From chronic pain to clinical practice: My personal and professional journey to whole-system care.
My journey into holistic healthcare didn't begin in a lecture hall. It began when I was eleven years old, curled up in a dark room with my first debilitating migraine, vomiting, crying, and realising that standard painkillers barely touched the pain. Throughout my teenage years, that physical distress evolved into a silent battle with anxiety, OCD, and an eating disorder. Control became my way of navigating an emotional landscape that felt overwhelming. Looking back through a clinical lens, the connection is clear: the severe mental and physical stress I experienced was actively driving the chronic headaches that plagued me well into my twenties. Everything changed when I was introduced to chiropractic care. For the first time in my life, my migraines largely disappeared, and I was able to step away from daily medication. More importantly, it introduced me to a completely different paradigm of health; one that stopped chasing symptoms and started addressing the underlying state of the nervous system.
The academic path: Unraveling the "why".
Experiencing that shift firsthand redirected my life. I shifted my university studies, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Physiology before completing my Bachelor of Chiropractic Science in 2001. However, earning my degree was just the first step. I wanted to understand the deeper physiological connections behind chronic health issues. This led me to complete advanced postgraduate training in Applied Kinesiology (ICAK), nutritional medicine (ACNEM), and mind-body somatic strategies. Through my own personal work and years of clinical practice, I built an integrative toolkit designed to help patients unravel complex, multi-system health challenges.
Neurodiversity, hormones, and the dopamine connection.
My understanding of the human body took another deep, personal turn in my 40s when I received a late diagnosis of ADHD. Suddenly, decades of personal patterns, sensory processing quirks, and hyper-fixations made complete neurological sense. This revelation ignited a fierce clinical passion for supporting neurodivergent patients, especially young people and adults navigating a world not built for their nervous systems. As I entered my late 40s, perimenopause brought a new layer of complexity. The natural decline in estrogen caused joint pain, hot flashes, and mood shifts. I now recognise this pattern frequently in practice, as dropping estrogen directly impacts dopamine production, often amplifying late-diagnosed ADHD symptoms in women. Navigating these symptoms using a combination of natural therapies and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) reinforced my core clinical belief: true holistic medicine does not reject conventional science; it integrates medical science with natural principles to serve the individual.
My clinical philosophy: Partnering in your care.
I don't view health as the absence of disease, nor do I look at symptoms in isolation. Prolonged stress (whether physical, chemical, or emotional) manifests across the body as fatigue, digestive dysfunction, brain fog, hormonal imbalances, and chronic spinal tension. In our Browns Bay practice, my goal is to listen deeply to your story and help you understand what your body is communicating. My care combines gentle, targeted therapies tailored to your unique physiology:
Neurostructural adjustments: Restoring precise joint mechanics to ease brainstem and spinal cord stress.
Applied kinesiology: Evaluating muscle function, reflex points, and organ system stress.
Functional medicine & nutrition: Addressing gut health, biochemical imbalances, and metabolic wellness.
Acupressure & somatic strategies: Calming hyper-reactive emotional and autonomic stress pathways.
Beyond the clinic.
When I’m not in the practice, I embrace the dynamic energy that comes with a neurodivergent brain. You’ll often find me snowboarding, sailing, riding horses, at the gym, or diving into new hobbies. I am incredibly grateful to share my life with my partner (a fellow chiropractor who keeps me grounded), my 22-year-old son, his lovely girlfriend, and our Labradoodle, George. Whether you are navigating chronic pain, managing neurodiversity, working through hormonal transitions, or simply seeking proactive care to keep your body at its best, I am here to help guide your way forward.
Dr. Angela Steventon
Chiropractor & Applied Kinesiologist
BSc (Psychology & Physiology), BSc (Chiropractic), ICAK, ACNEM, MNZCA
Currently completing Post-Graduate Certification in Functional Medicine (CFMP)