The Informed Chiropractor

08/17/2025

Most people think of breathing as something that “just happens.”But- taking a full breath is one of the most underused tools you have to optimize your nervous system tone.

When your diaphragm and pelvic floor move in full expansion and contraction—you’re not just moving air.You’re creating an internal wave from the top of your visceral cavity to the bottom that cues safety, improves lymphatic flow, supports digestion, and regulates your nervous system.

One of the biggest breakthroughs we’ve seen with the MacDonald Safety Corridor Protocol is freeing up the restrictions that stop this full-body breath from happening. When that “safety wave” is restored, people don’t just breathe differently… they live differently.

Your breath is your built-in regulator. And sometimes “just breathe” is anatomically impossible. Our work is not based on theory- it’s grounded in science- normal physiology- informed by Poly vagal and proven in full time clinical practice.
We will cover this in a few weeks in amsterdam

Join us to learn more. 👇
Amsterdam Sept 6
Toronto December 6
Join the waitlist for our Informed Chiropractor.

Www.theinformedchiropractor.com

07/23/2025

🇨🇦Our final event of the year is already 50% sold out. The Informed Chiropractor Super Conference - creating a Nervous System Forward office returns to Toronto, ON, one day only, December 6.
So here’s what you won’t get. And what we actually do👇

❌no bro energy. ✅ Just a safe place for you, your associates, and team to learn and apply the future of healing
❌ No standing on tables in bare feet. ✅real life masters of technique- Dr Peter Amlinger and Dr Don MacDonald covering both chiropractic philosophy and poly Vagal as it relates to adjusting and checking your people.
❌no irrelevant information. ✅ Just a straight forward, nervous system forward, poly Vagal informed way of communicating.
❌no table talk teaching. ✅ Instead, Brandi will cover care plan cuing as a way to encourage care.
❌ No talk on “conversions” ✅just the neuroscience on influence, how people make decisions, and why.
❌no talk on treatments and diagnosis. ✅ Adjustment anchors will be covered- how a nervous system reacts and responds to real-time adjusting and why 12 or 45 visits are not required for regulation to occur if you are aware and measuring.

🥂Join us. Last year, many of you wished you had brought your teams- here’s your chance. Early bird is on now.
All details at 👇

Join us at The Informed Chiropractor Superconference in Toronto on December 6th, where you'll learn how to up your communication, leadership, practice growth, team development, and adjusting techniques all through a Polyvagal lens.

07/15/2025

💥ATTENTION EUROPEAN CHIROPRACTORS!!💥

Now holidays are over, we begin our Fall 2025 planning. With only two events left of our own, up first is Amsterdam. Our first time there — we are also bringing our hybrid seminar, adjusting protocols and communication to the beautiful Netherlands. 🇳🇱
What you will learn 👇
🌸 The lens of polyvagal as it relates to adjusting. Specifically, the 2 branches of the parasympathetic nervous system- and why parasympathetic is NOT necessarily the outcome post an adjustment
🌸The regulatory capacity of the social engagement system- specifically the 5 cranial nerves that make up this mostly this ventral vagus circuit, and the cranial priorities of checking not just babies but everyone
🌸How to measure regulation in a chiropractic office
🌸 Why people must feel different after every visit, not after 12… and how to make this happen
🌸 Special considerations for complex populations- pregnancy and newborns
🌸 How to care plan around today's needs for people,e not old school “conversion” as we used to be taught
🌸 Why “table talk” and “patient education” are NOT nervous system informed procedures, and what is
🌸 How to audit your office for long-term client relationships and staff engagement
We are very proud of the work we do- it’s changing the landscape and is far beyond its time in health and healing. Our lived mentorship allows us to have real-time experiences, which we then teach both through a chiropractic lens and a nervous system-informed approach
Join us. Uplevel your team- your associates and you. Www.theinformedchiropractor.com

07/05/2025

🧠 Vitalistic. Neurologically focused Chiropractors. Rooted in connection.

If that sounds like your chiropractic lens, then this 22-minute episode was made for you.

In this solo episode, I break down the Safety Sandwich—a simple yet powerful framework that shows how to apply Polyvagal Theory in your adjusting room.

