January 30, 2025 • 29 mins
Discover the transformative power of holistic health with Dr. Dana Winchester, a pioneer in integrating Western medicine with holistic healing at the Winchester Institute. Throughout our enlightening conversation, Dr. Dana shares her remarkable journey from pre-medicine studies to establishing a comprehensive wellness facility almost two decades ago. With a unique blend of chiropractic care, massages, and rehabilitation services, the Institute is dedicated to tailoring treatments to meet individual needs, from youth athletes to those facing menopause. Listen to my personal experiences as a long-time patient, and learn how the Institute's innovative approach has helped me and many others transition from acute pain to an active lifestyle.
In this episode, we explore how the Winchester Institute puts patients first, ensuring that everyone receives a personalized treatment plan based on a detailed initial assessment and comprehensive history review. Dr. Dana emphasizes the importance of addressing stress and incorporating mindfulness practices like meditation and conscious breathing into recovery. The conversation also touches on the Institute's flexible payment options and membership model, making holistic care accessible to a wider audience. Whether you're an athlete or navigating life's transitions, Dr. Dana's expertise offers invaluable insights into achieving optimal wellness. Join us for an inspiring discussion that promises to enhance your understanding of holistic health and wellness.
To work with Dr. Dana Winchester or to learn more:
https://www.thewinchesterinstitute.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thewinchesterinstitute/
https://www.facebook.com/winchesterinstitute
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sarah (00:00):
Hi and welcome to this week's episode of Thrive and
Decide.
This week I have Dr DanaWinchester on and she is of the
Winchester Institute, which iskind of a whole body health and
wellness institute, which Iobviously am not going to
(00:21):
explain it as well as she is, soI'll have her explain it here
in a minute.
But I have been going to DrDana for gosh like 15 years now
and I've seen her forchiropractic care.
I've also gotten massages there.
By the way, the absolute bestdeep tissue massage I've ever
gotten is by Daniel at theWinchester Institute.
(00:42):
So if you're ever in need ofthat, definitely ask for him.
But also, she is all abouthealth and wellness from a
holistic viewpoint.
So I've recently been talkingto her about my perimenopause
issues and if she had some ideasof how to kind of navigate this
(01:03):
new world that I'm in.
So, anyways, I really justwanted to get Dr Dana on here so
that she could talk to us about, you know, the Institute and
you know hopefully, uh it she'lltalk about some things that
will resonate with you and thenyou can go and check her out as
well.
So, dana, thank you so much forjoining me today.
Thank you, sarah.
(01:24):
So, dana, thank you so much forjoining me today.
Thank you, sarah.
Yes, so, like I said, I've beencoming here for like 15 years
but I'd love for you to kind ofshare the story of you know what
kind of sparked this in you.
That said, hey, I believe in,you know the Western medicine,
but I also believe that there isa holistic way of healing
(01:46):
people.
So I guess, just kind of walkus through your journey of how
you became who you are now.
Dr. Dana Winchester (01:54):
Thanks, sarah.
I went to Miami of Ohio andgraduated with a pre-medicine
degree from there and then wentto Palmer College in Davenport,
iowa, for my doctorate inchiropractic.
From Iowa I moved back to theColumbus Ohio area and
recognized quickly that ourcommunity needed a holistic hub
(02:19):
of services and information allsurrounding holistic preventive
health care.
And you're absolutely right.
I wanted to make sure that weincorporated at times the need
for more invasive treatmentoptions when that was the case,
but that we were also taking thetime to educate and teach
(02:43):
patients about a moreconservative care model, and so
that's kind of what sparked thefoundation of the Winchester
Institute A little over 19 yearsago.
This April will be my 20th yearin business and practice, and
(03:04):
the Winchester Institute is acomplete health and wellness
facility.
Sarah (03:12):
Our foundation service is Gonstead Chiropractic, and then
from there we have a lot ofreally supportive modalities,
services, products and treatmentoptions yeah, now I know I've
come to you with like injuries,um, whether it be old gymnastics
injuries that flare up or, youknow, new injuries, because I
(03:34):
still think I'm, you know, in my20s and able to, you know, do
all the things um, but you guyshave, you know, a great uh rehab
center as well in here.
Can.
Can you kind of talk about howdid that come about?
Was that just always your?
Dr. Dana Winchester (03:48):
vision to have?
That?
That's a great question.
So for the first couple years Iwas in practice, I did not have
a fully functioningrehabilitation department.
I quickly recognized the need,maybe a couple of years into
practice and when I was able tofinancially support.
(04:12):
Adding on to the practice atthat time and that was probably
one of my best decisions inbusiness was to make sure that I
was able to take a patient fromacute care high pain levels,
poor quality of life andtransition them into an active
phase of care so that they couldbecome more stable and strong
(04:34):
and prevent future exacerbationor injury or pain and be able to
do all the things that theyneed and want to be able to do.
Sarah (04:43):
Yeah, yes, and then the massage side of it.
You know, I know that it.
I think it's been here eversince I started coming but, has
that always been a part of yourpractice, and you know why.
Why do you feel like that issuch an important piece in care?
Dr. Dana Winchester (05:01):
Yes, Soft tissue therapies are integral to
manipulation and chiropracticcare.
They're very supportive andit's all part of rehabilitating
the musculoskeletal system.
So to leave one out, meaning toonly focus on the nervous
system or the bones and theskeleton of the spine and not
(05:25):
address any soft tissuedisorders or conditions, is just
not the best way to get apatient like back to 100%.
