In this episode of This Fat Girl Life podcast, I am speaking with Dr. LeAnne DeLand of Carefree Chiropractic in Colorado Springs, CO to discuss the importance of chiropractic care at any size, as well as the unfortunate instances of fat-shaming that happens at some medical practices. Dr. LeAnne even gives some great tips for self care!
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Transcript
Hi and welcome to This Fat Girl Life podcast. I am your host, Kimberlee. Tonight, I am joined by my favorite chiropractor Dr. Leanne of carefree chiropractic here in Colorado Springs. We’re going to be discussing the importance of chiropractic care regardless of your size because everybody needs it really. We’re also going to discuss a personal experience that I have had with previous medical practitioners of fat shaming and that unfortunately kept me from getting medical care properly and we’re going to be discussing kind of some tips of things you could do at home if you are experiencing any type of medical shame. That way you are still you know staying healthy so Dr. Leanne thank you so much for joining me, why don’t you take a moment and introduce yourself to everybody?
Sure, well thank you for having me this is a great honor for me so thanks for having me this evening.
Of course
I’m Dr. Leanne Deland I am the owner of carefree chiropractic here in Colorado Springs, a wife of my husband for 13 years, we have two children one, Evelyn is 6 and Alexander is 3 and ½, and I am just thrilled to treat such a healthy community. Colorado Springs is a wonderful place to be and the people are awesome so I’m glad to here.
Well, I’m so glad that I was able to you know start getting care at your office, it was totally a word-of-mouth thing and my husband and I both go there now on a very religious basis and we see you quite frequently and it’s been amazing. I remember when I first started getting care from you, I had pinched the nerve in my right leg and couldn’t stand up straight it hurt to walk and now I’m like two weeks in between visits I’m good.
Thats right well you made a good point you know you stepped in from that crisis care into maintenance care because you put the work in to be to feel better and get better.
So, I definitely want to discuss the importance of chiropractic care, I know especially you know, for me I am a larger woman and so I definitely know it’s you know important for me but can you kind of explain why it’s so important?
Well chiropractic the premise of chiropractic is that our job is to relate the structure of the spine and how it relates to the function of our body so with proper alignment in your skull you’re going to have better and effective and efficient functioning throughout the system so when you have that spinal column that protects those nerves, those nerves go to every single organ, tissue, and cell in your body. So not only are you helping people to eliminate pain and pain symptoms or prevent them from running for that Tylenol or those unfortunately sometimes really heavy narcotics and actually healing from the inside out and giving the body the information that it needs because we really were designed to heal wear and tear over time has decreased our ability and our power to heal the way we were supposed to.
Well one thing that I have noticed just from receiving care is you know because I am there with my husband, we know do our appointments at the same time the way that you treat him versus how you treat me is very different and I’m not talking like you know just oh hey how are you treat. Like the way you physically treat our bodies.
Sure.
Can you explain why you do it that way?
Well definitely you brought up an outstanding point um you know in our office we treat people from um those itty-bitty babies that can be you know a few days old to you know my oldest patient was well into um their 90’s so we really treat everybody and I’m the type of chiropractor that believes that there is a technique for a certain person and certain condition and maybe it’s their underlying conditions that will drive me to a certain technique maybe it’s their age maybe it’s arthritis maybe it’s their ability to move on and off the table so um really my goal is to cater my technique to meet the patient’s needs. I’m not trying to fit my patients into my box, I’m trying to be the best fit for everyone and it comes down to the health of the patient their condition and really the best technique that’s going to be fit for them. Thats why we take x-rays that’s why we do a full exam and consultation because I need to know what’s going on with you to be able to treat you the best way possible. It does come down to just the best for you.
I absolutely love that I love that you, you know take such different measures for every different patient and I’ve noticed that. You know I don’t try to like look in on another patient I just an open space. You know but I love that you know and I have noticed that especially between John and I of there’s such different techniques I mean down to like the little blocks that you out under my hips
Right
You know I love those blocks
Those blocks are great because like you said you came in with you know not being able to stand up on that leg and those are great for ridiculous type symptoms so we’re able to do a really awesome mechanical type traction that’s going to relieve the pressure off that never and it doesn’t have to be this you know toss you around crack you type of chiropractic it can really be subtle and get great results.
I absolutely love that. I love that. You know one thing that and you and I have discussed this, is you know, I was very hesitant.
Sure
To get any type of care whatsoever because I have in the past you know experienced what is commonly known as fat shaming from other medical practitioners you know and that definitely you know hinders people from coming in, so as a medical practitioner first off, I know that’s not something I’ve ever experienced at your office, how does it make you as a medical practitioner feel to know that there is that kind of community out there?
