STRATFORD - Now that he's opened a chiropractic office in Stratford, Dr. Dale Thompson is returning to his roots in small-town Iowa. A native of West Bend, in northwest Iowa, Thompson has moved back to Iowa after a decade in St. Louis.
"I got tired of having a million neighbors," the chiropractor cites as his reason for returning to his home state. Although he considered several other small Iowa communities for his new office, he chose Stratford for several reasons. "There is a need here," Thompson said, "and I wanted a small-town atmosphere.
"What impressed me about Stratford was that their development corporation worked closely with me," he said. "There are other services here - the medical clinic and the pharmacy - that fit in with what I'm doing, too."
Article Photos
Dr. Dale Thompson works with a patient in his Stratford Chiropractic Clinic. Thompson recently returned to the Midwest after a decade in St. Louis.
Thompson has been practicing for ten years now, after completion of his training at the Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis in 2002. Before that, he graduated from Iowa State University with bachelor's degrees in psychology and biology and then was employed as a funeral director before attending Logan. Chiropractic appealed to him, he said.
"I have always liked to help people, and I've always gone to a chiropractor myself," he said.
Chiropractic is a growing field, according to Thompson.
"It's a more holistic, more natural approach to health care, and people seem to be gravitating toward that," he said. "It's a whole body approach."
The chiropractor emphasized that his approach to the discipline is different.
"What I do is spend more time working with the muscles. I don't do lots of manipulation," he said. "I also work with the bones of the head, called craniopathy. That's beneficial for migraines, chronic headaches, and sinus issues."
A physical therapist and an occupational therapist will be starting at Stratford Chiropractic Clinic later this month, services Thompson sees as "a nice adjunct." His clinic is located on Shakespeare Avenue in a building owned by the Stratford Development Corporation, who have worked hard to rehab the property for Thompson. The other half of the building is being developed as a fitness center for the community. Thompson's hours in Stratford are Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon. He is at his Boone office Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 1 to 6 p.m.
Thompson has been living in Fort Dodge, but will be moving into a Stratford apartment as soon as it is renovated. He also recently opened a Boone office. Even with so many irons in the fire currently, Thompson said he is glad to be in Stratford.
"I am very happy," he said with a smile.