So the massage was always partof the clinic.
Of course that has grown towhat it is today.
We generally have about sevento eight therapists on our staff
(05:48):
at any one point in time.
From a massage departmentperspective and you're right,
those therapists are clinical.
They're really skilled in.
You know all aspects of patientcare.
They understand the holisticside of treatment.
They understand patients goingthrough menopause, they
understand the youth athlete,they understand our aging
(06:11):
population or maybe someone withsciatica very well.
So I think you're just going toget a higher level or higher
quality service here than maybeyou would at like a general
massage facility or spa location.
Sarah (06:25):
Yeah, I absolutely agree.
In fact, I had my daughter inhere.
She comes to see you now, youknow, and she's a student
athlete and you know soccerplayers, soccer is her life.
And when she started to havehip issues she was like you know
, mom, what can I do?
And I was like, oh, you need togo see Dr Dana, and so she's
coming.
But she also was able to get amassage and you know, she kept
(06:49):
saying, like you know, I need toget a massage, like where
should I go?
And you know she of course wasgetting, you know, all these
recommendations from her friendslike, oh, go to Massage.
Envy, go here, go there.
And I was like, no, like youneed to go where they know what
they're doing and where it's foryour sport.
So not just a relaxationmassage, but something that's
(07:10):
actually going to help you andit was so helpful.
Dr. Dana Winchester (07:14):
That's great news.
Yes, our therapy should be veryindividualized and tailored to
the patient in front of us.
So our therapists are preparedfor that and we continue our
education regularly together sowe are prepared for all kinds of
patients and how to best handletheir current situation.
(07:37):
The massage techniques that areutilized are very clinical and
skilled as well.
They're going to be doing maybe, gua sha with patients, which
is an East Asian, old Chineseform of medicine, using
instruments to work on thetissues versus just our hands,
and we do myofascial release, wedo trigger point therapy and
(08:01):
specialized stretching withpatients.
So it's much more than just youknow, maybe, what we'd get by
the definition, the truedefinition of massage.
Sarah (08:09):
Yeah, exactly, I love that you put it so much more
eloquently than I did.
That's why you are who you are,thank you.
Dr. Dana Winchester (08:17):
Yes.
Sarah (08:18):
Now, I know that you also are very passionate about the
supplements that you I don'teven want to use the word
prescribed but like that yousuggest and recommend for people
to take and I know that you'revery you know, like that you do
a lot of research into the, thethings you know how, what is it
(08:41):
like, what is a process that yougo through and looking at, you
know, like the, the differentsupplements that you suggest or
recommend or whatever, like whatwould actually make your list.
Like what does it have to have?
Dr. Dana Winchester (08:54):
Yeah.
So that's a really, reallygreat question because a lot of
people don't realize the lack ofvetting of these companies, the
lack of um, our governmenttesting, you know, these
products on a regular basis.
They are not FDA regulated atall.
Over the countersupplementation that would also
(09:16):
go for, like energy drinks anddifferent forms of vitamins and
things like that.
So, making sure that we aretaking product that is regularly
standardized, regularlyinspected for quality assurance
maybe not, maybe definitelythird-party tested we want to
make sure that the product hasindependent, separate,
(09:39):
non-biased third-party testingof the ingredients and that
those companies are actuallyable to speak to the results of
that testing on a very regularbasis.
The vendors that we utilizehere at the practice are all
doing these things on a veryregular basis and we're very
(10:01):
particular with our vendors.
We currently utilize fourdifferent companies to purchase
product from for patients.
Sarah (10:09):
Wow, well, and I know that you know just from the the
different, you know thedifferent supplements that
you've given me.
You know, I know that you'vereally like researched them, and
what I also love is that if Icome back to you and I tell you,
you know, like the black cohosh, for instance, that you told me
that I should take, uh, ittastes horrible.
(10:30):
I'm still working on it.
Dr. Dana Winchester (10:33):
I did reach out to the vendor on that and,
um, they had suggested orangejuice being one of the best um
liquid carriers.
Maybe that you could put thatyou know, your dropper or your
little cup of your cohosh inthere and it helps to mask the
flavor intensity at least of it,and there are a couple of other
(10:55):
products that have some of thatin there.
But you're maybe not just notgoing to get the concentration
level that I think would be mosthelpful for you.
Sarah (11:02):
Yeah, well, and I love that you say that, because I
think that unfortunatelysometimes people will go on
Google or WebMD or whatever andthey're like, oh, I should take
black cohosh.
And then, you know, maybe theyjust go and they try and find
the cheapest or the gummy formof it or whatever, and you know
(11:23):
to your point that may be sooverly processed that you're not
actually getting the benefitsof, you know, having the black
cohosh directly.
Dr. Dana Winchester (11:33):
Yes, yeah, maybe it's not bioavailable
either.
It's not as readily recognizedby ourselves to be able to be
utilized in a way that's helpfulto you.
Yeah, yeah.
Sarah (11:44):
What would you say are the most common um supplements
that you cause?
I know that you are veryindividualized and you know
obviously it's not a one sizefits all with you ever, which I
love Um, but what would you sayis like the most common that you
recommend, especially for likeperimenopause or for pain?
(12:05):
Or you know, because I knowagain, you've always said you
know turmeric is good for youversus taking like Advil every
day.
You know, obviously Advil hasits place, but you know you
recommend turmeric, which I take, and now I take very little,
you know, anti-inflammatories oranything like that.
Dr. Dana Winchester (12:23):
Yeah.
So I would say probably themost recommended products that
are supplementation that I'mtalking to patients about are
probably turmeric, boswellia,maybe magnesium.
Remember, a lot of patients arestarting under treatment
because they don't feel well orthey hurt, they're actively or
(12:45):
acutely inflamed, and so we'reworking to lower inflammation
not just through our servicesbut through the patient's diet
and through supplementation.
So I would probably berecommending turmeric, boswellia
and magnesium, most frequently,turmeric being from a root.
We're looking for products thathave high curcuminoids
(13:10):
compounded in the turmeric rootor powder.
Obviously, ingesting turmericor sprinkling turmeric to our
food is a great way to helplower inflammation, but you're
just not going to get theconcentration you need to really
make a difference in how youfeel and function.
Boswellia is from an Asian firtree and Boswellia combats or
(13:34):
attacks inflammation from adifferent route than turmeric
does.
So it's wonderful or they'revery it's wonderful to take them
together.
They are synergistic, theycompound each other and they
work great.
They are synergistic, theycompound each other and they
work great.
There are a lot of studiesshowing that the turmeric and
the Boswellia together can workjust as well as some
prescription gradeanti-inflammatories.
(13:54):
Again, if the quality and thequantity of the product is on
point.
And then lastly, magnesium,which a lot of people are
familiar with.
Magnesium is great for loweringmuscle tension tightness
associated with muscle tensionor abnormal muscle tone or
(14:15):
behavior.
But a lot of times patientscomplain about the side effects
of increasing magnesium dosageor quantity, causing loose stool
or maybe even diarrhea and GIcramping.
So we have been utilizing atransdermal magnesium product
(14:37):
now for a couple of years.
That's been working great forpatients.
We know that we absorb verywell through our largest organ,
which is our skin, and applyingmagnesium to the skin can help
bypass the loose stool and thestomach upset or GI cramping and
upset with an oral magnesiumsupplementation.
Sarah (14:58):
Wow, I love that you dig so deeply in it, because you
clearly care so much about yourpatients, but you also care so
much about making sure thatthey're doing it in a healthy,
natural way, instead of justwriting a prescription for some
over-the-counter or someprescription of something You're
(15:20):
like.
Let's try this first, and whatI've noticed just from following
what you say is that I do getthe relief that I need that's
great, sarah.
Dr. Dana Winchester (15:30):
That's good to hear.
Sarah (15:31):
I love that, yes now I know you are also big into like
breathing, meditating thingslike that.
Can you kind of speak a littlebit to like the meditation, the
breath, breath and how you feel,like that really complements
what you do here at theInstitute.
Dr. Dana Winchester (15:48):
Sure, absolutely.
I think we find that patientshave such high stress levels
today and that certainly aidsand adds to their complaints and
their pain levels, theirinability at times maybe to get
better as quickly as we wouldwant them to.
So really making sure we'refocusing on what we can do, not
(16:12):
only in the office but when thepatient is at home and you know,
walking about their day, thatthey are doing and know what
things they can do, that reallydo make a difference.
And you know, taking the timeto be mindful, whether it be
through meditation or beingconscious and aware of our
(16:33):
breathing habits and patterns,can all make a huge difference,
and that is scientificallyproven.
And so the more patients areeducated on that and reminded
throughout the year and monthson these techniques is very
important to compliance.
(16:54):
So we hope to be that forpatients in our community as
well as that, you know, everpresent reminder of what we can
all be doing to stay as healthyand as well as possible.
Sarah (17:08):
Yeah, I love that, excuse me, and I love that you
incorporate all of that and youunderstand that it's not just,
hey, we're going to manipulateyour back and then send you on
your way.
It's oh okay, you also needthis and you take the time to
listen to what people are goingthrough and then you know, you
(17:29):
find ways to help them and meetthem where they're at.
Dr. Dana Winchester (17:32):
Absolutely.
That's one of the things wepride ourselves on as physicians
and service providers here ismaking sure we really understand
the individual goals of ourpatients.
For some people it might besuper important to be able to,
you know, return to a 10 or 15minute jog several times a week,
and for others it might just be, you know, to be able to walk
(17:55):
our dog, you know, through theneighborhood or down the block
and back, or to be able to standto cook a healthy meal at home.
So understanding what the goalsof our patients are helps us to
become better providers for ourpatients, and I think that's
really important.
Sarah (18:13):
Yeah, I agree.
So if someone listening to thiswas like man, I really need to
get in there and talk to her.
What would be like?
What's the process?
So someone you know, obviouslyyou call and you make an
appointment, but then what doyou?
Do you know on the firstappointment to just kind of
assess everything?
Dr. Dana Winchester (18:34):
Sure, yes.
So when a patient comes intothe practice, you will initially
receive a quick tour of thefacility, just so you can feel
comfortable when you're comingand maybe get exposed to a bit
more of the services we.
So you can feel comfortablewhen you're coming and maybe get
exposed to a bit more of theservices we offer.
Then you'll spend about 30minutes, maybe 40 minutes, with
your provider, kind of talkingabout your complete history from
(18:55):
head to toe, going back as faras we can remember at times
about different symptoms you'veexperienced, injuries that have
occurred, and just making surewe're really understanding how
you're feeling on a regularbasis and maybe what some of
your goals are.
As a patient a new patient ofours, most of our patients the
(19:16):
majority will receive full spinex-rays and the physician from
there will fully analyze thosefilms.
So practicing a very skilled,individualized form of
chiropractic called Gonsteadmeans that we follow very
particular methodology ofpatient treatment and
(19:37):
analyzation of our patientsbefore we just start adjusting.
So before your second visit wewill have fully analyzed your
x-rays and be ready to speak toum.
You know the information thatyou provided on day one, plus
adding in the information we'reable to find out about you
(19:58):
through x-ray, and then wereview that information with you
and make sure that you're ableto see your spine and see the
things that we're looking for.
On that second visit we willalso make a diagnosis, and I
think that's another thingmissing in healthcare today is,
you know, patients walking outfrom doctor's visits not really
(20:19):
understanding what is wrong,what's going on with their
bodies and what they can startdoing to help themselves be
better, healthier people.
So often patients come in andthey may have been to several
other providers before seeing usand they still don't really
(20:39):
have a clear understanding ofwhat is wrong or what's the true
root cause of their symptoms ortheir dysfunction, and so we
really want to make sure thatyou understand that after being
a patient here, and so I feellike patients will generally
receive that by the end of theirsecond visit and then you will
(21:02):
be reminded of that frequentlythroughout care, because it's
hard to remember those things,especially when you may have not
gone to school for ahealth-related or
medically-related field and itmight just be foreign
information to you.
So we make sure that we comeback and hit on those topics and
those terms most frequently soyou really get it.
Sarah (21:24):
Yeah.
Dr. Dana Winchester (21:25):
Yes.
Sarah (21:26):
I love that.
Yes, now I obviously anotherquestion that people always have
is you know cost and you know,is my insurance going to cover
it?
I know I personally have, overthe 15 years, have had different
insurances and you know some ofthem have been accepted, you
(21:46):
know, and some of them have nottotally get it, because every
insurance is different.
But what I love about you isthat you are not like, oh, you
don't have insurance, then wecan't take care of you, or oh,
we're going to price gouge youand make you pay exactly what we
would be charging the insurancecompanies and things like that.
So I love that you have amembership option as well.
(22:09):
Could you kind of speak aboutthat and maybe you know why you
came up with that model?
Dr. Dana Winchester (22:15):
Yeah.
So you know, insurance premiumsand deductibles and co-pays have
grown over the years andcoverage has minimized for
patients, and so we wanted to beable to find a way to be able
to introduce care to patientsthat maybe don't want to use
their insurance or find thatusing our membership programming
(22:39):
is just a better option forthem.
We do have very set feeschedules in the practice, and
that's also something that is, Ithink, very helpful to patients
and helps keep us organized.
We don't um have um very graypricing schedules or anything
like that.
(23:00):
Um, you know, generallyspeaking, what we would bill to
an insurance company we actuallywould pass on to the patient,
unless we're able to partake ina um membership, um type of pay
scale for the patient.
So we have a couple ofdifferent membership options and
we are in network with mostmajor insurers and then from
(23:23):
there it's really just up towhether or not the individual
policies cover specialty carelike chiropractic, and how much
coverage a patient may get.
And obviously for providers, Ithink staying in network with
some of these major insurers isbecoming harder and harder, just
(23:45):
because of the requirementsplaced upon not only the patient
but the doctor as well toprovide care in a certain way
that may not always be at thebest interest of the patient.
Sarah (23:58):
Yeah, yeah.
I love that.
At the heart of every decisionyou make, it's about the patient
.
It's never about like what's init for you.
Dr. Dana Winchester (24:06):
So I love that yeah.
Sarah (24:08):
Yes, Well, thank you so much for taking time out of your
day.
I know you're very, very busy,so I appreciate you taking time
out of your day.
I know you're very, very busy,so I appreciate you taking time
out.
Is there anything else that youwould just want to?
You know that maybe we didn'tcover that.
You're like man, I just reallywant to make sure people know
this.
Is there anything that maybe wedidn't cover that you can think
?
Dr. Dana Winchester (24:26):
of Sure.
I think, generally speaking,many people don't recognize and
don't have the informationpresent to be able to make an
educated choice on chiropracticand when should they see a
chiropractor?
But just to remind everybody,we do have very comparable
classroom hours to primary carephysicians and in some areas,
(24:50):
like radiology and x-ray reviewand nutrition and preventive
healthcare, we actually havemore hours of education and then
from there, you know it's up tothe individual provider to stay
relevant and pertinent to youknow what's happening in the
world today and what newadvancements in preventive
(25:12):
healthcare are and differentservices and techniques we can
offer for our patients.
But chiropractic is a wonderfulportal of entry into the health
care system and I think it'sunderutilized.
I think if more patientsstarted in our offices, I think
cost would go down and time.
(25:33):
You know, looking and seekingfor answers would be much easier
for patients and you know weare clinically trained to be
able to refer out when necessary.
So certainly if someone isn't achiropractic candidate or case,
that's definitely something wewill talk about right away with
our patients.
Sarah (25:53):
Um, that's definitely something we will talk about
right away with our patients.
Yeah, yeah, which I know you do, because my mom also comes to
you and she, you know, has hadissues that you're like.
Hey, we can help with this, butwe're not going to be the end
all be all for this issue.
So here is this physician I'mgoing to recommend you and you
know, and then you send over areferral and she's able to get
(26:14):
in.
So absolutely.
Dr. Dana Winchester (26:15):
We try to help integrate other treatment
options into patient care plansand making sure we're looking at
the full picture when we, whenwe take care of a patient, not
just the services and thetreatments that we offer, but
what else does this patient need?
Yeah, yeah, I love that.
Yes.
Sarah (26:35):
Well, thank you so much again for taking time out.
I'm going to have all of yourinformation in the show notes so
anyone that's listening, ifthey want to check it out.
You know I'll have links toyour website, your socials, you
know, and obviously the phonenumber so that they can call and
get scheduled, so they canfigure out what their plan of
care is, you know, going to looklike when coming here.
Dr. Dana Winchester (26:59):
That sounds wonderful.
Thank you again for meetingwith me and inviting me to be
part of your podcast today.
Yeah, absolutely.
Sarah (27:07):
Thank you so much and we'll see you next time on
Thrive and Decide.
Hi and welcome to this week's episode of Thrive and
Decide.
This week I have Dr DanaWinchester on and she is of the
Winchester Institute, which iskind of a whole body health and
wellness institute, which Iobviously am not going to
(00:21):
explain it as well as she is, soI'll have her explain it here
in a minute.
But I have been going to DrDana for gosh like 15 years now
and I've seen her forchiropractic care.
I've also gotten massages there.
By the way, the absolute bestdeep tissue massage I've ever
gotten is by Daniel at theWinchester Institute.
(00:42):
So if you're ever in need ofthat, definitely ask for him.
But also, she is all abouthealth and wellness from a
holistic viewpoint.
So I've recently been talkingto her about my perimenopause
issues and if she had some ideasof how to kind of navigate this
(01:03):
new world that I'm in.
So, anyways, I really justwanted to get Dr Dana on here so
that she could talk to us about, you know, the Institute and
you know hopefully, uh it she'lltalk about some things that
will resonate with you and thenyou can go and check her out as
well.
So, dana, thank you so much forjoining me today.
Thank you, sarah.
(01:24):
So, dana, thank you so much forjoining me today.
Thank you, sarah.
Yes, so, like I said, I've beencoming here for like 15 years
but I'd love for you to kind ofshare the story of you know what
kind of sparked this in you.
That said, hey, I believe in,you know the Western medicine,
but I also believe that there isa holistic way of healing
(01:46):
people.
So I guess, just kind of walkus through your journey of how
you became who you are now.
Dr. Dana Winchester (01:54):
Thanks, sarah.
I went to Miami of Ohio andgraduated with a pre-medicine
degree from there and then wentto Palmer College in Davenport,
iowa, for my doctorate inchiropractic.
From Iowa I moved back to theColumbus Ohio area and
recognized quickly that ourcommunity needed a holistic hub
(02:19):
of services and information allsurrounding holistic preventive
health care.
And you're absolutely right.
I wanted to make sure that weincorporated at times the need
for more invasive treatmentoptions when that was the case,
but that we were also taking thetime to educate and teach
(02:43):
patients about a moreconservative care model, and so
that's kind of what sparked thefoundation of the Winchester
Institute A little over 19 yearsago.
This April will be my 20th yearin business and practice, and
(03:04):
the Winchester Institute is acomplete health and wellness
facility.
Sarah (03:12):
Our foundation service is Gonstead Chiropractic, and then
from there we have a lot ofreally supportive modalities,
services, products and treatmentoptions yeah, now I know I've
come to you with like injuries,um, whether it be old gymnastics
injuries that flare up or, youknow, new injuries, because I
(03:34):
still think I'm, you know, in my20s and able to, you know, do
all the things um, but you guyshave, you know, a great uh rehab
center as well in here.
Can.
Can you kind of talk about howdid that come about?
Was that just always your?
Dr. Dana Winchester (03:48):
vision to have?
That?
That's a great question.
So for the first couple years Iwas in practice, I did not have
a fully functioningrehabilitation department.
I quickly recognized the need,maybe a couple of years into
practice and when I was able tofinancially support.
(04:12):
Adding on to the practice atthat time and that was probably
one of my best decisions inbusiness was to make sure that I
was able to take a patient fromacute care high pain levels,
poor quality of life andtransition them into an active
phase of care so that they couldbecome more stable and strong
(04:34):
and prevent future exacerbationor injury or pain and be able to
do all the things that theyneed and want to be able to do.
Sarah (04:43):
Yeah, yes, and then the massage side of it.
You know, I know that it.
I think it's been here eversince I started coming but, has
that always been a part of yourpractice, and you know why.
Why do you feel like that issuch an important piece in care?
Dr. Dana Winchester (05:01):
Yes, Soft tissue therapies are integral to
manipulation and chiropracticcare.
They're very supportive andit's all part of rehabilitating
the musculoskeletal system.
So to leave one out, meaning toonly focus on the nervous
system or the bones and theskeleton of the spine and not
(05:25):
address any soft tissuedisorders or conditions, is just
not the best way to get apatient like back to 100%.
So the massage was always partof the clinic.
Of course that has grown towhat it is today.
We generally have about sevento eight therapists on our staff
(05:48):
at any one point in time.
From a massage departmentperspective and you're right,
those therapists are clinical.
They're really skilled in.
You know all aspects of patientcare.
They understand the holisticside of treatment.
They understand patients goingthrough menopause, they
understand the youth athlete,they understand our aging
(06:11):
population or maybe someone withsciatica very well.
So I think you're just going toget a higher level or higher
quality service here than maybeyou would at like a general
massage facility or spa location.
Sarah (06:25):
Yeah, I absolutely agree.
In fact, I had my daughter inhere.
She comes to see you now, youknow, and she's a student
athlete and you know soccerplayers, soccer is her life.
And when she started to havehip issues she was like you know
, mom, what can I do?
And I was like, oh, you need togo see Dr Dana, and so she's
coming.
But she also was able to get amassage and you know, she kept
(06:49):
saying, like you know, I need toget a massage, like where
should I go?
And you know she of course wasgetting, you know, all these
recommendations from her friendslike, oh, go to Massage.
Envy, go here, go there.
And I was like, no, like youneed to go where they know what
they're doing and where it's foryour sport.
So not just a relaxationmassage, but something that's
(07:10):
actually going to help you andit was so helpful.
Dr. Dana Winchester (07:14):
That's great news.
Yes, our therapy should be veryindividualized and tailored to
the patient in front of us.
So our therapists are preparedfor that and we continue our
education regularly together sowe are prepared for all kinds of
patients and how to best handletheir current situation.
(07:37):
The massage techniques that areutilized are very clinical and
skilled as well.
They're going to be doing maybe, gua sha with patients, which
is an East Asian, old Chineseform of medicine, using
instruments to work on thetissues versus just our hands,
and we do myofascial release, wedo trigger point therapy and
(08:01):
specialized stretching withpatients.
So it's much more than just youknow, maybe, what we'd get by
the definition, the truedefinition of massage.
Sarah (08:09):
Yeah, exactly, I love that you put it so much more
eloquently than I did.
That's why you are who you are,thank you.
Dr. Dana Winchester (08:17):
Yes.
Sarah (08:18):
Now, I know that you also are very passionate about the
supplements that you I don'teven want to use the word
prescribed but like that yousuggest and recommend for people
to take and I know that you'revery you know, like that you do
a lot of research into the, thethings you know how, what is it
(08:41):
like, what is a process that yougo through and looking at, you
know, like the, the differentsupplements that you suggest or
recommend or whatever, like whatwould actually make your list.
Like what does it have to have?
Dr. Dana Winchester (08:54):
Yeah.
So that's a really, reallygreat question because a lot of
people don't realize the lack ofvetting of these companies, the
lack of um, our governmenttesting, you know, these
products on a regular basis.
They are not FDA regulated atall.
Over the countersupplementation that would also
(09:16):
go for, like energy drinks anddifferent forms of vitamins and
things like that.
So, making sure that we aretaking product that is regularly
standardized, regularlyinspected for quality assurance
maybe not, maybe definitelythird-party tested we want to
make sure that the product hasindependent, separate,
(09:39):
non-biased third-party testingof the ingredients and that
those companies are actuallyable to speak to the results of
that testing on a very regularbasis.
The vendors that we utilizehere at the practice are all
doing these things on a veryregular basis and we're very
(10:01):
particular with our vendors.
We currently utilize fourdifferent companies to purchase
product from for patients.
Sarah (10:09):
Wow, well, and I know that you know just from the the
different, you know thedifferent supplements that
you've given me.
You know, I know that you'vereally like researched them, and
what I also love is that if Icome back to you and I tell you,
you know, like the black cohosh, for instance, that you told me
that I should take, uh, ittastes horrible.
(10:30):
I'm still working on it.
Dr. Dana Winchester (10:33):
I did reach out to the vendor on that and,
um, they had suggested orangejuice being one of the best um
liquid carriers.
Maybe that you could put thatyou know, your dropper or your
little cup of your cohosh inthere and it helps to mask the
flavor intensity at least of it,and there are a couple of other
(10:55):
products that have some of thatin there.
But you're maybe not just notgoing to get the concentration
level that I think would be mosthelpful for you.
Sarah (11:02):
Yeah, well, and I love that you say that, because I
think that unfortunatelysometimes people will go on
Google or WebMD or whatever andthey're like, oh, I should take
black cohosh.
And then, you know, maybe theyjust go and they try and find
the cheapest or the gummy formof it or whatever, and you know
(11:23):
to your point that may be sooverly processed that you're not
actually getting the benefitsof, you know, having the black
cohosh directly.
Dr. Dana Winchester (11:33):
Yes, yeah, maybe it's not bioavailable
either.
It's not as readily recognizedby ourselves to be able to be
utilized in a way that's helpfulto you.
Yeah, yeah.
Sarah (11:44):
What would you say are the most common um supplements
that you cause?
I know that you are veryindividualized and you know
obviously it's not a one sizefits all with you ever, which I
love Um, but what would you sayis like the most common that you
recommend, especially for likeperimenopause or for pain?
(12:05):
Or you know, because I knowagain, you've always said you
know turmeric is good for youversus taking like Advil every
day.
You know, obviously Advil hasits place, but you know you
recommend turmeric, which I take, and now I take very little,
you know, anti-inflammatories oranything like that.
Dr. Dana Winchester (12:23):
Yeah.
So I would say probably themost recommended products that
are supplementation that I'mtalking to patients about are
probably turmeric, boswellia,maybe magnesium.
Remember, a lot of patients arestarting under treatment
because they don't feel well orthey hurt, they're actively or
(12:45):
acutely inflamed, and so we'reworking to lower inflammation
not just through our servicesbut through the patient's diet
and through supplementation.
So I would probably berecommending turmeric, boswellia
and magnesium, most frequently,turmeric being from a root.
We're looking for products thathave high curcuminoids
(13:10):
compounded in the turmeric rootor powder.
