Spotlight Series

Guest Name: Dr. Abby & Dr. Austyn

Credentials:  MaxLiving Chiropractic

Dr. Abby: Perfect. Thank you so much for having me.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Absolutely. So, tell us and and the audience here watching, what made you decide to be a chiropractor? I won’t make you answer for your husband, but go ahead and share your own story.

Dr. Abby: Okay, perfect. So, um essentially my life was radically transformed by chiropractic. Um I was in my early 20s, so I was in college and I had just recently been diagnosed with a uh a thyroid disease, like a thyroid disorder. Um so, I was put on medication. I was told, “Hey, you’ll have to take these meds like for the rest of your life.” at some point we’ll probably have to increase dose and um it’s no worries, you know, it’s super common. You know, you’re just going to have to kind of deal with this. And at the time I was like, gosh, for the rest of my life, like that’s crazy. I thought I was healthy for the most part. Um I’m so young. Like I can’t imagine having to take, you know, medications. I can’t believe my body’s, you know, breaking down. So, um from there, my health really kind of started to downspir. Um I started to have a really hard time getting out of bed in the morning. I was having like fatigue issues. Um, I gained a bunch of weight. Um, I started to develop migraine headaches. I had had headaches my whole life, you know, off and on, but um, at that point in time, they started to kind of get worse into those migraine headaches. Um, I was getting TMJ disorders. And so, I kind of felt like my health was falling apart. But when I look back at that moment in time, I’m actually able to realize that that wasn’t the moment that everything started. That was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Um because up until that point in time I I mean through my childhood I was having like severe digestive issues like IBS issues. I was constantly strep felt like or sick with strep. Um it felt like all throughout my childhood years. Um I also had a reproductive condition called PCOS. Um which is really severe um um like scarring and cysts on the inside that would actually rupture for me. Um it would be send me to the ER about three to four times a year. I didn’t because we didn’t know if I was dying or if it was just another cyst. So, I really was having a lot of health struggles. And um of course, I was seeing a specialist for all these things like trying to get to the root cause like what is causing because I just couldn’t wrap my mind around like how do does somebody’s body just start to fall apart, especially so young. Um and so I was seeing specialists and and and you know trying to get therapies, really really specific things for for each of these conditions. And it wasn’t until I found myself in a chiropractic office um that this chiropractor, this doctor was the one that was able to actually help me identify the cause of the dysfunction inside my body. And um from there, we started to unravel um the the issues, the interference in the way. And so it was a journey. Um but I completely healed um through that process. Um I I slowly but surely um you know the the diagnosises went away, the problems went away, the symptoms went away, I was able to get off medications um and it was because we got to the root cause. We started treating my nervous system, my spine nervous system and um from there my body was able to heal. So that is what got me into chiropractic. I always knew that I wanted to to help people. I knew I wanted to be in the medical field. I just kind of was trying to you know how do I do it the best way? And so it was through my experience that I thought this is how I truly help people is is not just you know making them feel better. Of course I feel great when I get adjusted or you know I was you know was feeling great at the time but um more so empowering and educating and teaching people the truth about health where it comes from how to obtain it and that um you get that that’s yours like you get to decide. So that was given to me um that that felt like a gift like a blessing. Um and so from there I was like okay I got to do this for the rest of my life.

Dr. Betty DeLass: So cool. What a testament to your own experience and now what you get to do for other people.

Dr. Abby: Yes.

Dr. Betty DeLass: So great. Um okay, you touched on this a little bit with answering that question, but what do you feel like makes you different in the way that you practice compared to another chiropractor down the street or the chiropractor across town or anything like that? Like why why MaxLiving and what’s the MaxLiving difference?

