Unlocking the Power of Your Nervous System with Dr. Angie Elliott

Have you ever felt like your body was trying to tell you something, but you couldn't quite figure out the message? In this episode of Find Your Peace, we sit down with Dr. Angie Elliott, a neurologically based chiropractor who is changing the way we look at healing.

Unlike traditional adjustments that focus solely on structure, Dr. Angie dives deep into the nervous system to uncover the root causes of dysregulation. We discuss her journey into functional medicine, the incredible breakthroughs she’s witnessed using neurofeedback—including a heartwarming transformation within her own family—and why calming the nervous system is the first step toward true wellness.

Whether you are a parent looking for answers for your child or simply seeking relief from chronic issues like reflux or anxiety, this conversation offers a beacon of hope. Tune in to discover how listening to your body’s signals can lead to profound peace and healing.

Want to learn more on how to Regulate Your Nervous System? Join our group mentoring, we meet the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month over the lunch hour. 

https://www.exaltedhealth.com/mentorship

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:02

So welcome back to the Find Your Peace podcast. I am super excited to welcome my friend, now one of my chiropractors in my arsenal of tools, um, Dr. Angie Elliott. So she is a neuro-based chiropractor, a neurologically based chiropractor. So it's a little bit different from your regular chiropractor. And she has helped me tremendously in my journey. So thanks for being here, Dr. Angie.

SPEAKER_01: 0:30

Thanks. Thanks for inviting me.

SPEAKER_00: 0:31

I'm happy to be here. Yes. So our story is kind of fun because we actually connected because you uh implemented neurofeedback um in your own family. Yeah. So talk a little bit about um how you became a neurological chiropractor and then why you still continue because you know a lot of things. Like we both have tools in our arsenal, you have a lot of things, and then you still sought out neurofeedback knowing that it could be another tool in your tool belt. So talk a little bit about that for us.

SPEAKER_01: 0:59

Sure. So I've been a chiropractor and functional medicine provider for almost 17 years. And, you know, way back in chiropractic school, the neurology piece really resonated with me. And so that that started me on that journey. Yeah. And then just throughout all the years of doing chiropractic and functional medicine, it really showed me over and over and over again the power of the nervous system in everyone's journey and how pivotal it is as a foundational layer to work on that. Yeah. And so that journey started with chiropractic. And that's, you know, what chiropractic at its fundamental piece is is optimizing the nervous system through your adjustments. And my techniques and everything were geared towards that. And then, you know, as I went and practiced, I learned and grew as my patients taught me through what they were coming in. And I I started to learn that, you know, I need I need to keep evolving. And uh people are getting harder and sicker, and I need more tools. And so I kept just being open and praying about it. And I knew that when the right when the time was right, the right tools would come. And it just kept evolving through the years through my techniques and through uh mentors and people that I watch. Um, and eventually I stepped into what's called neurosomatic tools and learned something called neurosomatic intelligence. Uh, and that's been fun, that's been just phenomenal. Uh, I love doing it. But the the challenge of it is when someone is really dysregulated, getting them to do something is really hard. It really, really is.

SPEAKER_00: 2:48

Because they're hard. Well, there's and that's the epitome of being stuck in fight or flight is we're stuck with overwhelm, right?

SPEAKER_01: 2:55

And the and then the last thing you want is someone going, here's a tool, do it. And they're like, No. I'm overwhelmed. I'm exhausted. At max capacity, I can't. Exactly. Are you kidding me? Give me something to do. No. Um, so well, I love them. I use them. I wanted to keep searching. And I was chatting with a friend one day about how I had recently learned about neurofeedback, and I was really intrigued. And I'm learning more, but I I want to know more, but I don't know where to try it. And she connected me with Jen. And she knows wonderful people. So I knew I could trust you and reach out to you. And I love testing things on myself first before I do anything else. So I can speak to it if if possible, if it applies. Um, so when I talk to you about it and and your specific approach and what you do, I was like, oh, this is it. This is what I've been looking for. It's it's a nice passive way to work on the nervous system that anyone who's overwhelmed and their nervous system just needs that support. It doesn't have to do something, they just put on the electrodes and then they just get to sit.

