In this inspiring episode, Dr. Joseph Schneider welcomes Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer, a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and Doctor of Chiropractic whose personal battle with cancer transformed the way she approaches patient care. Together, they explore the importance of nervous system health, functional medicine, chiropractic care, resilience, and faith as essential components of true healing. Drawing from both personal experience and clinical practice, Dr. Wesemeyer explains why restoring function—not simply reducing symptoms—is the ultimate goal of healthcare.
Announcement: A major breakthrough in neurological care has arrived. In this episode of the POTS Podcast, Dr. Joseph Schneider introduces the Spryson NeuroAI system, a cutting-edge technology designed to transform how brain conditions are diagnosed and treated. After 18 months of development and integration, this advanced platform combines AI-driven diagnostics, multimodal therapies, and regenerative medicine to deliver highly personalized treatment plans for patients with complex neurological conditions.Spryson NeuroAI: The Next Evolution in Brain RecoverySaturday Morning Workout: Rebuilding Strength After Stroke
Meet Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer is passionate about helping patients restore their health through a whole-body approach centered on the nervous system.
Her journey began through athletics, studying athletic training before earning her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University. Following her own experience with cancer, she expanded her education into Functional Medicine, allowing her to address the underlying causes of chronic illness rather than simply managing symptoms.
Her philosophy combines chiropractic care, functional medicine, nutrition, lifestyle modification, and compassionate patient care.
How Cancer Changed Everything
During chiropractic school, Dr. Wesemeyer was diagnosed with lymphoma.
Initially, she explored integrative therapies including high-dose vitamin C and mistletoe therapy before ultimately undergoing chemotherapy and radiation.
The experience profoundly changed her understanding of healing.
Rather than seeing healthcare through only one lens, she learned that effective patient care often requires combining conventional medicine with holistic therapies when appropriate.
Her experience also gave her a much deeper level of empathy for patients facing difficult health challenges.
Why the Nervous System Matters
One of the central themes of the discussion is the importance of a properly functioning nervous system.
Dr. Wesemeyer explains that chiropractic care is about much more than reducing pain.
By improving nervous system communication, patients may experience improvements in:
- Movement
- Recovery
- Function
- Energy
- Overall health
She believes optimal nervous system function provides the foundation upon which every other body system performs.
Functional Medicine Looks for the Root Cause
To complement chiropractic care, Dr. Wesemeyer continues expanding her expertise through Functional Medicine.
Rather than simply suppressing symptoms, her approach investigates potential contributing factors such as:
- Nutrition
- Lifestyle
- Chronic inflammation
- Environmental exposures
- Metabolic dysfunction
Personalized care plans are developed to support the body’s natural healing processes while addressing the root causes of illness.
Treating the Whole Person
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Wesemeyer emphasizes that successful treatment should improve a patient’s life—not simply reduce pain.
Her clinical goal is helping patients return to:
- Family activities
- Work
- Exercise
- Sports
- Hobbies
- Everyday independence
Every patient receives individualized care using a variety of chiropractic techniques based on their specific needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Faith as Part of Healing
One of the most personal aspects of the discussion centers on faith.
Dr. Wesemeyer shares how her cancer journey strengthened her relationship with God and transformed her perspective on healing.
Prayer became an important source of peace, resilience, and hope throughout treatment.
Today, faith remains an important part of her practice, creating an environment where patients who desire spiritual support feel welcomed and encouraged.
She believes emotional and spiritual healing can complement physical recovery while respecting each patient’s individual beliefs.
Learning Never Stops
As a relatively new practitioner, Dr. Wesemeyer openly discusses overcoming imposter syndrome while continuing to grow professionally.
She credits mentors, continuing education, and treating a diverse range of patients with helping her develop confidence and expand her clinical skills.
Her philosophy is simple:
Healthcare professionals should remain lifelong students who continually refine their knowledge for the benefit of their patients.
Recovery Requires Courage
Recovery is rarely linear.
Dr. Wesemeyer discusses how many patients struggle with fear after illness or injury.
Healing often requires patients to:
- Face uncertainty
- Build confidence
- Accept setbacks
- Continue moving forward
She encourages patients not to allow illness to define their identity but instead to focus on rebuilding their lives one step at a time.
Hope Beyond Symptoms
A recurring message throughout the episode is that healthcare should focus on restoring hope.
Whether someone is recovering from cancer, neurological injury, chronic pain, or another complex condition, success is measured by helping them regain the ability to enjoy life again.
