The Informed Chiropractor Podcast

How the Polyvagal Theory Can Help You and Your Patients

Dr. Don discusses the numerous training events and methods he has been employing in the last few months in today’s episode. We also hear a clip from a recent Zoom call for doctors in London preparing for an upcoming seminar there.

Brandi joins in to discuss the added complications that the pandemic has caused in patient care and how to adapt to it. They also discuss the basics of polyvagal theory and briefly touch on the challenges practitioners face.

The three parts of the Polyvagal theory covered in this episode are the hierarchy of the nervous system, neuroception, and co-regulation.  They are very excited to be producing a 4-week program in the second quarter of 2023 with Dr. Stephen Porges on the clinical application of the polyvagal theory into Chiropractic practice.  

Key Takeaways:

• The overview of recent training events and methods. [1.00]
• Brandi discusses the polyvagal theory and the problems that arise from being bombarded with too much information. [2:55]
• Creating an effective and semantically sound communication method for training. [4:00]
• Challenges faced by polyvagal practitioners. [5:36]
• The salutogenic process of chiropractic. [6:25]
• Getting to grips with the polyvagal process and overcoming preconceived notions of healing and pain. [7:00]
• Understanding what a patient’s physiology is telling you and them. [9:20]
• Why Brandi and Don came to the polyvagal theory. [10:40]
• How the pandemic has influenced assessing patients’ trauma and pain. [11:30]
• Understanding the effects of worldwide trauma. [13:00]
• Focusing on chiropractors and their lives. [14:50]
• Your responsibility to self-care. [15:30]
• Decoding how patients have changed through COVID and learning to communicate again. [17:00]
• Your responsibility as a practitioner is to accept your patient’s trauma. [18:45]
• How using the correct language will deepen your communication and connection with patients. [19:15]
• The main concepts of the polyvagal theory. [20:00]
• Understanding safety. [23:00]
• How the nervous systems of children are different. [28:00]

To join Dr. Don and Brandi Macdonald's monthly mentoring group called "The Informed Chiropractor," click below.

https://www.thevitalityshift.com/the-informed-chiropractor 

To Join Dr. Don and Brandi in San Fransico on January 14th for the Emergence one-day workshop, click below.

https://www.thevitalityshift.com/offers/S4oB5dNd 

To Join Dr. Don and Brandi in Montreal on Saturday, March 11th, for "The MacDonald Safety Corridor Protocol" hands-on workshop, click below

https://www.thevitalityshift.com/offers/FoayJsda 

 

How Dr. Clarence Haitsma Built a New Chiropractic Practice After 6 Years of Retirement

In today’s show, Dr. Don is joined by Dr. Clare Haitsma, a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic who has been in practice for 46 years. After chiropractic school, Dr. Haitsma returned to Alberta and practiced for 30 years before retiring to go on church missions.

That retirement didn’t last long, and six years ago, he returned to start a new practice from scratch in Lethbridge, Alberta. It hasn’t been an easy road to rebuild, and there have been many changes along the way, but it’s important to keep focused on your values and the needs of your patients.

Dr. Clare Haitsma is an inspiration to the profession, he shares some of his routines and rituals that help keep him focused and on purpose.  Nothing is more inspiring than seeing a Chiropractor in practice that long and still loving to serve people daily. 

Key Takeaways:

• How did Dr. Haitsma come to chiropractic medicine? [1:40]
• Why a car accident led to a career path switch. [2:00]
• What studying at Palmer College was like in the 1970s. [4:21]
• Why Palmer was considered an eccentric college. [4:30]
• What was the highlight of attending the school? [6:22]
• Why Dr. Haitsma knew he would come back to Alberta. [7:55]
• How chiropractic medicine evolved during his time in business. [9:00]
• Why Dr. Haitsma retired. [11:08]
• What drove the decision to go on church missions? [11:40]
• Why Dr. Haitsma ended up in Lethbridge.
• What it was like rebuilding a practice from scratch. [13:00]
• Learning to refocus on what mattered in his practice and for his clients. [15:35]
• Overcoming apprehension of creating care plans. [18:00]
• What is the benefit of care plans? [18:45]
• Why it’s important to give patients the choice of their treatment options. [20:40]
• How has Dr. Haitsma’s technique evolved? [22:50]
• What kind of personal rituals does Dr. Haitsma have to maintain focus? [25:35]
• What would Dr. Haitsma tell his younger self? [27:20]
• Words of wisdom. [30:30]

For more information on "The Informed Chiropractor" with Dr. Don and Brandi MacDonald, visit

https://www.thevitalityshift.com/the-informed-chiropractor 

 

How Dr. Julie Darchuk Overcame Her Grief and Trauma With the Vitality Shift for Chiropractors

Dr. Don is joined by Dr. Julie Darchuk from Saskatoon in this episode. Dr. Julie has been in practice for 6 years and is a graduate of CMCC.  Dr. Don and Brandi have been working closely with Dr. Julie over the last year, and he is excited to share her journey today. 

