The Honolulu Chiropractor to see - Chiropractor Honolulu

Introducing Honolulu Chiropractor Dr. Douglas Teraoka

I was first introduced to chiropractic after sustaining an injury to my lower back in a Karate tournament. At first I tried to treat myself and I thought that the pain would eventually go away. The pain lingered and it, in fact, became progressively worse. I then sought professional advice and was prescribed some pain medication. The pain pills seemed to help alleviate the pain, however I noticed that after several hours the pain would return and I would have to take more pills and soon I had to increase the dosage of medication to obtain any level of relief. I eventually realized that I had become dependent on the pain pills and I "needed" them to feel good and function. Someone suggested that I should see a chiropractor for evaluation and treatment. At that time chiropractic was not as popular or accepted as it is today. I was not really familiar with it and I was very hesitant. I was hesitant because of childhood memories of walking by a chiropractor's office, peeking in and seeing a spine and a skeleton hanging on the wall. Yikes! That was enough to turn me away.

However, when you are in pain and you are feeling miserable, you start to get desperate. So I thought I would give it a try. Initially I received a little relief but wondered if I had made the right choice. I continued to receive chiropractic adjustments, and gradually I started to feel better and I was able to get off the medication altogether. Eventually I recovered totally and I was able to resume exercise and training. It was then that I began to consider chiropractic as a career. I wanted to learn more about this relatively new field with its emphasis on natural healing. I remember telling my boss at the time that I would not be able to work on a particular day because I had to attend special chiropractic classes. He looked at my in a puzzled manner and he asked, "What is that... chiropractic? Is that some kind of self-defense martial art?" I laughed and I answered, "Well I guess you could say that because, in some ways, chiropractic is a form of self-defense!"

I am a graduate of Iolani High School in Honolulu and received a BA degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles. I obtained my Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. When I attended Palmer, I was surprised to learn that there was such a large number of foreign students! Japan, Scandinavia, Canada, Central and South America, New Zealand and Australia were all represented. The international students emphasized that chiropractic was highly regarded in their countries and that professional sports teams and athletes regularly seek chiropractic and alternative health treatments along with medical care.

Of course we treat the various complaints for which patients seek chiropractic care on a regular basis. We try to provide effective relief of their symptomatic complants, however we also believe in educating and informing these same patients about the benefits of chiropractic care, a healthy lifestyle and various exercise procedures to improve their quality of life. Our free spinal care class is also very popular.

My personal interests include golfing and martial arts. I also enjoy dancing salsa and other Latin dances such as cha cha and merengue. Ballroom dancing is another sport that I participate in.

I try to work out regularly and eat a healthy diet. I do occasionally indulge in various sweets (confession!) and I do welcome home-baked goodies from patients at Christmas time or special occasions.

I hope you have enjoyed visiting our website. It is our hope that you have learned a little more about the office and our staff.