JEN’S VIDEO JOURNAL

The human body is complex, adaptive, and still full of unknowns. While research matters, overly narrow, one-size-fits-all thinking can miss what we see every day in real humans. In this video, I talk about staying curious, honoring patient outcomes, and why just because we can’t fully explain something yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. If patients are improving—subjectively and objectively—that matters. Stay open. Stay curious. The body is brilliant.
Why One-Size-Fits-All Thinking Fails in Healthcare
What’s your jam as a therapist? Who do you get excited to treat—and why? In this video, integrative manual physical therapist Jennifer Shepherd shares why every new patient is her favorite patient. Especially the complex ones—the people who have seen multiple practitioners, made some progress, but still feel like something is missing. This is a conversation about advanced clinical reasoning, whole-body integration, and the detective work that happens when we stop just “doing things to people” and start truly understanding the system. We explore: Why the hardest cases are often the most rewarding Seeing the body as a whole system, not a diagnosis Integrating multiple paradigms of manual therapy Fascia, anatomy, pressure systems, cranial nerves, and adaptation Asking better questions to uncover the missing pieces Helping patients move from surviving → thriving The human body is brilliant. It adapts, compensates, and protects—often subconsciously. Our role as clinicians is to listen, problem-solve, and help restore balance, wholeness, and homeostasis. This is the art—and joy—of being a master clinician.
Why the Hardest Patients Are the Most Exciting | Advanced Clinical Reasoning in Practice
In this video, Jennifer Shepherd—integrative manual physical therapist—dives into a topic that has been deeply lost in much of modern healthcare: our shared humanity. Too often, patients are reduced to symptoms, diagnoses, or body parts to “fix.” But true healing requires something more. Through an integrative, whole-person lens, Jennifer explores why body, mind, and soul cannot be separated—and how feeling seen, heard, and safe is foundational to healing. She discusses: Why dismissing patient intuition causes harm The role of the nervous system in healing and safety How presence, listening, and trust open the door to deeper recovery Why patients’ inner wisdom often knows what they need before any practitioner This conversation is an invitation for healthcare providers to slow down, honor the person in front of them, and remember that when patients are acknowledged and respected, extraordinary healing becomes possible.
Seeing the Whole Human: Restoring Humanity in Physical Therapy & Healthcare
Pain is rarely just about where it shows up. In this video, I, Jennifer Shepherd, explain why I always begin with a consult call and how taking a whole-person, multi-system approach changes outcomes for patients who haven’t found lasting relief. We explore why symptom-based care often falls short, how structural strain, nervous system load, inflammation, and gut health are deeply connected, and why addressing cellular health is essential when treating chronic pain. By integrating advanced manual therapy with functional medicine principles, we can prioritize what needs attention first, reduce the burden on the system, and help the body heal more efficiently. If you’ve tried multiple treatments and still feel like something is missing, this conversation will help you understand why—and what a more integrated approach can look like.
Stop Chasing Symptoms: How Integrative Care Actually Works
Jake’s story is one that every parent, coach, and athlete should hear. After a devastating head injury in 7th grade—and multiple concussions throughout high school—Jake struggled with memory loss, brain fog, emotional dysregulation, and an inability to focus or learn in school. Traditional concussion therapy didn’t help. By the time he reached his junior year, Jake felt overwhelmed, frustrated, and far from the person he used to be. In this interview, Jake and his mom share: - What really happened during his injuries - How concussions affected his memory, emotions, schoolwork, and daily life - Why previous treatments weren’t effective - The dramatic changes he experienced once we began working together - How his brain, clarity, mood, and confidence transformed over just a few months - His return to academics, athletics, and a hopeful future Jake’s courage in sharing his journey will help countless others understand the REAL impact of concussions—and that healing is possible. If you or someone you love is struggling after a concussion, this story offers hope, answers, and a path forward. #FootballConcussions #ConcussionAwareness #BrainHealth #AthleteRecovery #HighSchoolFootball #FootballInjuries #ConcussionRecovery #HeadInjuryAwareness #SportsSafety #AthleteMentalHealth #BrainFog #FootballLife #StudentAthlete #AthleteStory #HealingJourney #BrainHealing #TBIRecovery #SportsConcussion #FootballFamily #PlayerSpotlight