That philosophy aligns closely with the mission of Hope Brain and Body Recovery Center—helping patients restore function, resilience, and quality of life through compassionate, personalized care.
Listen and Learn
If you’re interested in chiropractic care, functional medicine, nervous system health, or whole-person healing, this conversation offers valuable insights into combining science, compassion, and resilience to support long-term recovery.
Visit Hope Brain and Body Recovery Center to learn more about comprehensive neurological and functional medicine care.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who is Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner whose clinical approach combines chiropractic care, functional medicine, nutrition, and whole-person wellness.
How did cancer influence her approach to healthcare?
Her experience as a cancer survivor deepened her appreciation for combining conventional medicine, holistic therapies, and compassionate patient care while emphasizing nervous system health and resilience.
What is nervous system-centered chiropractic care?
It focuses on optimizing communication between the brain and body through chiropractic adjustments to improve movement, recovery, and overall function.
Why did Dr. Wesemeyer study Functional Medicine?
Functional Medicine helps identify the underlying causes of chronic illness by evaluating nutrition, inflammation, hormones, lifestyle factors, and environmental influences, allowing for more personalized care.
Does she combine chiropractic care with Functional Medicine?
Yes. She integrates chiropractic adjustments with nutrition, lifestyle recommendations, and functional medicine principles to provide comprehensive patient care.
How does faith influence her practice?
Dr. Wesemeyer shares that her personal faith became a source of strength during cancer treatment and continues to inspire compassionate, hope-centered patient care while respecting each individual’s beliefs.
What patients does she enjoy treating?
She enjoys working with athletes, mothers, children, and individuals with chronic health challenges, while remaining committed to caring for patients of all ages and backgrounds.
What is her philosophy on recovery?
Recovery is measured by helping patients regain meaningful participation in everyday life—not simply reducing pain or symptoms.
Why is lifelong learning important in chiropractic care?
Healthcare continues to evolve, and ongoing education allows practitioners to incorporate new research, techniques, and evidence-informed approaches to improve patient outcomes.
How do I schedule a consultation?
👉 Visit https://hopebraincenter.com/ to learn more or schedule a consultation. You can find out more information at Spryson.
Transcript
Dr. Joseph Schneider (00:00): Great to have you on.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (00:01): Thank you for having me.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (00:03): Yeah. I. I follow you on Facebook.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (00:06): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (00:07): Yes. You’re. You’re a very impressive person and doctor. Right. And so it’s really great to see young people that decide to be chiropractors because, you know, I’ve had a long history, 38 years of doing this, and, you know, I’m always impressed by how people get started in chiropractic. And this is our podcast. It’s called my POTS podcast, because I’ve had many brain injuries and I’ve had postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome since 2004. Okay. From. From an auto accident. And we all have misfortunes that affect our health, just like you experience with your patients, like, on a daily basis. Right. They all have their story and they all have their challenges that they go through different health challenges. And you had a real serious life altering challenge.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (01:15): And I don’t want to explain it. I want you to explain it. And how that brought you to chiropractic, or maybe you were in chiropractic before that even happened. I’m not really sure. But I mean, I’d like to know. I’d like to find out. And I like my audience to kind of hear where you came from, how you got to get into natural health care through chiropractic, and what gifts it’s brought you. Also, because there’s a lot of gifts that come from being a practitioner.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (01:48): Yes, that’s for sure. Well, to start off, I have lived in Georgia for most of my life. I grew up an athlete, and I was very blessed. My parents have always been really into holistic health. So I grew up going to chiropractors and naturopaths over MDs for most of my life. So. So that was just normal to me. And then when I was in high school, I tore my ankle up pretty badly. I had to have my ankle reconstructed. And after that surgery, I couldn’t walk, really. I was just in a lot of pain. And the doctor and the PT both didn’t know why I had so much pain. And I went to my chiropractor and he was like, oh, you just have one bone out.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (02:40): Let me adjust that quickly. And I was pain free after that. And I had already been considering medical school or something within the realm of medicine for a career, but after that experience, it drew me to chiropractic because he was able to help me without surgery or medication. And that was just kind of how I was raised. So it just felt like the right Move. And then kind of dabbled with some other.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (03:07): Well, let’s stop there. What sport did you tear your ankle up in? Was it volleyball?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (03:16): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (03:17): All right, great. And so what kind of athlete were you? Aggressive?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (03:24): I would say so, yes. I was, I would say rather than aggressive, maybe just very competitive.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (03:30): Got very competitive.