Parsons Chiropractic celebrates 50 years, strong family ties

Founder of Parsons Chiropractic Gary Parsons said he was a little nervous, at first, having his son Kevin come on board to work in the family business.

“I have seen friends and relatives try to work together and it ruined their relationships,” Gary Parsons said.

But after 50 years practicing in Newton, Kevin Parsons said working together with his father is just as much chemistry as it is medicine.

Kevin has kept a good relationship with his father, basing much of his chiropractic approach after Gary.

Kevin joined his dad in 1997, and Gary retired in 2011, Gary said they worked well together due to Gary’s experience and Kevin, fresh out of college, coming in with new knowledge.

“You come out of school with a great foundation, but I didn’t have any experience,” Kevin Parsons said. “I remember going back and knocking on your door and saying, ‘what the heck is going on here? What is this?’ I knew things but to put it into a clinical picture was a challenge.”

Kevin’s wife Crystal Parsons is also part of the family business as the secretary and office manager.

As they celebrate 50 years as a family business, Gary Parsons said the view on chiropractic medicine has changed a lot in a half century. Newton viewed him differently than it views chiropractors now.

“In a way, they thought we were quacks and they didn’t accept that chiropractors could help people,” Gary Parsons said.

Chiropractic medicine is a form of alternative medicine. Its focus is the diagnosis and treatment of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, in particular, the spine.

Gary said the skepticism was also extended into the medical field. He said when it came to looking at X-Rays, it would be difficult to talk to radiologists in 1968 since they looked down on chiropractors.

Gary said he was able to guide Kevin in his early career due to his background in the work in an Army medical unit. Gary had worked first-hand with medical X-Rays, which he said are vital to understanding when treating musculoskeletal issues. This mixed with Kevin’s understanding of newer technology, caused the duo to constantly compare each other’s test results.

Gary said his most fond memories are having his son’s help on the tough cases.

“Say we had a tough case or something that wasn’t turning out quite as we had hoped or having an X-Ray and saying ‘what am I looking at here?’” Gary Parsons said.

Kevin said what makes Gary a good chiropractor is a meticulous nature and being very people-oriented.

“He knew his stuff and took each patient one at a time,” Kevin Parsons said.

Kevin said the important lesson is to take one patient at a time and to know which patients he can help and which ones he cannot, which he says come with time.

Kevin attending chiropractic seminars with his dad was always special. He viewed them as quality father-son time. He was happy his dad was there to teach him techniques from the days when Gary was just starting out. Meeting his dad’s colleagues and comparing notes from their college days always brought fun into the business.

Kevin said he still talks to his dad’s colleagues and said it was a wonderful opportunity to work with someone with whom he respects as much as his dad.

Contact Samuel Nusbaum at
641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or
snusbaum@newtondailynews.com