Alumnus Vol.55, No.1 | Page 7

Eventually, his possessions were returned. This was not the end of his struggles to establish chiropractic, but it does stand out as a particularly harrowing time! Again, with support from Dr. Janse, a small group of DCs started a chiropractic college, and Dr. Laurent was a founding faculty member. This school, Institut Franco Européen de Chiropratique, has succeeded and continues to thrive. Visit ifec.net for more information. He continues to enjoy his practice some 45 years later, and remains quite busy with patient care and no intention to fully retire. The pharmacy across the street stocks a complete range of herbs, essential oils and homeopathics. Dr. Laurent sends patients there frequently. His approach to patients is very whole person. He was taught at NCC to think of creating physiological change in the patient through manual therapies, exercise, food, supplements, education and more. His tools of choice are of intermittent traction, flexion–distraction and micro-current electrical stimulation. He makes use of herbal medicine, including bio-drainage and many nutritive substances. He reads the MRIs and radiographs that his patients bring in and is quite on top of their medical concerns. Dr. Laurent was very clear that a doctor graduating from National can stand shoulder to shoulder with any doctor, and that using a variety of techniques to correct problems in the body are the way to set the stage for healing. In my day with him, I saw patients who could barely walk due to pain get up and leave his office with arms swinging, and patients who were wincing with pain relax, reflexes and proprioception opened up in extremities, and nutrition and homeopathy recommended. Dr. Janse taught him, “Take care of your patient and your patient will take care of you.” This was sound advice and deep wisdom – it has seen him through many seasons of practice in France. He does not overcharge, and yet he makes a good living. He gives people the time they need, and always finds time for his patients. He definitely agrees with Dr. Janse’s admonition: “Legislate to practice as broadly as possible, so that you can practice as narrowly as you choose to.” My friend Dr. Christian Laurent describes himself as a naturopath at heart, and given his confidence in the ability of the body to heal itself and his use of so many of nature’s agents, I have to agree. He is very proud, totally unapologetic for being a chiropractic physician, and he tells everyone that he was educated at the great National University in Chicago. I left him that day in June, thinking that he really embodies what NUHS is all about: different, yet philosophically aligned professions working together. He expresses an identity not forged by modalities or techniques, but rather a belief in the healing power of the body and high standards of training as a doctor. I returned to our hotel room reflecting on what a gem we have in National for all of those things, and returned to Lombard later that week thinking that it’s extremely important that we continue to put a new generation of Dr. Laurents out, literally, into the world. 7