SPEAKER_00: 4:05

They get to receive, which is not a lot of places. Yeah, that's why one of the reasons I love it too. Yes. Yeah. So yeah. So talk about some of the testimonies within your own family, whatever you're comfortable sharing, because I know you've had some great breakthroughs in your own home, just like I have. Um, so whatever you're comfortable sharing. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 4:26

So, my my biggest driver uh is my daughter. And she is 10 years old and she has a long history of things that I won't go into because it would take way too long. But um, she's come a long way, she's doing fantastic. But our biggest struggle uh this year in the last couple years has been she's had a really hard time learning and retaining information.

SPEAKER_00: 4:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 4:52

And in my heart, I knew this isn't a learning disability. And she was uh eventually assessed. And I was right, there wasn't any learning disabilities. There, no one had a reason as to why can't she retain some of the most basic information? This just isn't making sense. And I just knew that spark is in her, it's there. We just have to figure out what is keeping her nervous system in her brain from really being able to express who she really is and being able to learn well. And it was impacting her confidence and anxiety. And I just knew I had to dig deeper. And so when I found neurofeedback, I thought, you know, let's let's give this a go. I know the nervous system needs that support. Let's try this tool. And the first week, uh, I didn't expect any changes overnight, by the way. Uh, the first week I didn't notice too much. And one of my mentors that I follow uh does a neurofeedback, and she had mentioned in uh a podcast that if neurofeedback's not working the way you expect it to, it could be a toxicity or a deficiency. Well, ironically, I had just gotten her labs back and she was low in zinc and high in copper. So I was like, huh, okay. Well, I'm gonna just gently start nudging that. And the second day I gave her zinc, and the second day she started sleeping through the night. Now, this girl every single night gets up from her bed and comes into our room and lays on an air mattress for the past years. Yeah, three, four years, it's kind of hard to remember how long. Yep, I can relate to that whole journey. Um, so clearly she's not sleeping well, and that's gonna impact her learning. Sure. Um, her anxiety is better than it was, but it's still higher than what we would like for her and for her future. And so within two days of the neurofeedback and then bringing in a little bit of zinc to help lower the copper load in her body, she started sleeping through the night. Now, she's had zinc before and did not get this response. So I am 100% convinced that the combination is what she needed because the function of medicine alone, while it got us really great results, we still needed that extra layer. Yes, so her brain could take it to that next level. Yes. Uh, and now she still sleeps through the night. Like still, she's in her bedroom all night long.

SPEAKER_00: 7:19

And it's been a couple months since you've been a couple rental, yeah. So that's incredible.

SPEAKER_01: 7:24

So we did it for the month, and then it's been it's been six weeks since we stopped. Um, and she's still sleeping through the night. And so she's in fourth grade and they're learning long division. And for a kid who struggles a lot with math, long division is like climbing Mount Everest. Yes. Uh, it's hard. And my mama heart is so nervous for her. But she came, it was near the end of our journey with neurofeedback, and she came home and she's like, Mom, I really understand lung division now. She's like, it's so easy. I was like, oh whoa, like, wow, I can't believe this girl could say it. And it's not about the test scores, it's about the confidence I saw in her. Yes. As she then was so happy to say, Mom, I understand it. And I get it, and I know what to do because so much of her school journey has been not understanding. Yes, yes, and I can relate to that. That's hard. The older they get, the more they understand um how different they are. And so yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 8:31

Well, we're so grateful. We're so grateful for that testimony. And like, as a parent, like, yes, we want our own healing journey to go well, but like watching our kids get to like just kind of turn the corner on some of the things that they've struggled with is just so empowering. So that's amazing. Thank you for sharing. So, talk a little bit about how um your knowledge of the nervous system is different from a typical chiropractor. So, I have been going to a chiropractor since I was 12 years old. I had pretty severe scoliosis. So, for 30 plus years, I have seen a chiropractor on a regular basis. And then I came to see Dr. Angie because uh there was a specific issue that I wanted to dealt with that I just wasn't seeing relief with. And I tried PT, I tried multiple chiropractors, and the morning that she was returning the neurofeedback device, I just felt a little Holy Spirit nudge to just ask her if she had any knowledge in this area. And she was like, Yeah, that's my specialty. And so I've been seeing her for a few weeks now, and I have never had an adjustment like she gives. So talk about the difference because, like I said, I've been seeing one for 30 plus years. I've seen so many different chiropractors, and they all did a great job. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking anybody else, but there's something different about what you do. So talk a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01: 9:49