Obviously, ingesting turmericor sprinkling turmeric to our
food is a great way to helplower inflammation, but you're
just not going to get theconcentration you need to really
make a difference in how youfeel and function.
Boswellia is from an Asian firtree and Boswellia combats or
(13:34):
attacks inflammation from adifferent route than turmeric
does.
So it's wonderful or they'revery it's wonderful to take them
together.
They are synergistic, theycompound each other and they
work great.
They are synergistic, theycompound each other and they
work great.
There are a lot of studiesshowing that the turmeric and
the Boswellia together can workjust as well as some
prescription gradeanti-inflammatories.
(13:54):
Again, if the quality and thequantity of the product is on
point.
And then lastly, magnesium,which a lot of people are
familiar with.
Magnesium is great for loweringmuscle tension tightness
associated with muscle tensionor abnormal muscle tone or
(14:15):
behavior.
But a lot of times patientscomplain about the side effects
of increasing magnesium dosageor quantity, causing loose stool
or maybe even diarrhea and GIcramping.
So we have been utilizing atransdermal magnesium product
(14:37):
now for a couple of years.
That's been working great forpatients.
We know that we absorb verywell through our largest organ,
which is our skin, and applyingmagnesium to the skin can help
bypass the loose stool and thestomach upset or GI cramping and
upset with an oral magnesiumsupplementation.
Sarah (14:58):
Wow, I love that you dig so deeply in it, because you
clearly care so much about yourpatients, but you also care so
much about making sure thatthey're doing it in a healthy,
natural way, instead of justwriting a prescription for some
over-the-counter or someprescription of something You're
(15:20):
like.
Let's try this first, and whatI've noticed just from following
what you say is that I do getthe relief that I need that's
great, sarah.
Dr. Dana Winchester (15:30):
That's good to hear.
Sarah (15:31):
I love that, yes now I know you are also big into like
breathing, meditating thingslike that.
Can you kind of speak a littlebit to like the meditation, the
breath, breath and how you feel,like that really complements
what you do here at theInstitute.
Dr. Dana Winchester (15:48):
Sure, absolutely.
I think we find that patientshave such high stress levels
today and that certainly aidsand adds to their complaints and
their pain levels, theirinability at times maybe to get
better as quickly as we wouldwant them to.
So really making sure we'refocusing on what we can do, not
(16:12):
only in the office but when thepatient is at home and you know,
walking about their day, thatthey are doing and know what
things they can do, that reallydo make a difference.
And you know, taking the timeto be mindful, whether it be
through meditation or beingconscious and aware of our
(16:33):
breathing habits and patterns,can all make a huge difference,
and that is scientificallyproven.
And so the more patients areeducated on that and reminded
throughout the year and monthson these techniques is very
important to compliance.
(16:54):
So we hope to be that forpatients in our community as
well as that, you know, everpresent reminder of what we can
all be doing to stay as healthyand as well as possible.
Sarah (17:08):
Yeah, I love that, excuse me, and I love that you
incorporate all of that and youunderstand that it's not just,
hey, we're going to manipulateyour back and then send you on
your way.
It's oh okay, you also needthis and you take the time to
listen to what people are goingthrough and then you know, you
(17:29):
find ways to help them and meetthem where they're at.
Dr. Dana Winchester (17:32):
Absolutely.
That's one of the things wepride ourselves on as physicians
and service providers here ismaking sure we really understand
the individual goals of ourpatients.
For some people it might besuper important to be able to,
you know, return to a 10 or 15minute jog several times a week,
and for others it might just be, you know, to be able to walk
(17:55):
our dog, you know, through theneighborhood or down the block
and back, or to be able to standto cook a healthy meal at home.
So understanding what the goalsof our patients are helps us to
become better providers for ourpatients, and I think that's
really important.
Sarah (18:13):
Yeah, I agree.
So if someone listening to thiswas like man, I really need to
get in there and talk to her.
What would be like?
What's the process?
So someone you know, obviouslyyou call and you make an
appointment, but then what doyou?
Do you know on the firstappointment to just kind of
assess everything?
Dr. Dana Winchester (18:34):
Sure, yes.
So when a patient comes intothe practice, you will initially
receive a quick tour of thefacility, just so you can feel
comfortable when you're comingand maybe get exposed to a bit
more of the services we.
So you can feel comfortablewhen you're coming and maybe get
exposed to a bit more of theservices we offer.
Then you'll spend about 30minutes, maybe 40 minutes, with
your provider, kind of talkingabout your complete history from
(18:55):
head to toe, going back as faras we can remember at times
about different symptoms you'veexperienced, injuries that have
occurred, and just making surewe're really understanding how
you're feeling on a regularbasis and maybe what some of
your goals are.
As a patient a new patient ofours, most of our patients the
(19:16):
majority will receive full spinex-rays and the physician from
there will fully analyze thosefilms.
So practicing a very skilled,individualized form of
chiropractic called Gonsteadmeans that we follow very
particular methodology ofpatient treatment and
(19:37):
analyzation of our patientsbefore we just start adjusting.
So before your second visit wewill have fully analyzed your
x-rays and be ready to speak toum.
You know the information thatyou provided on day one, plus
adding in the information we'reable to find out about you
(19:58):
through x-ray, and then wereview that information with you
and make sure that you're ableto see your spine and see the
things that we're looking for.
On that second visit we willalso make a diagnosis, and I
think that's another thingmissing in healthcare today is,
you know, patients walking outfrom doctor's visits not really
(20:19):
understanding what is wrong,what's going on with their
bodies and what they can startdoing to help themselves be
better, healthier people.
