Finding Optimal Well-Being with Dr. Shabby Ashtiani

Dr. Ashtiani: [00:00:00] With everything going on, it’s, I really hope this whole pandemic really sparks a light in everyone to really teach them to take care of your body, right? Don’t wait until you’re sick. Go into something strong so you come out strong versus going, you know, it’s like starting a marathon. If you’re not ready for it, you can’t finish it.

Hope: Do you want to wake up feeling like you’re stepping into who you’re meant to be and to the best possible version of you? But if I told you that the key to your best life, health and happiness are all around you, you just have to find what works for you. I’m Hope Pedraza and I believe that there isn’t just one way to live a healthy and meaningful life and that all you need is a little inspiration to make changes that last from the inside out.

out. Each week I’ll be sharing tangible tips and inspirational interviews to help you on your journey. These are the steps to take to improve your life and live with purpose. This is Hopeful and Wholesome. Hey y’all, thanks for joining me today. So today I talked to Dr. Shabby Ashtiani. She is the owner [00:01:00] and treating chiropractor at Essence Chiropractic and Wellness in San Antonio, Texas.

In this episode, we talk about all things wellness, about the treatments that she offers at her clinic to give people a functional, more comprehensive approach to wellness. And how you can find optimal well being, even if you’re not going to her clinic. Dr. Shabby has some great wellness nuggets in this episode I think you’ll enjoy.

Thanks for listening. Okay y’all, let’s get going. I’m really excited to bring on Dr. Shabby today because we are talking about all things wellness and optimal well being and what we can all do to get there. So thank you so much for joining me today, Dr. Shabby. 

Dr. Ashtiani: Thank you for having me. 

Hope: Yeah, so I have to say your resume is pretty impressive just with all of the things you’ve gone to school for and all the certifications that you have.

So can you just give kind of an overview of everything that you do to our listeners and kind of where your area of expertise or areas of expertise are? 

Dr. Ashtiani: Sure, of course. Okay, so I [00:02:00] do have my doctorate in chiropractic. And at our clinic, my specialty, the things I’m certified in, is prenatal care, pediatric care, acupuncture, dry needling, and some sports therapy modalities, like grass and therapy, some of the myofascial release work.

And typically, I think at our practice, what you’ll notice is, you know, when people come in, typically it’s not your typical chiropractic clinic. We try to look for other modalities to use. Alongside the adjustment and really find what the root cause of the issue is so that way You know, you’re getting more of a overall wellness Treatment versus just you know coming and getting pop bleeding kind of thing 

Hope: Yeah, so your office is all about kind of that mind body relationship and using that to maintain optimal health so just how important is that mind body connection because you do you take more of like a functional approach right than just It So, what is the importance of [00:03:00] that, and then what can we do to strengthen that mind-body connection kind of for wholeness, for optimal health as a whole?

Dr. Ashtiani: Right. Um, my personal philosophy, I think, is that, obviously, you know, people always say that if you think it, you know, you, you believe it, you think it, and it comes to life, and it’s so true. We see that a lot with, you hear about the placebo effect, right? You give someone a sugar supplement,

That’s not even a drug, you know, it’s like a little sugar cube and you tell them it’s gonna fix something and all of a sudden they’re cured. Is it that they are cured or is their mind is so powerful and so strong that, you know, you’re able to take care of your body? Now, am I saying this goes for Diseases and you know big things that actually need medical guidance No, but when it comes to just overall wellness and building that immunity and keeping that body strong definitely So when it comes to that mind body connection, you know, um, I think there’s different Steps in looking at it.

One is making sure [00:04:00] mentally we’re good to go. Whether that means you’re doing meditation, doing yoga, seeing a counselor, a therapist, talking to someone, whatever it takes to be able to make sure mentally we’re functioning well for ourselves, but also for our family and friends, right? And then that relates back to your body as well and how your organs are functioning.

So, um, not only is diet affecting that, but mentally that’s affecting it too. So if you’re under a lot of stress, your hormones are gonna be out of whack, right? So you, not only are your hormones affecting it now, you’re probably not gonna be eating well because you’re gonna be stress eating. So there’s so many different factors that really go into it.

So that mind body connection, it’s, um, Sure, you can be stressed and it hurts your body, but then if it’s that domino effect, it starts affecting other things as well, if that makes any sense. Yeah, no, for sure. Yeah, so it’s, I always try to practice, you know, tell my patients, really take care of yourself.

Self care is like one of the biggest things I think I always preach and always talk about. It’s, it doesn’t have to be going shopping and [00:05:00] buying a purse for yourself, it can just be taking a bath. Right? So when watching your kiddos and you just having probably 30 minutes. Yeah. Maybe a glass of wine.

Maybe, uh, you know, just sitting outside in the grass and getting some sun. Whatever that means to you about taking care of you and having that personal time, I think it’s so important. So you take that approach, right, mentally and then physically. You being active, it doesn’t have to be you going to a CrossFit class or you going, joining a gym.