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (03:31): All right. Uh huh, yes. So I was a competitive volleyball player. I played year round with the goal of playing in college. And then when I tore my ankle up, that changed some things. But yeah, I dabbled with a couple other areas of healthcare, but then eventually just felt called to chiropractic. So that’s the path that I chose. And then midway through chiropractic school, I started dealing with, with just some really weird health issues that no one could figure out. And ironically, at the time I was in, I was taking our hematology course and we were talking a lot about blood cancers. And I just was sitting in class thinking, this is so odd. I have all of these symptoms.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (04:22): And I went to Dr. Google as well, and I had looked up a couple things and all of them led to blood cancer. But everyone that I told just thought I was paranoid because I was taking the class, whatever it may be, you know, and come to find out about. It took about a year, year and a half to officially get diagnosed, but eventually we did land on a lymphoma diagnosis. And so I started treatment during my, I think it was like seventh quarter of chiropractic school school. So pretty much midway through the program.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (05:03): Yeah, well, I mean, that’s pretty heartbreaking, right? So, you know, you’re in chiropractic college, you’re, you’re learning about holistic health care, you know, optimizing nerve function for everyone. And then you come down with that. So how did that kind of hit you in your science philosophy of what you were doing.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (05:29): At the time? It, I think I was more so focused on getting better, but I tried to treat my cancer holistically. I went the integrative oncology route. So I was pursuing that so hard. High dose vitamin C, mistletoe, injections, what I was on ivermectin, all of it. And it didn’t really hit me hard until that didn’t work.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (06:00): Okay.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (06:01): And then I was like, oh my gosh. I was pursuing something that I believe in wholeheartedly, which is holistic medicine. And I’m doing everything I can and it just isn’t working. And so it was very, I would say, humbling to have to a admit that it didn’t work. Even though I thought with my whole heart and soul it would. And then be having to transition and do full dose chemo, radiation, all of that, and have all of my peers see me going through that. It’s not something you can hide, you know, when you don’t have hair or anything.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (06:44): Right.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (06:45): And more than anything, it was just very humbling. And it was a very good lesson on vulnerability, because I don’t love to be vulnerable. I like to appear tough and healthy and all of it. And so to not be able to hide that and just have everyone kind of see what I’m going through was a challenge, to say the least.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (07:11): I can say. Well, you know, I mean, in that type of, you know, disease process, it can be very crushing. Right. Because you’re a competitive athlete, you’re a competitive person. I’m sure in school you always try to do really, really well, and then it. It kind of brings you back to reality. All right, Right now I have to redirect myself. Right. Take care. And how did you feel? How did you deal with that in that recovery portion for you?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (07:50): It was one of those where there were difficult days, but there were also good days. The difficult days were days where I had to sit there and just say, I have never felt like this in my life. I feel weak and unhealthy and all of that, which was very challenging. And at the same time, it kind of lit a fire inside of me where I was like, this is my opportunity to just start over and just pursue healing more than ever before and in ways I’ve never tried before. And so, you know, depending on the day felt different ways. But all in all, as challenging as it was, it was one of those things where I was like, okay, this gives me an opportunity to pursue health and healing at a whole new level.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (08:46): Right.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (08:48): And I will say I was very blessed. I have a really great functional medicine doctor that I saw after every chemo, and the supplements that he kept me on really had me feeling as close to normal as a person can while going through chemo and radiation.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (09:06): So you’re combining both philosophies at the same time?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (09:10): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (09:11): Yeah, yeah. Because when you become a chiropractor, philosophy is really an important part of it. It’s. It’s really one of the core principles for everything. I mean, I remember when I went to chiropractic college back in the 80s, and Dr. G.I. Giacomo was going to. Through philosophy, and he said, like, you know, if you cut a steak and then you cut your hand, right. Then you put a bandage on your Hand. Then which one gets better? It’s like, you know, of course, you know better, Right, Right. But you know that like that innate issue, right, is really came through for me when I had my stroke, right? That and then also I had a near death experience. So I don’t know what your spiritual experiences were through that, but that changed me.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (10:13): It, it changed me like to my core that although I believed in God, I never looked at God for help, right. In my daily life, you know, was like, all right, if I got something to do, I’m gonna do it, right? So I had the near death experience and then I didn’t get the message. I’m pretty stubborn, right? And so I had a second stroke in the hospital and I got back from that and I started like peeing myself all the time, which was the most pleasant thing to do, you know, I mean, because this and stuff like that. And I was like, right, God, you hit me on the head once. All right, I got the message. What are you trying to tell me now?