It’s not a new technique. It’s a way to enhance the effectiveness of your current technique by creating a regulated, safe nervous system experience before, during, and after the adjustment.

You’ll learn:
✅ Why your tone, posture, and presence matter more than you think
✅ How the social engagement system influences healing
✅ Why some patients have never met a “safe human” until they meet you
✅ And how to stop diluting your adjustments with threat signals

🎧 Watch the full episode here (22 minutes): https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-safety-sandwich-a-polyvagal-approach/id1291526534?i=1000715626223

Let’s elevate the way we serve the nervous system—one adjustment at a time.

07/04/2025

This explains how we use the polyvagal theory in Chiropractic perfectly.

Explore cutting-edge resources for Neurologically-based Chiropractors. Specializing in integrating Polyvagal Theory into chiropractic practices and adjusting techniques for enhanced patient care. Join our community of forward-thinking doctors of Chiropractic.

07/04/2025

We do NOT stimulate the Vagus nerve. We do not bio hack it- we do not treat it. We do not do anything to it. And it’s not a spinal nerve. So spinal care will not always be enough to change the state of the autonomics. As it relates to Vagal Tone.

What do we do? Good question. When Don created the MacDonald Safety Corridor that was the question we wanted to answer. And through that question and the last 5️⃣.5️⃣ years I have been writing on this (yes you heard it here first) lol we now know.

Every day in our practice “lab” people come out of complex sometimes “confusing” challenges that everyone else has failed. Not because we treat them but because we care for them differently and measure totally different results. Regulation has objective findings attached to it- like Vagal Tone- facial symmetry- upper rib moment ventrally, dorsal tone, movement and prosody of voice. Then it has a FEELING- which is why the tag line of the MacDonald Safety Corridor is “Bringing the FEELING Back to chiropractic.” Getting tissue tone to shift doesn’t always rely on “chiropractic specific” indicators- sometimes those indicators are “clear” yet the Vagal tone is still too low. The conundrum of what we do.

🌸Amsterdam Sept 6 will be a hybrid event - our first blend of this protocol level 1 with how to measure state changes - and then practice consideration around care planning- visit 1 and 2 and the critical 3- and why “table talk” is old school and how people learn in 2025.

Join us. Registration is now open. 👇

Explore cutting-edge resources for Neurologically-based Chiropractors. Specializing in integrating Polyvagal Theory into chiropractic practices and adjusting techniques for enhanced patient care. Join our community of forward-thinking doctors of Chiropractic.

06/27/2025

This was a great post from Brandi today

Mammals birth live mammals- its sets us apart in our neurological development from birds and reptiles. It requires another mammal to keep us alive for a long period of time. That development phase creates a massive dependency on others in a nervous system which is not meant to become independent- or co dependent. It’s meant to always stay inter dependent.

In the old days of old school chiropractic we used to only talk about movement or colic or birth trauma - and although those matter NOTHING matters more than the regulatory capacity of the caregiver who keeps the new mammal alive.

Our reptilian and bird shared nervous systems are fully and immaturely developed upon birth. But our highest circuit of the parasympathetic nervous system that makes us uniquely human is not. It’s where our Vagal brake is created- its where we take the survival skills of sucking and swallowing same time into - intonation- prosody- and breathing same time- It’s how vocalizing becomes language and where head turning becomes a critical component of communication - and it’s where a nervous system gets TUNED for safety because it’s attended and attuned to - or gets tuned to threat - where caregivers do the bare minimum and leave a developing memory that no one is coming to help.

We don’t run a pediatric practice. We never have. But we have seen thousands of babies over the years- and today the most important thing we can do is get the caregiver under care AS well. Because a mother who cannot attend and attune -and ps that doesn’t mean “stressed out” is one who creates a gap in the development of a circuitry that allows us to understand and problem solve and connect - into the future. And if we look at the young generations below us- I contend we need more caregiver practices than paediatric ones. But call me controversial 🤷‍♀️ or simply understanding the critical state of the world’s disconnection today and WHY.

