Meet Heather Setzenfand

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heather Setzenfand. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heather below.

Heather, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

How did you find your purpose?

How I found my purpose as a dry needling physical therapist and herbalist was not an easy, straight, or short journey. I used to go to work with my father in a pharmacy on Saturdays starting when I was 10 years old. He and other compounding pharmacists would teach me how to measure using what I thought was the “original” scale with weights on one side and the product on the other. Those days when I made prescription shampoos, creams, and medicines were amazing to me as a child.

When I was twelve, my father decided that I should work with him in his dental office. When I worked for him in the dental office, I would start by scheduling clients, then I worked up to being a licensed dental assistant at sixteen, taking and developing x-rays in little cups as a “hand-dipped” method. I was able to graduate high school early and start college and graduate dental hygiene school at twenty. I was one of three graduates who were the first to get their bachelor degree in dental hygiene at the University of Pittsburgh in dental hygiene/ predental. When I graduated I had every intention to going to dental school and following in my father’s footsteps. We had worked together for over a decade, but life happens, things change, and you have to pivot.

While I enjoyed working in dentistry, it just didn’t fill my soul’s purpose. There was more of me to give, I knew that I could help people in other ways. I then heard on the radio that happiest people were physical therapists. Secretly I wanted to get paid to work out and help people live their best life. So, I applied to physical therapy school in West Virgina. It was Wheeling Jesuit University when I went, now it is Wheeling University. That journey was fantastic! I was an older student who had already worked as a dental hygienist for 15 years and I was able to enter a problem-based doctorate program that was set to build on my skills that I had learned in the work force.

While I was in the program, I learned so many ways to help heal people. They were using light, sound, manual therapy. The progress that our clients were able to make was amazing! I was using sound, light, and electricity to heal wounds. People were getting better! That is what was filling my soul, the progress that was made by clients. Progress was being made while I was working in the school setting, skilled nursing homes, or in home health- their home. I knew this is what I was meant to do, help people heal.

Then the world stopped and I knew I was never going back to working in nursing home. I was holding out hope to work in schools again, but that took over eighteen months. So, I had to pivot again. I called my Wheeling University and they told me about a dry needling program that was being offered in Ohio, and the professors were loving the results. I signed up, and went. That class changed my life. I knew that my clients could really heal with this dry needling treatment. I could now access pelvic muscles and change soft tissue structures in a less than half the visits that tradition therapy was taking. Plus, it was far more comfortable for the client. Treating TMJ, migraines, and tinnitus was now just a few needles, manual therapy, and modalities away.
I couldn’t wait to perform this skill on my clients. Then I couldn’t find a job that would let me focus on dry needling. So, I had to pivot again. First, I started seeing clients out of my house to make sure that I was getting the results that wanted. When I combined dry needling therapy with herbal remedies, that I had learned from my father in the pharmacy with my herbal education; my clients were seeing results! They were getting better. They reported less pain, they were moving easier, they were better! Their pain was improving, their days were happier, they were returning to living their lives! Then I was getting thanked and praised for their success, and my soul was happy. I knew that so many people could benefit from these treatments, but how can I reach them?

My husband told me that I had to open my own practice and start my own business. I was terrified, I didn’t know what to do. But the craziest things started happening. One friend just entered a program that was helping small business get off the ground. Greenhouse Labs in Aliquippa PA helped me develop by business model and put me in touch with resources to help me on this journey. Other local universities offered classes to help put me on my path. Another friend had someone that I could share an office with. People were being put on my path that were helping me in so many ways, I realized that I was truly blessed.

There are bumps in the road, but the most amazing thing is, there I find other people who are willing to help me figure out a solution to the problem. I am learning all of the time, and my heart is full when people tell me that my herbal remedy makes them feel better or that my dry needling has them pain-free or returning to sports or their life again.