You know I felt, when you said that to me, I felt awfully naive because, I was hurt and I couldn’t believe that doctors would treat their patients that way. In our office we’re very much a relationship-based office. It’s not a transaction you’re not a number, you’re a person with a story and everybody’s story is different when they come in and it’s important for us to honor you as a human and in your story and make sure that we provide for you what you need. I do believe in the golden rule, you should treat others the way that you want to be treated and honestly, I was just completely floored that that would be the treatment that you would be receiving for a medical practitioner. Somebody who’s supposed to be professional and put maybe their opinions aside and treat you because you are what matters.
And I definitely felt that coming into your office and that’s something that like I said that really, I was very cautious, I’m sure you probably picked up on that when you first came in. You know is this something that I’m going to experience again, and I think people of any size have experienced that in their lives. You know there’s always some sort of you know worry about that judgment that you’re going to get for anything whether it be, you know the fact that you are overweight or underweight you know that you’re a smoker or whatever. You know and I smoke and I’ve been it you know but again that’s something that I’ve never had to feel ashamed of with coming into your office. It is like a family and I love that and I love that you guys make that such a priority.
Well, thank you and it’s because it really comes down to if you can feel good about the decisions that you’re making and if you’re in a comfortable and safe environment then that’s just going to give you one more edge on your healing. You know, healing isn’t just one factor you know, even though we would love to say hey if all you did was get adjusted that could be enough and it really comes down to the things that you’re doing at home. The things that you’re doing on a daily basis and all those little factors contribute to your overall health and um niceness matters and kindness counts and that’s just something that you have to be able to give to somebody else and create them a safe place where they can come and say hey this is going on or this is how I’m feeling and be nurtured in their emotions and how they feel about things.
I think that’s really important and did the other thing that I really kind of wanted to ask you and I kind of mentioned it in the email is you know there are still people that don’t seek chiropractic care or you know any type of medical care for fear of being shamed or because it’s not available to them
Right
Whether it be financially whether it be location etc. what are some things that people could be doing at a home to help themselves?
Well, I think and the how you came to our office was by word of mouth, and I think that is super important when it comes down to who you’re seeking treatment from. Colorado Springs word of mouth is a really great avenue to say hey you know I use this person this was my experience and it is fun to say you know you pop up in there hey I need a chiropractor in Colorado’s business like you know there’s a million people popping up but when you really get into and you start reading those reviews then it gets personal and you’re finding out what makes sets that office apart from the others. So, word of mouth is huge, if you’ve been treated well someplace tell others. If you haven’t been treated, well make sure you go back and tell the people who didn’t treat you well and then maybe teel some people too. So definitely word of mouth and that’s why you know Google reviews are important talking to friends. You know, who did they see, who gave them a good experience? A lot of doctors these days are doing zoom and conference type calls you know with covid and we kind of also took a step back and said okay now we’re going to talk to people through the computer now and a lot of them stepped up and said okay let’s do zoom let’s do conference type calling and it’s just an easy way to get a read on that person without really leaving home. Something that we do in our office is a complementary consultation and so we’ll spend you know 30 minutes discussing hey this is what’s going on with me is this something you can even help with? Thats been the neat thing about chiropractic is people don’t always know what they can be helped by chiropractic sometimes it’s carpal tunnel sometimes it’s a bump shoulder and just having those things change for them really opens up their eyes to different options out there. So that’s why we do the consultations to say hey maybe I’m a great fit for you maybe not, but maybe I can find somebody who is too. So, consultations are great
What does the consultation do?
What’s it, say it again?
What do you do during that consultation just for anybody who’s never been there?
Sure, the consultation and what we’ll do is we’ll sit down and we’ll talk about your health goals what has been your health history in the past, you know maybe its neck pain headaches low back pain that sort of thing. Sciatica and then we’re having a conversation about that, how long has it been going on, what have you had what has your experience been and then it’s okay, it’s a great way for them to meet me. I look at a consultation like an interview, if somebody’s coming to me as a new patient they’re in they’re there to get adjusted they’re comfortable about their decision. Somebody coming to me for consult they’re not sure about chiropractic maybe they’re not sure about me and it’s a great way for them to get to know me in a short-term basis and say maybe this office is a good fit maybe she’s not so bad maybe chiropractic is going to be a good fit. And that’s kind of that’s really why I do those consults because not everybody is let’s go do this you know now’s the time; I’ve been waiting forever to get a chiropractic adjustment. Some people need some information and clarification before they you know jump both feet in.
They need to be wooed.
Some people do.
So, do you have any like physical tips and tricked for somebody who like you know may not be able to make it to the chiropractor, may not be able to really afford chiropractic at the time?