Join us in Amsterdam. We have 10 spots left
Www.theinformedchiropractor.com

06/08/2025

Palmer Chiropractic Student Kyla Butz on Vitalism, Polyvagal Theory & Finding Her Path

In this powerful episode of The Informed Chiropractor Podcast, Dr. Don MacDonald reconnects with Kyla Butz, a rising chiropractic student leader at Palmer College of Chiropractic. From zero background in chiropractic to embracing vitalistic philosophy and neurologically focused care, Kyla’s journey offers deep insight into the current student experience—and where the profession is heading.

Whether you're a chiropractic student, recent graduate, or experienced doc, this conversation will leave you inspired, informed, and hopeful about the future of chiropractic.

🔎 In this episode, you’ll learn:
What life is really like as a student at Palmer College of Chiropractic

Why vitalism still matters—and how students are reconnecting to the heart of the profession

How seminars, clubs like KTC, and mentorship shape skill, confidence, and community

Why learning adjusting techniques early gives students a huge edge in clinic and post-grad life

How Polyvagal Theory is helping students understand safety, tone, and better patient care

The importance of creating safe environments in adjusting rooms, classrooms, and teams

🎓 Kyla shares her raw journey, her passion for chiropractic philosophy, and her vision for a profession rooted in heart, hands, and nervous system regulation.

06/06/2025

New podcast episode with Dr Don and Kyla Butz, a former student intern in his practice and now a rising chiropractic leader preparing to graduate from Palmer College. What starts as a nostalgic catch-up quickly becomes a deep dive into the reality of chiropractic school today, the shift away from vitalism, and the importance of building community, skill, and purpose before stepping into practice.

Kyla shares what it’s really like inside the walls of Palmer, how she went from having zero chiropractic background to falling in love with the philosophy, and why she believes seminars, clubs, and mentorship are the secret weapons of chiropractic success.

05/26/2025

TIC Coaching Call Clip 🎥: Embody It Before You Explain It

Here’s a little sneak peek from one of our recent coaching calls inside The Informed Chiropractor.

We talked about those first visits — and how they can feel overwhelming, flat, or even dreaded when you’re not clear on what really matters to you. When you’re trying to follow a script, hit all the “right” talking points, or mimic someone else’s version of chiropractic, it can feel… clunky. And your people can feel it too.

But when you’ve taken the time to deconstruct your core principles — when you actually embody what you believe — the words don’t matter as much. The right message comes through because it’s yours. That’s when the conversations get good. That’s when people start seeing chiropractic as part of their story.

It’s not about saying the perfect thing — it’s about noticing the moment and showing up real.

👉 If you’ve been curious about what these coaching calls are like… here’s your window in.

04/30/2025

Hey Docs—here’s one for the “I told you so” file.

We’ve been saying it for years… and now the research is catching up.
A new paper has been released, showing the connection between forward head posture, suboccipital muscle tone, and cervicogenic dizziness.

Translation?
When the tone is off in those deep stabilizers at the base of the skull, it disrupts proprioception, triggers dizziness, and throws the nervous system into a state of threat.

Sound familiar?
It’s precisely why Lock 1 in the MacDonald Safety Corridor Protocol starts at the upper cervical spine, where we track one of the most powerful physiological markers for safety: suboccipital tone.

This is your reminder:
Don’t skip the occiput.
Get curious about the tone.
Feel for resistance.
See if the body is actually ready to receive that force constructively.

It’s not about the bone.
It’s about what the nervous system is doing around the bone.
And the research is finally catching up to what we’ve all been feeling in our hands.
www.theinformedchiropractor.com

10/31/2024

We have a new podcast episode today with Dr. Nicole Lederman. About 15 years ago, she was the first to teach me the Websters technique. We talk about how she has implemented principles from the Polyvagal theory into her pediatric practice. She also shares what she will cover at our upcoming "Informed Chiropractor Superconference" in Toronto on Saturday, December 7th. I hope you enjoy it!

Specialized Chiropractic Adjustments for Pregnant Women and Pediatric Care with Dr. Nicole Leaderman. In this episode of The Informed Chiropractor, Dr. Nico...