Dr. Kellie Seth, D.C., Clinic Founder
A Revolutionary Healer
Education
Dr. Kellie Seth graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1997 with a pre-medicine focus. She accomplished her double majors, Entomology and Zoology, with several academic scholarships and repeated honors on the Dean's list.
Dr. Seth earned her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University in 2013 with honors and a focus on Neurology and Nutrition.
Dr. Seth is a certified Morphogenic Field Technique practitioner, which she was awarded in 2017. She is also a certified NETA personal trainer and has personally trained individuals and led group exercise fitness classes.
Her Journey to Becoming a Healer
For as long as she can remember, Dr. Kellie Seth has wanted to be a healer. “I think I was about three years old when I brought home a salamander that was barely alive in the hope that my mother could help me resuscitate it.” That was the first of many “rescues” that Dr. Kellie performed as a child. That childhood fascination for healing would eventually put Dr. Seth on the first steps of a path to becoming a revolutionary holistic chiropractor who would establish a natural healthcare practice in Stillwater that would help heal thousands of people in pain, illness and discomfort.
Before Dr. Seth opened her holistic chiropractic practice in Stillwater in 2013, she earned an undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a pre-medicine focus and then a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University in 2013.
In between her two degrees, Dr. Seth worked as a biochemist and entomologist and in laboratory research. But it was a vacation to India that altered Dr. Seth’s path away from biochemistry and toward becoming a natural healer.
“I was in India on vacation when the car I was riding in was struck head-on by a logging truck,” recalls Dr. Seth. “I was left in a coma with a traumatic brain injury that would take me several years to fully recover from. But because of that injury and my subsequent journey to recovery, I was able to personally realize how powerful natural approaches are to health and how my future could be intertwined with natural healing.”
Initially unable to read, spell or hold a conversation after the accident, Dr. Seth was told by a brain surgeon that there was “nothing we could do” to help her recover from her traumatic brain injury.
“That’s when I realized I had to solve my own health problems in more unconventional ways,” says Dr. Seth “I studied herbs, homeopathy, nutrition and Eastern medicine, all in a desire to find health and healing. However, it was the chiropractic care I received that was the most powerful and restorative therapy."
“As I began to find better health, I realized my accident was illuminating the path for me to become the true healer I remembered in my very young days. At that point, I enrolled in chiropractic school to become the doctor I had always imagined myself becoming,” says Dr. Seth.
“I am now complete and on the path to reaching my greatest potential, not just in the chiropractic profession, but through my inborn desire to be a healer.”
A Revolutionary Approach to Health
So how does Dr. Seth combine her “desire to be a healer” and her chiropractic education into helping her patients overcome their health issues?
“My foundation is based in holistic chiropractic. From that context, my goal is to help heal the patient’s body, mind and spirit - the aspects of health that create who you are - to help them achieve better health.”
“I create individual and unique healing programs to help people reach their true health potential,” explains Dr. Seth. “I typically see people who have ‘normal’ test results, but don’t feel well. I determine what challenges their bodies have to healing and give the body the tools it needs to heal from the inside out. The body is designed to heal itself, and many times it just requires the right tools to get the work done.”
Rather than just treating symptoms, Dr. Seth focuses on the long-term source of the pain or discomfort and then determines if it is a structural or nutritional deficiency or emotional issue - or a combination of the three, which Dr. Seth calls the Three Pillars of Health. That approach is rare among chiropractors, who usually just focus on structural problems and sometimes nutritional deficiencies. “I don’t know of another chiropractor who focuses on the emotional side of health as well.”
Dr. Seth notes that her own journey to health because of her traumatic brain injury has “given me a great amount of compassion for what my patients are dealing with. I learned I had to listen to my own body for me to get better and it’s something I emphasize to them.”
Often, Dr. Seth ends up being the last hope for patients who have suffered from years of chronic conditions. “In many cases, no one else has been able to help them and often that is because no one has really listened to them and paid attention to the details of their story,” notes Dr. Seth. “I find that by really listening to their body I can ‘crack the code’ of what is the true health issue that is affecting them.”
“I often feel like I am more of a body ‘interpreter’ than a healer,” notes Dr. Seth. “I find that the body wants to heal and is desperately seeking through symptoms the right healing approach. Symptoms are the body’s language and they give each person a way to understand their body. You have to get people to change how they think about pain and to ask themselves ‘how do I get my body back in balance so it no longer wants to use pain to speak to me.’"
According to Dr. Seth, people get trapped into the medical approach to health. “They think there is a ‘magical pill’ that will help them get well. But the truth is that you have to make changes to address your problem and not just take a pill.”