But then maybe that is what it takes for you, right? Whatever that means for you to be active. That’s what I always tell my patients. It’s always activity you look for. So if walking is active, it’s, you know, it means you’re more active, then great, go walking. You’re taking a yoga class, you’re taking a bar class, you’re taking a spin class, great go take that class, right?

Something that gets you active more than your typical day would be. So if it means just starting with parking a little further and walk into the grocery store, you know, taking extra steps and that’s how you start your [00:06:00] activity, great. Let’s start it that way. I always try to tell patients that Don’t go to the extreme.

If you’re not working out, don’t all of a sudden join a CrossFit gym. Right. And then hurt yourself, you know? You’re causing more damage, not physically, but also, even emotionally, right? Because now you’re comparing yourself to everybody else. Why do I look like this? Why can’t I do that? So then, it’s just, again, it’s knowing where you’re at and giving yourself grace and just taking baby steps and getting to your end goal.

So, um, that activity is important as well, right? So, activity physically, it’s affecting your weight, your mood, your appearance, right? But then, going back to that mood aspect of it, it is affecting you mentally, too. So, there’s that aspect, but then the next thing would be, like, eating healthy, right? So, making sure that we’re watching the junk we’re putting into our, um, our bodies and our system.

Is it okay to have a burger here and there? Of course. You know, is it okay to have a pizza here and there? Of course. Because then you see people who are so strict, they’re just not happy either, right? Because now they’re [00:07:00] eating this plain diet that they don’t enjoy and their body’s not absorbing it. So, I don’t like to call it a cheat day.

I just say, You know, be conscious of what you’re eating. So, um, if you enjoy pasta, that’s okay, just watch it in moderation, right? Add other things to it that are also healthy. So make sure you’re, instead of, you know, eating ice cream every night, make sure maybe you eat fruit, right? You switch it up, and maybe you make your own little smoothie instead that, Also can be sweet if you have a sweet tooth, or, you know what I mean, just finding alternative ways of getting that craving in.

But food’s really important, so making sure you’re getting the right nutrients from your diet. I think that’s really, really key because gut health is so, so important. That gut is, I see it so many times in my colicky babies, in my babies with ADHD, in kids with autism. Controlling that diet, you know, really minimizing that sugar intake.

It’s so, so, so important. Yeah, for sure. Um, so there’s just [00:08:00] so many components to that mind body connection and just really that wellness overall. I think you would just think, oh, wellness is working out, or wellness is just dieting. You know, I always tell people, don’t get on a diet. A diet is what you eat.

So squirrel’s, diet is nuts, right? 

Hope: Mm-Hmm. . Mm-Hmm. . 

Dr. Ashtiani: So your diet is the foods that you typically eat. It shouldn’t be a or something that you do for six weeks and then you’re done with it, right? Something that you sustain and you’re able to sustain it. That’s the main thing, right? If it’s something that you can’t keep up with and you know that, oh, next month I’m gonna go visit my family, I can’t keep up with this.

It’s probably not the best thing for you to be doing that then. 

Hope: Right, and you do a lot of nutrition like consultations and nutrition testing at your clinic So and I know you do some testing for foods that trigger chronic inflammation So, how do you help your patients deal with that? So, how do you how does food sensitivity lead to chronic inflammation and then how do we know and then what we what can we do about it. 

Dr. Ashtiani: So typically when someone comes in [00:09:00] for a nutrition consult, um, we’ll take their I have them come in with a two week food diary That way we can see what they’re eating. I always tell them, don’t change it up. Don’t try to eat perfect for me, because then it kind of defeats the purpose of trying to figure out what’s causing the problems, right?

You should write down everything you’re eating, whether it’s food, supplements, smoothies, anything that’s going inside your body, write it down. A lot of times, before even testing gets done, we can see it from their food diary. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Dr. Ashtiani: So that’s one. Two, physically, just from my training in school, like, there’s certain signs a body shows that you can see as well, right?

Whether it’s like the nails you, the nail beds you look at, whether it’s their eyes, whether it’s just the skin, their lips, right, how dry lips are, tongue, they’re just different aspects of the body that you can look at to see, okay, there’s some nutrition deficiencies or. This person’s under a lot of inflammation.

And that inflammation part, unfortunately, we see a lot of that. [00:10:00] Like, I see so many people with inflammatory issues. And so it depends. So let’s say you come into our office, you want to do testing, because testing typically is not covered by insurance, so then people get a little iffy about it, which is totally understanding.

And I always tell my patients, you know, because we don’t upcharge the testing either, like, we usually Put your card with the testing company and you pay them, you didn’t even pay us, just because it’s already pricey. So I always tell patients, um, there’s different approaches. We can start with the test if you’re ready for it and we can get the results and kind of go from there.

