A lot of patients ask me how I became involved in the profession that I am involved with today. The “why” of that is quite easy. I grew up in Waterford about 10 miles outside the City, out towards Kilmeaden direction. My uncle used to have a practice too (He still does at 79 today !). Basically it was his influence that started me on the road in the profession.

As a teenager, somedays I would go to his practice to help him book in patients and do other administrative stuff like that. I became fascinated with the whole thing.
As I worked in my uncle’s practice, a clear picture emerged. There were so many people attending with painful conditions. Most of these people were on some kind of medication, like anti-inflammatories or pain killers. The penny soon dropped with me that these were only of short term help. They did nothing to address the root cause of the problem. They just masked it.

Clearly they weren’t a long-term strategy for dealing with pain. But many people were using these medications as a long-term strategy. As a result, the side-effects of these medications would manifest. Then there would be more medications to help with the side-effects of the initial medication. The person was then entering a downward health spiral.

I was fascinated by the solution to all this. Many of these conditions such as back pain could be dramatically helped using non-drug and non-invasive solutions from the outside. Many patients’ conditions were completely resolved and they no longer required medication. Their general health improved greatly. I was completely hooked on the concept of helping people overcome these health challenges in a non-drug related way.The job satisfaction was also excellent. I could not think of anything I would rather do.

Even as a teenager I was reading books on anatomy and various ways of treating painful conditions. This was back before the internet, and I used to order these books over the telephone from a bookshop called Dillon’s in London.

They would give me the total cost over the phone, I would send them a Sterling postal order for that amount, and they would then mail the books to me.
How times have changed since then. That was the start. After that I trained to Degree level and then Master’s Degree level to formally enter the profession I’m in today.

My enthusiasm is still as strong as ever. I travel to the USA annually to complete further seminars and training and to stay in touch with the very best practices that the profession has to offer. I just hope that I’ll still be going strong like my uncle at 79 years of age! Why stop doing what you love doing just because you hit 65?

Make your hobby your job, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life !!!

We more than welcome your comments and questions!

Thanks,
Mr. Tony Phelan BSc(Hons)
info@PainReliefClinic.ie
(061)467940
(087)6250992