Dr. Joseph Schneider (11:08): And so when I went back to pt, a friend of mine came in, got was crawling on the floor, picking my foot up so that I could walk. Dr. Dan Schatzberg, you know, great guy. And so I went back to my room, I started crying and I cried and cried and cried and cried. I said, okay, fine, I get it, all right? I need you, okay? I need you. Whether I die or I go to heaven, whether I survive, it’s all about you. It’s not about me anymore. And if, if I, if I do it and I get through it, it’s all because of you and your, your glory, right? So that was the hardest lesson that I had in my entire life was right there.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (11:57): And then from there I knew that I was going to come back. Even though the doctor says you’re not coming back. And I knew I was going to come back. And so right now I pray a lot, read the Bible, I pray my rosary, the mercy chaplet, and then we do the seven sorrows rosary in the morning, my wife and I. And it’s become a routine that’s created peace in my life. Even though I’m not back 100% and I never will be, but I’m peaceful about it. But God has given me the opportunity to really kind of help more people. And I, I, I got that message from watching one of your videos. And I mean, I’m sure that’s the way you feel also. Is that true?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (12:52): 100%. Yeah. I can 100% relate to just needing to Learn the lesson of surrender. And the Lord using my health as a way to kind of hit me up side the head to realize that. And he’s still continuing to do that. Not in a bad way by any means, but it’s a lesson that I struggle with as a type A control freak, you know. And so cancer was, I feel like the start of me just opening my hands up and just slowly starting to trust God more and more. And funny enough, like going through cancer, I feel like that was just the introduction into me growing in my relationship with God, because forever, I grew up Catholic. It’s always been part of my life.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (13:49): But my faith was, I go to church on Sunday and if something’s wrong, I’ll ask God, you know, to intervene. But I don’t trust that he actually will. And cancer and everything that I’ve gone through up until this point has been me actually creating a relationship with our Lord and learning to actually trust him in the process and also going to him in prayer, taking things to him and just being able to accept his will, whether it be he answers the prayer or he doesn’t, whether he answers it in the way that I’m asking for or he doesn’t, trusting that whatever comes about is in his will and it’s going to bring about good. And very recently I started saying the rosary, which is something my parents have said the rosary my whole life, but I never did consistently.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (14:46): And this year I started to as a part of my London sacrifice. And starting to say the rosary has really changed my life. I feel like it’s brought so much peace into my life. It’s really grown my relationship with our Lord. And it’s just helped me learn so many lessons. Because for the longest time, I think I resented our Lord for going through cancer and all the other hard things I’ve had to deal with over my entire life. But through the rosary and just this journey, I feel like he’s revealed to me the biggest lesson is just that our Lord also suffered so greatly. He didn’t want to have to suffer and die on the cross so brutally.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (15:40): I mean, to the point he literally swept blood in the garden of Gethsemane, asking His Father to let the cut pass. And so if anyone understands suffering and not wanting to have to suffer greatly, it’s Jesus. And so if not even Jesus got to avoid suffering, then why am I sitting here thinking, oh, you’re the worst. Why did you let this happen? Rather, I just, I can sit in that with him and he understands my grief and my sorrow. And my pain. And once I started to learn that and just dive into the rosary and all of that, I just feel so much more comfort and peace with our Lord because I know he’s sitting there, right there with me.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (16:30): Yeah, well, I mean, I, I totally relate to everything that you’re saying. My experience came later in my life, which I, I kind of regret. Okay. But, you know, I think he makes apostles of us all. Right. And through the trials that we have in our life and how we respond to them, bring us. Brings us closer to what our purpose on earth is, is really kind of get to heaven. Okay, now you’ve gone through this experience and you became a wonderful doctor. And so when you first treat your patients, how do you feel?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (17:20): I am still a young doctor. I have only been officially treating patients as a doctor for a year now. About a little over a year. So there’s definitely still a lot of that imposter syndrome where I’m like, I can’t believe I’m introducing myself as doctor. But more than anything, I think when I greet a patient, I think about everything I’ve gone through and how I wanted to be treated and how I wanted to be heard and seen during my treatment process. And that has opened my heart and made me a much more empathetic doctor. And at the same time, it’s also one of those where I realize that nothing, no treatment that I give or idea that I have is truly mine.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (18:17): Any healing that comes about, changes that come about, that’s inspired by our Lord and he’s given me the gift to help people. And so it’s just humbling. And I can only give praise to God for the gift of my hands and chiropractic and being able to work with my patients. I’m just a vessel.