Dr. J.R. Brodnax

 Pioneer

Dr. Brodnax was a true pioneer.  And like most pioneers he couldn’t help himself.  He simply looked out on the unknown territory ahead of him and had to go.  He had the skills and confidence for the adventure and of course there was that unmistakable desire to see the wonders of life firsthand, to peer into the mystery and find new understanding.  He was also motivated by a life of helping people heal, and seeing that sometimes methods and techniques worked well, and sometimes they did not.  One thing that stuck out for him was that in chiropractic he learned that there was an innate intelligence in the body that could take care of all healing issues.  Why then did some folks have such a difficult time healing?  What was going on with their innate intelligence and ability to heal?

Poisons and Toxins

Dr. B. was convinced that the reason for the difficulties in healing had to do with an overload of poisons and toxins from our environment.  The body’s lymphatic system was designed to store toxins and leech them from the organs of the body, but we were eating, drinking, and breathing in far more poisons and toxic elements than the body was designed to handle.  He figured that if the toxins were either eliminated or neutralized in some way the body could return to taking care of its own healing in fine order.  Of course the imbalances in all the systems and organs as consequence of all these toxins had to be dealt with as well during the course of eliminating the toxins.  His knowledge and practice centered on dealing with the toxic elements, restoring balance to all systems, and removing whatever was blocking the body’s innate ability to heal.  Removing the blocks to natures healing ability will always be fundamental in the healing process, whatever the practice or technique. 

Meeting Dr. Brodnax

I met Dr. Brodnax in the summer of l980.  He had retired from his practice in Fort Scott, Kansas and moved to Grove, Oklahoma.  But he could never really retire from learning.  He had a perpetual appetite for knowledge and always had his eyes and ears tuned to new developments in the health care field.  His home office was filled with articles and books on bio-magnetics, acupuncture, shiatsu, polarity, and folk medicines.  He was truly a man on fire with learning. 

When I came along that summer I had been losing weight rapidly, not sleeping, and had allergic reactions to proteins that left me feeling like death warmed over.  I had seen physicians, had blood tests and examinations but nothing was found that seemed to help.  I was visiting my parents in Grove, and at breakfast one morning Mom suggested I visit Dr. Brodnax.  They could not explain what he did, other than he talked with the body and the body told him what was wrong and how to correct it.  I called immediately and went to see him the next day. 

Upon lying down on his table, for some reason I cannot explain, I felt totally at home.  I felt as though I was right where I needed to be and that I was about to connect with something very special.  In two weeks time I was a feeling back to my old self.  I was so impressed I wanted to learn everything I could about this body reading phenomeon. Well, he was a talker and I was listener so we hit it off wonderfully.  I went back day after day to watch him at work as he read the body and educated clients.  I took notes on everything he did.  But trying to keep up was a real chore because he worked so fast.  He was a master of the craft.  At the end of the day I would tape record our conversation - me trying to extract the details of his mastery.  Then he would invite me to join him in drinking a Dr. Pepper to top off the day.

Teaching Me to Read

Dr. B. was reluctant to have me practice without some kind of license or special degree.  He would not teach me the actual checking of the body and leg length reading until I had gone back to school and obtained an advanced degree.  So I went back to school and got a masters in educational counseling and started my own private counseling practice.

To his surprise and my disappointment the body would not talk with me, would not respond to my touch or my vocal questions.  He was stumped.  He had taught a couple of other doctors and they had no trouble.  They did not use the technique because they said it took too long.  They could not afford to spend that much time with each client.  He really wanted me to learn because I was the most interested person he knew and he wanted to pass his knowledge along before he got too old.  So, I just watched, waited, and studied. 

My Own Pioneering Adventure

I am convinced that the reason I could not Read the Body as Dr. Brodnax was instructing is because I was an adventurer myself.  Yes, I wanted to practice and start helping people heal, but even more I wanted to look deeply into the mystery and make new discovery.  In my waiting and watching I realized that even Dr. B’s methods were limited and there was more to be known.  I really did not start reading well until I started from my own point of departure using my own perspective on the healing art.  Then, I was off on my own adventure and had to hold on to my hat as I was whisked away into a whirlwind of learning. 

Everyone is a Healer

I think that my own story with Dr. B. pointed out that we all have our own adventure and our own learning that must be embraced.  Not just practitioners, but everyone has the potential to heal themselves and help others.  I also believe that nature urges and even pushes us towards this realization, and so many times it is our own illness and discomfort that does the pushing.  In my practice I am focused on this very belief:  that everyone has and can utilize their healing ability.  Furthermore I think that this is nature’s intention and has been all along.  So even if you get great results from one method or technique of healing, you will probably not continue to get those same results time after time, no matter how faithful you are in your compliance.  Nature has designed us to be learners, adventurers, inventors, and free thinkers.  We have to honor this aspect of ourselves in the healing process as well.  The pioneer spirit needs exercising.  Nature insists. 

Thank you Dr. Brodnax

Dr. B. was a true pioneer, venturing into unknown territory with the heart of a child.  He never flinched from a challenge.  Whatever the condition, no matter how severe or exotic, he met the challenge head on and worked tirelessly to understand the problem and how to correct it.  He did not let convention or opinion get in his way.  His connection was with life.  Life was having a conversation with him, telling him secrets, letting him peek into the mystery.  He worked until his death, around age 92.

Thank you Dr. B. for being a devoted student and serving others so well.  You set a precedent for excellence rooted in the joy of learning and the sharing of knowledge, which in my opinion is the foundation for the healing art.  Hats off to a great man.