Dr. Abby: Yes. So I would say that it’s the desire we have and the approach we take in order to help you get to the root cause. So oftentimes you know when there is dysfunction in the body there there is a reason there is a reason whether we we figure out why or whether you want to know why those those things are subject right but there is always a reason for dysfunction in the body. We all know like even if you have no medical experience we know that the body was designed to heal. We know this. If you get a little cut, a little paper cut, you know, on your finger, your hand today, it will heal within probably two, three days. It will be totally healed up. You won’t even know it’s you. You won’t even remember that it happened, right? You don’t have to think about it extra hard, you know, for that cut to heal. You don’t have to do anything special. You don’t even have to put a band-aid. You can if you want, but you don’t have to, right? The body just heals. So, so every cell in your body right now is working towards health and and wellness. It is um not always can it get there, right? Right? Because if there’s a lot of interference in the way, especially to your healing system, then you’re not going to be able to to fully, you know, make a resolve or fully heal. And so that is that is the approach that we take. We we understand the truth about the body, which is that it was designed to heal. It can heal. All health and healing flows first from your nervous system. And so what we do is we just analyze that system, try to find the interferences, and then remove them. Um, so it’s it’s it’s not an outside in model. It’s an inside out model that your body’s got what it needs. Everyone knows this. We we just have to start removing what is standing in the way of of you experiencing optimal health and healing.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Amazing. Amazing. Thank you for sharing that. It’s it’s it’s always refreshing to hear things like that. So, um, walk us through who’s an ideal fit for you. Obviously, moms and families and kids. um talk to us about that ideal person to come and see you in your office.

Dr. Abby: Yeah. So I I like to kind of explain it like anyone looking to be healthy and stay healthy. Um that that is really that is really an ideal patient um or an ideal person um seeking is seeking that um that’s their health goal. Um now it may start as a a desire or a need to get rid of something or or or like a really acute issue, right? like like I have, you know, five out of 10 back pain or I’ve got migraine headaches. Like it can start as that like I just want to get rid of these, right? Um but but through that process in our office, um one of the main things we really want to do, yes, of course, feel better and get rid of the problem, but educate you um and equip you with the tools needed to to obtain that health, that level of health and wellness for the rest of your life. Um and so um if you like, if you’re looking to get rid of, great, that’s awesome. We can help with that. But, you know, anyone just like, “Hey, I just want to like be healthy.” Like, you know, it doesn’t take much. Like, look around. You know, most people are in pain or sick. Um, they they need a a slew of, you know, medicines to kind of help them get through the day, right? So, if you don’t want that to be you, um, then then you’re you’re an ideal person to come on in here and and see what it’s all about. Um, and then, of course, yes, mothers and families is really where our heart and passion lies. And that is because health starts young. like like health starts I like to say the moment of birth, but that’s not even true. It actually starts in the womb. Um so so we know this to be true. There’s so much research on this. Like the health of your baby actually starts like from the moment of conception. Um which is so awesome to know that you know you can start setting up your family like on the right foot now. Um you don’t have to wait till something goes wrong to do something right. You can actually be preventative. Um and so anyone you know especially mothers like looking to have a a healthy um low intervention you know easy recovery birth um and then of course that is true for baby too. Um that is that is who we see that’s where our heart lies. Um we like to say like health is a birthright like like you deserve to be healthy like you you should be healthy. So when there is not you know when there is not full health optimal function within the body um you you got to get to the you got to get to the cause of that. So that is that is really um who’s who’s kind of an ideal person for us.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Perfect. Perfect. Walk us through the process to work with you. Like how does someone become a patient? What does it look like? Is there an evaluation first and reported find? Like everyone does things a little bit differently. So walk us through start to what a plan of care looks like.

Dr. Abby: Yes. So we always start with an initial evaluation um and an exam. So we have to do you know we have to figure out what we have to have your baseline like what’s your baseline and again everything we do in office from our exam to our care to our education class like everything is through that root cause focused holistic lens. So we’ll take a full health history through that lens. Um we’ll go through exams um as as we see fit. We also have x-rays in office. So if we feel necessary that we have to grab x-rays we will um we measure our x-rays down to the millimeter. So we’re very specific with our care moving forward. And then from there, it’s kind of just like we’ve got all the cards on the table. Um, and we develop a plan together. So that’s based on the findings that we have and then your health goals. So where do you want to be? You know, some people some people kind of just want to stay at bay and some people are like, I want to go all in, right? So that’s really kind of subject to change, you know, per person. Um, but yes, we always start with an exam, x-rays if needed, and then we move from there.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Perfect. Perfect. Hey, tell us something that most that um most people don’t know that they that you think that they should know about chiropractic care.

Dr. Abby: Yes. So, I love this question. Um I would say it’s three things. Three things for for me.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Okay. Three.

Dr. Abby: Yes. I can’t just choose one.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Yeah.