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (18:41): We all. Yeah, we all are. And so when people come into my office, we’re basically a faith based practice. Okay. And I was kind of afraid of it at first, you know, I mean, you know, I wear miraculous medal and Saint Joseph and Raphael and I have our Lady Guadalupe on the wall. When people come in and they kind of look at me strange like, okay, I think I’m in church. Well, I think you did come to church. All right. So, I mean, I had a, A, A policeman that was struggling with his faith. And it gave. Gave me the opportunity just like, to say, right, okay, my relationship is my relationship. Right. And you need to cultivate your own.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (19:34): So I’ll say to patients a lot, like, just wake up in the morning and say, okay, God, give me A sign. Give me a sign that you’re here, you’re with me, and what, what do you want me to do? And he kind of liked that because it wasn’t like, oh, you gotta read the Bible 20 times and you know, you gotta do this, you gotta do that. You really don’t have to do anything because, you know, God will. I thought for myself at some time, God, God just said, all right, it’s time. And it resulted in me having a stroke and wondering whether I was going to come back or thinking that I was going to die. And you know, actually it came to a point where it didn’t really matter.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (20:25): It only mattered is that now I had a relationship with God and that was going to bring me through. And so I think I have a responsibility to show people, I mean, that’s where I am. And maybe you can, you can develop your own relationship with God and, and do it on a daily basis, right? Yeah.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (20:52): Yes. I also think too in this profession you meet a lot of broken people or people who are running out of hope. And a lot of times that can impact your faith and how you view God. And when you’re in our position, I think caring for those people, loving them, greeting them with a smile, while also living out your faith can help restore some of their hope and influence their relationship with God in a way that we may not ever know until we get to the other side. But that’s one of the big things I’ve noticed with what I do is because when you walk in my office, I’ve got my Christian music playing. I’ve got, I have Catholic tattoos all down my arm. I am open about my faith.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (21:47): Like I said, like you said, I wear my miraculous metal everything. And so, you know, I just want to live out my faith through my works, but then also just, I want everything about me to reflect God to broken people because you never know what can impact them and heal a part of them. And so I think that has really helped me grow in my courage over time with my faith is just seeing like the little seeds that God will drop through us, just living our faith confidently. And so that has been amazing.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (22:35): Wonderful. Yeah, well, I mean, I have what’s called the Hope Brain and Body Recovery Center. So a lot of people think that I’m non chiropractic, but everybody chiropractic is really the basis for, for where I came through to developing brains and really re patterning brains and so forth. And so, I mean, I did a, a Facebook live where I talked about, you know, 90 days to heal your brain through prayer.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (23:10): Oh, wow.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (23:12): Yeah. So, I mean, I think prayer is really essential for creating lack of anxiety in your brain, depression, you know, some of the emotional kind of effects that happen with it, and patterning your brain in the right way, which really kind of scientifically does affect your right frontal cortex. I wrote. I read the book by Dr. Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist from University of Pennsylvania, called God and how. How prayer and our vision and thought of our. Our Lord and Savior actually changed a. Right. From bright prefrontal cortex, creating peace. Right? And I think that, I mean, a stable brain and a relationship with God creates that peaceful feeling, but also a peaceful physiology that creates healing.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (24:24): So every time Page comes in, you’re always like, okay, Jesus, you know, let me act through you, and let’s create peace in this person. All right? And I also had a patient yesterday come in. He has psoriasis from all the brain scans we were doing. He doesn’t have a lot of peace in his. In his heart and his body. So a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear, a lot of panic, a lot of anger. Right? And so, I mean, being broken can cause anxiety, depression, anger, a lot of these negative emotions with it that people carry with them. And the. The other thing is, is that as chiropractors, we touch people. Right? You know, and. And.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (25:19): And having the ability to touch a person, get into a mode where you’re trying to read exactly where they’re at, that brings a lot of satisfaction, too, to the patient to bring them to a better state of healing and maybe, you know, a relationship with God also.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (25:42): 100.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (25:44): Do you have any cases that you’ve seen right now that you just, like, thought about a kid, an older person, or something like that, that just because you’re going to have these experiences even right out of school, you’re not an imposter. You’re. You’re the embodiment of being a doctor and developing that relationship with patients already. Stick your hands on them. You’re adjusting them, right? Any stories that you have for. For. For the audience on this podcast that has really struck you over this last year,.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (26:22): I think a recent one actually stands out to me because I have a patient that has come in, and I know that they have a long history of trauma and addiction and beautiful person, beautiful patient, struggling with almost some mystery. I’ll say. I don’t want to say illness, but just something that doctors cannot figure out, and it just really affects their mental health equilibrium, all of it. And I do. I Love to do cranial work. So very basic level, like, cranial sacral work. I love to do that. And when I was working on this patient recently, I just had this, like, heavy feeling in my heart, and I just felt like I really needed to pray.