As a youngster my passion was designing and building things, utilizing metals, plastics, clay and wood. Fascinated with aviation, space sciences and undersea research I became expert with a microscope, examining and making thin section slides from whatever plants, pieces of organisms, muddy water or goo I could get beneath the lens. This skill held me in good stead years later when I became a professor’s assistant teaching microscopic tissue histology to other students while in pre-med at college, and working for a biochemist studying the side effects of drugs on eyeballs.

Becoming an airplane pilot at 16, and a rated SCUBA diver, my high school education was supplemented with extra physics, mathematics and chemistry, while helping my parents in our family owned grocery and butcher shop.

My original training was as a mechanical aerospace engineer, at Cornell University in Ithaca NY, while my wife to be, now Dr Joan Takacs, pursued her dream of following her family’s tradition to become a physician. Through her I became aware of the special life a physician leads, dedicated to understanding the complexities of human health, disease, injury, recovery and healing; and studied the interactions of life forces, the physical body, soul and spirit that facilitate a person’s wholesome wellbeing for living a fulfilling and productive life in concert with others, in the work place and in family life.

I entered pre-med at Northeast Missouri State University, and then earned my Osteopathic physician and surgeon degree at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, thereafter moving to Portland Oregon for internship at Eastmorland and Emanual Hospitals. Board certified in Family Practice and Osteopathic Manipulation, I’ve been practicing since 1986, and at the current clinic location for about 25 years. During most of that time, I assisted on all my patients surgeries.

Being chairman of an organization called “Hands in Peace” I’ve traveled to places like mainland China and Ecuador to bring together children of diverse backgrounds to work and play together in a model of the ancient Greek Olympics to facilitate overcoming prejudices and enjoy multicultural and ethnic diversity.

Another interesting chapter in my life was when, in the late 80’s & early 90’s, while continuing my regular medical practice, I also went through the Portland Police reserve training academy, was commissioned and served several years as a reserve officer, functioning as a policeman, part time, gaining much insight into human nature, and serving the community in that capacity, while enjoying many adventures!

Currently about 75% of my practice is focused on musculoskeletal and nerve injury recovery in all age groups, car accident and work related injuries and sport injuries. I’ve always had a special interest in holistic, natural and alternative medical philosophies and offer those options to my patients, while keeping up on the current changes in conventional medicine.

My life and work, have been enhanced by the philosophy and therapeutic techniques  underlying the Waldorf educational movement, called Anthroposophy, and Spacial Dynamics, that is used to improve movement, augment exercise and hands on treatment offered by the doctors and therapists at the clinic.

Osteopathic training covers many different types of manipulation and soft tissue techniques, ranging from refined Cranial Sacral, Indirect, Fascial release, and Counterstrain, to the Muscle Energy and Direct techniques like High Velocity Low Amplitude. Treatment is specifically tailored to each patient’s needs and preferences.

The clinic has special expertise in managing car accident and work related injuries, and navigating the often complex intricacies of those medical legal systems.

I attend many accredited continuing education courses for physicians every year, covering topics in manipulation, general medicine, surgical and psychiatric care.