Yeah. Well, as chiropractors, we all start with a similar foundation. We're all taught the textbook anatomy, neurology, you know, the afferent, efferent pathways, all of that heavy stuff that we learn. So we have that foundational basis. The difference is once you get out and practice, what do you decide to do with that? Do you leave it there and take on a little more of a structural basis where when I move a bone, that's my goal. I want to get everything in line so it looks good on an x-ray. Um, so you know, the technique that people will take then really starts to produce the variety that you will see in chiropractic. And so that is often why if people have had an experience with chiropractic that maybe wasn't their favorite, I encourage them, we'll try someone else because we are all very different, because we all have very different techniques uh that we bring, often through our experiences and our passions. Um so, but I, you know, learning the neurology piece in chiropractic school was it was amazing. And I had some phenomenal teachers. We brought in mentors, we brought in some of the greats in the profession, and they were all very neurologically focused, very vitalistic, we call it. Um, and it just, I just knew that was the path of chiropractic. That was the path of how I wanted to practice. Um, and I had to really make sure that I kept them kind of in my ear, so to say. So I could keep listening to them, keep following them. Um, because in day-to-day life, sometimes it's easy to fall out of that focus.

SPEAKER_00: 11:31

And the more I learn about the nervous system too, the more I realize there's we have way more to learn. Like I don't think we've even tapped the surface on how much there is to know about how the nervous system functions. 100%.

SPEAKER_01: 11:44

I love to learn and I love to continue to improve and to better myself. And so that passion just drives me towards, I know there's always more to learn. And I know we're learning more about the nervous system as every single day goes by. So I want to know what's the new thing and how can I keep evolving the information so I can best serve my clients.

SPEAKER_00: 12:07

Yeah, that's so good. So I know you can't go in depth, but just give us a little like recap of like what looks different from just like a normal chiropractic adjustment, which is, I would say, the majority of the adjustments I've had over the course of my 30 years of seeing a chiropractor. Um, and and what you kind of add on, like just a little bit of difference. So anybody listening that's like kind of curious about that, what does that look like?

SPEAKER_01: 12:32

Yeah. So I in my office, when we start um our initial visit, we have a nerve system scan. And so that I can do on any age, any type, babies to elderly. It's a hundred percent safe. Yeah. Um, and that starts to give me a picture of where your nervous system is at. And we measure HRV, uh, if you've heard of that, which is another nervous system data ability. Yeah. And so I like to start with some data. So we've got kind of a foundational baseline. Uh, and then from there, um, it might sound kind of funny, but I through experience, um, I kind of, as the person is on the table, I get out of my head and into my hands. And I really let the Holy Spirit just guide me towards where do I need to go and what do I need to work on today? And I have learned through, you know, I take a lot of classes. I love to learn, it's a combination of what have I learned bookwise, but then what have my hands taught me? Yes. And what have people taught me? Uh when I do this, I get this response and this response. And what have I learned through that journey? And then I love to go, well, what does that mean? And what did that just, you know, like to just continue to break it down. Yes. Um, I can understand anatomy very well and I can just picture it. So I know, well, if that looks like that, if I do this, that should do that. And I just kind of follow the dots. Um, and again, I just let my hands guide me and and where to go. And I I know the body really well, both in my head, but also in my hands. Yes. Uh, and I just love to get in that zone and just really work on how do I balance this out? What do I see and where are my hands taking me? Um, and then what do I feel? And oh, I, you know, I just it's a rhythm, it's hard to explain, but it's a rhythm that I just get into.