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (27:11): And so while I was doing the cranial work that I always do, I started saying the St. Michael prayer. And as soon as I said amen, they made a comment about. They just were like, that was great. And I just was like, oh, interesting. Didn’t think much of it. Continued through the appointment, and right before they were about to leave, they made a comment again, and they were like, I don’t know what you did this time, but I just feel so much better and lighter and brighter. And I. Ever since then, I just feel like they have been almost more peaceful when they walk in my office. Like, something about them is different. And I didn’t do anything differently. I did the same cranial work that I always do.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (27:58): The only thing different was I just said a simple prayer. And I just feel like it made a world of difference.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (28:06): Yeah.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (28:07): And see that seriously has only. That’s only because I placed my hands on them and said a simple prayer.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (28:14): Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I’ve gotten in the habit of praying all the time in the office. You know, It’s. It’s been really a great gift. I mean, I think I have. I prayed a lot through the years, but. But now it’s become the central focus of. Of what we. Who we are, what we do. Right. And. But also that, you know, the Lord chose this for you. Okay. Now you have a greater responsibility than you ever did before.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (29:00): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (29:01): And there’s no way you could back out of it. Right. There’s no way. Right. And then the years that you are going to be in this profession gives you the great ability to work through God to change lives. Okay. Because that’s really kind of what. What we want to do is. We want to change lives in the most spectacular way. And so life impact is. Becomes, like, for. For our office, and I’m sure for yourself is what you want, you know, you want to impact their life.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (29:42): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (29:43): It’s not about getting them out of pain. It’s really not about changing function. It’s not about anything. It’s about impacting their life. So if a person comes in and you say, okay, what can you do now that you. You didn’t do before? And what can’t you do that you could do before? Right. So there’s a cool thing. Right. And so you really want to change that for them. That’s the impact. The impact is not really the pain. The impact is that how can you get back into life in the fullest basis? And that’s kind of like you need to get your life back together. And so, you know, cranial work.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (30:37): You know, chiropractic is, is quite unique in that we have many, many different techniques that we can use on patients, you know, upper cervical SOT blocking, things like that. And, you know, I’m a dabbler. I mean, I dabble in all of them. I mean, I’m not like just one technique and I kind of like it that way. And so. And you learn from each patient what they need. Okay, and so are you feeling that too?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (31:12): Oh, my gosh, yes. I work in a unique environment. I work within lifetime fitness as a chiropractor. And so when you think of working within a gym, you’re thinking, oh, you’re just working on athletes all day long. It’s performance based. And that’s what I had originally thought it was going to be. But I have had some insanely complex cases walk in my door, and then also some cases where people come in and they want more energy based work. And so I feel like I have been pulling from techniques, pulling from different things I’ve learned in school and having to utilize so many different skills that I never really thought I was going to have to use. I thought every appointment was going to look the same, but that is absolutely not the case.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (32:02): Almost every appointment is different in terms of what I’m doing with the patient, the techniques I’m pulling from, all of it. And so I, I’m learning so much every single day because of my job and my patience, and it’s been amazing.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (32:19): That’s exciting. That’s really kind of exciting. And I’m so glad that you’re having that experience and that you’re going to keep that on top of your mind. Right. Every time. And pulling from so many different experiences and, and leaders that in the profession that have handed down a legacy that’s pretty powerful.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (32:43): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (32:44): Now, Mark Santa was a class made of mine. He runs breakthrough coaching and he’s my coach now too. His father was a chiropractor and Mark’s a great chiropractor himself. But his father went to jail. He went to jail for this, right. And I was like, well, would I go to jail? Yeah. Hell yeah. Right? And you know, there’s our stories. Like Dr. Napolitano, he was president of New York Chiropractic College, and I was his student intern, and he had gone to jail also.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (33:28): Oh, wow.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (33:29): And he, he said, I’m upper cervical chiropractor. I said, but you use Logan technique, too. How’s that? Upper cervical? He goes, yeah, well, you know, every patient is different. Some patients will need lower back issues and, you know. Yeah, I mean, I just find whatever works for him. So, I mean, I, I got. Got into the profession when a lot of the older chiropractors who develop things like George Goodheart and Upledger and things like that for cranial work.