Teen Athletes Life Changing Brain Recovery After Multiple Concussions Jake’s Story of Healing & Hope
It's Jennifer Shepherd, your Integrative Manual Physical Therapist. I wish I didn’t have to talk about inflammation again… but here we are. I wish sugar wasn’t so bad for us. It’s delicious, comforting, and lights up our brains like fireworks — but it also destroys our cells, triggers inflammation, and wakes up every old injury hiding in our tissues. In this video, I share what happened when I stress-ate my way through the weekend (yes, it involved a Dunkin’ spider donut 🕷️🍩). Within hours, my feet hurt, my energy crashed, and my old plantar fasciitis flared. Here’s the thing — most people live in a constant inflammatory state and don’t even realize it, because it’s become their “normal.” But once you clean house and feel what healthy feels like, you can’t unfeel it. I’ll talk about how to start identifying what triggers your inflammation, how to learn your “edge,” and how to enjoy life without wrecking your body. Let’s be real — it’s not about being perfect. It’s about being aware, resilient, and learning how to come back home to health when you veer off course. #Inflammation #FunctionalMedicine #IntegrativeHealth #SugarAddiction #WholeBodyHealth #HolisticHealing #AntiInflammatoryLifestyle #GutHealth #LeakyGut #MetabolicHealth #ManualTherapy #ShepardMethod #HealthyLiving #MindBodyConnection
I Ate a Spider Donut… and My Body Told Me Everything I Needed to Know About Inflammation
It's Jennifer Shepherd, your Integrative Manual Physical Therapist. I get asked all the time — “What should I do for my back?” or “What’s the best exercise for my hip?” But the truth is… it’s not that simple. Modern medicine and even parts of physical therapy have fallen into reductionism — breaking the human body down into parts instead of seeing it as a connected, living, communicating whole. The area that hurts is often not the root cause of the problem. In this video, I explain why true healing comes from treating the whole person: restoring healthy mechanics throughout the body, improving mobility, and building deep stability — not just chasing pain or strengthening one muscle group. If you’ve been dealing with chronic pain or injuries that never quite heal, this message is for you. Let’s reframe how we look at the body — not as isolated pieces, but as an intelligent, integrated system. #WholePersonCare #FunctionalMedicine #ManualTherapy #IntegrativeHealth #PhysicalTherapy #ChronicPainRelief #StructuralHealth #HolisticHealing #MovementMatters #PostureHealth #ShepardMethod #BodyMechanics #MobilityAndStability #InjuryPrevention #MindBodyConnection
Stop Treating Symptoms — Start Treating the Whole Person
It's Jennifer Shepherd, your Integrative Manual Physical Therapist — and today I’m sharing my personal experiment with fasting, inflammation, and metabolic health. I never recommend anything to my patients that I haven’t tried myself. With my own genetic vulnerabilities (including a family history of Alzheimer’s), my goal is prevention — keeping inflammation low, my brain sharp, and my energy high. In this video, I talk about how I’m using fasting, tracking tools like the Oura Ring, Keto Mojo, and a Continuous Glucose Monitor, and what I’ve learned about how my body really responds — including the surprise lesson I got after a fasted tennis session! 🎾 You’ll also hear why understanding your baseline, food sensitivities, and inflammation levels is essential before jumping into any health trend — because what works for one person might not work for another. If you’re curious about fasting, glucose, and how to truly listen to your body, this one’s for you. 👉 Resources I Mention: Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz thef3h.com — My site for functional and structural health foundations #FastingJourney #FunctionalMedicine #MetabolicHealth #GlucoseMonitor #KetoMojo #OuraRing #IntegrativeHealth #Inflammation #BrainHealth #MindyPelz #HealthyAging #FastingForWomen #FunctionalFitness #ShepardMethod #HolisticWellness
Why Fasting Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All (and How I’m Tracking My Progress)
Most people are training their core all wrong. In this video, Integrative Manual Physical Therapist Jennifer Shepherd breaks down why common “core” exercises like bird dogs, crunches, and twists don’t build real stability — and what actually does. Discover how your core fires automatically when you’re in the right alignment, why bench press and squats can be incredible core workouts, and how the Shepherd Method for Structural Health helps you retrain your body to move efficiently, prevent injury, and restore deep stability. Your abdominals are not your core — your body deserves more than superficial strength. #CoreTraining #FunctionalMovement #PhysicalTherapy #CoreStability #IntegrativePT #ManualTherapy #StructuralHealth #SpineHealth #BackPainRelief #StrengthTraining #Biomechanics #ShepardMethod #PhysicalTherapist #FunctionalFitness
Stop Doing Bird Dogs — They’re NOT Functional Core Exercises!
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