Dr. Ryan and Dr. Jeanne Sandheinrich are a husband and wife chiropractic team. They opened 1st Step Family Wellness together in the summer of 2013, in Kirkwood, MO. They have lived in Kirkwood since 2009. It wasn’t until they found a home at their church, and became involved in the community though, that Dr. Jeanne became adamant on staying in Kirkwood!
Most people think that Dr. Ryan and Dr. Jeanne met in chiropractic school, but this is not how their story came to be! Both doctors went to Webster University for undergrad. Dr. Ryan and Dr. Jeanne are avid soccer lovers. They both played soccer at Webster University, and that is how they first met. While attending Webster, Dr. Ryan was already on the path to be a chiropractor. He experienced chiropractic care as a child for his asthma. The relief he gained was astounding! After experiencing such a magnitude of success with his own results, Dr. Ryan knew he wanted to devote his life to helping others through chiropractic.
Dr. Jeanne received chiropractic care in high school. She had amazing results as well. This is not what grew her passion for chiropractic as a career path though. Dr. Ryan shared what he was learning about pediatric and prenatal chiropractic. Dr. Jeanne became fascinated! Once she learned what chiropractic can do for children, and pregnant women, Dr. Jeanne knew this was what she was meant to do in life.
Their story continued in the Spring of 2015. This is when they welcomed their firstborn son, Dominic, into the world. They had an amazing and empowering homebirth. Dominic came to their Kirkwood office for the first six months of his life along with grandma. This allowed Dr. Jeanne to continue her chiropractic mission in pediatric and prenatal chiropractic, but still be able to breastfeed and care for their son. He still comes to the office to visit on occasion, so you may get to meet him too!
In March 2018, they welcomed their perfect baby girl, Ava, in the comfort of their home as well. Her joyful, calm temperament brings beautiful balance to their family. Ava was up at the office for almost a year to be able to nurse and hang with mom. The staff helped to manage her until she became too curious. Now she attends an in home daycare close by the office. They are having tons of fun raising their two vibrant little people.
It hasn’t always been butterflies and rainbows as they tried to start a family. Dr. Ryan and Dr. Jeanne lost their first baby at 10 weeks in 2013 before opening the practice. This was heartbreaking for the couple, but God has his hand in everything and it just fueled Dr. Jeanne to learn everything she could about fertility and methylation and the list goes on and on. Then when they thought they would be adding a third child to the mix, they were again devastated in November 2019 by another baby at 12 weeks. Their strong faith keeps them in a good place and allows them to stay the course. They hope to add another baby to the family in the future.
Aside from their baby of the human variety, they also have them in the pet variety. They have a dog, two cats, a fish tank at home, and at the office too. Dr. Jeanne has an immense love for animals!
Dr. Ryan and Dr. Jeanne know that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is critical to being healthy. This is why they live out each day how they advise their patients. Both doctors live an exceptionally healthy lifestyle, and take pride in guiding their patients along the journey to better health.
In their daily lives, they eat a clean whole foods diet. This consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat, and eggs. Dr. Jeanne loves to cook and bake and she gets the whole family involved most of the time. As you are making your lifestyle changes, do not hesitate to ask for a recipe of something you miss or love. Dr. Jeanne has probably made it or have tried a few. She has been doing this for a long time so she has found tricks to still be able to eat what you love while maintaining a very healthy lifestyle. Along with eating healthy, they use enzyme therapy, homeopathic remedies, herbs, nutritional supplements, and essential oils to help with various ailments that arise. This goes for even their little ones. Dr. Jeanne is very experienced in how to help most ailments with natural ways.
At 1st Step Family Wellness, the products recommended at the office have been researched by all the doctors to make sure they are of the highest quality and get the best results. Many of the products are used by their families and their staff’s families to maintain their health too.
Dr. Jeanne makes all of the cleaning supplies and personal care items in their home. She uses natural products and essential oils to do this. The removal of as many toxins and stressors on the system as possible is imperative to being healthy. This lifestyle takes time to become a habit, but they love sharing their experiences with their patients.
Getting Care for Themselves
As a part of their healthy lifestyle, the doctors, the staff, and their families are adjusted regularly. When anyone is sick they are adjusted more frequently. This is why we recommend the type of care to our patients and extend sick visits out to our wellness families as well. The doctors are fortunate enough to be able to adjust each other, but they also are adjusted by friends; who are chiropractic professionals as well.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to get to know our doctors! Dr. Ryan and Dr. Jeanne, look forward to welcoming you into the 1st Step Family. For more information on the doctors, click the link below.
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