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (34:05): And I. I did a lot of, like, seminars with Dr. Goodhart and cranial work, and it was absolutely marvelous, you know, I mean, to be able to pull from those experts in the profession for the different techniques and the different ways to affect the body and his physiology and create balance and homo stasis and things like that. I also had a couple brain balance centers were able to work with. With kids. Okay. So I’ve worked a lot of kids with autism and so forth and so on. Right. Is there any population that you want to specialize in or are you just open to see where everything goes for you?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (34:51): I would say right now I’m very open. And at the same time, I really love working with moms and kids, but not necessarily young kids. I like working with moms and kids all the way up through high school, college age. It’s just. That really fills my cup is being able to work with that population.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (35:19): Right.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (35:20): And being an ex athlete, working with athletes, I do relate to them a good bit. So that aspect of it is fun. But all in all, I’m open. I end up finding joy with whoever I work with. So I’m not going to complain whoever walks in my door.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (35:41): Well, you know, you come to the point that people are going to be attracted to you and they’re going to walk in your door and then they’re going to refer people to you. I do a lot of marketing. I’ve always done a lot of marketing. But my history as chiropractor is that most of my patients were by referral. And I think referral is kind of like even an advanced gift because of all the good work and the impression that you’ve made with your patients.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (36:14): For sure.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (36:15): Now in a recovery story, in recovery, it takes a lot of courage because you had to face your disability during recovery and then you had to accept it, but then fight it. I mean, like, okay, I accept it. All right, I’m here. But you know what? I’m not going to stay here.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (36:40): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (36:41): Somehow Some way, God permitting, I’m going to fight it, and I’m going to get through it. Okay. And I think that, you know, everybody has, you know, that type of recovery story that creates more courage than you could ever thought you can muster.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (37:01): Mm. Yeah, that’s for sure.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (37:04): That’s for sure. You know, it’s. When the tsunami coming. All right, can I stand up to the wave? Can I go with the wave and then pull myself out of it? You know, I mean, there’s different types of scenarios that you can get from it. But what I developed is that I need to talk to my patients about having the courage to recover, because it. That’s what it takes. It takes. You have to have courage. You can’t. Or a patient will get to a point where they’re better, but they don’t want to step back in their life because they’re too afraid. Okay.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (37:44): Absolutely. Yeah.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (37:45): Yeah. Have you experienced that?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (37:47): Oh, 100%. Yes. I. Especially after the chemo and radiation, my nervous system was very dysregulated. So many things would cause me panic, and I’d get lightheaded, so I wanted to just hide in my house and not leave the comfort of my home and all of that. But I’ve really learned that obviously we feel that fear and that anxiety because our body’s trying to protect us, but we have to go outside of our comfort zone to heal. And the more that we challenge that and step out of our comfort zone, the more that the things that used to cause us fear and panic will eventually feel peaceful. Our body just has to recognize that we’re safe and that we can do these things.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (38:42): And so it’s one of those of having to believe that the discomfort is temporary. And also another part of that is recognizing that the symptoms or the illness that you’ve been dealing with isn’t your identity. And. And you can let go of that and you can find who you are outside of what you’ve been dealing with, and you just have to push through a little bit of discomfort to start making steps to get there. And that’s not to say it’s easy. It’s very, very hard and uncomfortable for a little bit, but it’s possible, and it’s so much brighter and enjoyable on the other side once you push past that discomfort.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (39:29): Exactly. Yeah. I do agree. Well, I’ll tell people that, you know, I’m happier than I ever been in my life. Right. Because I got a reset, and I got a hammer in my head. I got reset.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (39:41): Yeah.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (39:43): It was an arrogant and Now I’m happy. Doctor. Or something like that, you know?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (39:51): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (39:53): Huh. Any other cases that you have? Just give me some. Some other cases.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (40:07): I think I had a very unique one yesterday that walked in my office. It was a young man who, again, had a lifelong history of illnesses doctors cannot figure out. It caused his body to shut down multiple times, where he lost either full memory. He lost control of his legs, had to relearn how to walk. He’s permanently disabled now. Fused almost all the way from sacrum to the top of his spine. And I feel like he taught me something rather than, you know, the other way around, just because he came into my office and he’s always smiling when I see him. He walks with a cane. His spine is very distorted, but he’s in the gym as much as he can be working out. And he just finds joy in the little moments.