Dr. Stephanie Heinhold, DPT, CCS, CWC
(Nartaki Radha Devi Dasi)

Hello and welcome! I received my Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2006 and I have worked with the entire age range with a wide variety of disease processes. I have spent 15 years of my career working in hospitals in various settings including cancer, general medical and surgical units, as well as general and specialized cardiac intensive care units. Over the years I have gained a greater understanding of what ultimate wellness looks like and the active effort we need to take in own well-being. Western medicine will only get us so far, but by focusing on lifestyle changes as well we can really heal our bodies.

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I personally have found that a holistic approach to my own challenges with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and PTSD management has been the key to unlocking greater capacity to live life to its fullest. Through gaining greater knowledge into how nutrition, sleep, exercise, stress management, and discovering my uniqueness all impact my overall well-being, I have been able to not only manage these aspects of my human experience but am thriving in living out my core values and finding great satisfaction in daily life.

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My family life was touched by heart disease at the young age of 9 years old when my dad suffered a heart attack. Come to find out this had been his second one, but the only one he knew about. I recall the fear of the unknown, the trials of trying to overhaul all of our diets in a fast-paced life with 3 of us siblings, and the challenges that came with trying to fit in exercise in a fast-paced lifestyle. Little did I know this would set me on a course to become a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy in 2017, but this additional education has afforded me some critical knowledge in understanding the interplay of all of these lifestyle factors on chronic diseases and the determination needed to explore what changes are best for each individual person. 

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In 2018, I dove into Functional Medicine training through Functional Medicine Fast Track. I completed the Level 1 coursework and found greatly valuable information surrounding the impacts of stress, inflammation, and immune system dysfunction on fueling chronic diseases. I gained some great tools and techniques for finding some of those hidden lifestyle factors and tailoring lifestyle changes that are individualized to each person's specific needs. One of my greatest challenges with this coursework, however, was the heavy reliance on supplementation and additional testing which I found put myself into greater anxiety than simply following through on some of the key lifestyle factors that needed some upgrading. Therefore, I choose to focus guiding others through more of a Lifestyle Medicine approach rather than diving deep into supplementation. 

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In January of 2020 I took my knowledge base one step further and completed T. Colin Campbell's Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate program. Within my own search for minimizing the role inflammation had on my body, a whole food plant-based nutrition plan was the right choice for me.  I have felt the profound impact in the reduction of inflammation which was fueling my chronic pain and overall fatigue. This new nutrition plan offered me a capacity to understand that how I choose to fuel my body is how my body will fuel me. Recognizing that what tasted like nectar for the tongue was poisoning my body and preventing me from living my best life helped me make the necessary upgrades which are now allowing my body to repair itself and fueling me with the energy to live life to the fullest.