The Essence of How She Heals
What specific healing “tools” does Dr. Seth use in her treatment plans? “We have a robust array of natural healing tools - see our website under the Services Link for an in-depth look at them - but our core approaches center on chiropractic techniques, soft tissue manipulation, Morphogenic Field Technique, and the Emotion Code.”
Chiropractic adjustments at Healing River Chiropractic are uniformly gentle, according to Dr. Seth. “We work with the nervous system directly and use a much gentler set of adjusting tools centering on the Thompson Drop Table technique. I believe that when you adjust a patient and combine the right torque, impact and force, all you really need in the adjustment is a tap and you can achieve the desired result.”
That approach to adjusting means that anyone is able to benefit from this approach. “Gentle adjusting opens this technique to a much larger number of people, because I don’t have to worry about hurting someone who is fragile because of an underlying condition such as osteoporosis.”
Morphogenic Field Technique is a cornerstone of healing for Dr. Seth. Morphogenic Field Technique is a symbiotic combination of energetic healing and nutritional healing. The energy field is used to find the foundational and the clinical nutritional needs of the body at the cellular level using a modified form of muscle response testing. The Morphogenic field (or M-Field) is an extension of the nervous system.
Emotion code therapy is designed to help patients “alleviate physical discomfort, ease emotional wounds, and restore love to relationships,” says Dr. Seth. “It may even help you break through self-sabotage and live more abundantly.”
Dr. Seth emphasizes her support role in the healing process. “I don’t heal my patients - their body heals itself. My job is to help them figure out their condition and then work with the patient to develop and implement a care plan. We both have parts to play in that path to healing. I am a coach and supporter on their path back to health. I can give them the tools that they have to use in their life – but they have to take ownership.”
“In my role, I work with each individual to determine his or her own best food choices, sleep patterns, exercise needs and possible nutritional deficiencies to overcome. I look at the Three Pillars of Health for every patient who comes to my office. First, we look to structure: muscles, bones and tissues. Second, we look to the chemistry: the physiologic balance of organs, tissues and cells.
“Third, we look at emotional/spiritual health: the balance of stress and life. By considering the Three Pillars of Health and the body’s individual health needs, I am able to create a health plan for every patient. We work together to find the true health potential unique to every single patient.”
Away From Work
Dr. Seth has a daughter - Sabre- who is attending the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and two stepchildren, Lila and Raymond in their early teens. Her husband Hank is an engineer who works for Ecolab in marketing. They live in Stillwater and in her spare time (which is rare), Dr. Seth likes to practice tai chi and yoga, cook, travel, and spend time with her family. She is an avid reader of the latest research on leading-edge approaches to healing in a never-ending quest to improve the health of her patients.
Dr. Seth is active with the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, regularly volunteers at the Stillwater Area High School, and is a member of the River Valley Health Practitioner group.
Tracy Miller, L.M.T., Myofascial Release Therapy
Education
Tracy Miller earned her undergraduate degree in English at the College of St. Benedict in Joseph, Minnesota. She then received her massage therapy training through the Minneapolis School of Massage and Bodywork, with an emphasis on deep tissue and sports massage. She has achieved additional certification in Myofascial Release Therapy through the internationally-known John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach Institute, based in Sedona, Arizona.
A Different Approach to Healing
Tracy Miller has been helping patients through therapeutic massage since 1999. For the last two decades, Tracy has emphasized providing Myofascial Release Therapy (MRT) to her patients. MRT focuses on releasing muscle shortness and tightness through trigger points. Many patients seek myofascial treatment after losing flexibility or function following an injury or if experiencing ongoing pain in any area containing soft tissue, especially the back, shoulder, and hip areas.
Since 1999, Tracy has completed hundreds of hours of training directly with John F. Barnes, PT, considered the "father" of modern Myofascial Release Therapy. In 2000, she was honored to work as a contract therapist at Barnes' Sedona clinic, Therapy on the Rocks, where they successfully treated on a daily basis those who had exhausted Western medical options. Tracy loves working with post-op patients who want to return to an active life, and with those hoping to avoid surgery or relieve chronic pain. Some of her favorite words to hear are, "I have hope again!"
Tracy was born and raised in Roseville, Minnesota. She recently returned to Minnesota with her family after many years of adventure (and helping patients through Myofascial Release Therapy) in Taos, New Mexico.
What Health Conditions Are Helped by Myofascial Release Therapy?
