Since I was very young, I knew I wanted my career to be connected to helping others achieve wellness. I wasn’t sure how this was going to happen, I just knew I wanted to work to get people healthy. I am excited that I have the opportunity to do so at University of Western States!
From an early age, I was interested in the human body. My grandpa started a family practice clinic in a small town in central Oregon, and I will always remember how he helped people by providing a meaningful service to those in his community. Observing these interactions while I was growing up strongly influenced me to help others in a similar way.
Growing up in a military family was another important contribution in my pursuit to be a Doctor of Chiropractic. The military insurance covered my family’s health care needs. Before 2001, there was no chiropractic coverage available through military insurance and even today the coverage is very limited. I had very little exposure to chiropractic until my senior year of high school when my mother hurt her back from a fall at work. She went to the chiropractor and the impact that it had on her health was very impressive. I knew then that I needed to seriously consider studying chiropractic.
After graduating high school, I attended Brigham Young University – Hawaii (BYUH) where I studied biology. After a few years, I transferred to Portland State University (PSU) where I completed my requirements for UWS. In between my studies at PSU and BYUH, I married my wife and we now have a daughter.
At PSU, I learned about the concurrent bachelor program at UWS, which will allow me to complete my undergraduate degree while attending the chiropractic program at UWS. I was very nervous to make the jump directly to a doctoral program without completing my bachelor’s. However, once I started school at UWS, I could see how much the required courses I had taken previously prepared me for my graduate-level courses.
While the concurrent bachelor program for DC students was an important part of my decision, the final selling point was when I took a campus tour. I not only found a home, but I also felt that my future came into focus – I knew what I wanted to do. I feel very lucky that UWS is so close to where I live.
I have been at UWS for five weeks and I have loved every minute of it. I feel comfortable here, the size of the school is perfect, the campus is beautiful, and the staff are genuinely interested in each student. I would highly recommend University of Westerns States to anyone who may be considering a career in chiropractic.
Written by DC student, Dan Kemper
Dan Kemper considers himself a child of America after growing up in a military family. He has lived in Washington state, Germany, Nebraska, Hawaii and Wisconsin and has been in the Portland area since 2013.
Kemper completed his pre-chiropractic studies at Brigham Young University – Hawaii, and Portland State University. A family man, he married in 2014 and has a daughter that is almost two-years-old. Kemper and his family enjoy hiking, watching movies, cooking together and the occasional visit to IKEA. He lives on an overgrown tree farm southeast of Portland with cows, llamas, chickens and a garden. Kemper spends his free time cooking and researching food science, and through that passion, he is an ardent food blogger.
Kemper started the Doctor of Chiropractic program at University of Western States in the fall of 2016. He has been interested in chiropractic since high school. Kemper gained great appreciation for the practice while working as a chiropractic assistant during the summer before starting at UWS.
Each year, University of Western States hosts the Homecoming and NW Symposium, an event with opportunities to learn and network at seminars and a vendor fair. The university uses this opportunity to present the Alumni Recognition Award, which honors alumni whose achievements have elevated the fields of integrated and chiropractic medicine, made a difference in the community and upheld the university’s mission in their post-graduate and professional lives.
Lester Carl Lamm
UWS student and third year chiropractic intern, Stephanie Halloran describes her Preceptorship experience at the VA Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Name: Kelsey Woodland
Name: Matt Boetcher
Name: Parker Pratt
Name: Cornelius van de Wall
Name: Sissel Holloway
Name: Brad Crowe
Name: Savannah Shortz, DC
Name: Kaitlyn Haese
Name: Ryan Takagi
Name: Rachel Wysocki
Name: Natasha Smith
Name: Jimmy Westover
When you’re feeling stressed, it’s common to carry it in your body in many ways; tense shoulders, tense jaw, shallow breathing, a stomach that feels like it is in knots and tension headaches. Funny enough, when we’re really stressed we may be experiencing physical pain and not even connect it to our thoughts, emotions and mental state. Here are two practices that I think work best to alleviate headaches and other physical symptoms of stress. Both practices can be done as either one long practice session (20 minutes or more) or several shorter sessions (3-10 minutes) throughout the day. I personally like the longer session where I can lie down, have my whole body supported and be thoroughly relaxed.
I frequently hear clients say, “I had no idea I was that tense.” The stress that accompanies modern lifestyles often manifests as tension in the body’s muscles and is a known trigger for tension headaches. People often feel guilty about relaxing or taking time for themselves. They feel pressure from family, friends, work, etc. to spend every bit of their life providing for other people and making sure other people’s needs are met. It’s not until they begin to suffer muscles aches, fatigue, and headaches that they begin to consider they need to take time for themselves. As a massage therapist I give them that opportunity. The time they spend on my table is all about their needs and what they want. If an hour foot massage on a heated table is going to reduce overall stress and make their head feel better, so-be-it. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Don’t suffer through too much or not enough pressure because you’re used to making everyone else happy. Ask for what you want and expect the outcome that you desire.
As the school year is starting and people are struggling to get back into the swing of things, stress and tension headaches are a common occurrence. I would recommend anyone who is dealing with chronic stress headaches get a proper examination and evaluation of the upper back and neck region. I do believe strongly that once this is done, there are many manual treatments including soft tissue work and chiropractic manipulation that would work wonders for stress headaches.
Massage and manipulation can do wonders to relieve an occasional tension headache, but finding ways to manage stress are crucial for optimal health and the relief of recurrent tension headaches. Stress plays a major role in the health of our immune system, brain chemistry, blood pressure, blood sugar levels and hormone levels. There are many techniques for managing stress such as exercise, hobbies, positive thinking, socializing and connecting with nature. However, without a strong foundation gained from getting adequate sleep and healthy eating, managing stress and recurrent tension headaches can be a losing battle. If you need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning chances are likely you are sleep deprived. Try going to bed in increments of 15-30 minutes earlier each week until you can wake up on your own.
The functional medicine approach to any diagnosis demands not only that we determine what disease the patient is suffering from, but also discovering the underlying physiological dysfunctions causing the disease. Treatment is aimed at correcting the dysfunction, not simply treating symptoms.
Compiled by Campus Health Center Attending Physician, Amanda Armington, DC for our Beat the Winter Blues Week:
