October 29, 2024 • 40 mins
Curious about how the nervous system shapes our overall health, especially in children? This episode uncovers the groundbreaking work of Dr. Rhiannon, a specialist in neuro-focused chiropractic, who promises to redefine your understanding of chiropractic care. Dr. Rhiannon sheds light on how her practice diverges from traditional approaches by emphasizing the nervous system over musculoskeletal adjustments and explains why the notorious "cracking" sound isn't the core of effective therapy.
Takeaways
- Chiropractic is not just about cracking bones, but about restoring optimal nervous system function.
- A neurotonal approach focuses on neurological indicators for adjustments and individualized care plans.
- Insight scans assess heart rate variability, thermal activity, and neural motor system function.
- Dr. Clauss primarily focuses on children to optimize their nervous system development.
- She teaches workshops and events to educate the public about the importance of a healthy nervous system.
CONNECT WITH DR. RHIANNON
WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK
YOUTUBE
If you like this episode, please be sure to subscribe everywhere you listen to podcasts!
FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM
Check out the WEBSITE
Help support this podcast by buying me a cup of coffee. I need it to stay awake editing!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to Ella Go.
My name is Lisa.
Join me on the journey inhaving real raw and
uncomfortable discussions aboutfitness, health and everything
in between, because, let's behonest, this journey would suck
if we don't get our shittogether.
Welcome back to the Elegoopodcast.
(00:38):
My name is Lisa and today'sguest is Dr Rhiannon.
Dr Rhiannon, thank you forcoming.
Thank you for having me.
Nice to see you, lisa.
I saw you on Instagram and Istill don't remember how we
actually connected.
I think there was like anetworking group, and what you
were posting on your Instagramwas very different.
(01:00):
So why don't you let thelisteners know what your
profession is and what is itthat you do?
Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I am a neurologically focused chiropractor.
My specialty is pediatrics andwithin pediatrics, sensory
processing spectrum, anxiety,adhd kind of that umbrella that
really encompasses the sensoryroot of issues that a lot of
kids are facing today.
So a neurologically focusedchiropractor is different than
(01:31):
kind of a musculoskeletalapproach of chiropractic.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yeah, and when I saw that, I was like what is this,
like this is so different.
So when you say that, you knowwhat does that look like,
because you know when people saychiropractor, what is it?
They think they think thecracking.
So what does that look likewith you?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah, so well.
First let's just talk aboutwhat the cracking is in
chiropractic.
It's gas that has built up infixated joints that gets
released sometimes and manypeople crack their own knuckles,
crack their own necks and backs, and I hate that it's called
crack because that impliespeople think that that sound is
coming from a bone, right, butit's not.
(02:16):
It's gas released.
And we have a lot of fun withthe kids in the office.
We call it bone farts and wejoke about how the good thing
about bone farts is they don'tsmell.
But so that's never the endgoal, right?
So if that audible does happen,that doesn't mean that we did
(02:36):
make a correction to the nervoussystem, and if it doesn't
happen, it doesn't mean that wedidn't.
So that's never really the endresult that we're looking for.
But unfortunately you haveprograms like on the Learning
Channel.
They had a program similar toDr Pimple Popper.
They had one called CrackAddicts.
That was a chiropractor afemale chiropractor,
(02:59):
unfortunately and it just reallyplays into that idea that
chiropractor's job is to movebones.
We are not bone doctors.
I joke with my patients I don'tcare if your hip bone's on top
of your head, as long as yournervous system is functioning
optimally.
So that is really thedifference.
(03:21):
Chiropractic, from day one, fromthe very first adjustment, has
been about the nervous system.
It actually restored a man'shearing.
I was just talking to my teamabout this in the office
yesterday because I said, oh, wegot to put on the calendar in
September it will bechiropractic's birthday and just
kind of reminding them of wherechiropractic came from.
(03:42):
But I think over the 129 almostyears that chiropractic has
been in existence, I think a lotof those changes happened in
the 80s where people startedthinking of chiropractic as bone
doctors and cracking and fix myneck, fix my back.
Because the insurance companiesstarted covering chiropractic.
(04:05):
People didn't have deductibles,they barely had co pays.
You could just go to thechiropractor and get your back
cracked right, which I mean it'sa huge win to have health
insurance companies coveranother healthcare modality
right.
So on that end it's a win forchiropractic.
But on the other endchiropractic just becomes this
(04:26):
really fast.
You know, we can just see abunch of patients really quickly
and move a bunch of bones andas long as we get an audible,
people think we've donesomething right.
As long as we've got an audible, then they say, oh, yep, great
and it felt good, and then wemove on to the next patient.
But what is the analysis thatwe're using?
How are we determining what toadjust, how are we determining
(04:49):
when to adjust and what is ourend goal that we're working
toward if it's not that audible,if it's not to move a bone?
So that's where neurologicallyfocused chiropractic and the
neurotonal approach tochiropractic comes in, because
in our analysis, yes, there isstill palpation you know, using
(05:12):
our hands, what we feel.
Yes, there is still looking atasymmetry in posture.
Yes, there are stillmusculoskeletal, physical
indicators, but there's so manyneurological indicators that we
need to be looking at as well.
And that's what the neuro-tonalapproach really is about is
looking for the neurologicalindicators for what to adjust,
(05:35):
when to adjust and what is thefrequency and duration of care
plan that's appropriate for eachindividual patient, not a
one-size-fits-all across theboard.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Okay, so you're saying all this and people are
listening and they're like waita minute.
I thought that's what they do.
Let's go back to the cracking.
So they're not adjusting bones.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
So do bones move?
Do bones move when we do anadjustment?
Sometimes, sometimes, yes,sometimes no.
There are chiropractictechniques that, when applied,
there's not even a physicalthrust, and they're highly,
highly effective techniques.
So this is an interesting thingthat I got into actually just
(06:21):
yesterday in my practice,because I had a mom bring her
child into the office and she'sbeen seeing another local
chiropractor for, I think, over20 years, okay, and the
technique that that chiropractorpractices in their practice is
called network spinal analysis.
It's an incredible technique,incredibly effective, and it is
not a technique that appliesforce, right A thrust, to adjust
(06:47):
the patient's nervous system.
And so that doctor hadcontacted my practice to ask my
staff what techniques does DrRian in practice?
And they didn't know how toanswer that.
And so they came to me and saidwhat do we say to this doctor?
And I said we really don't havean answer because in my
practice we take a neurotonalapproach.
(07:08):
So there's well over 100chiropractic techniques, okay,
and they all work and they'reall amazing okay.
So I think one of the things inmy profession that would help
my profession would be if westopped being so narrow-minded
and said, well, we have to dothis technique, this one works
or that one works.
They all work.
(07:28):
They're all incredible.
And there's two parts to atechnique.
There's the analysis, right.
There's how we're getting theinformation.
What are our indicators thatare telling us what to adjust
and when to adjust and when notto adjust?
That's really important too.
Chiropractors need to know whennot to adjust something right,
just because we have someindicators for maybe 10
(07:51):
different subluxations andsubluxation is the fancy word in
chiropractic for stress stuckon in that area.
Okay, maybe there's 10, 10different areas that we see some
indicators that something couldbe adjusted there, but does
that mean we adjust all 10things that day?
We have to really suss out whatare the primaries, right, and
(08:14):
we want to make sure that we'renot putting overwhelming input
into the nervous system all atonce.
That's where frequency comes in, right.
So many patients come in andthey think we're going to fix
everything in one adjustment,right, but that is way too
overwhelming to the nervoussystem.
That's why we have to have acare plan where we can work on
(08:34):
things in a certain sequence.
So techniques have indicatorsand that's an analysis that
tells us how we're going toadjust, what we're going to
adjust, what we're not going toadjust.
And then there's theapplication of the technique
right, what way do I adjust this?
Is the patient laying down?
Is the patient sitting up?
Do I use an instrument?
Do I use my hands?
(08:55):
Is there a thrust?
Is there not a thrust?
I mean, there are so manydifferent variables there.
A neurotonal practice we use alot of neurological indicators
from multiple techniques to giveus the information, but
specifically neurological scans,which I know you and I will end
up talking about and then weapply adjusting techniques from
(09:19):
multiple different techniquesthat are appropriate for that
patient's nervous system.
At that time A patient may beadjusted with one technique
method on visit one and on visit20, they're being adjusted with
another techniques methodbecause we're meeting their
nervous system where it is intheir healing process.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
God, it's so good.
Okay, I think that peopleforget that the central nervous
system includes the spine.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Yeah, the neuro spinal system.
I was just teaching a workshoplast night that I teach pretty
regularly, called the perfectstorm, and we were taught it and
it's really geared at talkingabout birth trauma and the
process of giving birth,especially in this country, and
we were talking about how.
So when an embryo is formed,the very first thing that is
(10:08):
developed in an embryo is thebrain and what's called the
neural tube right, which becomesthe brainstem and the spinal
cord.
So your central nervous system,which also houses your
autonomic nervous systemautonomic, think, automatic
autopilot right system,autonomic, think, automatic
autopilot right that nervoussystem, its job is to perceive,
(10:34):
perceive sensory right, andcoordinate the perceive the
environment and coordinate thefunction of all other systems of
the body.
So every other system thatdevelops the gut, the immune,
the motor right, Social,behavioral learning, all of
these other things that developare all coordinated by that
central and autonomic nervoussystem.
And so for us to want optimalfunction of the other systems,
(10:56):
we have to look to the nervoussystem and make sure that it's
able to support those othersystems.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Exactly.
Oh, my God, that's so good,okay, so let's talk about the
tools that you use and what youuse to.
I don't want to use the worddiagnose, but maybe diagnose,
assess, however, you use it tosee where a person needs the
assistance.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Yeah, we kind of call it in the practice.
We kind of call it like our CSI, our investigating, right, I'm
a detective, and so where do westart?
First?
We start with the story.
What is that patient's story?
What are the physical stressesthat they have encountered,
right?
So, whether we're talking aboutan adult or we're talking about
a kiddo, what was the birthprocess like?
(11:41):
Right?
And we can even go backwardsand say, well, what was mom's
stress levels during pregnancy?
What was maternal stress like?
You know, what book are momsgiven when they announce that
they're pregnant?
What to expect when you'reexpecting?
Right, it's a scary book.
It's kind of like a horror book.
(12:01):
Moms are under so much stressthroughout their pregnancy Um,
(12:25):
we're, we are.
Moms are under so much stresswhen, throughout their pregnancy
, we are treating pregnancy likeit's a disease, like it's a
pathology, right?
Um, was there for?
Were there fertility strugglesand what sort of medications and
things like that were?
When you bring your kiddo tothe pediatrician, how often are
they asking you about the birthprocess and whether they use
either manual extraction orforceps or vacuum extraction or
a C-section, and how is thatplaying a part in that first
pediatrician's visit?
It's not really right.
So we look at physical stressesthat have impacted the nervous
system.
So birth trauma for kids.
(12:46):
What about adults?
What's the biggest physicalstress adults are dealing with?
They're sitting all day long.
We've engineered a society thatwe don't have to move in.
It's wild.
It's wild.
And we're sitting on thatsacrum, the base of the spine
right, and we're looking down atphones and tablets and all of
(13:07):
those things all day.
So we're inflection and we'recompressing the base of the
skull and the base of the spine,the occiput and the sacrum, and
that is the home of the part ofthe autonomic nervous system
that is the brake pedal.
It's supposed to calm thesystem down so that we can rest,
digest, heal, grow, repair.
(13:27):
So we're already locking thatpart of the system down with
those physical stresses.
So we look at that part of thestory.
What are the emotional stressesthat are at play here?
And there's so many times,especially when I'm talking to a
mom you know what was yourpregnancy like?
Was it stressful?
Well, it was a normal pregnancy.
And then we keep diggingfurther.
And they moved, they changedjobs, there was a death in the
(13:52):
family, they were trying tofigure out financially how
they're going to support thisnew member of the family, right,
but they're saying, oh yeah, itwas, it was normal, normal
pregnancy.
Those are huge changes,especially moving.
I have a lot of patients movingright now and when we are
changing the environment that'ssupposed to be our stable place,
right, our home, oursanctionary, that's incredibly
(14:13):
disruptive to our nervous system.
So physical stresses, emotionalor mental stresses, and then we
look at chemical stresses.
I don't think anyone at thispoint is in denial of what a
toxic world that we're living inright now, right From the
cleaning products, our personalhygiene products, our food
supply, our water supply.
(14:34):
I mean we live in a very toxicworld and I think that one of
the things that has gottenreally tricky again.
I feel like I keep referencingthe 80s, but back in the 80s I
feel like chiropractors reallygot associated with being
anti-vaccine, anti-medicine andthat kind of made this world
(14:57):
where it was like you're eitherpro-medical care or you're with
us or against us, right, and inthis practice we don't do that
at all.
We want to support families inwhatever choices they want to
make, but there's no denyingthat medications are toxic to
the system.
I mean they are, but sometimesthey're necessary.
Medicines save lives, right.
(15:19):
There's no denying thatvaccines are toxic to the system
.
In fact, the way a vaccineworks is by causing stress to
the system.
That's the way, that is themechanism of a vaccine working.
So we have to look at this bigpicture of you were layering on
physical stresses, emotionalstresses, chemical stresses, and
eventually there's that lastdrop of water that makes that
(15:43):
cup overflow.
And so we really dig into storywhich eat with each individual
patient on that case by casebasis, even within a family
Right, and then so that's oursubjective.
Then we go to the objective,which are the scans Right, and
those are the.
Those are the really cool part.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yeah, I mean no seriously and I you know, as
you're talking, it almost soundslike you have a chiropractor
and a therapist all in one.
I mean seriously because youare not.
You're taking the person andand you could probably resonate
with this where you know thethought of going to see a doctor
, you took care of a part.
(16:23):
No one asked you well how'syour home life?
How's it going?
Like?
No doctor asks that, you know,but you are taking that person
as a whole.
You're asking them theirhistory, how they're doing,
because that is all impactful tothat person's issues, right?
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Well, that's what the nervous system is dealing with,
right.
The nervous system is dealingwith your external environment,
right.
What is the temperature outside?
What is what's the weather?
What am I hearing?
What am I seeing?
What am I smelling?
Right, all these externalthings.
And then it's also perceivingwhat your internal body is
telling it, right.
What am I hungry?
(17:00):
What are my hormones?
What are?
What's my microbiome?
Right, everybody wants to talkabout the microbiome right now,
which is important.
But we need to remember, youknow, we want to talk about the
gut brain connection.
Can we please start calling itthe brain gut connection?
I don't know why we're puttinggut first Because, again, that
nervous system is the first inthe sequence of development, so
(17:22):
it needs to be the first in thesequence of healing.
So you're seeing people lookingfor they want to try supplements
, they want to try diet changes,they're on a parasite cleanse,
they are using all the essentialoils, we're doing therapies.
All of that stuff is amazing,amazing, amazing, amazing.
But then they hit a wall, right, because if the nervous system
(17:45):
isn't regulating properly, youcan't achieve your optimal
results with those incredibletherapies.
You know, a lot of times I'mtalking about kids a lot of
times.
You know there's incredible.
You know, all over the place,but locally I can speak
specifically to.
Locally there's incredibleincredible pediatric OTs,
incredible pediatric PTs, speechtherapists, dieticians I mean
(18:09):
we have incredible resourceshere, but families are hitting a
wall where they're going.
Yeah, I saw some change butwe're still not really getting
there.
But when we start with aneurologically focused approach
first and get that nervoussystem healing and regulating
and get that momentum in thenervous system, we open up the
window for the nervous system tointegrate and adapt to those
(18:33):
therapies or those diet changesand all the other things that
moms and dads are trying.
The window is open and they getincredible exponential results
there.
So we need to stop thinkingit's a one thing or another.
It's not neurologicalchiropractic or physical therapy
, neurological chiropractic ormedicine, neurological
(18:53):
chiropractic or speech or diet,or we have to set the stage for
the nervous system first andeverything else that we're
trying is working so much better.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
My God, you had to collaborate with a therapist.
Could you imagine?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Yeah, no, I know most of the local therapists, and if
I don't know them, I want toknow them, because we need to
work together to serve thesefamilies.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
It makes total sense.
Oh my goodness, all right.
So let's talk about the scans,because those are really cool, I
love it.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
I know the scans are really cool.
It's incredible technology andit's something that we now have.
In the past 15 years or so Imean about 20 years ago there
was the beginnings of thetechnology.
There was Tytron's that did aversion of the thermal scan, but
now we have it's called insightscans, okay, which is I love
that Dr Fletcher has it namedthat because it gives us insight
(19:43):
into the nervous system, right.
So there's three scans that wedo.
The first is an HRV and that'sa heart rate variability.
So you and your listeners maybe familiar with that because
it's in a lot.
A lot of runners would wearthat around their chest, right.
Or now it's in your smartwatches and things like that.
I have an aura ring that islooking at measuring things like
(20:07):
that.
So what's heart ratevariability?
Well, your heart rate iscontrolled by your autonomic
nervous system Autonomic, think,automatic.
You are not in control of itand your heart rate should be
variable, okay.
So if you're at rest, hopefullyyou're at rest while you're
talking to me.
Hopefully this doesn't stressyou out.
If you're at rest, right, wehave a normal resting heart rate
(20:28):
.
But say you're at rest,hopefully you're at rest while
you're talking to me.
Hopefully this doesn't stressyou out.
If you're at rest, right, wehave a normal resting heart rate
.
But say you're driving down theroad and a deer runs out in
front of your car, you're goingto have that stress response
instinct.
Your heart rate's going to goup, you're going to start
sweating a little bit, you'regoing to start breathing a
little more rapidly and you'regoing to have that boom instinct
.
Hopefully you slam on thebrakes.
And if you're a mom, what domoms all do?
(20:50):
Put their arm out to covertheir passenger side.
Right, I'm not a mom, but Ihave learned that from my mom.
So I'm just protecting my purse, but I still do it.
But so, and then what happens?
The deer crosses the road.
If you're in upstate New York,then you wait because you know
there's probably two more coming.
And then five minutes lateryou're back driving down the
(21:13):
road singing along to the radioand your heart rate has come
back down to normal, you'rebreathing normally, you're not
sweating anymore.
So your nervous system hasswitched into stress response
really quick and then come rightback into your normal,
regularly scheduled program,which we call parasympathetic.
I tell patients remember P, itstarts with a P.
When we are at peace when weare at rest.
(21:34):
So our heart rate variabilitywe measure that over a period of
time so that we can see is yourautonomic nervous system
adapting appropriately to theenvironment?
Appropriately to theenvironment?
Most people have the stressresponse stuck on.
Stuck on, which means all thethings that are supposed to be
(22:00):
happening in the parasympatheticthat peaceful, restful response
is being inhibited.
Right, vagus nerve is mostcommonly associated with
parasympathetic.
You found me on Instagram soyou probably see a lot of things
about the vagus nerve onInstagram.
One of the coolest things forneurological chiropractic right
now is that a lot of people aretalking about nervous system
regulation on the internet.
Right, they're talking aboutregulating the nervous system
(22:21):
with somatic practices, withinfrared therapy, with red light
, with cold plunges all reallycool modalities that help
strengthen nervous, theregulated nervous system.
But when a nervous system isalready dysregulated, those
things can actually reinforcethe dysregulation.
(22:42):
So again, sequence, right, weneed to start with resetting
that autonomic nervous systemwith neurologically focused
adjustments, and we don't knowwhat that looks like for you or
for me or for anyone, until wedo those scans.
There's no one size fits all.
So the HRV really gives us anidea of where are you at in your
(23:04):
adaptability and your reserve,your activity ability to be able
to respond to the stresses.
And then the thermal scan.
The thermal scan uses infraredtechnology to show us where
there is asymmetry in theautonomic activity.
So the analogy I like to usewith my patients is if I Google
(23:28):
mapped your autonomic nervoussystem, if I used Google map for
Lisa's autonomic nervous system, my HRV would be my satellite
view.
Where are you on the map?
Where is Lisa right?
Then my thermal scan is like mystreet level view.
Now I can see exactly wherethat stress is.
We can locate it, okay.
(23:48):
So the HRV, we detected it.
The thermal, we have located it.
Okay.
And then the third scan, the EMG.
It's looking at our neuromotorsystem, which really ties the
nervous system to thetraditional view of chiropractic
, of musculoskeletal right, thepostural system.
(24:08):
Everyone thinks we're bonedoctors.
Actually a woman wore skeletonearrings to my talk last night.
So it really ties the nervoussystem to the musculoskeletal
system, this EMG, because likean EKG, which is reading the
electrical activity of yourheart muscle, or an EEG reading
the electrical activity in yourbrain, the EMG is reading the
(24:30):
electrical signals, theelectrical activity energy
between your brain and yourposture muscles.
So how is the brain using thepostural system to adapt and
respond to stresses?
Right, that's what we see andthat's where we're able to
quantify, measure numbers-wise,the total energy in the postural
(24:52):
system.
How is the brain using thismusculoskeletal postural system
to adapt to stresses, to bestuck in a stress response?
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Wow, I'm speechless.
I mean, it makes sense, it justmakes sense, all of it makes
sense, but it's just at thispoint.
I still can't believe thatwe're not doing more of that,
and you're definitely doing that.
Let's switch gears here.
So your target audience and Ithink that was the video that I
saw you had a baby on your lapand I'm like what is she doing?
(25:25):
A chiropractor with the baby.
I'm thinking she's going tocrack his back, but that sounds
scary, I know.
And you did something where Ithink the child couldn't walk or
didn't have those, um, motorabilities or wasn't talking or
whatever.
And you did something where Ithink the child couldn't walk or
didn't have those motorabilities or wasn't talking or
whatever.
And you did something and theyjust started doing what they
needed to do to grow, to develop.
(25:46):
So what is your target audience?
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Well, I could give a big umbrella A lot of times when
someone says to me how do Iknow if I, if I need to see you?
And so a lot of times I willsay I try to say it nicely, but
if you're alive and you have anervous system, you should
probably get it checked.
That's like saying to a dentisthow do I know if I need to see
you?
Well, do you have teeth Right?
(26:12):
But no, primarily, primarily,we really focus on kids in my
practice.
I mean, my oldest patient is 95.
So that's obviously not a child.
But we focus on kids in mypractice because that
developmental window of thenervous system, if we can get in
there, I mean that sweet spotis really before age seven.
(26:32):
But, um, the earlier the better.
Because the the amount thebetter, because the amount I
mean the amount of neurons, theamount of nerves, brain cells
and neural pathways that a childis making in one day is equal
to what we're making in a wholeyear.
So if we can get in there andhelp that nervous system really
be adaptable and heal and growand develop in an optimal way,
(26:57):
that sets them up for incrediblesuccess going forward.
But we have incredible successwith adults.
I mean, I had a man in his 80scome in.
His wife tricked him to bringhim into the office he didn't
know where he was going becausehe would not have come if he did
and he actually had spinalsurgery.
He was fused from threedifferent spinal surgeries, from
C2 down to L4.
(27:19):
So all I could adjust wasocciput, base of skull C1, the
very top vertebra where thebrain stem is L5 and the pelvis.
After two weeks of adjustmentshe regained control over his
bowel function, control over hisbladder function, control over
his reproductive organs, to thepoint that then his wife became
(27:39):
a patient because he was chasingher around the house.
So you are not a lost cause ifyou are a grown-up, but when we
can affect a kiddo's nervoussystem, obviously we can affect
the trajectory of their nervoussystem development.
We can affect the trajectory oftheir nervous system
(28:01):
development and we are having,at such a young age, significant
physical stress with the birthprocess, right.
Significant emotional stressduring pregnancy and when baby
is born I mean think about thestressful environment in a
hospital, right and significantchemical stress with early use
of antibiotics, early use ofvaccines.
Again, we're not saying not todo those things.
(28:23):
I want families to make choicesthat feel right for them, but
we need to acknowledge thisperfect storm of things that are
impacting our kids.
You know, developing nervoussystem.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
I was going to ask you for a success story, but
that is such a good.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
I mean I have a patient who is a teenager, he's
14.
And he had very quickly gonefrom walk and talk and move in
normal teenager to walk a walkerthan a wheelchair.
I mean they went to theNational Institute of Health,
boston Children's Hospital, allover the place trying to find
answers and getting no answersand after 12 adjustments he
(29:03):
walked into the office.
So we really just and againchiropractic.
I want to be very clear aboutthis we do not diagnose, we do
not treat.
I do not treat anything.
I do not treat colic, I do nottreat ADHD.
I do not treat autism, I do not.
I mean I don't treat anything.
I do not treat colic, I do nottreat ADHD.
I do not treat autism, I do not.
I mean I don't treat anything,I don't diagnose anything.
(29:23):
What do we do?
We investigate to find wherestress is stuck in the nervous
system.
We help remove that stress tocalm and balance the
adaptability of the nervoussystem so that we're not
constantly in the stressresponse but we're in that
growth, healing, repair response, that parasympathetic, where
(29:44):
the nervous system is meant toadapt to challenges.
We're going to have challengesin this world.
Right, we were not meant tolive in utopia, but our society
has gone so far beyond what ournervous system is capable of
adapting to, right I joke withmy patients your nervous system
(30:04):
was not designed to adapt totaxes and traffic.
It just wasn't.
And so we need to help thenervous system have better
coping strategies, betteradaptability, because taxes and
traffic aren't going away, andneither is trauma, neither is
sitting, neither is technologyright, that's not going away.
(30:25):
We're sitting here doing thison a computer, right?
I mean, these things aren'tgoing away, and so we need to
give our nervous system theability to adapt in a healthy
way to that.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Yeah.
So a question that I had as youwere talking, um, as far as you
know the things that we need todo so that we can live our best
life ever, um, I know peopleare probably thinking well,
exactly what is it that you'redoing for me to make me better?
So you do put your hands onpeople, but what are you doing?
Speaker 2 (30:58):
I do, okay.
So a neurologically focusedadjustment, a neurotonal
adjustment, that impulse intothe nervous system, whether it's
through light touch, whetherit's through a small thrust,
whether it's with an instrument,okay, that impulse into the
nervous system.
The research out of New Zealand, actually incredible,
incredible research by Dr HeidiHavik, great research coming out
(31:20):
of New Zealand chiropractic hasshown that that neuronal
impulse goes directly to thebrain all the way to the
prefrontal cortex, so the veryfront here.
Okay, and they've shown on EEGincreasing activity there by 20%
, which is that's a lot on anEEG.
(31:42):
And it stimulates bothhemispheres equally, which is
very important.
Because you have one hemispherethat is more dominant and
associated with sympathetic,detail-oriented focus stress
response.
Then you have anotherhemisphere that's more focused
on big picture, calming, puttingthings in perspective, right,
(32:03):
and so we want again thatadaptability.
We want to be able to have bothsystems able to work so that we
have an appropriate response toour environment, right, the
stress response gets a bad rap.
So we don't want the stressresponse to go away.
In fact, many of the adultsthat we do scans on, they have
been stuck in the stressresponse so long that we see
(32:24):
their stress response isexhausted, it's tanked Okay and
we actually have to work ongetting that back online.
So a neuronal adjustment helpsbalance the brain's ability to
adapt.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Okay.
So yes, you are touching people.
You are you know, and I am notcracking babies, not cracking
babies, their spines haven'teven fully formed.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
yet no usually baby.
Babies sleep throughadjustments.
Baby, it's very light touch, um.
You'll see a lot of babies onthe Instagram and you probably
don't even know I'm adjustingthem on the Instagram because
they're just laying there in apillow.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
It's definitely a very skilled profession.
Yeah, but babies that aren'tpooping.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
What are babies born supposed to do?
Eat, sleep and poop.
And what our moms?
You'll never find a practicethat talks about poop more than
a neurotonal chiropractic office.
But what are moms so frustratedwith?
Their babies aren't sleeping,they're colicky, so they're not
digesting, right, right, andthey're not pooping.
(33:32):
They're constipated, and whatare they told to do?
They're either told thatthey're going to grow out of it
or give them Miralax or givethem gas drops.
But what about why?
Why is this happening, right?
Well, when we deliver a babyand we use a giant pair of hands
or a giant pair of pliers or agiant plunger to pull baby out
of mom, okay, either with aC-section or the old fashioned
(33:55):
way, okay, we're puttingpressure and manual trauma on
the upper cervical spine, whichis where the vagus nerve comes
out.
Everybody wants to talk aboutthe gut brain connection.
That's the vagus nerve, right?
That is the calming, that brakepedal to allow the body to go
into rest and digest, heal, grow, develop, right.
(34:19):
And so when we have trauma tothat area, that system gets shut
down.
We're thrown into a sympatheticfight or flight and you have
these babies that are colicky,that are miserable, that aren't
pooping, that are spitting upright, because they're not
eating, sleeping poopingproperly, which?
Speaker 1 (34:34):
is the only thing they were designed to do.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
It's so true, though, oh my.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
God, that is so.
Listen, I could talk about thisLike I am just in awe, I just
love it.
I just love this stuff.
What do you have going on forthe practice?
Like I know that you have likean event, I think a talking
event but what do you have newcoming up that people could come
and listen and know more aboutyou?
Speaker 2 (34:59):
Okay, no, great question.
Well, we teach workshops thatare free to the public, not just
to patients.
Okay, I teach the perfect stormworkshop, where we talk about
the root causes of ADHD, anxiety, spectrum sensory.
We really dive deep into thebirth process and that birth
trauma.
So I teach Perfect Stormusually every month.
(35:20):
So if you go to our website,cdfchirocom, so C, as in cat D,
as in dog F, as in Frank chirofor chiropracticcom, there's a
workshops tab, and so whatevercurrent workshops are coming up
are always on there.
We also put them on ourInstagram.
Coming up are always on there.
We also put them on ourInstagram.
(35:41):
Same thing at CDF Chiro, weteach a raising healthy kids.
Naturally, where we talk about,obviously we talk about
neurotonal chiropractic, but wealso talk about what are the
other things that you can dolifestyle wise, right, you talk
about a lot of lifestyle stuffon this podcast.
What are important things thateveryone should be doing?
We should be moving our bodymovement, right?
The majority of the stimulationto the brain that calms the
(36:04):
brain is movement of the spine.
Okay, why do you think thesesensory kids that are stuck in
fight or flight, okay, and theirspine is stuck, their spine is
fixated.
And so what are they doing?
They want to hit things, theywant to move their head.
They're stimming, they'retrying to get stimulation,
sensory input, to calm the brain.
(36:26):
That's why exercise movement, Idon't I.
The reason I don't say exerciseis because exercise is
intimidating to people, right?
So I tell it just I just wantyou to move your body.
I'm not telling you to go signup for a 5k, I'm not telling you
to go do a hit class.
I'm just telling you, just moveyour body.
Get up every 45 minutes fromyour desk and walk to the water
cooler, hydrate and walk aroundfor five minutes.
(36:47):
Just move your body.
So movement.
Hydrate your body.
Eat food, food, actual food,okay.
Food came from nature.
Just because it's edible doesnot make it food okay.
There are edible, food-likesubstances those are not food.
Okay.
(37:08):
So eat food and please, please,sleep, sleep.
People are priding themselveson oh, I only need six hours of
sleep, I only need four hours ofsleep, I, I.
People are priding themselveson oh, I, I only need six hours
of sleep, I only need four hoursof sleep.
People ask me how I keep up withtwo practice locations as a
solo doctor.
I sleep, I have clearboundaries around my sleep, so,
(37:31):
um.
So we talk about things likethat in raising healthy kids.
We talk about some natural waysto boost the immune system,
things like that.
About things like that inraising healthy kids.
We talk about some natural waysto boost the immune system,
things like that.
And then we teach a birth andbeyond class too for mamas who
want to get pregnant, arepregnant, maybe just had a baby.
So we teach a lot of workshops.
I speak all over the capitaldistrict.
I'll speak at the opening of anenvelope, if you want me to,
(37:53):
because people need thisinformation.
So we're in Albany, we're inWilton, um, and maybe we'll have
more locations, who knows?
We're bringing on more doctorsinto the practice, um, so we can
serve more families.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Oh, I love it.
I'm so glad you're doing thiswork and I think that when
people are listening to thisagain, I don't think the sense
of nervous system with achiropractor.
You're like the first personthat I've heard talk about that
connection, because that's whatit is the central nervous system
(38:27):
.
And then working on kidsbecause that is so critical
You're saying let's get to themwhile they're developing so that
they don't get to a point wherethey're completely stuck.
Not that you can't make thosechanges, but it's going to take
a little bit more time.
The work that you're doing.
I'm so happy that you're doingit.
I'm so happy that you'rebringing in more awareness to it
(38:51):
.
I can't thank you enough for it.
Thank you so much for being apart of this and I like all the
things, the movement, all ofthat being stuck like it's just
it's all connected.
So again, thank you so much forbeing a part of this.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Thank you, lisa, have an awesome day and I know we're
going to connect again soon.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Oh yeah, we will.
And I will make sure that Iwill put all the links to get a
hold of her practice.
She's got two locations, theaddresses.
You'll have access to that, aswell as the Instagram page,
which is pretty cool Because,like I said, what got me was the
baby.
I was like what is this?
So definitely check that outand again, thank you so much for
(39:36):
being a part of this and untilnext time.
Bye, thank you.
Welcome to Ella Go.
My name is Lisa.
Join me on the journey inhaving real raw and
uncomfortable discussions aboutfitness, health and everything
in between, because, let's behonest, this journey would suck
if we don't get our shittogether.
Welcome back to the Elegoopodcast.
(00:38):
My name is Lisa and today'sguest is Dr Rhiannon.
Dr Rhiannon, thank you forcoming.
Thank you for having me.
Nice to see you, lisa.
I saw you on Instagram and Istill don't remember how we
actually connected.
I think there was like anetworking group, and what you
were posting on your Instagramwas very different.
(01:00):
So why don't you let thelisteners know what your
profession is and what is itthat you do?
Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I am a neurologically focused chiropractor.
My specialty is pediatrics andwithin pediatrics, sensory
processing spectrum, anxiety,adhd kind of that umbrella that
really encompasses the sensoryroot of issues that a lot of
kids are facing today.
So a neurologically focusedchiropractor is different than
(01:31):
kind of a musculoskeletalapproach of chiropractic.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yeah, and when I saw that, I was like what is this,
like this is so different.
So when you say that, you knowwhat does that look like,
because you know when people saychiropractor, what is it?
They think they think thecracking.
So what does that look likewith you?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah, so well.
First let's just talk aboutwhat the cracking is in
chiropractic.
It's gas that has built up infixated joints that gets
released sometimes and manypeople crack their own knuckles,
crack their own necks and backs, and I hate that it's called
crack because that impliespeople think that that sound is
coming from a bone, right, butit's not.
(02:16):
It's gas released.
And we have a lot of fun withthe kids in the office.
We call it bone farts and wejoke about how the good thing
about bone farts is they don'tsmell.
But so that's never the endgoal, right?
So if that audible does happen,that doesn't mean that we did
(02:36):
make a correction to the nervoussystem, and if it doesn't
happen, it doesn't mean that wedidn't.
So that's never really the endresult that we're looking for.
But unfortunately you haveprograms like on the Learning
Channel.
They had a program similar toDr Pimple Popper.
They had one called CrackAddicts.
That was a chiropractor afemale chiropractor,
(02:59):
unfortunately and it just reallyplays into that idea that
chiropractor's job is to movebones.
We are not bone doctors.
I joke with my patients I don'tcare if your hip bone's on top
of your head, as long as yournervous system is functioning
optimally.
So that is really thedifference.
(03:21):
Chiropractic, from day one, fromthe very first adjustment, has
been about the nervous system.
It actually restored a man'shearing.
I was just talking to my teamabout this in the office
yesterday because I said, oh, wegot to put on the calendar in
September it will bechiropractic's birthday and just
kind of reminding them of wherechiropractic came from.
(03:42):
But I think over the 129 almostyears that chiropractic has
been in existence, I think a lotof those changes happened in
the 80s where people startedthinking of chiropractic as bone
doctors and cracking and fix myneck, fix my back.
Because the insurance companiesstarted covering chiropractic.
(04:05):
People didn't have deductibles,they barely had co pays.
You could just go to thechiropractor and get your back
cracked right, which I mean it'sa huge win to have health
insurance companies coveranother healthcare modality
right.
So on that end it's a win forchiropractic.
But on the other endchiropractic just becomes this
(04:26):
really fast.
You know, we can just see abunch of patients really quickly
and move a bunch of bones andas long as we get an audible,
people think we've donesomething right.
As long as we've got an audible, then they say, oh, yep, great
and it felt good, and then wemove on to the next patient.
But what is the analysis thatwe're using?
How are we determining what toadjust, how are we determining
(04:49):
when to adjust and what is ourend goal that we're working
toward if it's not that audible,if it's not to move a bone?
So that's where neurologicallyfocused chiropractic and the
neurotonal approach tochiropractic comes in, because
in our analysis, yes, there isstill palpation you know, using
(05:12):
our hands, what we feel.
Yes, there is still looking atasymmetry in posture.
Yes, there are stillmusculoskeletal, physical
indicators, but there's so manyneurological indicators that we
need to be looking at as well.
And that's what the neuro-tonalapproach really is about is
looking for the neurologicalindicators for what to adjust,
(05:35):
when to adjust and what is thefrequency and duration of care
plan that's appropriate for eachindividual patient, not a
one-size-fits-all across theboard.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Okay, so you're saying all this and people are
listening and they're like waita minute.
I thought that's what they do.
Let's go back to the cracking.
So they're not adjusting bones.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
So do bones move?
Do bones move when we do anadjustment?
Sometimes, sometimes, yes,sometimes no.
There are chiropractictechniques that, when applied,
there's not even a physicalthrust, and they're highly,
highly effective techniques.
So this is an interesting thingthat I got into actually just
(06:21):
yesterday in my practice,because I had a mom bring her
child into the office and she'sbeen seeing another local
chiropractor for, I think, over20 years, okay, and the
technique that that chiropractorpractices in their practice is
called network spinal analysis.
It's an incredible technique,incredibly effective, and it is
not a technique that appliesforce, right A thrust, to adjust
(06:47):
the patient's nervous system.
And so that doctor hadcontacted my practice to ask my
staff what techniques does DrRian in practice?
And they didn't know how toanswer that.
And so they came to me and saidwhat do we say to this doctor?
And I said we really don't havean answer because in my
practice we take a neurotonalapproach.
(07:08):
So there's well over 100chiropractic techniques, okay,
and they all work and they'reall amazing okay.
So I think one of the things inmy profession that would help
my profession would be if westopped being so narrow-minded
and said, well, we have to dothis technique, this one works
or that one works.
They all work.
(07:28):
They're all incredible.
And there's two parts to atechnique.
There's the analysis, right.
There's how we're getting theinformation.
What are our indicators thatare telling us what to adjust
and when to adjust and when notto adjust?
That's really important too.
Chiropractors need to know whennot to adjust something right,
just because we have someindicators for maybe 10
(07:51):
different subluxations andsubluxation is the fancy word in
chiropractic for stress stuckon in that area.
Okay, maybe there's 10, 10different areas that we see some
indicators that something couldbe adjusted there, but does
that mean we adjust all 10things that day?
We have to really suss out whatare the primaries, right, and
(08:14):
we want to make sure that we'renot putting overwhelming input
into the nervous system all atonce.
That's where frequency comes in, right.
So many patients come in andthey think we're going to fix
everything in one adjustment,right, but that is way too
overwhelming to the nervoussystem.
That's why we have to have acare plan where we can work on
(08:34):
things in a certain sequence.
So techniques have indicatorsand that's an analysis that
tells us how we're going toadjust, what we're going to
adjust, what we're not going toadjust.
And then there's theapplication of the technique
right, what way do I adjust this?
Is the patient laying down?
Is the patient sitting up?
Do I use an instrument?
Do I use my hands?
(08:55):
Is there a thrust?
Is there not a thrust?
I mean, there are so manydifferent variables there.
A neurotonal practice we use alot of neurological indicators
from multiple techniques to giveus the information, but
specifically neurological scans,which I know you and I will end
up talking about and then weapply adjusting techniques from
(09:19):
multiple different techniquesthat are appropriate for that
patient's nervous system.
At that time A patient may beadjusted with one technique
method on visit one and on visit20, they're being adjusted with
another techniques methodbecause we're meeting their
nervous system where it is intheir healing process.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
God, it's so good.
Okay, I think that peopleforget that the central nervous
system includes the spine.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Yeah, the neuro spinal system.
I was just teaching a workshoplast night that I teach pretty
regularly, called the perfectstorm, and we were taught it and
it's really geared at talkingabout birth trauma and the
process of giving birth,especially in this country, and
we were talking about how.
So when an embryo is formed,the very first thing that is
(10:08):
developed in an embryo is thebrain and what's called the
neural tube right, which becomesthe brainstem and the spinal
cord.
So your central nervous system,which also houses your
autonomic nervous systemautonomic, think, automatic
autopilot right system,autonomic, think, automatic
autopilot right that nervoussystem, its job is to perceive,
(10:34):
perceive sensory right, andcoordinate the perceive the
environment and coordinate thefunction of all other systems of
the body.
So every other system thatdevelops the gut, the immune,
the motor right, Social,behavioral learning, all of
these other things that developare all coordinated by that
central and autonomic nervoussystem.
And so for us to want optimalfunction of the other systems,
(10:56):
we have to look to the nervoussystem and make sure that it's
able to support those othersystems.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Exactly.
Oh, my God, that's so good,okay, so let's talk about the
tools that you use and what youuse to.
I don't want to use the worddiagnose, but maybe diagnose,
assess, however, you use it tosee where a person needs the
assistance.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Yeah, we kind of call it in the practice.
We kind of call it like our CSI, our investigating, right, I'm
a detective, and so where do westart?
First?
We start with the story.
What is that patient's story?
What are the physical stressesthat they have encountered,
right?
So, whether we're talking aboutan adult or we're talking about
a kiddo, what was the birthprocess like?
(11:41):
Right?
And we can even go backwardsand say, well, what was mom's
stress levels during pregnancy?
What was maternal stress like?
You know, what book are momsgiven when they announce that
they're pregnant?
What to expect when you'reexpecting?
Right, it's a scary book.
It's kind of like a horror book.
(12:01):
Moms are under so much stressthroughout their pregnancy Um,
(12:25):
we're, we are.
Moms are under so much stresswhen, throughout their pregnancy
, we are treating pregnancy likeit's a disease, like it's a
pathology, right?
Um, was there for?
Were there fertility strugglesand what sort of medications and
things like that were?
When you bring your kiddo tothe pediatrician, how often are
they asking you about the birthprocess and whether they use
either manual extraction orforceps or vacuum extraction or
a C-section, and how is thatplaying a part in that first
pediatrician's visit?
It's not really right.
So we look at physical stressesthat have impacted the nervous
system.
So birth trauma for kids.
(12:46):
What about adults?
What's the biggest physicalstress adults are dealing with?
They're sitting all day long.
We've engineered a society thatwe don't have to move in.
It's wild.
It's wild.
And we're sitting on thatsacrum, the base of the spine
right, and we're looking down atphones and tablets and all of
(13:07):
those things all day.
So we're inflection and we'recompressing the base of the
skull and the base of the spine,the occiput and the sacrum, and
that is the home of the part ofthe autonomic nervous system
that is the brake pedal.
It's supposed to calm thesystem down so that we can rest,
digest, heal, grow, repair.
(13:27):
So we're already locking thatpart of the system down with
those physical stresses.
So we look at that part of thestory.
What are the emotional stressesthat are at play here?
And there's so many times,especially when I'm talking to a
mom you know what was yourpregnancy like?
Was it stressful?
Well, it was a normal pregnancy.
And then we keep diggingfurther.
And they moved, they changedjobs, there was a death in the
(13:52):
family, they were trying tofigure out financially how
they're going to support thisnew member of the family, right,
but they're saying, oh yeah, itwas, it was normal, normal
pregnancy.
Those are huge changes,especially moving.
I have a lot of patients movingright now and when we are
changing the environment that'ssupposed to be our stable place,
right, our home, oursanctionary, that's incredibly
(14:13):
disruptive to our nervous system.
So physical stresses, emotionalor mental stresses, and then we
look at chemical stresses.
I don't think anyone at thispoint is in denial of what a
toxic world that we're living inright now, right From the
cleaning products, our personalhygiene products, our food
supply, our water supply.
(14:34):
I mean we live in a very toxicworld and I think that one of
the things that has gottenreally tricky again.
I feel like I keep referencingthe 80s, but back in the 80s I
feel like chiropractors reallygot associated with being
anti-vaccine, anti-medicine andthat kind of made this world
(14:57):
where it was like you're eitherpro-medical care or you're with
us or against us, right, and inthis practice we don't do that
at all.
We want to support families inwhatever choices they want to
make, but there's no denyingthat medications are toxic to
the system.
I mean they are, but sometimesthey're necessary.
Medicines save lives, right.
(15:19):
There's no denying thatvaccines are toxic to the system
.
In fact, the way a vaccineworks is by causing stress to
the system.
That's the way, that is themechanism of a vaccine working.
So we have to look at this bigpicture of you were layering on
physical stresses, emotionalstresses, chemical stresses, and
eventually there's that lastdrop of water that makes that
(15:43):
cup overflow.
And so we really dig into storywhich eat with each individual
patient on that case by casebasis, even within a family
Right, and then so that's oursubjective.
Then we go to the objective,which are the scans Right, and
those are the.
Those are the really cool part.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yeah, I mean no seriously and I you know, as
you're talking, it almost soundslike you have a chiropractor
and a therapist all in one.
I mean seriously because youare not.
You're taking the person andand you could probably resonate
with this where you know thethought of going to see a doctor
, you took care of a part.
(16:23):
No one asked you well how'syour home life?
How's it going?
Like?
No doctor asks that, you know,but you are taking that person
as a whole.
You're asking them theirhistory, how they're doing,
because that is all impactful tothat person's issues, right?
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Well, that's what the nervous system is dealing with,
right.
The nervous system is dealingwith your external environment,
right.
What is the temperature outside?
What is what's the weather?
What am I hearing?
What am I seeing?
What am I smelling?
Right, all these externalthings.
And then it's also perceivingwhat your internal body is
telling it, right.
What am I hungry?
(17:00):
What are my hormones?
What are?
What's my microbiome?
Right, everybody wants to talkabout the microbiome right now,
which is important.
But we need to remember, youknow, we want to talk about the
gut brain connection.
Can we please start calling itthe brain gut connection?
I don't know why we're puttinggut first Because, again, that
nervous system is the first inthe sequence of development, so
(17:22):
it needs to be the first in thesequence of healing.
So you're seeing people lookingfor they want to try supplements
, they want to try diet changes,they're on a parasite cleanse,
they are using all the essentialoils, we're doing therapies.
All of that stuff is amazing,amazing, amazing, amazing.
But then they hit a wall, right, because if the nervous system
(17:45):
isn't regulating properly, youcan't achieve your optimal
results with those incredibletherapies.
You know, a lot of times I'mtalking about kids a lot of
times.
You know there's incredible.
You know, all over the place,but locally I can speak
specifically to.
Locally there's incredibleincredible pediatric OTs,
incredible pediatric PTs, speechtherapists, dieticians I mean
(18:09):
we have incredible resourceshere, but families are hitting a
wall where they're going.
Yeah, I saw some change butwe're still not really getting
there.
But when we start with aneurologically focused approach
first and get that nervoussystem healing and regulating
and get that momentum in thenervous system, we open up the
window for the nervous system tointegrate and adapt to those
(18:33):
therapies or those diet changesand all the other things that
moms and dads are trying.
The window is open and they getincredible exponential results
there.
So we need to stop thinkingit's a one thing or another.
It's not neurologicalchiropractic or physical therapy
, neurological chiropractic ormedicine, neurological
(18:53):
chiropractic or speech or diet,or we have to set the stage for
the nervous system first andeverything else that we're
trying is working so much better.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
My God, you had to collaborate with a therapist.
Could you imagine?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Yeah, no, I know most of the local therapists, and if
I don't know them, I want toknow them, because we need to
work together to serve thesefamilies.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
It makes total sense.
Oh my goodness, all right.
So let's talk about the scans,because those are really cool, I
love it.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
I know the scans are really cool.
It's incredible technology andit's something that we now have.
In the past 15 years or so Imean about 20 years ago there
was the beginnings of thetechnology.
There was Tytron's that did aversion of the thermal scan, but
now we have it's called insightscans, okay, which is I love
that Dr Fletcher has it namedthat because it gives us insight
(19:43):
into the nervous system, right.
So there's three scans that wedo.
The first is an HRV and that'sa heart rate variability.
So you and your listeners maybe familiar with that because
it's in a lot.
A lot of runners would wearthat around their chest, right.
Or now it's in your smartwatches and things like that.
I have an aura ring that islooking at measuring things like
(20:07):
that.
So what's heart ratevariability?
Well, your heart rate iscontrolled by your autonomic
nervous system Autonomic, think,automatic.
You are not in control of itand your heart rate should be
variable, okay.
So if you're at rest, hopefullyyou're at rest while you're
talking to me.
Hopefully this doesn't stressyou out.
If you're at rest, right, wehave a normal resting heart rate
(20:28):
.
But say you're at rest,hopefully you're at rest while
you're talking to me.
Hopefully this doesn't stressyou out.
If you're at rest, right, wehave a normal resting heart rate
.
But say you're driving down theroad and a deer runs out in
front of your car, you're goingto have that stress response
instinct.
Your heart rate's going to goup, you're going to start
sweating a little bit, you'regoing to start breathing a
little more rapidly and you'regoing to have that boom instinct
.
Hopefully you slam on thebrakes.
And if you're a mom, what domoms all do?
(20:50):
Put their arm out to covertheir passenger side.
Right, I'm not a mom, but Ihave learned that from my mom.
So I'm just protecting my purse, but I still do it.
But so, and then what happens?
The deer crosses the road.
If you're in upstate New York,then you wait because you know
there's probably two more coming.
And then five minutes lateryou're back driving down the
(21:13):
road singing along to the radioand your heart rate has come
back down to normal, you'rebreathing normally, you're not
sweating anymore.
So your nervous system hasswitched into stress response
really quick and then come rightback into your normal,
regularly scheduled program,which we call parasympathetic.
I tell patients remember P, itstarts with a P.
When we are at peace when weare at rest.
(21:34):
So our heart rate variabilitywe measure that over a period of
time so that we can see is yourautonomic nervous system
adapting appropriately to theenvironment?
Appropriately to theenvironment?
Most people have the stressresponse stuck on.
Stuck on, which means all thethings that are supposed to be
(22:00):
happening in the parasympatheticthat peaceful, restful response
is being inhibited.
Right, vagus nerve is mostcommonly associated with
parasympathetic.
You found me on Instagram soyou probably see a lot of things
about the vagus nerve onInstagram.
One of the coolest things forneurological chiropractic right
now is that a lot of people aretalking about nervous system
regulation on the internet.
Right, they're talking aboutregulating the nervous system
(22:21):
with somatic practices, withinfrared therapy, with red light
, with cold plunges all reallycool modalities that help
strengthen nervous, theregulated nervous system.
But when a nervous system isalready dysregulated, those
things can actually reinforcethe dysregulation.
(22:42):
So again, sequence, right, weneed to start with resetting
that autonomic nervous systemwith neurologically focused
adjustments, and we don't knowwhat that looks like for you or
for me or for anyone, until wedo those scans.
There's no one size fits all.
So the HRV really gives us anidea of where are you at in your
(23:04):
adaptability and your reserve,your activity ability to be able
to respond to the stresses.
And then the thermal scan.
The thermal scan uses infraredtechnology to show us where
there is asymmetry in theautonomic activity.
So the analogy I like to usewith my patients is if I Google
(23:28):
mapped your autonomic nervoussystem, if I used Google map for
Lisa's autonomic nervous system, my HRV would be my satellite
view.
Where are you on the map?
Where is Lisa right?
Then my thermal scan is like mystreet level view.
Now I can see exactly wherethat stress is.
We can locate it, okay.
(23:48):
So the HRV, we detected it.
The thermal, we have located it.
Okay.
And then the third scan, the EMG.
It's looking at our neuromotorsystem, which really ties the
nervous system to thetraditional view of chiropractic
, of musculoskeletal right, thepostural system.
(24:08):
Everyone thinks we're bonedoctors.
Actually a woman wore skeletonearrings to my talk last night.
So it really ties the nervoussystem to the musculoskeletal
system, this EMG, because likean EKG, which is reading the
electrical activity of yourheart muscle, or an EEG reading
the electrical activity in yourbrain, the EMG is reading the
(24:30):
electrical signals, theelectrical activity energy
between your brain and yourposture muscles.
So how is the brain using thepostural system to adapt and
respond to stresses?
Right, that's what we see andthat's where we're able to
quantify, measure numbers-wise,the total energy in the postural
(24:52):
system.
How is the brain using thismusculoskeletal postural system
to adapt to stresses, to bestuck in a stress response?
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Wow, I'm speechless.
I mean, it makes sense, it justmakes sense, all of it makes
sense, but it's just at thispoint.
I still can't believe thatwe're not doing more of that,
and you're definitely doing that.
Let's switch gears here.
So your target audience and Ithink that was the video that I
saw you had a baby on your lapand I'm like what is she doing?
(25:25):
A chiropractor with the baby.
I'm thinking she's going tocrack his back, but that sounds
scary, I know.
And you did something where Ithink the child couldn't walk or
didn't have those, um, motorabilities or wasn't talking or
whatever.
And you did something where Ithink the child couldn't walk or
didn't have those motorabilities or wasn't talking or
whatever.
And you did something and theyjust started doing what they
needed to do to grow, to develop.
(25:46):
So what is your target audience?
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Well, I could give a big umbrella A lot of times when
someone says to me how do Iknow if I, if I need to see you?
And so a lot of times I willsay I try to say it nicely, but
if you're alive and you have anervous system, you should
probably get it checked.
That's like saying to a dentisthow do I know if I need to see
you?
Well, do you have teeth Right?
(26:12):
But no, primarily, primarily,we really focus on kids in my
practice.
I mean, my oldest patient is 95.
So that's obviously not a child.
But we focus on kids in mypractice because that
developmental window of thenervous system, if we can get in
there, I mean that sweet spotis really before age seven.
(26:32):
But, um, the earlier the better.
Because the the amount thebetter, because the amount I
mean the amount of neurons, theamount of nerves, brain cells
and neural pathways that a childis making in one day is equal
to what we're making in a wholeyear.
So if we can get in there andhelp that nervous system really
be adaptable and heal and growand develop in an optimal way,
(26:57):
that sets them up for incrediblesuccess going forward.
But we have incredible successwith adults.
I mean, I had a man in his 80scome in.
His wife tricked him to bringhim into the office he didn't
know where he was going becausehe would not have come if he did
and he actually had spinalsurgery.
He was fused from threedifferent spinal surgeries, from
C2 down to L4.
(27:19):
So all I could adjust wasocciput, base of skull C1, the
very top vertebra where thebrain stem is L5 and the pelvis.
After two weeks of adjustmentshe regained control over his
bowel function, control over hisbladder function, control over
his reproductive organs, to thepoint that then his wife became
(27:39):
a patient because he was chasingher around the house.
So you are not a lost cause ifyou are a grown-up, but when we
can affect a kiddo's nervoussystem, obviously we can affect
the trajectory of their nervoussystem development.
We can affect the trajectory oftheir nervous system
(28:01):
development and we are having,at such a young age, significant
physical stress with the birthprocess, right.
Significant emotional stressduring pregnancy and when baby
is born I mean think about thestressful environment in a
hospital, right and significantchemical stress with early use
of antibiotics, early use ofvaccines.
Again, we're not saying not todo those things.
(28:23):
I want families to make choicesthat feel right for them, but
we need to acknowledge thisperfect storm of things that are
impacting our kids.
You know, developing nervoussystem.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
I was going to ask you for a success story, but
that is such a good.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
I mean I have a patient who is a teenager, he's
14.
And he had very quickly gonefrom walk and talk and move in
normal teenager to walk a walkerthan a wheelchair.
I mean they went to theNational Institute of Health,
boston Children's Hospital, allover the place trying to find
answers and getting no answersand after 12 adjustments he
(29:03):
walked into the office.
So we really just and againchiropractic.
I want to be very clear aboutthis we do not diagnose, we do
not treat.
I do not treat anything.
I do not treat colic, I do nottreat ADHD.
I do not treat autism, I do not.
I mean I don't treat anything.
I do not treat colic, I do nottreat ADHD.
I do not treat autism, I do not.
I mean I don't treat anything,I don't diagnose anything.
(29:23):
What do we do?
We investigate to find wherestress is stuck in the nervous
system.
We help remove that stress tocalm and balance the
adaptability of the nervoussystem so that we're not
constantly in the stressresponse but we're in that
growth, healing, repair response, that parasympathetic, where
(29:44):
the nervous system is meant toadapt to challenges.
We're going to have challengesin this world.
Right, we were not meant tolive in utopia, but our society
has gone so far beyond what ournervous system is capable of
adapting to, right I joke withmy patients your nervous system
(30:04):
was not designed to adapt totaxes and traffic.
It just wasn't.
And so we need to help thenervous system have better
coping strategies, betteradaptability, because taxes and
traffic aren't going away, andneither is trauma, neither is
sitting, neither is technologyright, that's not going away.
(30:25):
We're sitting here doing thison a computer, right?
I mean, these things aren'tgoing away, and so we need to
give our nervous system theability to adapt in a healthy
way to that.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Yeah.
So a question that I had as youwere talking, um, as far as you
know the things that we need todo so that we can live our best
life ever, um, I know peopleare probably thinking well,
exactly what is it that you'redoing for me to make me better?
So you do put your hands onpeople, but what are you doing?
Speaker 2 (30:58):
I do, okay.
So a neurologically focusedadjustment, a neurotonal
adjustment, that impulse intothe nervous system, whether it's
through light touch, whetherit's through a small thrust,
whether it's with an instrument,okay, that impulse into the
nervous system.
The research out of New Zealand, actually incredible,
incredible research by Dr HeidiHavik, great research coming out
(31:20):
of New Zealand chiropractic hasshown that that neuronal
impulse goes directly to thebrain all the way to the
prefrontal cortex, so the veryfront here.
Okay, and they've shown on EEGincreasing activity there by 20%
, which is that's a lot on anEEG.
(31:42):
And it stimulates bothhemispheres equally, which is
very important.
Because you have one hemispherethat is more dominant and
associated with sympathetic,detail-oriented focus stress
response.
Then you have anotherhemisphere that's more focused
on big picture, calming, puttingthings in perspective, right,
(32:03):
and so we want again thatadaptability.
We want to be able to have bothsystems able to work so that we
have an appropriate response toour environment, right, the
stress response gets a bad rap.
So we don't want the stressresponse to go away.
In fact, many of the adultsthat we do scans on, they have
been stuck in the stressresponse so long that we see
(32:24):
their stress response isexhausted, it's tanked Okay and
we actually have to work ongetting that back online.
So a neuronal adjustment helpsbalance the brain's ability to
adapt.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Okay.
So yes, you are touching people.
You are you know, and I am notcracking babies, not cracking
babies, their spines haven'teven fully formed.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
yet no usually baby.
Babies sleep throughadjustments.
Baby, it's very light touch, um.
You'll see a lot of babies onthe Instagram and you probably
don't even know I'm adjustingthem on the Instagram because
they're just laying there in apillow.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
It's definitely a very skilled profession.
Yeah, but babies that aren'tpooping.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
What are babies born supposed to do?
Eat, sleep and poop.
And what our moms?
You'll never find a practicethat talks about poop more than
a neurotonal chiropractic office.
But what are moms so frustratedwith?
Their babies aren't sleeping,they're colicky, so they're not
digesting, right, right, andthey're not pooping.
(33:32):
They're constipated, and whatare they told to do?
They're either told thatthey're going to grow out of it
or give them Miralax or givethem gas drops.
But what about why?
Why is this happening, right?
Well, when we deliver a babyand we use a giant pair of hands
or a giant pair of pliers or agiant plunger to pull baby out
of mom, okay, either with aC-section or the old fashioned
(33:55):
way, okay, we're puttingpressure and manual trauma on
the upper cervical spine, whichis where the vagus nerve comes
out.
Everybody wants to talk aboutthe gut brain connection.
That's the vagus nerve, right?
That is the calming, that brakepedal to allow the body to go
into rest and digest, heal, grow, develop, right.
(34:19):
And so when we have trauma tothat area, that system gets shut
down.
We're thrown into a sympatheticfight or flight and you have
these babies that are colicky,that are miserable, that aren't
pooping, that are spitting upright, because they're not
eating, sleeping poopingproperly, which?
Speaker 1 (34:34):
is the only thing they were designed to do.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
It's so true, though, oh my.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
God, that is so.
Listen, I could talk about thisLike I am just in awe, I just
love it.
I just love this stuff.
What do you have going on forthe practice?
Like I know that you have likean event, I think a talking
event but what do you have newcoming up that people could come
and listen and know more aboutyou?
Speaker 2 (34:59):
Okay, no, great question.
Well, we teach workshops thatare free to the public, not just
to patients.
Okay, I teach the perfect stormworkshop, where we talk about
the root causes of ADHD, anxiety, spectrum sensory.
We really dive deep into thebirth process and that birth
trauma.
So I teach Perfect Stormusually every month.
(35:20):
So if you go to our website,cdfchirocom, so C, as in cat D,
as in dog F, as in Frank chirofor chiropracticcom, there's a
workshops tab, and so whatevercurrent workshops are coming up
are always on there.
We also put them on ourInstagram.
Coming up are always on there.
We also put them on ourInstagram.
(35:41):
Same thing at CDF Chiro, weteach a raising healthy kids.
Naturally, where we talk about,obviously we talk about
neurotonal chiropractic, but wealso talk about what are the
other things that you can dolifestyle wise, right, you talk
about a lot of lifestyle stuffon this podcast.
What are important things thateveryone should be doing?
We should be moving our bodymovement, right?
The majority of the stimulationto the brain that calms the
(36:04):
brain is movement of the spine.
Okay, why do you think thesesensory kids that are stuck in
fight or flight, okay, and theirspine is stuck, their spine is
fixated.
And so what are they doing?
They want to hit things, theywant to move their head.
They're stimming, they'retrying to get stimulation,
sensory input, to calm the brain.
(36:26):
That's why exercise movement, Idon't I.
The reason I don't say exerciseis because exercise is
intimidating to people, right?
So I tell it just I just wantyou to move your body.
I'm not telling you to go signup for a 5k, I'm not telling you
to go do a hit class.
I'm just telling you, just moveyour body.
Get up every 45 minutes fromyour desk and walk to the water
cooler, hydrate and walk aroundfor five minutes.
(36:47):
Just move your body.
So movement.
Hydrate your body.
Eat food, food, actual food,okay.
Food came from nature.
Just because it's edible doesnot make it food okay.
There are edible, food-likesubstances those are not food.
Okay.
(37:08):
So eat food and please, please,sleep, sleep.
People are priding themselveson oh, I only need six hours of
sleep, I only need four hours ofsleep, I, I.
People are priding themselveson oh, I, I only need six hours
of sleep, I only need four hoursof sleep.
People ask me how I keep up withtwo practice locations as a
solo doctor.
I sleep, I have clearboundaries around my sleep, so,
(37:31):
um.
So we talk about things likethat in raising healthy kids.
We talk about some natural waysto boost the immune system,
things like that.
About things like that inraising healthy kids.
We talk about some natural waysto boost the immune system,
things like that.
And then we teach a birth andbeyond class too for mamas who
want to get pregnant, arepregnant, maybe just had a baby.
So we teach a lot of workshops.
I speak all over the capitaldistrict.
I'll speak at the opening of anenvelope, if you want me to,
(37:53):
because people need thisinformation.
So we're in Albany, we're inWilton, um, and maybe we'll have
more locations, who knows?
We're bringing on more doctorsinto the practice, um, so we can
serve more families.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Oh, I love it.
I'm so glad you're doing thiswork and I think that when
people are listening to thisagain, I don't think the sense
of nervous system with achiropractor.
You're like the first personthat I've heard talk about that
connection, because that's whatit is the central nervous system
(38:27):
.
And then working on kidsbecause that is so critical
You're saying let's get to themwhile they're developing so that
they don't get to a point wherethey're completely stuck.
Not that you can't make thosechanges, but it's going to take
a little bit more time.
The work that you're doing.
I'm so happy that you're doingit.
I'm so happy that you'rebringing in more awareness to it
(38:51):
.
I can't thank you enough for it.
Thank you so much for being apart of this and I like all the
things, the movement, all ofthat being stuck like it's just
it's all connected.
So again, thank you so much forbeing a part of this.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Thank you, lisa, have an awesome day and I know we're
going to connect again soon.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Oh yeah, we will.
And I will make sure that Iwill put all the links to get a
hold of her practice.
She's got two locations, theaddresses.
You'll have access to that, aswell as the Instagram page,
which is pretty cool Because,like I said, what got me was the
baby.
I was like what is this?
So definitely check that outand again, thank you so much for
(39:36):
being a part of this and untilnext time.
Bye, thank you.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com