So now my journey has taken me to purchase a homestead, the Healing Homestead where I offer retreats to clients who need a break from stress, have problems with Vagus Nerve Hyperactivity, or just want to recharge in nature. Currently I treat people by appointment, on my homestead where they can visit with my chickens, see the herbs start growing, or meet my new barn kitten. It brings joy to my heart and soul to offer a place and skills to awaken the healing power within anyone who stops by.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

What I would like people to know about me and A Total Healing Solution is that I am here to work with all of your providers to help you live your best life. One of my sayings is that “I complement not compete” with all of your health care choices. I also meet the client where they are. If you only want to see me for dry needling physical therapy that is great! I would love to help you. Or if you only want herbal advice, I can work with that. Currently to get the word out about my business I joined a women’s business networking group. WBN, INC is fantastic! I was nervous and scared about being so new, I didn’t even know how to market myself or my brand. These ladies welcomed me with open arms, and gently guided me to getting the help that I needed to move forward with my business. Each meeting I feel that I am learning something new to help be a better business owner, and making great friendships along the way.

I have also gone back to my roots in dentistry, there are so many ways that I can work with all types of dental professionals to help make their clients visit easy and successful. Recently I have gave a lecture to the dental professionals about the root cause of TMJ. It is difficult to hear something that you didn’t learn in school. Mostly that the result of TMJ dysfunction is seen in the mouth; but TMJ is a whole-body neuromuscular condition, that can be treated successfully with dry needling physical therapy. I have a specialty in head neck and lumbopelvic. Most people are not aware of the jaw and pelvic relationship. When you treat the pelvic and vise versa, you get the most successful outcomes for either dysfunction.

Working in schools for over a decade has given me an education on what struggles children and their parents are facing. My husband and I are facing a lot of those same struggles with our son. Working in schools and only being able to help children for thirty to sixty minutes a week also left me feeling that there is so much that is not being addressed due to time. This led to me creating a program call CPTP, Children Progressing Through Play. It is a parent-child program that works on integrating primitive reflexes to that the child can have responsive movements instead of reflexive movements. It retrains the brain through play, bonding, and physical therapy exercises to help calm your child’s nervous system.

Most of my first herbal remedies were made with my son and other friend’s children in mind. I wanted a natural remedy that would support the body and ease the problems that we were experiencing with our children. The wait time to get into a physician in Pittsburgh was over eighteen months if your child has mental health problems. A lot can happen in that time, and usually its not that they “out-grow” the problems that you are having. I wanted to give the power back to the parents, so that they could get some relief from their children’s behaviors during that wait time. So I started making Sleepy Time, a tea and a tincture that would support my child to improve his sleep. It is so gentle that you can take it in the middle of the night without any negative side effects. Then I moved on to Finding Your Focus, to support the brain, if you feel that you have ADHD symptoms. Cool Your Jets is for those situations where you have anxiety. Turing to plants and dry needling has given me great support in my times where my problems had no answers in western medicine.

Currently I am working on getting my remedies on my website, www.atotalhealingsolution.com, so that other people can have the herbal support that I can offer.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Perseverance is essential to doing anything well and moving forward. If you fail, that means that you just found one way that isn’t going to work for you. So, you need to look for another way, and pivot to getting what you need.

Listening is powerful. No one tells you how much you can learn about failure, success, and methods in life; until you just listen. Working with my father for over two decades in many different settings and types of work; listening taught me more than any book. How did he handle the clients concern, how did he handle conflict with employees, how did he handle a setback. I learned so much over the years just by watching and listening to all the sides of the situation.

Empathy is another key quality that is needed for success in the healthcare field. You need to understand where your client is coming from, what are their goals, and most of all what are your limitations.

My advice to anyone is that life is short, do what you love and fills your soul, and success will follow. Try many things, work in the setting you plan on having a career in when you are young. What you are taught in school is not usually what it is really like in the work force.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am looking to collaborate with physicians, physical therapists, podiatrists, chiropractors, mental health workers, massage therapists, anyone who is trying to help people where they feel that their neuromuscular system, tendons, ligaments, Vagus Nerve Hyperactivity, scars, and body are in dysfunction.

I can work with anyone who would like to try herbs for supporting their body and activating the healing power within and supporting their body through its’ healing journey.

I welcome all forms of collaboration. Whether it’s for a group event, a retreat, or one on one therapy. There are so many ways that work to provide healing for dysfunction in our bodies I am sure there are other ways that I haven’t even thought of yet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.atotalhealingsolution.com
• Instagram: a_total_healing_solution
• Facebook: A Total Healing Solution, Healing Homestead
• Other: atotalhealingsolution@gmail.com

Image Credits

Ion Visiou, Dina Russo, Maria Visiou, Pepsi Umberger