The death of Maria Zuschmann's father was the catalyst for a frightening downward health spiral. She found a way forward and now uses her knowledge to help others.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Maria Zuschmann feels blessed that she was in the right place at the right time when her health took a turn for the worst.
The death of her father when she was 23 was the catalyst for a frightening downward spiral - she packed on 30kg and started experiencing chest pain and aching down one arm every day.
‘’I got advice on how to manage what was happening with my body and stress levels from the inside out.''
‘’The chest pains had got so bad that I sought medical help, which led to blood test after blood test, heart monitors, stress tests, and various testing of my heart and blood,’’ Maria explained.
‘’Eventually I was told that I had inappropriate tachycardia, basically my heart was racing at the wrong times. Along the myriad of blood tests it came out that my cortisol levels were through the roof and my body was insulin resistant, hence my rapid weight gain.’’
Maria went down an orthodox medical approach to try to alleviate the symptoms and to try and get her health back on track.
She realised that whilst the drugs she was taking were reducing some of the symptoms, they were not addressing the effects of the stress of her Dad passing.
‘’I started to search out other options to get my health and life back on track,’’ she said.
‘’I got advice on how to manage what was happening with my body and stress levels from the inside out. Looking after the cause rather than just chasing symptoms,’’ she explained.
‘’I was suffering with all the classic signs of long-term stress and high cortisol levels like fuzzy and foggy head, low energy, short fuse on my temper.’’
Dr Maria now understands why her body wasn’t cooperating. She’s made it her business to understand the triggers for different ailments, the body’s response to stress and why people feel unwell and are unable to live life to the fullest.
Her own health troubles became the catalyst for a fulfilling career as a chiropractor, wellness coach and speaker.
‘’Our cortisol levels are a great indicator about how much stress is on our bodies,’’ Dr Maria said.
‘’The level of stress on all of us in the hustle and bustle is something I’ve certainly seen rise over my 12 years in practice and it’s why I incorporate various protocols at Inner Edge Wellness to help my clients with the stressors on their bodies.’’
Dr Maria Zuschmann graduated with a Masters in Chiropractic back in 2004 from Macquarie University.
‘’That personal journey was the original inspiration every day to do what I do in my practice and create events and workshops that can help remove the interference in people’s lives so they can be at their best and reach their full potential,’’ she said.
‘’Now my inspiration comes from the confusion that I see on a daily basis when I meet people.
‘’The confusion about what is and isn’t good for them, and how simple and small changes can often have such a big impact on their overall health and lifestyle they can lead.’’
Dr Maria said information, fed to us largely through the internet, can be confusing.
‘’One of my favourite parts of my role as my clients’ chiropractor and health coach is to help cut through the misinformation and take the confusion out of what can be complicated and look overwhelming when it comes to making change,’’ she said.
‘’I love helping people see the next right step when it comes to their health, rather than trying to do absolutely everything all at once. More often than not it’s about taking lots of little steps towards your goals rather than going so hard at something that you breakdown before you have even really got going.’’
Dr Maria moved to the Illawarra in 2005 from Sydney. Apart from short stints in Adelaide and back in the state’s capital, she has lived here ever since.
‘’I love the balance that is possible living in the Illawarra,’’ she said. ‘’I opened Inner Edge Wellness in 2011 in a very small office in Shellharbour Village, and moved into our current space in 2013.
‘’I love practising in Shellharbour. We have such a great community in the village and I’m excited to see the area continue to grow and prosper.’’
Her vision for Inner Edge Wellness started long before it was opened in 2011.
‘’I had a clear picture of the style of practice I would love to go to if I was a client and the sort of space that I wanted to be able to help people in. Our current space absolutely allows for that. It has the space for my hands-on chiropractic work which I love and I feel a great sense of gratitude that my clients entrust me with the care of them and their families.’’
Dr Maria’s main focus in practice is to help her clients improve their posture and decrease the stress they are placing on their spines. She also has a workshop space for the smaller regular workshops she runs free for the wider community.
‘’The workshops are my other great love in my work,’’ she said. ‘’I can remember my first one … I was petrified. I was a sweaty nauseous mess, but I made it through and from there my love of presenting took off.’’
Dr Maria now speaks regularly not only in her practice, but for community and corporate groups and at national chiropractic conferences. She’s set her sights on international audiences in the future. This weekend she will be speaking at a Dynamic Growth conference in Brisbane.
‘’Eighteen months ago I created a series of workshops around my Energy Equation (TM). The series helps people to stress less and live more and be able to take action in key areas of their life.’’
Dr Maria also has a passion for bringing speakers to Shellharbour. She hosted Dr Damian Kristof from the Wellness Guys; “Power of Food’’ and ‘’Crack Your Stress Code’’; and the first “Busy Mum Solution” night with Jo Whitton - The Quirky Cook and Marcus Pearce’s presentation ‘’Exceptional Life Blueprint’’.
Next is Dr Damian Kristof and Marcus Pearce on August 17 for “How to have Your Cake - Fats, Family and Food” evening.
For information visit www.inneredgewellness.com.au