Hi, I'm Dr. Terry Poth. Thank you for visiting my website. I received my doctorate in chiropractic from Western States Chiropractic College in 1988. My wife Char, our office manager, and I opened our practice in Bellingham in 1990. Ever since childhood I've wanted to be a doctor to help people in need. I remember massaging my dad to help ease the pain from a severe back injury he sustained in WWII. In high school I volunteered as an aide at the local hospital. In college I took the pre-medical curriculum. However, after personally experiencing the unsuccessful allopathic approach for a back injury, I decided against becoming a medical doctor. I earned a degree in biology eagerly learning about living creatures and was no longer interested in dissection. By my last year in college, I didn't want to dissect any more animals so I did other projects to pass my classes. What biology taught me was that the whole living being is much more than the sum of its individual components.
While in my thirties I attended the Seattle Massage School and entered the healthcare field as a licensed massage practitioner. My experience in massage therapy and the desire to learn lead to enrollment in ChiropracticCollege. Since then, I have continued to learn about the vast field of caring for our human experience. I have earned a certification as a chiropractic sports physician and have completed the 3-year program for the American Chiropractic Rehabilitation Board. I attended the Third Prague Manual Medicine Program at Charles University in the Czech Republic for training in the evaluation and rehabilitation of the locomotor system.
It was at Charles University that Dr.'s Vladimir Janda and Karel Lewit developed rehab techniques using rocker and wobble boards and balance sandals. I have been certified in Dr. John Brimhall's 6-Steps to Wellness Program and in Dr. George Gonzales' advanced cold laser rehabilitation technique. I am also a Matrix Energetics and Yuen Method practitioner.
I use intuitive abilities and muscle response testing to allow your body to select the appropriate therapies during each appointment. The therapies I use are very gentle and are effective with newborns, children, young adults, elite athletes, pregnant women, and adults of all ages. Although I am very skilled at manual adjusting techniques, they have mostly been replaced with gentler more effective procedures.
My experience and education has taught me that everything that happens to us physically, mentally and spiritually is recorded in our nervous system. My desire is to offer you optimal health care that I have learned from doctors who have the wisdom, courage and vision to offer holistic health care.
Along with my practice, I enjoy playing music on ukulele and guitar, snorkeling, biking, motorcycle touring with my wife Char and having tons of fun with our three grandkids. (If you are interested in playing ukulele, please check out the Bellingham Ukulele Group at bhamuke.com)
Thank you again for exploring our website and learning about my holistic approach to health care.
Dr. Terry