Julie takes us through her chiropractic journey, how her dad was her biggest inspiration, and the stress she experience when she suddenly lost him before starting School. Her body stored the trauma she had not dealt with and put it on a shelf for her to push through school. Numbing her grief was the only way for her to cope in the beginning.  She then experienced the loss of her brother as well, which added to her grief.

Coaching helped Julie identify and then begin to process grief and trauma in her personal life and a feeling of staleness in her career after having to practice hurt. For those struggling, Julie’s experiences could be the inspiration you may be looking for to help you get back on track. 

Key Takeaways:

• How Julie decided to become a Chiropractor. [1:45]
• How Julie managed stress at Chiropractic school in the first year. [4:05]
• What happened after Julie graduated? How did she decide whether to start her practice or work for someone else? [6:50]
• Why it was important for Julie to learn from multiple practitioners in a hands-on way. [9:25]
• Dealing with further family trauma out in the world of work. [10:15]
• What happens when you aren’t fine anymore? [12:00]
• What brought Julie to work with Dr. Don and Brandi? [12:40]
• Learning about the salutogenic model of chiropractic. [14:20]
• Understanding why you want to make the shift. [16:00]
• Julie’s journey through pain and road to recovery. [17:20]
• What helped Julie unpack her trauma over time? [18:35]
• Taking note of the small triumphs. [20:11]
• The impatience of recovery. [21:00]
• About Julie’s journey to clinic owner. [22:10]
• Getting clear about what you want. [24:10]
• What would Julie say to her younger self? [25:20]
• Advice for those struggling. [27:00]

For more information on the Vitality Shift program, visit: https://www.thevitalityshift.com

To get more information about "The Informed Chiropractor" program, visit

https://www.thevitalityshift.com/the-informed-chiropractor 

We’re Back! An Update from Dr. Don

Today, Dr. Don is firing the podcast again after a year-long break. In this episode, he shares what he and Brandi have been up to over the last year and the latest updates on their business. After this updated episode, there will be more interview-style episodes on the way.

Dr. Don dives into practice changes, including their new practice and location. He also talks about their interview with Dr. Stephen Porges about the polyvagal theory on the podcast last year and how that conversation influenced how they approach their practice members.

Key Takeaways:

• What has happened since the new practice opened one year ago. [1:40]
• Moving into a new space and building it from scratch. [2:05]
• The reason why the episode with Dr. Porges changed the way they treat patients. [3:58]
• How learning about polyvagal theory influenced Dr. Don’s thoughts about physiology. [5:11]
• What brought Dr. Porges to create the polyvagal theory. [6:42]
• The brainstem function as a safety or danger detector. [9:08]
• What state your body must be in for optimal physiology to happen? [9:28]
• The benefits of creating sustained ease over a longer period of time. [10:47]
• What it’s been like doing more seminars as the world opens up. [11:50]
• Why all techniques are capable of being successful. [12:24]
• An upcoming beta-run seminar at the new practice. [13:40]
• What Dr. Don and Brandi have been doing over the past year. [14:48]
• The Informed Chiropractor group coaching program supports the business and personal development of chiropractors. [15:15]
• What to expect on the podcast as regular episodes begin again. [17:40]

 

For more info on the Vitality Shift, visit https://www.thevitalityshift.com/

For more on the Informed Chiropractor program visit https://www.thevitalityshift.com/the-informed-chiropractor 

Chiropractic Marketing That Can’t Be Ignored with Mike Michalowicz

Mike Michalowicz, a threepeat guest and incredible author, is here today. Mike joins us to discuss his new book “Get Different,” marketing that can’t be ignored, and boosting your clinic’s profile post-COVID.

He takes us through the necessity of marketing in unique ways and why it is your responsibility as a service provider to market yourself. With the pandemic continuing to rage, many people are stuck in a fear state. As a chiropractor, you can help them – you just have to let them know you are there.