So often patients come in andthey may have been to several
other providers before seeing usand they still don't really
(20:39):
have a clear understanding ofwhat is wrong or what's the true
root cause of their symptoms ortheir dysfunction, and so we
really want to make sure thatyou understand that after being
a patient here, and so I feellike patients will generally
receive that by the end of theirsecond visit and then you will
(21:02):
be reminded of that frequentlythroughout care, because it's
hard to remember those things,especially when you may have not
gone to school for ahealth-related or
medically-related field and itmight just be foreign
information to you.
So we make sure that we comeback and hit on those topics and
those terms most frequently soyou really get it.
Sarah (21:24):
Yeah.
Dr. Dana Winchester (21:25):
Yes.
Sarah (21:26):
I love that.
Yes, now I obviously anotherquestion that people always have
is you know cost and you know,is my insurance going to cover
it?
I know I personally have, overthe 15 years, have had different
insurances and you know some ofthem have been accepted, you
(21:46):
know, and some of them have nottotally get it, because every
insurance is different.
But what I love about you isthat you are not like, oh, you
don't have insurance, then wecan't take care of you, or oh,
we're going to price gouge youand make you pay exactly what we
would be charging the insurancecompanies and things like that.
So I love that you have amembership option as well.
(22:09):
Could you kind of speak aboutthat and maybe you know why you
came up with that model?
Dr. Dana Winchester (22:15):
Yeah.
So you know, insurance premiumsand deductibles and co-pays have
grown over the years andcoverage has minimized for
patients, and so we wanted to beable to find a way to be able
to introduce care to patientsthat maybe don't want to use
their insurance or find thatusing our membership programming
(22:39):
is just a better option forthem.
We do have very set feeschedules in the practice, and
that's also something that is, Ithink, very helpful to patients
and helps keep us organized.
We don't um have um very graypricing schedules or anything
like that.
(23:00):
Um, you know, generallyspeaking, what we would bill to
an insurance company we actuallywould pass on to the patient,
unless we're able to partake ina um membership, um type of pay
scale for the patient.
So we have a couple ofdifferent membership options and
we are in network with mostmajor insurers and then from
(23:23):
there it's really just up towhether or not the individual
policies cover specialty carelike chiropractic, and how much
coverage a patient may get.
And obviously for providers, Ithink staying in network with
some of these major insurers isbecoming harder and harder, just
(23:45):
because of the requirementsplaced upon not only the patient
but the doctor as well toprovide care in a certain way
that may not always be at thebest interest of the patient.
Sarah (23:58):
Yeah, yeah.
I love that.
At the heart of every decisionyou make, it's about the patient
.
It's never about like what's init for you.
Dr. Dana Winchester (24:06):
So I love that yeah.
Sarah (24:08):
Yes, Well, thank you so much for taking time out of your
day.
I know you're very, very busy,so I appreciate you taking time
out of your day.
I know you're very, very busy,so I appreciate you taking time
out.
Is there anything else that youwould just want to?
You know that maybe we didn'tcover that.
You're like man, I just reallywant to make sure people know
this.
Is there anything that maybe wedidn't cover that you can think
?
Dr. Dana Winchester (24:26):
of Sure.
I think, generally speaking,many people don't recognize and
don't have the informationpresent to be able to make an
educated choice on chiropracticand when should they see a
chiropractor?
But just to remind everybody,we do have very comparable
classroom hours to primary carephysicians and in some areas,
(24:50):
like radiology and x-ray reviewand nutrition and preventive
healthcare, we actually havemore hours of education and then
from there, you know it's up tothe individual provider to stay
relevant and pertinent to youknow what's happening in the
world today and what newadvancements in preventive
(25:12):
healthcare are and differentservices and techniques we can
offer for our patients.
But chiropractic is a wonderfulportal of entry into the health
care system and I think it'sunderutilized.
I think if more patientsstarted in our offices, I think
cost would go down and time.
(25:33):
You know, looking and seekingfor answers would be much easier
for patients and you know weare clinically trained to be
able to refer out when necessary.
So certainly if someone isn't achiropractic candidate or case,
that's definitely something wewill talk about right away with
our patients.
Sarah (25:53):
Um, that's definitely something we will talk about
right away with our patients.
Yeah, yeah, which I know you do, because my mom also comes to
you and she, you know, has hadissues that you're like.
Hey, we can help with this, butwe're not going to be the end
all be all for this issue.
So here is this physician I'mgoing to recommend you and you
know, and then you send over areferral and she's able to get
(26:14):
in.
So absolutely.
Dr. Dana Winchester (26:15):
We try to help integrate other treatment
options into patient care plansand making sure we're looking at
the full picture when we, whenwe take care of a patient, not
just the services and thetreatments that we offer, but
what else does this patient need?
Yeah, yeah, I love that.
Yes.
Sarah (26:35):
Well, thank you so much again for taking time out.
I'm going to have all of yourinformation in the show notes so
anyone that's listening, ifthey want to check it out.
You know I'll have links toyour website, your socials, you
know, and obviously the phonenumber so that they can call and
get scheduled, so they canfigure out what their plan of
care is, you know, going to looklike when coming here.
Dr. Dana Winchester (26:59):
That sounds wonderful.
Thank you again for meetingwith me and inviting me to be
part of your podcast today.
Yeah, absolutely.
Sarah (27:07):
Thank you so much and we'll see you next time on
Thrive and Decide.
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