Or if you’re not, you know, wanting to pay that much right now, which is fine, we can kind of take it a little bit slower, meaning we’ll go with process of elimination, right? So you bring in your diary and we kind of go over it, find out what’s been going on. I’ll go over your past medical as well to see if there’s any kind of trends, right? There’s anything within your family that’s been going on anything with you even little things that people don’t think of And it’s like oh wait these two [00:11:00] connect So we’ll go over that and then from there. We’ll start I always start someone on basic supplement. So, meaning, I put everyone on a pro and prebiotic.

So, that’s like the first thing, gut health again. Yeah. So, it’s the first thing. So, even if you don’t want the test or you do, like, gut health. So, we get on that probiotic. After that, I, two of my favorite anti inflammatories are CBD and turmeric. So, you can take both, you can take one, depending on your personal philosophy, right?

What you like, what you don’t like. Um, there’s some iffy stuff in there. So, I would recommend either one to the patient, and then I always let them know an anti inflammatory diet is good. It can be hard to sustain, so I think the big thing with an anti inflammatory diet is increasing your fruits and veggies again. Right? 

Hope: Is that typically what you’re telling people, for anti inflammatories, just eat more fruits and veggies? 

Dr. Ashtiani: Exactly. Exactly. 

And that’s what it comes down to. So, even if it’s hard to eliminate some of the other stuff, it’s like, okay, at least up your fruits. 

Hope: Right. Right. 

Dr. Ashtiani: Up your greens. Up your, [00:12:00] like, I always tell people, um, look for the rainbow.

So when you eat fruits and veggies, just make it colorful. Right, so don’t always get green grapes, maybe get some red grapes, and then put some cucumber in there for the greens that, right, when you get plums, there’s different color plums, there’s red plums, there’s black plums, there’s green plums, you know, like switch it up.

So even if you eat the same thing, like switch up the colors, because that does make a huge difference in your diet too. You’re getting different types of nutrients from these fruits, and the different colors of their fruits. Yeah. And I think, what I always try to do too, because we see so many families at our office, I try to teach my parents don’t make something for yourself and make something else for your kids.

It’s something you eat, make sure your kids eat, because that’s a cheap way, instead of, this is what you’re eating, this is what we’re eating, and I’m on a diet. Yes! Yes! So then they start looking at it like, what does that mean, you’re on a diet, but then too, then they start looking at their food like, why am I being forced to eat this kind of thing?

Instead of just making one thing like, we all eat this, because this is what’s healthy. Right, [00:13:00] and there’s no other option. Like, there’s no, I don’t like this, right? Right. This is what everyone’s eating. Yeah, this is the norm. And I think the only thing is, making sure what you eat becomes the norm for your family.

Hope: Yeah. 

Dr. Ashtiani: So, testing. Sorry, I got a little off track. 

Hope: No, it’s good. 

Dr. Ashtiani: So, we can do like, Alcat testing and checks for food sensitivity. So, we tell patients, it’s not going to be checking for allergies, we’re checking for your sensitivity. There’s different categories on depending on what all you’re looking for.

Are you looking for just fluid sensitivities, are you looking for mold, are you looking for preservatives, dyes, there’s all these things that it can check for. So it just depends on how aggressive you want to get about it, then we can get the results and see what’s going on. We draw the blood in office ourselves, I can draw it and then my assistant also can draw it, we both are certified, so we can do that.

And then we spin it in house as well, and then we just send it out. So we have everything there, but, you know, the tests are, they’re great for someone who’s very adamant [00:14:00] about wanting to know exactly. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Do you find, though, when, so like, say somebody doesn’t want to get tested, and you just do kind of your, like, elimination diet type thing, do you find that, in most cases, like, doing the probiotic, and, like, either the CBD turmeric, and then just the anti inflammatory diet, does that typically fix the issues?

Dr. Ashtiani: Yeah, there’s a few things sometimes we’ll eliminate from their diet. Sometimes we see people who have a lot of dairy intake, minimizing that. The number one thing, it’s really hard to go cold turkey on something, right? So, say donating dairy, that’s, for someone who eats cheese every day, that’s kind of hard to do.

So, and that’s another part at my office that we tell patients, I’m never going to go cold turkey on you on something because I know you won’t do it. 

Hope: Right, right. 

Dr. Ashtiani: I’ll just get disappointed and then you probably won’t come back. Right. So, be more practical about it. So, the main thing I always start with is, okay, let’s cut the milk out, right?

You can still do the yogurts, you can still do the cheese, cut milk out. See how much difference that makes. If we notice a huge [00:15:00] difference, excellent. If we’re not noticing a big difference and we still need to cut more out, then we kind of go from there. Majority of the time when we cut just the milk out, that itself kind of gets rid of a lot of issues.

So that helps increasing the water intake. You’d be surprised. 

Hope: Totally. 

I tell that to my, I’m not even a doctor, I tell that to my clients all the time. It’s like, It’s life changing! Like, just drink some water! 