 

Key Takeaways:

• A brief overview of Mike’s previous books and new release. [0:48]
• How the Mastermind sessions help to bring about and refine Mike’s ideas. [1:35]
• Where the initial idea for book topics come from. [2:25]
• How Mike crowdsources ideas from the community. [2:45]
• Understanding that we are at the whim of the customers. [3:20]
• Why you have a responsibility to market. [4:40]
• Getting different with your marketing. [6:10]
• Differentiating your services from the white noise. [6:45]
• Why you don’t need to be complicated to be impactful. [9:10]
• Understanding your target community. [10:28]
• Examples of standout marketing from Mike’s career. [10.50]
• Creating online buzz for virtually no cost. [13:15]
• Experiment, measure, amplify, and repeat. [15:00]
• Why we are fear based and how to get around it. [15:15]
• Presenting yourself as a service and offering kindness. [16:50]
• The disadvantage advantage. [17:44]
• Exercises for creative thinking. [19:04]
• Why you should grow, but not grow up. [21:50]
• About the new book, Get Different. [23:00]
• Words of wisdom and inspiration. [24:20]

 

Get Different: https://www.gogetdifferent.com

For more information on the Vitality Shift program visit: https://www.thevitalityshift.com

Polyvagal Theory and Chiropractic, How It Can Influence Bodily Function With Dr. Stephen Porges

Today, Dr. Don is joined by Dr. Stephen Porges, Ph.D. He is a distinguished university scientist at the Kinsey Institute, Founding Director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium at Indiana University, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and proponent of the polyvagal theory. Dr. Porges is with us to discuss the polyvagal theory in detail and how it relates to chiropractic.

Dr. Porges takes us through the beginnings of polyvagal theory and how it can influence bodily function. It’s important to create safety for patients in order to create that vagal response to bring them out of a defensive state.  Dr. Don and Dr. Porges discover some of the many similarities between the benefits of Chiropractic care and the Vagal break as described by the polyvagal theory. 

 

Key Takeaways:

• How Dr. Porges describes the polyvagal theory. [5:03]
• What drew Dr. Porges to commit his academic life to this theory. [6:35]
• Descriptions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. [8:31]
• The dorsal vagas and its role as the ‘old vagas’. [9:36]
• How and why the body exits dorsal collapse. [12:02]
• Why we don’t remember trauma. [14:00]
• Navigating defensive states by using vagal activity. [14:53]
• The Safe and Sound Protocol. [17:46]
• The long road to creating a theory of neural modulation. [20:58]
• Returning autonomy to patients through polyvagal manipulation. [22:00]
• How our society keeps us locked in states of defense. [25:00]
• Creating a state of ease through awareness. [27:10]
• Activating the ventral vagal process through neural exercises. [28:00]
• Explaining co-regulation and how it works. [30:16]
• Proprioception through Chiropractic care and improving safety. [34:02]
• Understanding the mind/body relationship and feedback loops. [36:20]
• Why client interaction is key to creating safe spaces. [39:50]
• Alleviating the burden of responsibility and creating bodily awareness in patients. [43:10]
• How Dr. Porges conducts his research. [43:55]
• Case studies of long hauler COVID sufferers and how vagal stimulation can help them. [47:28]
• The importance of self-compassion and self-care for Chiropractors out there. [50:51]

 

The Polyvagal Institute: https://www.polyvagalinstitue.org

For more info on the Vitality Shift visit  https://www.thevitalityshift.com/ 

How to Naturally Reverse Myopia with Jake Steiner

On today’s show, Dr. Don is joined by Jake Steiner, a retired stockbroker who has dedicated himself to improving his own and others eyesight through natural methods. Some topics Jake will discuss are how he became interested in natural eyesight improvement and what pseudo-myopia is.

Jake takes us through how he arrived at improving his eyesight through natural methods. Being told he needed to change his eyeglass prescription for the first time since he was a teenager due to genetics didn’t sit right with him. Jake took it upon himself to begin research into the reasons for his vision decline.

With our screen time forever on the increase and eye strain commonplace, more people than ever are experiencing some kind of myopia. During his research, Jake discovered that the answer to reversing myopia could be simple.

 

Key Takeaways:

• How Jake came to be interested in natural eyesight improvement. [2:15]
• Why Google Scholar is an amazing resource and how to utilize it. [4:29]
• What is pseudo-myopia? [5:19]
• What can you do to ease your ocular muscle strain? [07:09]
• Addressing the causality of the muscle strain. [8:30]
• About lens-induced myopia. [9:25]
• How Jake honed his research and methods. [10:55]
• How Jake’s method grew and spread. [13:00]
• Steps to start the process of ocular muscle improvement. [14:30]
• The timeline to improvement. [19:25]
• How posture can impact your eyesight and vice versa. [21:00]
• How Jake’s body has changed since his vision has improved. [25:07]
• Words of wisdom. [28:40]

 

Find out more: https://www.endmyopia.com

To get more information on our products visit.

https://www.thevitalityshift.com/ 

The 3 Frameworks of Care with Brandi MacDonald

Dr. Don is joined once again by his wife Brandi MacDonald, with whom he co-owns South Side Chiropractic in Edmonton. Brandi is here to discuss 3 frameworks of care, what they are, and how they can be used by Chiropractors in the vitality model.