Dr. Abby: The first thing is that chiropractic is not a quick fix. Okay. Um now, most people will feel great after like one adjustment. um doesn’t doesn’t mean that the like like that’s great, you know, problem like we’re we’re moving on its way, but it’s not a quick fix. So, I think we’re conditioned to think and to kind of, you know, okay, I have a headache, so I’ll take this or something and then or you know, put ice on or something and then it will go away and then it’s gone. And totally fine. You, you know, we have, you know, pain management. we have things that we can do to to kind of help, you know, with symptom management, but it doesn’t mean that the problem’s gone. You know, if you take if you take a, you know, a a pain medicine, headache goes away in 15 minutes, it doesn’t mean that the problem’s gone, right? So, so we’re conditioned to kind of think like, oh, if I just I just need like an adjustment, right? Um, and maybe you do, but most likely we don’t, okay? Um, so it’s it’s a process that takes time and repetition. I mean, anything good in life takes time and work and repetition and commitment. So, chiropractic is not a quick fix. It’s not like taking an Advil. this this chiropractic office is not like a a an expensive admill. Like it it’s a it’s a process that takes time. It takes repetition. And again, that’s that root cause. Of course, we want to get rid of your problem. We want to help you feel better, have a more comfortable pregnancy, all that stuff. But we want to help optimize function inside the body. So that takes time. Okay. The second thing is that chiropractic is neurologic, not just physical. So it’s really easy to think about, okay, it makes sense. you know, I got my spine is twisted and that’s why I’m in pain. So, we’re going to straighten out the spine and then my pain will go away. And so, that does happen like that that is what we’re doing, but it’s not just physical. So, it’s not just this physical moving of your spine and then everything is like great. It’s neurologic. The spine holds and protects the most precious important system in your entire body. That’s the nervous system. The brain and the spinal cord controls everything. So, so when I’m adjusting your spine, I’m actually communicating with your nervous system, and that’s where healing comes from. Um, so yes, you will start to feel better. We will starting to straighten things out, but it’s not because it’s it’s straight physical. It’s because it’s neurologic. So, we’re we’re rewiring the the neurologic patterns inside your body to the to the way they’re supposed to be. And that’s where healing comes from. Okay? So, that’s number two. Number three is that you will see infants in our office. Like you will see babies, kids getting adjusted and all the time people will be like I had no idea you could adjust a baby or like why on earth are you adjusting that that baby? And it’s because the message is true for everybody. If you have a spine and a nervous system that means that that system controls everything and your spine potentially can be out of alignment causing a problem. So health when I talk about you know health is a birthright and um you know even the youngest members deserve to be healthy um that’s because their spines too can potentially become into an improper position and so with kiddos now again it’s just like in adults there might be a symptomatic problem so really common symptoms in kiddos is like you know bedwedding or collic um digestive issues problem sleeping um attitude or like ADHD like focus problems so so there may be a problem that yes, we need to work to kind of unravel and get rid of, but with kids especially, it is definitely more of a wellness. It’s a it’s a preventative thing, right? I mean, if if we could if everyone could be under, you know, just sort of maintenance kind of wellness, routine chiropractic care at from a kid all the way into their adult years, the amount of of, you know, injury prevention and and disease and dysfunction and even pain and things like scoliosis that we could almost we could prevent um is actually like is is massive. So impact starts small and by small I mean with a small human. Um, so the message is that’s why you’ll see kids in our the message is the same. Everyone deserves to heal and have a healthy spine and nervous system.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Totally awesome. Thank you for sharing the three things. It was great. All appropriate for sure. Okay. Um, is there anything special that you want to promote? Do you have any upcoming events or signups or anything that health-wise that you want to promote? It can be a random thing of like drink more water. Whatever whatever you want. This is your your opportunity to promote whatever you’d like. right now.

