Local osteopathic physician Jan Hendryx, Doctor of Osteopathy,
will hold a free lecture at 2 p.m. today at the Bromeley Family
Theatre, Blaisdell Hall on the Pitt-Bradford campus, with a signing
of his newly published book “Healer’s Touch, A Physician’s Journey
into the Medical, Miracle, and Mystical Aspects of Healing” to
follow.
The book not only explains what osteopathic medicine is, but
also explores the body, mind and spiritual dimensions of healing,
treating the whole person, the evolution of osteopathic medicine
and the future of osteopathic medicine.
“As the 21st century dawns with a new emphasis on holistic care,
my purpose is to bring osteopathic medicine to the forefront of
public awareness as a first choice in healthcare,” Hendryx writes
in the Prologue of his book.
Osteopathic medicine works as a holistic approach to heal the
mind, body and spirit with little medicine involved, instead using
various hands-on therapies, stress-reduction techniques,
meditation, breathing techniques, visualization and imagery, diet,
nutritional supplements, exercise, herbal remedies, oriental
medicine and others.
Hendryx is also open to current scientific knowledge,
therapeutics, psychotherapy, acupuncture, Native American
traditions and “energy medicine.” He sometimes uses medical
therapies when needed to improve the health of an individual but
believes that modern medical practices emphasize drugs and
technology, treating only a person’s physical condition and
sometimes depersonalizing the patient.
In his book, Hendryx gives the history of osteopathy, which was
founded in 1874 as a drugless alternative to the conventional
medicine of the time by Andrew Taylor Still, MD. He envisioned a
better way of treatment without the use of drugs and believed that
the human being contained all the chemicals necessary for keeping
healthy and fighting disease.
The book is an argument for the validity of osteopathic medicine
being a legitimate, less expensive alternative in the world of
modern medicine. Hendryx includes personal experiences as well as
historical and researched information to prove his points. He often
has references to other doctors’ books when he brings up a question
that he can’t answer through his own experiences or through a brief
description from his research. He also includes diagrams to help
with explanations.
Hendryx also breaks down each of the abstract ideas he presents
so the reader can understand exactly what he means. He describes
different types of alternate healing processes or therapy, the
different types of osteopathic treatments and techniques and how
doctors of osteopathy determine the root cause of illness.
Born in 1952 in Bradford, Hendryx is the son of Tom and Polly
Hendryx of Bradford. He decided to become a physician after his
younger brother Gregg died following a chairlift accident at a
local ski area in February 1968.
Hendryx is the clinical professor and course director of
Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and co-director of the
Integrative Medicine/Personal Wellness Program at the Lake Erie
College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) in Erie. Prior to that, he
practiced in Boulder, Colo., for nine years before returning to the
Bradford area in 1998 to co-found a private practice at the Hendryx
Wellness Centre with his wife, Christine.
Hendryx received his Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) degree in 1986
from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth,
Texas. He is board certified in family practice, osteopathic
manipulative medicine, medical acupuncture and holistic
medicine.
Hendryx’s book is available through Transformations Press in
Mount Jewett.