Brandi takes us through the 3 different frameworks of care, their differences, and their similarities. Trauma-informed care was born out of the Vietnam war to help people with PTSD, and the Polyvagal theory looks at how the nervous system interacts with the environment and salutogenesis.

Looking to the future, Brandi hopes that Chiropractic across the board will adapt a more trauma-conscious way of working with patients. If we looked at a patient as more than just an issue or condition, think of the healing we could accomplish.

 

Key Takeaways:

• About the 3 different frameworks of care. [1:59]
• Trauma informed care. [3:27]
• The evolution of trauma informed care. [5:50]
• Being a trauma informed practitioner. [10:00]
• The polyvagal theory. [11:23]
• What is the science of safety? [14:20]
• Involuntary responses to trauma. [15:55]
• Creating a state of ease for clients through chiropractic. [16:40]
• How these theories work and benefit chiropractic practice. [18:50]
• Making sense of your body and inhabiting yourself and your body. [20:00]
• Why the future of healthcare hinges on an understanding of humans as a whole being instead of just tissue. [21:10]
• Working to truly understand your clients. [23:30]
• Staying curious to overcome the inflexibility of chiro. [25:30]
• Salutogenesis: Health promotion and drawing on internal strengths. [27:40]
• How the 3 frameworks work together in chiropractic medicine. [31:09]

Conducting Practice-based Research with Dr. Kelly Holt

On today’s show Dr. Don is joined by Dr. Kelly Holt, a returning guest joining us from New Zealand. If you would like to know more about Dr. Kelly, you can listen back to the last time he joined the show in May 2018. Today, Dr. Kelly joins us to discuss how the pandemic has affected him out in New Zealand, what research he has been conducting over the last few years, and where his research is taking him next.

Dr. Kelly takes us through how New Zealand has dealt with the pandemic and how it has impacted both the New Zealand College of Chiropractic and chiropractors at large. Now, Dr. Kelly is looking to the future and planning how practice-based research can help practices in real time.

Key Takeaways:

• An update on how New Zealand is dealing with the pandemic. [2:00]
• How the school has dealt with adapting to the lockdowns. [4:35]
• The silver lining of the pandemic for chiropractic practices. [7:00]
• About the research Dr. Kelly has been conducting in the last few years. [8:18]
• How the research he has been conducting has been helping people. [12:50]
• What research has Dr. Kelly had published since his last visit? [14:45]
• Why Dr. Kelly couldn’t do what he does without funding and how he attained it. [19:35]
• Why Dr. Kelly is excited about creating practice-based research. [25:00]
• The benefits of conducting practice-based research. [29:00]
• What needs to be in place before commencing practice-based studies. [30:40]
• How chiropractors in the field can help support the research centre. [36:30]
• Final words of wisdom. [42:00]

 

Find out more about the New Zealand Centre for Chiropractic Research: http://research.chiropractic.ac.nz/

Find out more about The Vitality Shift: https://www.thevitalityshift.com

Overcoming Your Internal Obstacles with Dr. John Osbourne

On today’s show, Dr. Don is joined by Dr. John Osborne, co-owner of Osborne Chiropractic with his wife Marie in Tipperary, Ireland. He joins us to discuss the breakthroughs he has been making in his vitality shift and the 3 main internal obstacles he has been able to overcome.

When he began his vitality shift 4 years ago, John was very much a pain-focused Chiropractor. Since he began the program, John has continued his journey for self, and practice, improvement. There’s always more to learn and more ways to improve.

Dr. John takes us through his initial vitality shift and how he has progressed in the 4 years since he started his journey. Since then, he has still felt stuck; like his practice wasn’t growing as it should. John decided to work one on one with Dr. Don and Brandi MacDonald in their 90-day accelerator intensive.  John discusses the work he did, most importantly realizing he was his practice’s biggest problem. He Learned to tune into his own feelings and how his body was responding.  The results of doing this work have been record-breaking milestone after milestone, he said he felt like he finally took the hand break off his potential. 

Once you know yourself, you can truly know your practice.

 

Key Takeaways:

• Looking for help without knowing what you need. [2:38]
• How John has progressed from his initial vitality shift. [3:43]
• The process of realizing you need help. [6:20]
• Understanding and having realistic expectations for patient progression. [7:15]
• Learning to pick up on the subtleties of individual cases. [10:45]
• Becoming more aware of your own feelings and your own body’s responses. [12:36]
• Overcoming the self-sabotage mindset. [14:00]
• Understanding how your mental state affects how you show up in practice. [17:01]
• Learning to be comfortable with your physiological responses. [19:05]
• Attaching meaning to your goals. [26:52]
• Creating separate identities with a singular purpose in a joint practice. [33:00]
• Advice for identifying your own internal obstacles. [36:13]

 

Find out more about The Vitality Shift: https://www.thevitalityshift.com