Handy: A chiropractor in the family

Dr. Sheila Simmons and her father, Rudy Dabalos, are both certified in the use of the applied kinesiology (AK) diagnostic and treatment technique. Sheila’s husband, Rob Simmons, the other half of the Simmons Family Chiropractic ownership, is also AP certified.

By Ted Escobar

OTHELLO — Dr. Rudolph Dabalos, D.C., did not have a life-long dream to become a chiropractor. He became one because chiropractic is what led to the healing of his own back injury more than 50 years ago.

Dabalos, a Yakima Valley native originally from Wapato, has practiced for more than 40 years. At 76, he’s still going strong in his profession and plans to help heal people until he is no longer physically able.

Dabalos studies a lot, especially on days off from the clinic. He has countless books, booklets, flyers and the like filled with information about the human body and how it’s supposed to work.

Dabalos and I have known each nearly all our lives. His brother is married to my sister. I’m writing about him because he is highly skilled, and you or a friend may need to know what he knows.

I didn’t pay Rudy much attention the many tines he suggested I have an evaluation. I finally did this past September when I suffered a knockout blow of pain. I was glad I had a chiropractor in the family.

Dabalos grew up like many Yakima Valley kids of the 1950s — working. As early as age 5, he spent entire days in the hop fields while his mother, Mary, worked. By age 12, he was picking potatoes by hand.

“In high school, my brothers and friends and I picked apples on weekends till the last apples were picked in the Yakima Valley,” he said.

Dabalos joined the U.S. Army at 18 in 1960 and served until 1963, one year in Europe. After the military, he worked in agriculture-related jobs, such as potato processing plants.

In 1969, Dabalos went to work with the Washington State Department of Agriculture in Moses Lake as an inspector. He was injured at work two years later, doing a field inspection.

“When I walked out of the storage, the owner/farmer backed up his pickup without looking well enough. He hit me with the back of the tailgate, knocking me forward. The pickup hit me a second time, knocking me over to the left side of the storage.”

Dabalos spent two weeks in a Spokane hospital, then two weeks at a Seattle physical rehabilitation center.

“Drugs and physical therapy did not help,” Dabalos said

Not long afterward, a speaker at a men’s Christian retreat told Dabalos to go to the first doctor anyone mentioned. That was Dr. Dan Deane, an Othello chiropractor.

“He treated me three times, then referred me to a Dr. Jack Elvidge in Spokane,” Dabalos said.

Dr. Elvidge was one of the first chiropractors in the country to use applied kinesiology. After 10 treatments, Dabalos was pain free.

Dr. Heidi Haavik of New Zealand receives a demonstration of applied kinesiology from Dr. Rudy Dabalos in Seattle last October. Haavik is a chiropractor and a neurophysiologist who has worked in the area of human neuropsychology for more than 15 years. She has a PhD in human neurophysiology from the University of Auckland.

“That was when I told my wife (Lottie) that I could do this,” Dabalos said. “I felt that was what the Lord wanted me to pursue.”

According to Dabalos, AK is a healing art that diagnoses through muscle testing. He doubts that more than three percent of chiropractors use the technique.

Dabalos is semi-retired. He works Tuesdays and Thursdays at Simmons Family Chiropractic in Othello, operated by son-in-law Rob Simmons and daughter Sheila Simmons. All three use the AK technique. Another daughter, Susan Anderson, is a chiropractor in Deer Park, and she’s certified in AK.

“I use applied kinesiology on all my patients,” Dabalos said.

Like chiropractic, AK has its detractors, especially among MDs. Dabalos has been sold on it since the day he met Elvidge.

Dabalos had to learn AK independently of Palmer Chiropractic College in Iowa. Only one class was offered there. Today, Dabalos has nearly 300 hours of classroom or clinical study in AK. He may be the most knowledgeable practitioner in the country.

In October, Dabalos attended the Washington State Chiropractic Association Convention in Seattle, particularly to listen to Dr. Heidi Haavik of New Zealand, Director of the International Neurophysiology Research Center.

Haavik is a chiropractor and a neurophysiologist. She has a PhD in human neurophysiology from the University of Auckland. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Ontario, Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Canada and is a member of the World Federation of Chiropractic’s Research Council.

While listening to Haavik, Dabalos noticed a click in her jaw. He gave her a cranial adjustment after her presentation and pretty much introduced her to AK.

According to Dabalos, those chiropractors who have added AK to their diagnostic-treatment tool box treat colic in infants, dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, asthma and other childhood challenges.

“We can handle colic usually with one or two visits,” Dabalos said. “We’ve treated bed wetting successfully many times.”

I was a skeptic about chiropractic, but every time Dr. Rudy and I spoke, I walked away more impressed with his knowledge of the human body and its systems.

Dr. Rudy demonstrated AK to me a couple of times at family events. I’d ask: How’d you do that? He’d say “Magic.”

The pain incident last fall was so bad I had to give up my job. It was everything I could do to get to my car and home. Until February, my wife, Pat, did all the driving.

When I got to my regular MD on Sept. 18, I was able to barely get around with a cane. I could go from the front door of my doctor’s office to a treatment room.

After a couple of MD visits, I decided to see old friend Dr. Rudy. He was kind to me, but while reviewing my x-Rays and other testing results, took me to task for having ignored his advice.

I did not recognize my spine as a spine I’d seen in illustrations or x-Rays of other people. It was a collection of twists and turns, with spurs in a dozen or so locations.

“Yes, that’s your spine,” Dabalos said. “Those spurs are all the times your spine tried to repair itself.”

Dabalos said the damage came from picking potatoes, cutting asparagus, bucking hay, playing sports, swinging too hard at golf balls, sitting too long at your desk and standing too long at ball games.

“You never fixed any of the the causes of aches and pains you felt. Those pains were telling you something, and you ignored them,” Dabalos said. “Headaches indicate something is wrong. They don’t indicate a deficiency of Tylenol.”

Dabalos said he could no longer straighten my spine but that he could help me feel and function better. That was good enough for me.

“Bodies have the ability to heal themselves,” Dabalos said. Chiropractors only facilitate the healing.”

Before putting me on a treatment table, Dr. Rudy did his magic, AK, a “touch” healing art. Through the weakness or strength of the muscles in the region of the organ, Dabalos can “feel” if organs are malfunctioning or not functioning at all. And he can put them back to work.  

Each time we visit, Dabalos checks all my organs. He’s treated the adrenal glands three times. He’s reduced my stress more than once.

Dabalos also does adjustments every visit. With the combined chiropractic and AK treatments, everything started to improve after two visits. I needed a pillow for my neck the first visit. I didn’t for the third. On Nov. 29, I walked a quarter mile without a cane.

I don’t know which is doing more, basic chiropractic or AK. Both are helping. I’m just glad I dropped the skepticism and went to see the chiropractor in my family.