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Brookfield Health & Injury Center LLC and
Brookfield Center for Chiropractic & Wellness PC

Chiropractor focuses on holistic health by Angie Jeffrey, NEWS-TIMES CORRESPONDENT

Would you like to live to be 120 years old?

Dr. Richard Bailey says you can.

"Scientists tell us that people should live to be around 120 to 125 years old, if they realize their genetic potential," said Bailey, a chiropractor celebrating 25 years of business in Brookfield.

However, in order to realize that genetic potential, Bailey, 56, said there are certain things you have to do to maintain your body's healthy structure.

"I've always believed that the body was a self-healing entity, what they call homeostasis, and if given half a chance, with good nutrition, exercise, not getting overweight and having normal structure and good motion, then the body will take care of itself," Bailey said.

From the day he opened his practice, Bailey's approach to treating patients "always focused on holistic health. We were the first in the area to have massage therapists and physical therapists integrated," he said.

Bailey uses a multi-disciplinary approach in his practice, offering patients his own services, along with the services of a nutritionist, physical therapist, allergist, herbalist and a medical doctor.

Born and raised in Danbury, Bailey knew that he wanted to practice some form of medicine. After graduating from Immaculate High School in 1967, he went on to Fairfield University and obtained a bachelor's of science. Soon after he returned to Fairfield, graduating in 1973 with a master's in education.

Bailey was hired as a teacher at Immaculate and taught science for the next two years, but eventually decided that teaching was not for him. A competitive tennis player throughout New England, Bailey also began teaching tennis.

"I hurt my back and had gone to an orthopedist who put me on pain pills," Bailey said. "Afterward, I went to a chiropractor in Danbury and he took an X-ray and found that I had had a broken bone since I was a child, that had slipped forward a bit. He said the correction would be to realign the bone with the rest of my spine. So he made a few adjustments and (the pain) was gone. I felt good and 'didn't need the medicine' and thought that was great."

Impressed by the results, Bailey decided to pursue a career in the same field, graduating as class valedictorian from Minnesota's Northwestern University College of Chiropractic Medicine in 1979.

Bailey returned to Connecticut and bought a house in Brookfield. I loved Brookfield because it was really rural, very countryish," Bailey recalled. In 1980 he opened his practice in Brookfield with an associate he had met while at Northwestern. After 20 years, they split and Bailey was on his own.

"Business was actually good right from the start. Chiropractic medicine wasn't as common back then, it's certainly more acceptable now, but the business has grown over the years," Bailey said. The one major difference now is that he receives many more patients through doctor referrals than he did in the beginning.

Other practitioners at the center include Dr Douglas Hudson, physical therapist Terry-Gayle Mazur and nutritionist Karla Alstranner, who also specializes in natural allergen elimination, the process of helping patients alleviate their allergy symptoms without the use of medications.

In addition, there is nutritional and anti-aging consultant Catherine Hoda, Reiki therapist Gail Longo, licensed massage therapist Arthur L Hanley and certified herbalist Ruth Abbott. "We work as a team and we offer a team approach to our patients," Bailey said.

Bailey's patients range in age from infants to senior citizens. Infants may get treated for anything from allergies to digestive problems to chronic ear infections.

"Our primary goal here is to help people stay well without the use of medicine if possible and to have their body function the best it can function. If not and medicine is what they need, then we'll do that. But we do prefer to help patients help themselves naturally," Bailey said.

Bailey follows his own advice by keeping active with swimming, running and playing tennis three times a week. He also enjoys traveling and has been all over the world, including a recent trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

His two most rewarding travel experiences, however, were a trip to Paris more than 20 years ago to pick up his adopted son Seth, now 21, and his trip to Beirut, Lebanon also 20 years ago to adopt his daughter Bliss, 20. Both were living in an orphanage in Beirut before Bailey adopted them. Seth Bailey is enrolled in the business school at Western Connecticut State University and Bliss is working as a receptionist at Bailey's practice until she heads to the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan this coming fall.

"I don't have any plans to retire right now, I have two kids in college and a busy practice. A lot of people depend on me so I'm here for a long time," Bailey said.

-Reprinted from News.newstimeslive.com/story Mar 21 2006 8:05 AM Danbury, CT

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