SPEAKER_00: 14:30

I am understanding because that is much the same way that I operate. Like I have the book knowledge, I do, but sometimes when you have your hands on a client, like the Lord's just showing you exactly what tool you need to pull on. And sometimes it's like I don't even know where that came from. So I know that wasn't me, that was absolutely the Holy Spirit guiding me of what needed to happen in that moment. But again, having that foundation of the knowledge, the book knowledge is super important um in that journey. So that totally makes sense to me. And I get why I just love you so much. So it just makes even more sense now. Yeah. So what is your favorite type of patient to treat?

SPEAKER_01: 15:09

Oh, I have so many. Um, I tell people all the time when I retire, I'm not really gonna retire. I'm gonna work on babies all day long. Just babies, three months and under. They're soft, they're squishy, they're the most adorable thing ever. I just, oh, I could work on them all day. Yes. Um, so I love babies. I love working with pregnant mamas. I love working with women. Um, you know, being a woman and a woman body, yeah. I just I understand it well. And I love working with some of the struggles women have because I understand and it's hard. And getting someone who understands pelvic floor health and what happens to our joints as estrogen declines and what hormones do into our joints and joint pain, all the yeah, all the connections that not everybody does understand. Yes. Um, I love to be able to bring that together.

SPEAKER_00: 16:03

So let's let's back up and talk about babies a little bit because my both of my both of my children's very first outing after we were home from the hospital was to be adjusted because I have, like I said, I've been to a chiropractor for 30 plus years. I worked for one after college. Um, but that is a concept that's foreign to a lot of people. So talk about what can happen within the body and why babies maybe need to be adjusted.

SPEAKER_01: 16:30

Absolutely. You know, babies are are some of my favorite. And that was my first kind of passion in chiropractic and where my certification and education started. And if we think about it, you know, we grow this little baby, you know, for nine months and they're really squashed in there. And now they have to come through this tiny hole of a birth opening in our birth canal. And then we think that, oh, they're just gonna be fine. Well, but there are things we could optimize. And and so often the very first subluxation or misalignment in a baby is from the birth process. And I see a lot of inuterile constraint, which means baby was in the uterus and all kind of wonky. Yeah. You know, maybe their head was this way. And usually when I see baby and I put baby on the table, they'll assume the position that I really feel is their most common in utero position. Yes. So you'll see babies like this, and their head is here or like this. And I'll ask mom, how was baby born? And they're like, Oh yeah, baby's head was up and they had to tilt the head down. And and very often, uh, for what mom might be aware of and know, it matches what I see as babies laying there on the table. Right. Uh, she the baby's just showing me, hey, here's me, and this is the raw data of me. Uh, help me.

SPEAKER_00: 17:48

And so that's I used to tell my friends, kids, all the time, you need to have your baby adjusted, and they would look at me like I was like I was crazy, but I could see it, right? Like once you know, you can't unsee it. And most people just associate, most adults associate chiropractic with I have pain, right? Yeah. So they're not thinking about, oh, if this vertebrae is subluxated, how is that nervous system being affected? How are the muscles around it being affected? How are your organs being affected? Because we it's all connected, right?

SPEAKER_01: 18:19

Yeah, and and babies aren't adjusted anything like adults. So sometimes people will be like, oh my gosh, that's terrifying. No, no, no. It is really different. Uh, it is very gentle. There's no popping, there's no quick movements. Most of the time, I let parents know I'm gonna adjust, and you're not gonna see a thing happening because it is so gentle and so subtle that baby falls asleep the whole entire time. I have babies where I haven't seen their eyes open for the first three months of their life. Like they're they're so chill and they're just like, oh, they just melt into your hands. Um, so the adjustments are very different than adults. But when their nervous system's dysregulated, they're not sleeping, they're not pooping, they're not breastfeeding well, like all the things colic, reflux that we're told are normal, right? They're not normal, they're just common, and they're a sign that your baby is needs a nervous system tune up.