Most definitely, so, things that our office is doing is we’re doing weekly videos that’s giving educational tips on how to be healthy whether it’s you know cleaning out your brain or cleaning out your closet or whatever it is. We’re talking about different health tips through Facebook. Also, you know YouTube is really wonderful I love it, it’s a great resource for people nowadays to say never try self-adjusting no matter what I say don’t do, don’t look it up on YouTube I do this at home, don’t do that at all. YouTube is great for doing icing and stretching routines, great yoga programs, great support in groups and saying hey you know this is where I started and this is what I did. So, YouTube has been really great for stretching, yoga, meditation practices as well as, oh gosh what is it, oh I can’t think of it. They’ll do guided meditations and then man if i can’t remember dang it. So, I apologize but using resources of that nature to say hey I’ve got plantar fasciitis get on YouTube do some exercises, the only thing that I can say with most certainty whenever you are searching YouTube for medical advice is if you try something and it hurts, stop. Don’t keep going. The whole like no pain no gain is such a joke
Oh yeah
You will get hurt and then you’re going to have to make time for me. So always practice within a pain-free range, listen to your body and if it says stop, please stop. Then really, I think the two least expensive things anybody can do is drink water and icing anything that is sore so the general rule for water is if you weigh let’s say 100lbs thank you exactly then you would drink 50oz of water if you weigh 200lbs you drink 100oz and that amount of water is really going to help flush and help you to feel better and again icing for 20 minutes any area that is sore will make a big difference in how you feel.
Yeah, I’m to the point where you know because I don’t necessarily want to drink plain old water, I get those sugar free drink pouches
Yeah
And add that to my water, I’m drinking seven up cherry seven up flavored water right now.
Oh, crazy yeah. I do a lot of essential oils in my water, lemon peppermint, and things like that because they’re great for digestion and they’re great for energy and you’re right because if you if you really are drinking that much water and you’ve done it for a long-time water gets pretty dang boring.
Uh huh, now one thing, speaking of water, and I’ve noticed that you guys actually have this at your office I haven’t tried it yet but it’s on my to-do list. You guys have like the cbd products
We do
Can you talk about those a little bit?
Sure, so we carry cbd in our office. Its 100% zero thc its absolutely thc free. We do, we can’t right if we just can’t have anything
Right
With thc in our office. Everything is 100% cbd and the company that we use is live well and we do things from the cbd waters to the sparking waters that are kind of like energy drinks because they’re going to have your, a whole bunch of b vitamins in them so they’re going to give you energy don’t drink them in the afternoon as well as like pain relieving roll ons bath bombs and why cbd is so great for our overall health is it actually works to decrease inflammation and by decreasing that inflammation its promoting a healthier healing response. It’s been shown in studies to improve our immune system because we those the cannabidiol receptors throughout our entire body so when we’re drinking cbd or we’re putting it on our skin or maybe it’s the gummies or the tinctures or whatever is available to us. It’s actually working with our own chemical cascade of events in our body and its making changes along the way and the truth is, is that we just keep finding more and more information about cbd. I why I sell it in my office is because people get great results and again when it comes down to water sometimes you just get bored and you need a new a new something different. Cbd water will hydrate more as well.
And I’ve gotten to the point where I personally use hemp gummies. You know that go along those same things that makes it where I don’t have to take the pain medication.
Right
Hardly at all you know with my history as an addict that’s the last thing I wanted was to be reliant on that and I think that’s part of where I have that hesitation of going to doctors anyways.
For sure
Because I do have that history and again that’s something that you know I found a solution for and I don’t get judged for which I thank you. So much
Definitely
So is there anything else you’d like to add to anything that we’ve discussed
No, I would just like to say that you know if somebody is seeking more information about chiropractic care and you know to go those things like the word of mouth to seek information from others and learn about their experiences so that you can have a great experience too and to remember not all you know chiropractic offices are created equal and if you find that you’re not being treated fairly in yours, well there are plenty here in the springs. Find somebody who is a good fit for you and keep at it because it is essential to your overall health.
I completely agree. Now I have one more question for you before we finish up, and I ask this of every guest, and I did not prepare you for this question because I like to keep people on their toes with this. What is one thing that you love about yourself?
Oh my, that’s a great question, and it’s so sad these days because everybody’s in a mask but I would have to say it’s my smile. I love to smile at other people and get that smile back and its one of the nice contagious things around is their smile and I just you know I miss sharing it with the world but I think that’s my favorite part.
Well and I’m going to say this because I’ve never seen you without a mask
Oh yeah.
Thats you’re favorite, I love your smile.
Well, thank you
Well, it is definitely, thank you so much for coming on my podcast and joining me and having this discussion I know you know some of it is a raw topic you know especially that issue of the fat shaming and all that. You know and I just I appreciate the fact that you came on here and was just so open with you know how you feel about that topic and everything else.
Thank you, thanks for having me this was an awesome opportunity
Not a problem and I can’t wait to see you in a week or so at your office
Thats right, take care.
Have a good night thank you guys so much for joining me. Of course. Next week we are going to be discussing the importance of community. I’m actually going to have Shannon Michelle who is the leader of the Facebook group that I belong to called fix your crown, women supporting women and we’re going to discuss the importance of building that community of like-minded people that are there to support you and you support them as well and the importance of that in our society today. So please join me next week for that, again, Dr. Leanne thank you so much for being here and I hope everybody has a great night.
Thanks
Bye guys
Bye!