Dr. Ashtiani: Yes, I mean, it’s, people think they drink enough water, that’s the thing. Yes! Yes! I drink plenty, and I’m like, okay, what’s plenty?

Hope: Exactly! Define that! What is that? 

Dr. Ashtiani: Exactly. You know, not just, I mean, it’s not just the diet wise with inflammation, but just your skin, your hair, I mean, it makes, you’re going to the bathroom. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I haven’t gone in three days. I’m like hmm. 

Hope: That’s a problem. 

Dr. Ashtiani: Yeah. Like let’s increase that water, let’s lubricate your intestines, you know.

Hope: Right. That’s crazy. 

Yeah. In terms of your chiropractic care, because I know there’s a [00:16:00] lot of misconceptions out there, and I know for me, like, I’ve had a not so great experience with chiropractors before, so can you talk a little bit about, like, because you’re right, like what you said at the beginning, it’s not just about going and getting popped and then you leave, right?

So can you talk more about, like, the deeper benefits? Because I read an article not too long ago that was even talking about, like, getting a chiropractic adjustment can help with your immune system. So can you talk to, like, the broader benefits of chiropractic care? 

Dr. Ashtiani: Of course! So the main thing, um, I would tell patients is we look for mobility.

That’s our thing, right? So when people come in and they’re like, I seem to be hot. I always joke with them. I start popping my knuckles. I’m like, okay, look, I can pop my knuckles. It doesn’t mean I got adjusted, right? All that pop is gas being released from the joints, right? That’s really all that means. Now, if I were to adjust you, could you hear a pop?

Definitely, right? If there’s gas within those joints, you can definitely hear it, but it doesn’t mean it always has to happen. So with our kiddos, because their joints aren’t fully fused yet, right? You [00:17:00] don’t hear any popping. So I always try to tell patients, the parents bringing their babies in,

there’s no popping, there’s no cracking, there’s no twisting when it comes to pediatric adjustments. Especially kiddos under the age of four, you’re not really going to hear anything. And the techniques are going to be really different. So, the manual adjustment I would do, for example, on you would definitely not be the same thing I would do on an infant.

And since we do a lot more sustained contact, for example, for my pediatric training, I took 200 extra hours of classes outside of school. 

Hope: Wow. 

Dr. Ashtiani: It’s not even, you know, people are like, oh, yeah, my old car used to see kids, or, yeah, I saw on this website they see kids, which is fine, everyone can, right? Um, but at the same time, it’s, are they going to do the same exact thing on you that they do on your baby, and they do on your husband, and they do on your grandma?

You know, that’s the part that’s always concerning. Not about just doing an adjustment, but understanding why are you doing it, right? What is our goal of it? So, for example, when kiddos come in, [00:18:00] it’s not just the adjustment they’re getting with us. They’re coming in, and sure, will they get adjusted? More than likely.

But are they coming in, and we’re teaching them, um, exercises, you know? So if you bring a baby in, um, even like with my little one I just have, you know, with him, um, there’s exercises that I do with him on a daily that, for example, these are the stuff I teach the parents to do at home with their kiddos. So not only are these things helping with, for example, digestion, getting rid of gas, things like that, but it’s also teaching the little ones right brain left brain connection patterns.

So that way we’re always thinking that end goal. I always do this with my pregnant patients and with the kiddos, it’s that end goal. So with the little ones, when an infant comes in, we think of milestones, and we think of what’s happening next, right? So when they’re first born, not much is happening, right?

But then after that, they start getting stronger with their grip strength, right? Okay. And then after that, they start um, rolling from side to side. After that, they start pulling themselves up. And then they start hopefully crawling and then eventually walking. So these are things we’re looking for biomechanically of making sure [00:19:00] that the pelvis is moving well and making sure that the babies are able to Hit those milestones appropriately instead of falling behind.

And my thing is it’s I don’t like just the basic of, okay at this age, this is when they should be doing it. Why not sooner, right? Why not get them going and moving and being active sooner? So if we start teaching them, for example, if we do bicycles with the kiddos, Sure, is that helping with getting the gas out?

Definitely. But is that also teaching them eventually for crawling, right? Because they’re already getting that motion of the legs going back and forth, left and right. And as the kids get older, we start combining arms into it and bringing the arms in and down with it. So at each stage, we start doing different types of exercises with them.

And we even put them on an exercise ball and start doing tummy time and different things on the ball as well. And all of that goes into knowing that, okay, why are we doing this? Or we’re trying to strengthen their muscles, right? We’re trying to work on making sure they’re holding their own heads up. So a lot of times, parents will say, oh, they hate being on the floor.

They hate being on the floor. [00:20:00] So it’s finding alternative ways. So again, it’s not just the adjustment we’re doing, right? We’re going back and teaching their little muscles how to activate and which proper muscles to activate and when to activate. So that’s that. And then also with the little ones, I think I spend the most time in my treatments, it’s with the babies, um, just because We do that, and then we also do a lot of nutrition as well, so especially when a baby comes in who’s colicky, or who hasn’t gone to the bathroom in a while, or who’s, um, has a lot of reflux, I always tell the patients, like, I’m not curing any of that, right?