SPEAKER_00: 19:13

Yeah, that's so good. That's so good. And I yeah, I would tell my friends that all the time when I was in that stage of life, and they would just think I was absolutely nuts. But I saw it all the time. I saw it all the time when I was working in the clinic, and yeah, so it's it's also really powerful. So, my other greatest testimony that I just have to share with you is when I started dating my husband, um, he had been on acid reflux medicine for like 15 years. He'd started as a kid, and I was like, you just need to go see a chiropractor. And he just absolutely thought I was nuts. And I'm like, go see a chiropractor, give it a month. If you hate it, I will never bring it up again. And we hadn't been dating that long at this point. And he went, and after two adjustments, he was able to get off of acid reflux medication, and he's been off like we've been together for over 20 years now. And he's never had to go back on it. So he finally I made a believer out of him after that. Just that one story. Cause I'm like, it's not amazing. It's not always about pain. It's about what's your body not functioning? Because we are taught. We're taught. Yeah, these things are just normal. And the only thing you can do is medicate. Well, yeah. His body didn't have uh acid reflux medication deficiency. Like that wasn't the problem. Yeah. There was something that wasn't functioning correctly. And that's how I try to describe it to people. Yes. Is that similar to how you describe it to people? Is like there's something that's not functioning correctly that's creating a symptom that your body's trying to talk to you.

SPEAKER_01: 20:38

Exactly. Symptoms are not there to be suppressed, they're there to communicate. They're just purely lines of communication from one nervous system to another. And we don't want to squash them and suppress them. We want to listen to them and we want to honor them. And then we want to be curious about it. If you have acid reflux, well, what's causing that? It's at the stomach. So what's causing that? And you just keep asking the what's and the whys and the hows and the all the things until you keep going deeper. And again, the nervous system, if it controls, coordinates, and regulates every part of our body, let's start there. Because if it's just that, then again, two adjustments and you're done. Yes. So it's beautiful. I love it. I'm so impressed. You did that while you were dating, even way to go.

SPEAKER_00: 21:22

I mean, I had I had been working for a chiropractor for probably a good six years by then. So I knew I had a lot of knowledge, right? Yeah. So and my undergrad degree was in occupational therapy, like pre-occupational therapy. So I understood the body, and and so I was like, you have to go, or or we can't date anymore because I'm not gonna listen to you have acid reflux and medicate your body. Um, but anyway, that's a story for another day. Just and just to be clear, he's continued to go over the years. He didn't just have the two adjustments and be done with it, but he's continued to go. But it's it's sparked a great conversation within our family about natural health and just supporting your body naturally, which has just continued over the you know the course of our relationship. So but anyway, any last thoughts for anybody listening that's curious about you know a neurologically based chiropractor or functional medicine or neurofeedback?

SPEAKER_01: 22:17

Um any last thoughts? You know, it all chiropractors were also different, and that can be a bit confusing, but also a blessing. And so if you've had an experience that wasn't you the greatest you were looking for, try someone else. Uh call them, check them out, see, ask them their techniques. Um, but a chiropractor who continues their focus on the nervous system in their techniques, in their thought processes, in their approach, um, often is one that gets just phenomenal results. They might not be the loudest on social media or have the best website. Um, but yet that is where you might find your best home. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00: 23:00

And where can people find you, Dr. Angie? What is the name of your website? I'll link it in the show notes, but if you just want to share.

SPEAKER_01: 23:07

Yep, it's www.myfamilyfirstchiro.com. Perfect.

SPEAKER_00: 23:13

And she's located in Wiper Lake in Minnesota. Um, I know not all of you are right here in Minnesota, but she is available if you are. And then do you also do some online education stuff for ideals? Yeah, I do. What about that really quick? Sure.

SPEAKER_01: 23:29

I do webinars throughout the year. Um, I've run a couple group programs on numerous things. Um, I'm gonna be putting out a couple ebooks next year, hopefully, uh, and building up my blog. I I love learning and I love to share what I have learned with others to help make their journey a little bit shorter than what mine has been sometimes. Yes, yes. So if I can give you some cliff notes, then I want to just help launch you a little bit more.

SPEAKER_00: 23:59

That's exactly how I feel. I'm like, I didn't go all through all this, so you have to too. That's that's exactly yeah, yeah. Well, thanks so much for being here today. I'm super grateful for you and just how you've supported me in my own journey and how neurofeedback has blessed your life. And it's just been a pleasure. So thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01: 24:18

Thanks for having me. It's been you're so welcome.

SPEAKER_00: 24:20

You're so welcome. We'll see you next time. You bet.

SPEAKER_01: 24:24

Thanks, Jen.