Meet the Team

Richard J. Thomas grew up on a farm near Kansas City, Missouri. After high school, he immediately followed his father’s footsteps and started his career as an iron-worker, building high-rise structures in Kansas City. After falling from a building in 1984, and after pursuing medical help for his injuries, Dr. Thomas discovered Chiropractic as the “miracle cure” that he couldn’t find anywhere else. It was this experience that led him to begin his education to become a Doctor of Chiropractic himself.

Education

Dr. Thomas graduated from Cleveland Chiropractic College of Kansas City in August of 1991. With no more than his car and a small overloaded U-haul, he drove to Colorado to start his career. Many experiences and events have transpired since that time which led Dr. Thomas to North Idaho and to start Life Chiropractic Center. Now with a new facility and a growing staff, he is able to realize his dream of serving as a chiropractor in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

Dr. Thomas is a licensed chiropractor in Idaho and Colorado and has been practicing in Kootenai County since 1995. He completed a FICPA Certification with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association in August of 2000 which allows him to care for pregnant mothers, infants, and children in a more specialized manner.

Dr. Thomas has been a member of numerous chiropractic associations throughout his career and continues to educate himself on the latest techniques and research to better his practice. He is a wellness chiropractor interested in more than just sore backs but strives to see his patients reach their full potential and become free of any need for medication if possible. Seeing major improvements in the quality of his patients’ lives is his passion and goal.

Dr. Thomas’ main objective is to restore health and wellness to sick and hurting people.

Dr. Brendan Irwin is an experienced chiropractor with over a decade in private practice, associate roles, and multidisciplinary care. He holds a Doctor of Chiropractic, a Master’s in Exercise and Sport Science, and a Bachelor’s in Human Biology from the University of Western States, as well as a Bachelor’s in Kinesiology from California State University, Fresno. Dr. Brendan specializes in soft tissue techniques and rehabilitation for diverse populations, including athletes and chronically ill patients. Outside of work, he enjoys skiing, mountain biking, and spending time with his family and two dogs.

Jeannie started working at Life Chiropractic Center in September of 2022 as Dr. Thomas' assistant. She assists him with new patient exams, chart notes and takes X-rays when needed. She also does administrative work such as scheduling, answering phones, communicating with patients about their accounts or any questions they may have. She enjoys being around people and helping care for them. Jeannie is an advocate for living a healthy productive life. She enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and their families. She enjoys working in the yard and playing with her dogs.

Larisa joined the LifeCC family in February of 2024. She has been a massage therapist for 4 years. Larisa oversees Apex Spine, an active form of spinal decompression that allows the spine to stretch while the movement and therapies are simultaneously applied. She also offers a 15-minute trigger point therapy where she does soft tissue work on a specific region that may be tight and is causing pain. Larisa goes over any corrective exercises and stretches that may encourage function and balance in the body. She loves to help people feel better and enjoy their life to the fullest with less aches, pain, and stress. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 4 children, camping, hiking, or just hanging out at the lake. She is also a big animal lover.

Cheryl began her massage career in 2015 after already starting her family. She has 9 kids. She loves the outdoors and was an athlete in high school. She is trained in deep tissue, myofascial, along with multiple other styles of massage, and works to help you be more functional and balanced in your movement patterns. Cheryl loves massage therapy because of the many ways she can help, and impact people's lives and she is looking forward to being able to help you on your journey back to movement.

Maddison found her love for massage while being a patient herself to both physical and massage therapy. She knew how much it helped her and wanted to help others who were struggling. From relaxation to injury rehab to pre-natal, she loves working on each and every one of her patients and using different techniques to help them along to a healthy and pain free life. Maddi became a licensed massage therapist in June of 2022. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and other loved ones, spending the day at the lake, fishing or enjoying a good book.

Lucy has been a LMT in Idaho since 2013. She loves using massage therapy as a tool in the recovery from pain and dysfunction while creating an ambiance of deep relaxation. She likes to listen to the medical history of her patients in order to choose the best intervention for each case. She holds advanced certifications in prenatal, abdominal, manual lymphatic drainage, and orthopedic massage. All her massage sessions are tailored with the goal of enhancing women's health and wellness. In her free time, she enjoys being with her husband, two sons, and their cat out in nature, playing music or in Bible study.

Why do I do what I do? I love massage, it is just one of the best ways to help your body. I enjoy being able to use my skills in it to help people feel better or to just help them relax or even prepare for a sporting event.

A little bit about me: I went to massage school in San Diego and have been out here in North Idaho since 2010. I started out doing massage on the Naval bases in San Diego. While working there I had a chance to work with the Paralympics and also the United Nations doing massage. It was such a rewarding time and really taught me a lot, I met some amazing wounded soldiers that were participating in the games and have never met such strong spirits. Working with wounded vets is something that I feel is very important, I worked with active duty personnel on base as well. Not only is it good for their bodies but many suffer from PTSD and there are studies that show massage can help with that as well.

I have worked in gyms, spas as well as therapeutic massage clinics. Currently I focus on the therapeutic side as I feel people need to understand massage is not just something that feels good but actually helps you on multiple levels. I am in the process of studying oncology massage, it is something that is very close to me. It is not a modality that has been around for very long but is proven very beneficial to those that suffer from cancer.

I feel that massage is a field that I can grow in for years to come. I have learned and met so many wonderful people while in this field, I hope to continue as long as I can.