We’re just assisting and finding out what is the issue. Is the issue that mom’s diet, she’s breastfeeding, and her diet is irritating the baby’s stomach? Okay, so then we go back to mom. Okay, what is mom eating? And we put mom on supplements, right? To correct that, and then we watch the effect on baby. Now how did that change?

Did that change baby’s stool? Did that change baby’s screaming? Did that change baby’s sleep pattern? Right? So, there’s a lot of factors, I think, that goes into [00:21:00] that treatment that I really want someone to understand it’s not just one thing, right? It’s not just you coming in and getting adjusted, or you coming in and doing a nutrition consult, but understanding that when you combine all of these, Right?

You get that overall effect. So now when it comes to adults or like a pregnant patient that comes in when it comes to adjustments, you always ask, why do pregnant people need to get adjusted? And it’s, well, the pelvis is changing, right? Your hormones are changing. You have relaxin kind of loosening everything up.

to make sure that baby fits inside the pelvis. But because it’s loosening everything up, nothing is being able to move well. And then patients start coming and saying, I have sciatica, I have back pain, things are hurting. And I always try to find out, is it true sciatica? Because sciatica is nerve irritation, right?

Is it a nerve irritation or is it the joints aren’t moving well and now they’re stuck? And every time you move, because of biomechanics again, right? Things just aren’t moving well. So, um, we find out what’s going on. The adjustment, again, mobilizes, right? We mobilize the joints to make sure they’re able to move the [00:22:00] way they should be moving.

We teach some of the moms some stretches and exercises, simple stuff that they can even do in bed. Again, we try to be practical about this because again, during pregnancy, everyone’s different. Some people work out every day which I’m like, props to you, that wasn’t me. When I was pregnant, I was like, Oh my gosh, I’m exhausted.

I don’t know how people work out all the time. You know, so it’s finding the the Basics to guide someone to be able to they know that they’re coming in for the care But they also can do something at home because I don’t want someone to always feel like they’re 100 percent dependent on me Right because once they can’t come in then then what right then what do they do?

So they should want someone to come in every day to see me, which is nice, but it’s not the end goal I think as a doctor, it’s I want someone to take care of themselves, too Right? So it’s, you should hold from appointment to the next appointment, you should be able to hold off for that long. And so when I come with, come up with like, my treatment plan, [00:23:00] it’s usually based on what’s happening.

So for a pregnant mom, if I say, okay, between 14 and 24 weeks, I want to see you every week, for example, that’s probably because biomechanically things are shifting in your body. And because of your hormones between those weeks, again, things are just shifting in a certain way that that’s why I put those times.

And usually if a patient’s like, oh, it’s okay, I’ll go two weeks and I’ll see you then, they end up calling the week after, they’re like, no, actually, I need to come in. And it’s, you know, so I always tell them, I’m like, I don’t just do it just to do it. It’s usually, you know, there’s always a reason behind it.

And it’s mainly because of what’s happening. So, for example, that first trimester, I only see them once a month because not, you know, It’s more so that nausea, that fatigue, things that they can take care of or manage at home, right? And then after that, they go to bi weekly and then we go to weekly, but again, it’s because baby’s getting bigger, right?

So, at least take it back to what is actually happening and what are we trying to do to assist with that? So, like at our clinic, I see a lot of healthy people [00:24:00] and I think the main thing is patients are learning Even if they’re not so healthy coming in, but then they end up, you know, crossing that line because they start understanding why they’re coming in.

Yeah, right. So initially if they’re hurting, they’re coming in, we get a little bit more aggressive with the treatment of like, okay, I want to see you, for example, once a week for four weeks or twice a week for two weeks. Let’s get aggressive. Find out why is that shoulder hurting, right? Address the problem, and then from there we start backing off because now I want you to be able to take care of that yourself, right?

You need to be able to sustain whatever we just did to hold on it, right? Instead of it constantly like, oh, it hurts again, oh, it hurts again, oh, it hurts again. Kind of like an apple, right? You take an apple, you’re gone, but then once it wears off eight hours later, I don’t ever want it to be like that. So I don’t know how to, I guess, Talk about 

Hope: yeah, no, that was good.

What you said was it makes sense So let’s look at because another thing you offer your clinic you do [00:25:00] acupuncture and dry needling Can you talk about the difference between the two of those? 

Dr. Ashtiani: Yeah, so Acupuncture is the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine, right? So I’m with That, they believe that there are different meridians, channels throughout the body, different points, you could say, throughout the body where we insert these needles.

There’s specific points within the body that these needles are actually inserted, and they don’t go that deep either. They’re a little bit more superficial. So, for example, you coming in saying, I have a headache, there’s actual formulas that it’s been created over the years. And if you connect these certain points, it helps with alleviating your symptoms, right?

