Nervous System Regulation, HRV & the Return to Compassionate Care with Dr. Josh Shields, DC, C.F.M.P.

What if healing isn’t only about what you take, what you eat, or what treatment you receive?

What if the way a patient thinks, feels, trusts, and experiences care is part of the healing process itself?

In this episode of The Care2Grow Show, Dr. Larry Arbeitman sits down with longtime friend Dr. Josh Shields, DC, C.F.M.P., author of Revitalize 360 and a respected functional medicine practitioner.

Their friendship goes back more than 25 years to chiropractic school, but Dr. Shields' professional journey has taken him far beyond where he started.

After years of exploring functional medicine, naturopathy, holistic health, human physiology, and cognitive neuroscience, Josh found himself coming full circle—back to the nervous system.

As he explains during the conversation:

“You can’t fight your way to health.”

For patients struggling with chronic health challenges, Dr. Shields believes biology is only part of the picture. Fear, stress, beliefs, nervous system dysregulation, and the relationship patients develop with their own symptoms can profoundly influence their experience of healing.

Larry and Josh explore what it means to create an environment where patients feel heard, understood, safe, and genuinely cared for.

They also discuss why some patients are leaving conventional healthcare encounters feeling confused and disconnected, and why follow-up, communication, reassurance, and human connection remain essential parts of patient care.

IN THIS EPISODE

Dr. Shields and Dr. Arbeitman discuss:

• Josh's journey from growing up in a chiropractic family to functional medicine
• Why his understanding of health eventually came full circle back to the nervous system
• The role of cumulative stress and allostatic load
• Why trust and a sense of safety matter in the patient experience
• Treating patients like you would treat your own family
• Why you can teach skills—but you can't simply train someone to genuinely care
• How Josh intentionally hires compassionate people for his team
• The importance of actually listening to patients
• Why a patient's relationship with their symptoms matters
• Nervous system regulation and its relationship to healing
• Heart rate variability (HRV) and adaptability to stress
• Resonance breathing, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation
• How Josh approaches burnout and reconnects with purpose
• Why understanding a patient's deeper “why” can change the doctor-patient relationship
• The importance of self-care for healthcare providers
• Josh's upcoming work, including Unlock Your Healing Brain
• Why great care sometimes means doing what is right for the patient even when it isn't what's best for the business

A POWERFUL TAKEAWAY

Near the end of the conversation, Larry asks Josh to finish one sentence:

“Care is…”

Josh's answer captures the heart of the entire episode:

Doing the right thing for the other person—even when it may be difficult or may not benefit your practice.

That is exactly the kind of conversation The Care2Grow Show was created to have.

Healthcare is filled with good people who entered the profession because they wanted to help.

Our mission is to keep that purpose alive—and put CARE back into healthcare, one conversation at a time.

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Hosted by Dr. Larry Arbeitman
Care2Grow Consulting

When we care, we grow.