Myofascial Release Therapy can help a wide array of health issues, including:
• Back Pain
• Headaches
• Whiplash
• Pelvic Pain
• Neck Pain
• Sports Injuries
• Chronic Pain
• Disc Problems
• Migraines
• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
• Neurological Dysfunction
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Adhesions
• Carpal Tunnel
• Jaw Pain (TMJ)
• Painful Scars
• Scoliosis
• Sciatica
• Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Erin Howlett, B.S., Office Manager
Education
Erin Howlett graduated from Macalester College in 2004 with a bachelor of arts degree in linguistics and German studies. She has also earned a Medical Terminology Certificate from Century College. While in college she won a Fulbright teaching assistantship in Germany in linguistics.
Office Manager Extraordinaire
Erin Howlett joined the Healing River Chiropractic team in April 2022 as our Office Manager.
“I wanted to work in a collaborative environment that had the goal of helping people heal and was dedicated to focusing on holistic wellness, and Healing River Chiropractic was – and is – a perfect fit for me. This place feels like home.”
According to Erin, “I really believe in Dr. Kellie’s holistic approach to healing and I love to use my office skills to support what she is trying to accomplish as a health practitioner.”
Prior to joining Healing River Chiropractic, Erin worked in the Stillwater school district in a support position and before that she was the Office Manager at the Germanic American Institute in St. Paul.
As the Office Manager at Healing River Chiropractic, Erin “wears a lot of hats”, but the favorite part of her job is interacting with patients. “People come to us in pain and in many cases with chronic conditions that have left them feeling helpless, frustrated, and with little hope for improvement,” Erin notes. “It’s wonderful to see things shift for them, to celebrate their efforts and their progress, to see their smiles.”
Erin met Dr. Kellie Seth in 2017 and has experienced first-hand Dr. Kellie’s amazing talent for healing. She was drawn to natural approaches to health care because she found herself frustrated by a model of care that seemed more interested in the quick fix of masking symptoms with medication than encouraging preventive care or exploring other avenues of treatment such as nutritional or lifestyle changes.
“The decision to seek out a more natural and holistic model of care was a turning point in my own healing journey,” says Erin. “Working in partnership with holistic practitioners to achieve my goals been an incredibly positive and empowering experience and I’m grateful I now have the opportunity to be a part of the team at HRC supporting others on their own journeys to health and wellness.”
Erin is also a Tai Chi instructor and recently became a Reiki practitioner. In her spare time, Erin likes to practice Zen Buddhist meditation, curling up with a good book (often about consciousness and energy), spending time near mountains or water, finding the beauty in everyday things, and dark chocolate.
Daniel Dicken, B.A., Chiropractic Assistant
Education
Daniel Dicken graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2012 with a double major in English Literature and Art.
Opening Up Perspectives on What’s Possible
Daniel Dicken works as a Chiropractic Assistant at Healing River Chiropractic. He joined the clinic in May 2022 and in his role at HRC he assists Dr. Kellie Seth in the patient treatment room and staffs the front desk as a receptionist.
Natural approaches to health care are central to Daniel’s philosophy of health. “I am at odds with the pharmaceutical model of healthcare. Drugs can help people, but we as a culture are far over-medicated. There is more to one’s health than the chemical-mechanical perspective. When help is given and one honestly changes their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual routines and perspectives, there are few things that truly require pharmaceuticals.”
What’s the favorite part of his job? “Seeing people get well again using natural means! It is wonderful to watch people grow to trust Dr. Kellie’s nonstandard approach to assessing imbalances in the body. Many patients are apprehensive at first but willing to give it a try, and the results speak for themselves! It really opens up people’s perspectives on what’s possible.”
Dr. Kellie’s approach to working collaboratively with patients on their health concerns is one of the reasons that he wanted to join the practice. “I had been a patient of Dr. Kellie’s for a few years and found her methods to be extremely helpful,” notes Daniel “She was the first truly holistic healthcare practitioner I had met – drawing on her time as a personal trainer to address the physical, as a biochemist to address the chemical, as a mother to address the emotional, and as a woman of wisdom who had experienced deep suffering and continues to heal to address the spiritual.
“It seemed as though there was not anything she could not assist with, or at the very least offer great insight towards. I decided to work here both to learn more about holistic healthcare for my own sake, as well as to support Dr. Kellie.”
Daniel, who grew up in Stillwater, is also a Biofield Tuning practitioner (since 2018) and has taught Tai Chi. Biofield Tuning is a vibrational approach to wellness. Daniel studied to earn his Biofield Tuning certificate while working at Andersen Windows & Doors as a line worker.
In his spare time, Daniel likes to read, play guitar, play video games, dabble with video editing, practice Tai-Chi and Qigong, and learn to juggle.
All Shungite Products Discounted 20% in November
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