Versus dry needling, we’re taking that needle and inserting into the muscle, the belly of the muscle, or a trigger point. So, for example, if you come in and you have a huge knot, right? I’m going to find where that is, and then we’ll put that needle in there, and it goes a lot deeper than it would with acupuncture.

There’s different ways of approaching that one. [00:26:00] You can either put it in and constantly move that needle, kind of like take it in and out a little bit. You can leave it and just let it be, or you can connect to a STEM unit and then have the, um, STEM unit activate it and it’ll, um, release the tension in there.

When you connect it to a STEM unit, it increases endorphin release, so it kind of speeds up the recovery process. What I like to do for, depending on the condition, so again if it’s a musculoskeletal condition, like you coming in saying, my traps are really tight, my upper back hurts. I like to combine acupuncture and dry needling.

So usually I won’t just do one or the other. I found in practice, when I combine the two, I get better results than when I just do one or the other. Now the only time that I typically will just do just acupuncture, that’s usually for my pregnant patients. Just because one, they can’t have the stem, just because of the baby.

But they’re the only ones that I’ll just do straight acupuncture, besides that, when it’s, again, if it’s a shoulder injury, knee, hip, low [00:27:00] back, anything like that, I usually like to combine the two. So, you know, I’ll follow the formula that says, okay, this is for back pain, but then I’ll still get into the glutes or different types of muscles and we’ll put the needles and we’ll connect it to the stem.

So I kind of will do all of it. And you’re usually on the needles for about 30 minutes or so. Between 25 and 30 minutes, we’ll have you lay there with the needles on, being activated. 

Hope: Okay. So, how did you find this path? What was kind of the path that led you onto this? Like, your kind of underlying purpose for getting into this, the wellness journey?

Dr. Ashtiani: Yeah, so undergrad, I was pre med, I was a bi major, and halfway through, I was like, I don’t want to be a pediatrician. I’ve always wanted to work with kids, and I think halfway through, I was like, wait a minute, I don’t want to write prescriptions forever. Like, I’m very hands on. Yeah. So, and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just, that’s not, I think, my calling.

I want to do something that, again, I I talk with my hands, I think, when I treat. I like to use my [00:28:00] hands. I’m very hands on, and I was like, okay, I don’t think this is the profession for me. Uh, my dad’s like, nope, you’re still getting that bio degree. I was like, alright, well, guess there’s no change. So, so I still finished my degree, yeah.

When I got my master’s, I got my master’s in health promotion and kinesiology, and while I was getting my master’s, I got my master’s. I did a couple, what do you call them, internships with UTF and Science Center where we would go and do wellness workshops for businesses in San Antonio. So, for example, a law firm would ask us to come in and we put on like a six week program for them, and it was mainly so that It would help their premium, their insurance company, right?

So that people are healthier and they’re not paying as much. 

Hope: Right. 

Dr. Ashtiani: So we would teach them about diet, exercise, but then we’d also make it a challenge for them. So like, okay, like losing inches and eating healthy and things like that. And we’d coach them through the process. As I was doing that, I met a friend who had applied to Cairo school [00:29:00] and he was like, well, have you considered this?

He’s like, well, not really. I looked at DO, but I hadn’t even like thought about Cairo because the only thing I personally knew about Cairo was, um, car accidents. I was like, my only experience I personally had ever had was, I got in an accident one time, they called me and said, I should go see a chiropractor.

I went for like a few weeks, they told me to, and then that was it. 

Hope: Right. 

Dr. Ashtiani: Literally the only experience I’ve ever had, and I was like, that’s not what I want to do. And he’s like, you know, there’s definitely more to it, just go visit the campus, and then, you know, let me know what you think. So there’s two schools in Texas, there’s one in Dallas, and one in Houston.

So, naturally I went to Houston just because I didn’t want to deal with the snow in Dallas. So I went and took a tour and I was actually very shocked with how little I knew of chiropractic. Because my thing was, okay, I still want to use my masters and my bachelors, you know, I didn’t spend all this money and time to just throw it out the window.

So, um, when I was on campus, I took a tour of their [00:30:00] anatomy lab, which is really fascinating because I didn’t even realize that chiropractors, like, Went that much into the science aspect of things. So for example for the first year and a half in your anatomy class Where you actually dissect cadavers. So you have yeah, you have a whole cadaver for your like So each group has one and the first semester you start with just the muscles So you start with the back the legs the arms and then second semester you start going into so each semester you get deeper and deeper into the body So you get into, um, a different system.

So your second try, you’re doing cardiovascular, you’re doing the gut, we do the reprocess, right? You get into everything. And then the third, you, second, you get into neuro, but then the third, it’s just neuro. So just the brain and following all the nerves and all the pathways and things like that. So like that even shocked me.

