I am really not old enough to do all of
the things in life that I have done! My careers were never
restricted from anything that I sincerely wanted to do in
life, so I was allowed to experiment with new trends and
concepts. (I gave myself permission to do just that when
I was 34 years old, married and the father of three)
As my attention turned toward health care,
I decided that I would pursue avenues that took me outside
of the traditional envelope. Beginning with Psychology then
moving to Chiropractic, I found that I had a talent to help
people suffering from things that traditional care was not
able to address. Along the way, I developed a, seemingly
impossible mission: To Change the Way Health Care is Delivered.
As all good missions go, this one seemed
to be quite insurmountable so I resolved to recruit the
talents of as many others as I could entice. I decided that
if I kept talking and challenging others then I would find
some people who would think like I was thinking. I must
admit, it was a long haul and like the 9 year bamboo, I
didn’t see any fruits of my labor for a long time.
As I look back I can see where the trend began to shift.
It was the advent of the Internet and millions of selfless
souls who were now sharing what they knew - Folk medicine
being handed down to thousands of seekers at the same time.
In 1980 I coined the phrase for myself
as “The Wellness Coach®” and began to introduce
health care as a coaching concept. My outreach was teaching
seminars in structural methods as a certified Touch for
Health Instructor (Applied Kinesiology for Laypersons).
As that concept grew, so did my practice and we included
nutritional counseling and body balance to the already well
prescribed structural component of a Chiropractic clinic.
Some of the years in between took me off
course as I delved into politics in the chiropractic arena.
I spent eleven years on the Board of Directors of the Georgia
Chiropractic Association and was elected its president in
1990. There was much to do politically and legally, as those
were the years that Chiropractic won its big lawsuit against
the AMA and we in Atlanta were already preparing for the
Olympic Games to come to our city. In 1996 I decided to
sell my practice and leave the practice as “managed
care” was too restrictive to keep my interests moving
forward. I tried my hand at several other things, including
becoming the administrator of a very large Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation practice in Jacksonville, Florida. I
didn’t practice, I just ran the facility. It was a
12,500 square foot facility that had one of everything related
to structural care. It was here that I decided that a single
pronged approach was not fulfilling to me and I developed
my metaphor called the “Triad of Health.” This
metaphor uses the equilateral triangle as a balance point
with the three sides representing STRUCTURE – EMOTION
– CHEMISTRY in the human experience. I knew that if
we could balance all three, we would develop strength –
immunity - if you will, that allowed us to live better than
most Americans were living. My eclectic friends would espouse
Body Mind Spirit philosophies, but to me, Spirit needed
no help. We are that spirit and have the spirit connection
to the Universe – our God force. The logical thing
to me was the balance of Structure (body) with Emotions
(mind) and Chemistry (nutrition).
With this perspective it has allowed me
to excel as a doctor, as a teacher and as an advisor. It
is with this perspective in mind that I approach your questions.
It is the scientific background with which I filter my answers
and it is with the most profound respect of the medical
professionals, who think outside of the box, and with whom
I work that I bring you quality diagnostics and careful
advice when that is what you need.
Background
Born in Saginaw, Michigan. Dr. Tom has been married
to Jo Carrol for 40 years and they live in Marietta, Georgia
– a suburb of Atlanta. They have three children: Todd,
age 34; Staci and Khristian - twins at age 31. Two grandchildren,
Madison age 10½ and Danielle age 4. A third grandchild
is scheduled for arrival on May 16, 2004.
Education
All required pre-chiropractic education was obtained
from the following schools:University of Maryland, European
Division, USAF, United Kingdom.Daytona Beach Community College,
Daytona Beach, FLStetson University, Deland, FL
Chiropractic Education was obtained at Life Chiropractic
College, Marietta, GA.Received Doctor of Chiropractic degree
March 28, 1980
Licenses
National Board of Chiropractic Examiners Diplomate
May 15, 1980.
Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners Doctor of Chiropractic
-- license granted 05/1980
Florida Board of Chiropractic Examiners Chiropractic Physician
-- license granted 05/1985
Certified
Rating of Physical Impairment: National College
of ChiropracticRating of Spinal Industrial Disability Evaluations:
National College of ChiropracticMedX Strength Testing: Low
Back Rehabilitation: University of Florida Center for Exercise
Sciences, Colleges of Medicine and Health & Human Performance.Physiologic
Therapeutics -- Brenau College, Gainesville, GA
Service
Member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia
Chiropractic Association – 11 yearsPresident of the
Georgia Chiropractic Association - 1990-91Standardized Patient
Trainer -- National Board of Chiropractic Examiners: Part
IV Practical Exam and Monitor for Parts I - III 1995 - Present.
Awards
Graduated Magna cum Laude -- Life College, School
of Chiropractic - Marietta, GA 1980
Pi Tau Delta -- International Chiropractic Honor Society,
December 1980
Elected to Who's Who in Georgia - 1989-90
Experience
1980 - 1996 Owner/President of Thomas J. Kirchhofer,
DC, PC
1980 - 1996 Clinical Practice - Marietta, Georgia
1986 - 1996 Consultant to Zurich American and Liberty Mutual
Insurance Companies. Cambridge Consultants)
1996 - 2001 Clinical Consultant to private entities.
1996 - Present: Alternative Health Care Educator. National
Workshop/seminar program based upon "The Triad of Health"
concept.
2003 - Independent Associate Doctor, Park Ridge Chiropractic
Centre - Atlanta
