiropractors coming out of school. "It was a great honor to be invited to this meeting with such leaders of my profession," said Dr. Pedersen (DC). Dr. Pedersen goes back to his alma mater, PCCW, several times per year to give presentations to the students. He has also presented to an all-school assembly at Life College of Chiropractic West (LCCW), the only other Bay Area chiropractic college.

 "While I was attending chiropractic college I really valued getting to hear practicing chiropractors talk about their daily experiences in practice. There is so much to learn, and the more I succeed in practice the more people I am able to help back to dynamic health" stated Dr. Pedersen (DC).

Dr. Pedersen has been asked to address the PCCW student body during an all-school assembly on January 13, 2010. "I still get nervous every time before I present publicly," said Dr. Pedersen, "but once I start sharing with the audience, my passion for my profession takes over and I really enjoy having the opportunity to share my experiences."

What's In a Name?

I was 20 and just about to graduate with my pre-med degree. Sitting in my college room with all the excitement of a life starting to bloom, I was signing off a letter to a friend and trying to come up with a letter closing that would convey my attitude in life...

"In positive motion,"

The way I saw it back then, and still see it today, is that we have a few choices in life. We can be in only one of these states:

Static.
Not moving forward. Nor backwards. Not moving at all. Not making an impact. Not standing for anything. No opinion. No desires. Each day that passes brings little feeling or emotion.

Regressing.
In "negative motion." Sliding backwards. Devolving. Slowly decaying in our minds, bodies, and spirits. Letting the world make us old before our time. Giving up the will to strive for better health and a life of abundance and joy.

Positive Motion.
Living a life of action geared towards making a difference. A difference you feel as your body and mind becomes strong, vibrant, and fun to live in. Activating your soul and using your gifts to help those around you. Smiling. Sharing your heart, your stories, and your love.
In my life, I choose to be in Positive Motion. I choose to help my patients experience dynamic health. I believe that health is not just the absence of disease, but a vibrant body that functions gracefully and effortlessly.

I hope that you will join me in Positive Motion.

Dr. Brant Pedersen (DC)