I’m like, Oh, never. This was part of the chiro care. And then just a different, you [00:31:00] know, the first year is very similar to medical and dental field. We still have to take all the same basics. Microbiology, pathology, and you know, you know, like we still take all the main things. For example, my brother, he’s a dentist and when he was in dental school, we had the same exact first year classes, except I had spinal anatomy along with regular anatomy.

He had dental anatomy, regular anatomy. So everything is still the same cause you still have to take all the basics. 

Hope: Right. Right. 

Dr. Ashtiani: And then your second year you start getting into a little bit more, you take, you still have some of the basics, but they’re like level twos, but then you start taking your intro to chiropractic.

And then your third year, it’s all, you know, um, your specialty classes. And yeah, so this is the campus. I was very shocked by it. They also, um, your last year there, you start, you work in clinics. So you start with student clinic where you’re treating students and faculty, then you go to outpatient clinic.

Once you finish that, then you can start applying to [00:32:00] external clinics. So, um, when I was there, for example, I worked at There was a center for a shelter for abused moms and kids So like I did a rotation there. I did one at Jovich and clear lake did one at rice university And then once I finished those I actually applied to do some with some entities.

So I worked with a neurologist I did one with a PM& R doctor who does injections, and the main thing with working with other providers is so that when a patient comes in, I can better explain to them, right, like, their options. So it’s not that I’m just saying, oh, I read in a book that if you get an injection, this is what happens.

Like, oh, I actually shadowed someone and worked with someone for six weeks, and this is the procedure. And these are the processes, right? It’s just. This is what happens, and this is also how it works with insurance as well, right? So before you get surgery, you have to do alternative healthcare first. You have to do your rehab first.

And then you qualify for surgery. And then after surgery, you still have to do rehab, right? [00:33:00] So just being able to kind of explain stuff. Yeah, so that’s really, um, I guess how it all kind of happened and then when I was in school I realized, oh, you can actually specialize in stuff. So, um, that’s when I joined a pediatric group and then I started taking the pediatric classes.

So my pediatric classes were on top of school and then even acupuncture was another hundred hours on top of school as well. So all this stuff that I’m certified and licensed in, they’re all additional to just, you know, my basic degree. 

Hope: That’s a lot. You’ve done a lot. 

Dr. Ashtiani: Yeah, I think a lot of it to the stuff I’m certified in and things I had done as a patient.

Yes. I tore my left shoulder and I remember every ortho I saw was like, you’re too young, I’m not doing surgery on you. If I do surgery, then you can’t do this and you can’t, you know. Everyone was too afraid to do anything. And then when I hurt my wrist, same thing. I saw four different orthos. They all gave me different diagnoses and the only thing they would [00:34:00] do was just steroid injections, which at the time I was like, okay, if that’s all you can do, let’s do it.

But then, you know, it didn’t do anything. Yeah, it didn’t fix the problem. Especially because they all were giving me different diagnoses. They’re all infecting different things. And then I remember one of them’s like, Okay, we’ll do surgery. But then I was like, Wait, but none of the other doctors agree with me.

It sounds too appealing. Yeah. That’s when, So I got like, For example, For my wrist and my shoulder, I got Graston done, Which is a myofascial therapy, My D at the office. And, Again, Did it. Fixed. It’s a torn shoulder? Of course not, right? I always tell patients, it’s not like you’re going to come in and I’m going to fix that for you.

Right. But are we going to manage the pain? Yes. Right? That’s our key is managing your pain, making sure that we’re stabilizing it, and then you can do your daily activities, right? Always ask patients, what is your angle? If they’re like, oh, I want surgery. It’s like, okay, that’s okay. But now I know how to kind of manage your treatment plan verses someone who says

[00:35:00] I don’t want surgery. What can we do conservatively? 

Hope: Yeah. What do you find, sound like you’ve, it sounds like you kind of found your purpose like pretty early on. So what inspires you now? 

Dr. Ashtiani: I think in practice. So when I was, after I graduated, I worked in Houston for a year. And I work at a regular clinic, you know, no specialty or anything.

And then, I always knew I wanted my own clinic. So when I came to San Antonio and I opened up my clinic, I was still seeing everyone, which I still do, but little by little I started seeing more and more pregnant moms. And moms talk. Moms love to talk. So, and I think that itself is what really grew the clinic is one mom telling her friend or telling her sister or telling her cousin.

And so right now I would say 70 percent of my practice is pregnant moms and kiddos. Which is really neat and fascinating and I think that’s where my biggest passion has been, I would say. really being able to, because they’re all so different, [00:36:00] right? So I can have a mom who was C section the first time and comes back and wants a VBAC.

And so now, you know, I’m part of her team and our goal is to, okay, what can we do to get you that VBAC, right? Or you have a mom who comes in and says, I had the worst first labor, I was in labor for 36 hours, you know, this, this, this, I don’t want to repeat that again. What can we do, right? So, when all these people come back and tell you their stories, and you know that you’re part of that team that helped make that change for them, like, that sparks this light inside you, like, this is awesome, like, you were able to help this person achieve something that’s so special to them, right?

