A New Model of Health

Vitality Medicine

Vitality Medicine emerged from a deeply personal journey that intertwines my upbringing, lived and professional and a growing realization of how everything is connected, and we are directly influenced every day in our general health and our expereinces of being human based in that connection. This new model of health, centered around vitality, represents a paradigm shift from the traditional medical models focused on disease, deficiency, and separating the whole into parts. Instead, Vitality Medicine emphasizes innate sufficiency, incredible design, connection, and the body’s inherent ability to thrive when aligned in the multiple aspects of what it is to be human.

The Seed of Vitality

Vitality has always been a powerful concept in my life, one rooted in my upbringing and professional background. My father, a chiropractor, introduced me to the chiropractic principle that the body possesses a natural vitality, an innate intelligence that enables it to heal and maintain balance. The practice of chiropractic is grounded in this concept, emphasizing that the alignment of the spine is key for the  body to heal itself via the nervous system. As I grew up, this idea of vitality became a central tenet in my understanding of health, but it expanded beyond chiropractic. Time spent in institutions of higher learning, as well meditation retreats, traveling the world, deep relationships with Tibetan monks and nuns, being married, motherhood, and my own curious mind expanded into a deeper understanding of what it is to be truly vital.

Awakening to a New Model

In 2015 and 2016, I found myself reflecting more and more on what it means to be vital because I felt like I had lost my own vitality. After the birth of my third son and what I call, “the general too-muchness of life” I lost my own balance and bottomed out into panic attacks, deep fatigue and constant anxiety. In this ‘dark night of the soul’ and major physiologic disruption, I felt like I was dying for aobut two years. What helped me emerge was realizing the multiple aspects of myself, the Four Pillars of Vitality Medicine (physical, mental, emotional, empathic) needed to be balanced together for me to regain who I knew myself to be but had lost along the way.

The quiet of 2020 ushered in the term Vitality Medicine. It came to me during this period of global reflection. It was as if the idea had been waiting for me to recognize it, for the time to be right. I started writing about it, exploring the concept privately, and soon realized that this was not just a personal vision—it was a framework for a new kind of healthcare, one that I felt called to share with the world. Over the next few years, I worked to formalize Vitality Medicine, and in 2024, I obtained the trademark for this new system. Now, with the launch of a website, social media platforms, and plans for a book, Vitality Medicine is ready to take its place in the world. I see it as a collaborative model and one that will constantly be in discovery and formation, just like any good scientific model. Please join me on this journey to explore what it means to be truly vital, both in your own body and in our world.

Dr. Heather Hunt, DC

Dr. Heather Hunt, DC is a second-generation chiropractor and has been in practice since 2009. She is dedicated to helping individuals achieve and maintain their optimum vitality, especially during key life transitions. Initially drawn to maternity chiropractic through her own experiences with pregnancy, Dr. Hunt recognized the overwhelming presence of fear-based messaging around women's health. She trusted her body but saw how difficult it was to stay empowered in a culture that often promotes doubt and fear. This realization sparked her commitment to providing comprehensive care that supports patients not only during pregnancy but throughout all pivotal stages of life.

Dr. Hunt focuses on transformative life moments such as infancy, childhood, puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause, and healthy aging. She believes these are times when individuals have the greatest potential to either harness their vitality or experience setbacks without proper support. Her approach integrates chiropractic care with Functional Medicine, utilizing blood tests to assess your comprehensive level of health. This Baseline Blood Test includes the immune system, inflammation markers, hormone/adrenal, iron/B vitamin/blood sugar/liver/kidney/vitamin D levels and other critical biomarkers.

She is also launching a new model of health called Vitality Medicine, which centralizes ‘vitality’ as the main outcome marker and encompasses new ways of viewing the body in a holistic manner to best achieve this.

By combining data-driven insights with hands-on care, Dr. Heather ensures her patients are supported in their overall vitality, helping them feel balanced, energized, and resilient.

When not in the office, Dr. Heather can be found traipsing about in nature with her husband and three sons. Whether it is whitewater kayaking, rafting, hiking, mountain biking, back-country skiing, or just a casual walk, she revives and connects in these moments in order to bring her full vitality to her clinic.