627 Talcottville Rd, Suite A, Vernon, CT 06066
Phone: 860-872-1312
Biography
Dr.Hartell’s Story: How did I choose the career path natural healthcare? I guess some of the seeds were first planted in childhood. My mother raised my sisters and me with a lot of conservative common sense. What I mean by that is she knew that if she allowed us to eat junk ( candy, soda, ice cream, potato chips), not get enough sleep, fresh air, sunshine, and exercise; we would be fat, sick and tired with cavities in our teeth. She also knew she didn’t have the money for doctors, dentists, and pharmacies. So I guess I was raised with some basic health principles. If we became sick it was time for rest, mild foods, and liquids which would allow us to get better. Naturally, if we had some trauma such as a broken bone or cut we would visit our family doctor who although was an M.D. was also very conservative. He used to say I’d rather see you go to the grocery store rather than the drug store.
Growing up out in the country I was always involved in outdoor activities and sports. I loved football, basketball, skiing, waterskiing, hiking, and biking. To put myself through school I always tried to get outdoor physical jobs; carpentry, masonry, and landscaping to name a few.
When I went off to college I had no idea about a major. How many eighteen-year-olds know what they want to do for a career? With my love of science and the outdoors, I received my undergraduate degree in biology with a concentration in environmental aquatic biology. I guess it was from all of the Jacques Cousteau adventures that I watched on television as a child. I’m sure some of the younger generations have never heard of Jacques Cousteau. Anyway, the reality was there were no jobs In that field when I graduated college so I reverted back to what I knew while I tried to figure it all out. I built houses in the mornings and coached high school football in the afternoons. I had a great time but it was not a career path. While I coached I also had the opportunity to teach high school science. Once again fun but not for a lifetime.
My next move was corporate America. I knew even before I went down this road that this wasn’t going to be for me. My views of corporate America were already jaded by watching my father get used and abused by the corporate world. I gave it a go anyway. First as a sales administrator for a brass and copper mill then as a production scheduler and traffic manager for a tube mill that made inner fin tubing for heat exchange back when solar power was the rage. This career path for me was definitely void of any sense of satisfaction or gratification. It was time to go.
Should I get another job with the same dead end or go back to school? With my love of science, sports and health, healthcare sounded like a good option. I briefly thought about optometry but I thought that with a sole focus on eyes it might get boring. A good friend of mine had just started dental school and tried to talk me into going to school with him. Teeth all day? Definitely not a good fit. However, his father and brother were dentists and he was following in the family footsteps. I didn’t have that option. Knowing me and my interests my good friend suggested Chiropractic. He thought it would be a good fit. I knew next to nothing about the profession. He suggested that I go and talk to a friend of his family that was a Chiropractor. His Chiropractor friend was very positive about the profession. He gave me several books and a bunch of literature about chiropractic and I went to the library to research the subject. There was no internet. The more I read and researched, the more sense it made. I applied to New York Chiropractic College. They had me down for a personal interview rather than just looking at my college transcripts. I was accepted. I quit my job in 1981 and here I am. I continue to read, study and learn and natural healthcare continues to make the most sense with respect to getting healthy and maintaining wellness, I don’t think so. It’s not healthcare, it’s disease care.
- How did acupuncture, nutrition, homeopathy, and herbs come into practice? Well, my early years in practice were chiropractic, musculoskeletal; back, neck, knees, ankles, elbows etc. About 18 or 20 years ago I had an infection that wasn’t going away. I didn’t know much about acupuncture, homeopathy or herbs so I went the conventional way and got some antibiotics. The infection went away but I felt horrible afterward. So I went back to the doctor who prescribed the antibiotic to try to figure out what was going on. Even though it was doctor to doctor he almost got belligerent with me. He told me you’re young and healthy. There is nothing wrong with you. He wanted to send me to another doctor to have a bunch of tests runs. I could tell he was just trying to get rid of me. I had always been curious about acupuncture so I went to see Dr. Lee an old-time acupuncturist. The treatments helped quite a bit but I still wasn’t myself. I have always taken care of myself and I know my body so I went to see a chiropractor that I had spent some time with years ago who ran a nutritional practice and he prescribed some nutritional supplements. I continued with the acupuncture and nutritional supplements for a bit and got back to feeling really good again. At that point, I felt that if I was going to take care of myself and my family I had better get some more education. So I went back and studied acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, and homeopathy. Even after 32 years of practice, I continue to study today.
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