And pregnancy is such a unique experience, and each one is so different, right? So, when you can help someone who’s, hurting a lot or just wants a different path in a story. I think that’s what really helps me keep that passion, keep going I guess you could [00:37:00] say, you know, or you know having someone come in with a baby screaming bloody murder 24 7 and it’s finding out why, why is this happening?

The hardest part, I think, with little ones is having that patience, right? And then the parents also having that patience of, like, understanding, okay, like, I’m not going to give your child a drug and that’s going to put them to sleep or make the screaming stop. Understanding that it’s going to take some time, but as long as you stick with it, trust the process, you know, hopefully we can make some change for you and the baby.

Yeah. But when we see those changes, I think that’s what just keeps me so motivated and I want to do more because it’s just like I’m barely seeing them and you know, it’s one of those It’s like there’s so many pregnant people everywhere. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it’s true. It’s like well just pregnancy one, but then postpartum, right?

It’s like you have the baby and then everyone forgets about the mom. 

Hope: Exactly. Yeah, it’s a whole other journey. 

Dr. Ashtiani: Yeah, people come visit you, but they’re not visiting you. Everyone’s coming to see the baby. The baby. Yes, they’re like Okay, I’m still here. [00:38:00] Hello. And then you can take care of, like, take care of yourself.

Because now it’s just feeding the baby. Whether it’s your breastfeeding, formula feeding, whatever it is, it’s all about the baby. Yeah. And when you start, your back starts hurting. Your low back starts hurting. Your upper back starts hurting. You’re not sleeping. You’re getting heavy. Right? All these things are happening.

But again, you’re still not taking care of yourself. Right. So then Domino effect, right? It just goes on. So baby’s growing, getting older, a toddler now, but you still have all these things from years. So again, it doesn’t have to be just a pregnant mom that comes in, right? I think any mom, any female that comes in needs to have a TLC, you know, and it’s finding out how can we help them.

Hope: Yeah, I love that. And where can people find out about your clinic and everything you’re doing there? 

Dr. Ashtiani: So they can, a few ways. You can go on our website, which is. Essence Cairo. com. You can follow us on Instagram. I think the handle is Essence [00:39:00] Cairo SA and it’s the same thing for Facebook as well. I try to post on there several times a week.

You can always send us a message on Facebook, Instagram. You can call our office. You can text our office. You can email our office. We can go on the website and submit a request form for us to reach out to you. So there’s multiple ways of trying to get in contact with us. 

Hope: Yeah, perfect. And I’d like to end with one last question that I’d like to ask everybody.

A little bit of a deeper question. What do you think is the most important thing people can do, or the most important change they can make to live with purpose? 

Dr. Ashtiani: What they can do, or what they can change. Either. 

Hope: Whichever one, and you can apply it to what you do. 

Dr. Ashtiani: So you say live with purpose, right? What, what does that means something different to everyone.

Whether you’re a mom, right? Whether you’re single, whether you’re a grandparent, whether you’re a 12 year old, you know, in seventh grade. I think you, taking care of you, right, is the most important thing, especially, for example, [00:40:00] just as a female, right, we were just talking about moms, it’s, if you don’t take care of you, then who’s going to take care of your family?

Because it starts with you, you take care of your kids, you take care of your husband, you take care of everybody. So if you’re not healthy, then what happens, right? So, if you want, that purpose in life is, I want to be there for my kids, and I want to be there for my family, and I want to be there for this, this, and that.

Well, if you’re not healthy, you can’t do any of that. Right? So it starts with you. Yeah. And making sure that you’re taken care of. Again, whether that’s emotionally you’re taken care of, physically you’re taken care of, financially you’re taken care of, whatever that means, I think that self care is truly important.

Hope: I agree completely. I love that. Perfect. Alright, Dr. Shabby, thank you so much for just talking about all of these. I really hope that this is gonna send a lot of people your way because I feel like you are like the wellness queen. I mean, you’re doing all things self care wellness, so I hope that it’s And people are getting a lot out of this for sure, especially now like we all need a little bit of self care [00:41:00] 

Dr. Ashtiani: With everything going on.

It’s I really hope this whole pandemic really Sparks a light in everyone to really teach them to take care of your body, right? Don’t wait till you’re sick 

Hope: Exactly. Yeah 

Dr. Ashtiani: go into something strong. So you come out strong versus going, you know It’s like starting a marathon if you’re not ready for it, you can’t finish it.

Hope: Yeah. 

Yeah, I agree completely Thank you so much Yeah! Thanks for listening to Hopeful and Wholesome, y’all. If you found value in this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to let me know what you thought. I’d love to know what you find useful in these episodes so I know how I can provide the most value I can to my listeners.

And if you have topics that you want to know more about, I’d love to hear those as well. So shoot me a message on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. It’s at thehopepadraza, or visit my website, hopefulandwholesome. com. Thanks, y’all! 

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