Dr. Abby: Everyone should generally drink more water. Um but um but yeah, so not anything specific right now. However, um I would say the biggest thing we got going on right now is our family checks. So um essentially what that means like you come in here, you you know decide you want to get your spine checked, awesome, great. Um we are are very big on family. So we try to make care easy, attainable, and affordable for the entire family um to to to get care um if they choose if they choose. So, um, we do family checks at a much much discounted rate. Um, we also do lots of educational classes. We do workshops that are free to the community. Um, you know, bring a guest. Anyone can come. You don’t have to be a patient here, you know, to come to our workshops. Um, so we we often will have those often we’ll we’ll post um about them on our social media like, hey, we’ve got a workshop coming up. So, keep an eye out there for those. Um, and then I and then just in general, um, as I’ve said, you know, we’re really big on community education. And so, um, we have a community outreach program. So, if you’re sitting here watching this and, um, you’re like, gosh, everyone at my work complains about neck pain. Like, everyone at my work like needs probably a chiropractor. Um, I would love to come to your work and give you a free educational class like better biomechanics or how to manage some of these things. Um, and and again, educate you on what potentially may be the problem. Um, so we we do a lot of community outreach. Um, if you’re sitting there thinking, gosh, it’d be great for that, you know, for them to come to my work or could come to my my church group or my h I mean, whatever it is. Um, we we will come and we will do educational classes just to help the community reach a higher level health and wellness. So, um, we always have those going on. Um, our community outreach program is is really big in our office.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Amazing. And we’ll definitely be doing a workshop together at some point.

Dr. Abby: Yay. So good. Can’t wait.

Dr. Betty DeLass: All right. My favorite question to ask everyone is, what is the main thing that you want to be known for?

Dr. Abby: Yes, I love this question, too. Um, I would say the the main thing that we want to be known for here at MaxLiving is is to empower you um to to make change inside your life. I love to tell people and and and really empower like educate them that your health is yours. Like you get to decide. Your health is not mine to decide. Your health is not someone else has to decide. Like your health is yours. You get to decide. I would like to do this or I would not like to do this. I do want to start taking this or I don’t want to start taking this. I um you know I I I yes to this or no to this like you get to decide. So, so when people really understand that when that clicks for them, um it is like like all of a sudden it’s the most empowering thing I can do to tell you your health is like you get to decide, not me, anyone else, right? Like that’s extremely empowering. So, what we really want to be known for is like being that that that health authority that that that gives you the power to decide. You don’t have to say yes to anything that you don’t want to and vice versa. Like you get to you get to make the decision about your health. Um and so should so long as you want to be in charge of your health, um you get to do that. And empowering people that you you deserve the right to continue to unravel, you know, root cause. This this root cause focus like what where’s problems coming from? How do I get rid of them? How do I achieve and obtain health and wellness for the rest of my life? That is available to you. That is available to you. And so really kind of liberating people out of like a a sick mindset, right? like what’s my diagnosis and why do I hurt and then so now I have this label and then what do I need to manage this and this will lead to this right it always leads to something right and um you know then I’m going to need this and this to manage these conditions and then it always leads to another run so those things are important right it’s important to understand the diagnosis if there really is something going on but that’s not where it ends that’s not where the story ends again you get to decide if you want that to be where it ends or not um and so really just kind of liberating people into like kind of diseased, you know, label diagnosis mindset into one that is completely um of of freedom and and and total healing. That’s that is what we want to be known for. So, if that is something that kind of resonates with you like I need that um that is that is what we exist to do in soft. Yes. again, feel better, you know, get adjustments, it feels great and everyone is happy, blah, blah, blah. But educating you um along the way to to take control and that your health is yours. That is what that is what we really really really uh desire to do in this office.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Love that. Absolutely love that. Okay. Where can we find you? Where you located? Website, phone number, all the things like that so that people can come and get this amazing thing you offer.

Dr. Abby: Yes. So, um we are at 5444 South 900 East conveniently located um right in Murray. Um so that is our address. Um our website really kind of has everything that you might need to know about our office. So our max our our website is maxlivingwasatchfront.com. One long big word. Um on our website you’ll find our phone number, our email. Both are great ways to get in touch with us. You can even schedule an appointment online. you’ll put in your information, it’ll come straight pop up on our end. Um, we do have links to our social medias. We have Instagram and Facebook. Um, you can also just go straight to social media, MaxLiving Wasatch Front on all platforms. Um, and uh, yeah, that’s pretty much where you can find us. I mean, of course, you know, our phone number 8017 or 78007, that’s our phone number. Um, but really just go to the website and, you know, it’ll point you to all the things that you need.

Dr. Betty DeLass: Amazing. Amazing. Well, thank you so much for what you do, Dr. Abby, and your husband as well for our community here in Murray. And um thank you for being on our spotlight series. It’s so great to have you on here, and I look forward to many more collaborations with you.

Dr. Abby: Me, too. Thank you so much for having me.