|
Dr. Richard
Riley first experienced the science and art of chiropractic at the
early age of ten. After being treated for severe shoulder pain
by numerous physicians, his mother finally took him to a nearby chiropractor.
With a few spinal adjustments, he was eventually freed of his shoulder
pain.  As
a young boy, he was in awe of the man who finally made him feel good
again. This set into motion the interest and curiosity that
would eventually lead to his practice of chiropractic.
One of the seven Board Certified
Chiropractic Orthopedists in the state of Arkansas, and only 1,000 in the United States,
Dr. Riley began his chiropractic practice over 21 years ago in 1978. After
graduating from the National College of Chiropractic in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Riley came
back to his home state and began a partnership with Dr. Paul Thessing. After
practicing together for seventeen years, Dr. Thessing retired. Located at 1100 West
Third Street, Dr. Riley and his staff of four continue to serve Little Rock and its
surrounding communities with an average of 600 patient visits a month.
With an unsurpassed reputation, Dr. Riley provides a natural,
holistic approach to restoring health and wellness in his patients. His practice is
based on the philosophy that the body has the innate ability to heal itself. The
optimum state of health is when the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the body are
in perfect balance. The chiropractor's purpose is to restore normal physiology and
anatomical alignment, allowing the body to help itself back to that balance. Dr.
Riley promotes the healing process by focusing not only on the injured area, but on the
whole body.
He combines a wide range of therapies in his treatment. With
spinal manipulation as the primary treatment, Dr. Riley, a certified acupuncturist, offers
acupuncture as a secondary treatment. Although, used by Asians for all conditions,
Dr. Riley utilizes acupuncture primarily for pain control. It is a very effective
means for managing chronic migraine headaches and many neuromusculoskeletal
disorders. Dr. Riley provides vast knowledge in vitamins, minerals and herbs.
With all patients, he reviews their current medication and often suggests herbal
supplements to help the body's immune system. His clinic provides nutritional and
lifestyle counseling and offers rehabilitative exercise.
Dr. Riley also practices what is commonly called Functional
Medicine. This field of health care employs laboratory assessment and intervention
to improve a patient's physiological emotional/cognitive and physical function.
This approach to care focuses attention on the biochemical
individuality, metabolic balance, ecological context and unique personal experience in the
dynamics of health. Evaluating organ "function" versus organ
"pathology" is one of the principles of Functional Medicine.
These tests are non - or minimally invasive, using samples of
stool, urine, saliva, blood and hair. These tests focus on how the body is doing
its' job in six important areas: digestion (gastrointestinal), nutrition,
detoxification/oxidative stress, immunology/allergy, production and regulation of hormones
(endocrinology), and heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular).
The combination of treatments used by Dr. Riley provides a
conservative means to treating problems. They are less invasive and less dangerous
than some surgeries and drugs, and are often more effective and less expensive.
Today, Americans are choosing more alternative methods of caring for their health and are
finding out that it works. In December of 1994, the United States Department of
Health and Human Services published a study by the Agency for Healthcare Policy and
Research to be distributed worldwide that shows manipulation is the most effective
treatment for acute low back pain in adults.
Dr. Riley has a motto: It never hurts to
get a second opinion - the second opinion, of course, being a chiropractic
opinion. "My goal as a physician is to help my patients
improve their daily life and reach optimum health," says Dr.
Riley. "I believe, in many cases, it can be done more naturally
through chiropractic. However, I am very aware that all specialties
have their limitations. Consequently, I refer my patients to
other physicians when I feel it is necessary. At our clinic,
we put our patients' health at the top of our list. We truly
care."
|
