Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Metzger.
Amanda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I learned the value of chiropractic care after a car accident during adolescence, from which I suffered migraines and pelvic pain. My love of the human frame started around that time in high school while taking a human anatomy class. I always admired the holistic approach to healthcare and due to my experience, I have dedicated my life to bringing that approach to families in the Tampa area.
I have been a Tampa Bay resident since 1997, attended Riverview High School and completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Florida in Health Education and Behavior, with a concentration in Health Studies. I was highly involved with community service organizations and always made a point to be involved with the pediatric/pregnant population participating in opportunities like the NICU “cuddler” program and the Arts in Medicine Awaiting Baby program, in addition to many others.
After undergrad, I continued on to get a Masters in Medical Sciences from the University of South Florida with a concentration in Women’s Health and a graduate certificate in Medicine and Gender. I went on to attend Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange Florida, where I graduated Salutatorian of my class and was awarded the prestigious Virgil Strang Philosophy award by the faculty.
During my time in chiropractic school, I was the president of the Pediatric Club, became a trained birth doula with DONA International, and began my post-graduate certification with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association as soon as I could. I also attained my Diplomate in Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics with the International Chiropractic Association, I am a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) expert, which is a functional medicine test.
I am currently studying Functional Medicine through Functional Medicine University and Herbalism with Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism. I love working with couples in preconception to help them attain optimal health/fertility so that they can have an abundantly healthy child. I love working with pregnant women to help them along their transition into motherhood.
I love working with children who may be struggling with any health issues or those who just want their child to develop their full potential! And of course with whole families to help change the vibration of our city and impact the world. In my free time, I enjoy reading, running, spinning, yoga, traveling, and spending time with my family, friends, and my two Pomeranians Callie & Coco.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am not sure that anyone’s journey is smooth, as God has lessons for us all to learn along the way, but I am grateful for mine as it has shaped me into the woman I am today. In elementary school, I struggled with dyslexia and reading comprehension, so my mother got me intensive tutoring over the summer, held me back a year and I flourished after that.
I was the first one in my family to go to college. In undergrad, I was on the path to medical school and after having average MCAT scores and an average GPA I decided to get a master’s degree during that time I realized the calling God had for my life was pediatric/prenatal/family chiropractic instead of obstetrics.
For me, this was a quarter-life crisis as I had my path completely planned out as the type-A person I am. Once my application was accepted, I never looked back and I am a happier person for it. I had never in my life been a straight-A student (always struggling, but pushing myself in mathematics), but I was in chiropractic school since it was everything I loved learning about.
After graduating, I found a good job, and a little less than a year ago I started my own practice! This opportunity was due to the amazing connections I have made with other professionals, especially the ladies of Tampa Breastfeeding and Lactation Center, to which my office is connected. So now I can add the first entrepreneur to the list of firsts in my family! I am so grateful for the support I have received and look forward to serving many more families for years to come!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I offer personalized neurologically-based chiropractic care for the whole family. As a diplomate, (only a few in the state – highest specialization in a specific discipline that chiropractors can receive) I specialize in pediatric and prenatal care. For those of you not sure what chiropractic is and why a newborn or child would need chiropractic care, here is a quick summary.
Our nervous system, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord, controls every function of our body. When the spine shifts, causing something we refer to as a subluxation, the brain and body can’t communicate optimally. I liken it to a light on a dimmer switch. My job is to find where those misalignments are and remove them so the body can function at its best. We become subluxated due to our physical, chemical, and emotional stressors.
Birth is the first physical, chemical, and emotional stress we all experience in life. However natural or not (need for intervention). This can lead to issues a lot of people hear are “normal”, but are really just common, like sleeping difficulties, latch issues, torticollis, reflux, body tension, constipation, and later in life chronic immune challenges, allergies, asthma, ADHD, bed wetting, anxiety, etc. I am grateful to say that I have seen chiropractic change my patient’s lives.
Studying functional medicine and herbalism, I also offer blood work audits (from a functional perspective), hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA testing), and custom herbal blends and I have 5 stock tea blends that I have created. I have an immune boost tea, tummy trouble tea, love your liver (detox) tea, adapt (adrenal) tea, and three “P” tea for preconception, pregnant, and postpartum women. I also carry doTERRA essential oils in the office.
What an HTMA is for those who don’t know; it’s a test where we take a hair sample and send it off to a lab to be analyzed for its mineral content. This is the most accurate way to know the mineral status of our bodies. The first 2 inches of hair give us 3 months’ worth of data, as opposed to blood, saliva, or urinalysis which is just a moment in time.
Minerals are the spark plugs of the body, needed for millions of enzymes (cofactors, facilitators, inhibitors, and are even a part of some enzymes themselves). They are even how our vitamins are absorbed and also how our hormones are expressed. So this can be the basis of many of our health issues.
It will show me how your body is detoxing some heavy metals, your metabolism/oxidation type, your autonomic state (sympathetic vs parasympathetic), your vitality, your thyroid function, adrenal function, how well your body is balancing hormones, how well you’re managing your blood sugar (even better than A1C) and if you have an infection (viral or bacterial)!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something surprising about me would be that I have healed myself of 2 autoimmune conditions (Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus) that I acquired, since opening my practice. I did it all without conventional medicine and know that it is part of my calling to help others suffering from chronic health issues to do the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.healthybeginningschirofl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthybeginningschirofl/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100086565867421
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@healthybeginningschiropractic
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/healthy-beginnings-chiropractic-lutz