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (41:11): And that was so inspiring to me, because some days I feel like I sit here and feel like I have lived the hardest life ever.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (41:18): But.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (41:19): But then seeing someone like him who actually every single day is hard for him and he’s found joy in the small moments, that just really changed my outlook on my life, because there’s plenty of hard days that I allow my circumstances to impact my joy. And that is one thing that I’m still working on. And just meeting with him, talking with him, just showed me that despite circumstances, you really can find joy throughout the day. And you have no idea how that’s going to change someone else’s life.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (42:02): Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That is a really good example of that. Well, you’re. You’re in.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (42:12): I am.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (42:14): That’s great. You know, just so glad that you’re part of the profession and you’re doing this work, because there’s so many people that need chiropractic and good chiropractors and people of faith in their lives, and. And so I think we’re truly blessed to have you. Thank you. Right. And so when you get older and grumpy like me, then you’re gonna, like, look back on the young practitioners that are getting on it. And right now I’m really proud that. That a chiropractor, and you’re a chiropractor, and you’re going to be doing this work, and then you’re going to have a great, great, wonderful career helping people in this life.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (42:58): Yes. I’m so thankful for this career. I will say, in the beginning, like, being a new doc and seeing all the hate that chiropractors get on the Internet was very challenging. It made Me almost second guess my career path. But as I’ve been in it, as I’ve seen people’s lives change, it’s just reassured me 100% that this is the right place to be and that the work we do is so valuable.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (43:24): Well, I mean, I’ve been getting it for 38 years. Right now it’s just like, okay, I know where I’ve been, I know what I’ve done, and I know, you know, what God has permitted me to do and not to do. I mean, I’ve always been out of the box. Doctors, a chiropractor, you’re always out of the box. But I. I think I’ve been out of the box more than most people. And then I was talking to Dr. Adam Klassic, who is my colleague now. I just hired him. We’re doing some work in the office, and he’s a. He’s a fantastic doc. And we were talking about my history, and I was casting patients in the early 90s. Failed back surgery workers, comp cases. Failed back surgery.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (44:21): Oh, wow.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (44:22): I was stabilizing her back with cast and doing upper cervical work. And I was doing all kinds of isokinetic testing and stuff like that. And I was doing Dr. Ted Carrick. We’re on the phone all the time. And they’re all getting better. So the lawyers didn’t want to send me any workers comp cases because I was getting them all better. So that was kind of like the funniest part about it, but just kind of like, you know, being. It’s. It is practice. You know, when you get practice and then you feel like you’ve arrived and you find out why I haven’t really arrived, there’s like something more, something new.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (45:09): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (45:10): And then, you know, really the world changes too. And then what patients need changes also. So like a. A lifelong process that just never, never ends. Never ends.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (45:24): 100%.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (45:25): Yeah.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (45:28): I always say you’re pretty much always a student. You always need to be learning. You’re never done learning.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (45:33): Yeah, you. And you learn about people in their lives and the stories and things like that, and the different addictions that people acquire, too. Great effect on their life. So I’ve seen a lot of people that have been addicted over the years and to be able to have an impact on them with addiction, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, and you have to go on. And then a lot of times you see someone and then you’re saying, well, maybe I need to examine myself. Right. So you go home at night, you’re like, okay, I’m gonna think about this. How can I help myself and help them at the same time? So 100, go both ways. All right. Well, you have a wonderful day.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (46:21): Thank you. As well.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (46:23): You know, impacting patients and you know that I’m praying for you.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (46:30): Thank you. I really appreciate that. I need all the prayers.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (46:34): We all do, right?
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (46:35): Yes.
Dr. Joseph Schneider (46:37): So. So with the lady of Sorrows. I know our lady of Sorrows is with you. I pray that rosary every day. And so you will continue to be my prayers so that you have a real successful career and a great life. And thank you for being on today. Really appreciate it.
Dr. Gabrielle Wesemeyer (47:01): Well, thank you so much for having me. It is a pleasure.
