We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Mahan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.
Dr. Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?
I recently had a tired mom of of multiple boys come in for chronic upper back pain and headaches— we also found out that her blood pressure was trending high, her hormones were not in sync and her digestive system was not functioning the way it used to. We determined that not only was her spinal structure contributing to these symptoms, but her nervous system was in full blown survival mode. Anyone with young kiddos knows all of the stress that comes along with caring for them on top of caring for ourselves, and that stress was overwhelming her system and sending it into chronic fight or flight and leaving little room for rest, digest and repair. After going over all the results of her exam, we agreed on a plan of action and got to work!
In the first couple weeks of care, she started to notice more ease in her body and her back pain wasn’t waking her up at night anymore. She was able to play with her kids more and be more present for her family which was a huge thing for her! About a month into care, she noticed her headaches were completely gone and she felt an immense sense of relief after being trapped in the cycle of pain and headaches and dis-ease for so long. A few weeks later she noticed more consistent and healthier bowel movements, less intensity of emotional turbulence during her menstrual cycle, and more energy to get things done each day. She told me she felt like she got her life back through chiropractic care— which as her doctor made me feel so full of joy and happiness for her and her loved ones!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Chiropractic has been apart of my life literally since I was born. My parents had me while my dad was in chiropractic school, and I grew up going to the office with him and playing ‘chiropractor’ with my stuffed animals. Both of my parents work in the office now— my dad as a chiropractor and my mom as a health and wellness coach. I decided when I was a teenager that I would follow in my dads footsteps and become a doctor myself, and a large part of that was seeing the success stories of my dad’s patients and knowing I could help people like that too. When I finally went to chiropractic school in Atlanta, my love for this profession grew exponentially. I learned so many techniques and strategies to help my patients, and I could wait to get back and work in Cypress again. Discover Chiropractic & Wellness has been serving this community since 2004, and I am proud to have been serving alongside my parents for the last 5 years.
One of the things I love most about my job is the impact we have on so many different families and members of our community. Chiropractic is traditionally sought out for neck pain and back pain, but we truly can help upgrade so many different aspects and functions of our health and well-being.
We address all aspects of human health on a physical, chemical and emotional level for our practice members. We recognize those categories as the main points of stress in our lives, and stress is the main factor in how our nervous system adapts to our environment on the inside and out. If we are chronically stressed in any (or all) of those categories, our nervous system will operate out of survival mode— which is great when we need it, but not ideal when we are trying to focus at home/work, fight infection, sleep well, digest well, repair our bodies or process emotions of life.
I work hard to educate my community and practice members on strategies to create lifelong health and wellness that often doesn’t come from a pill , surgery or injection. We have everything we need already inside of us, we just need the right environment to be able to express it. Taking the stress and tension off of our nervous system is the key to high quality of life and vitality, and chiropractic care is my favorite way to accomplish just that!
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
In our society, doctors are highly respected individuals because people literally put their lives in the hands of these practitioners to help them overcome health obstacles and trials. I believe one of the most important aspects of being a doctor is to be able to listen to our patients, have empathy and understanding for where they are coming from, and being adaptable in order to provide the best care possible for each individual. I believe health is not a one size fits all type of thing, and each person should be cared for based on their specific history and circumstance. My ability to change and adapt throughout caring for someone has often been the key to their healing, so I am very passionate about maintaining clear and open communication with my patients so they can trust me and see success in their health.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
Yes I would choose chiropractic over and over again! As of right now, I see families and individuals from all walks of life, but one of the things I became very passionate about in chiropractic school was caring for pregnant women and children. I firmly believe healthy kids develop into healthy adults, and there is so much potential to unlock in those first few years of life. Most of that potential also begins during development in the womb and the health of mom. Pregnancy is a time of so much change and adaptation— often leaving women with chronic pain, emotional distress and disconnection with their bodies. Chiropractic is an amazing tool to help with these transitional phases of life, and it always warms my heart to see a kiddo who was struggling to adapt finally be able to thrive and enjoy what life has to offer.
My goal as a chiropractor has always been to help people better express their health, but if I had to start over I would niche down to these special populations to help moms and babies have the best start to life possible!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.discoverchirohouston.com
- Instagram: @discoverchirohouston
- Facebook: @discoverchirohouston