D.C. student, Student LIFEForce member

“Micayla on the Move”

As a kid, Micayla Ditlevson learned adaptability from a young age as her family moved a good bit to follow her mom’s military career. Then, when her mom’s military career concluded, they settled in Indiana. From an early age, Ditlevson had an obvious interest in holistic health, always looking for natural healing remedies before considering a medical intervention.

She recalls one funny interaction where she lamented to her mom about a stubborn pimple, and her mom suggested a dermatologist, to which Dietlevson responded she could “put a potato on it.” This response came from admittedly limited and somewhat anecdotal information related to the possible inflammatory reduction effects and skin-lightening potential of potatoes, yet it serves as a humorous indicator of young Dietlevon’s inquisitive mind to explore new ways of expressing health.

As a college undergraduate student, Dietlevson was pursuing opportunities toward becoming a naturopathic doctor. She graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 2023 with a Pre-Medicine degree, focusing on Environmental Health. Yet post-graduation, she felt a bit adrift as the path for naturopathic medicine in Indiana proved to be somewhat limited. Indiana at this time does not have a path to licensure for naturopathic doctors, so it severely reduces a practitioner’s ability to legally see patients there and would also require her to relocate to another state to pursue licensure.

Her hopes were to find a healthcare structure that allowed her to look at the whole person, for whole health instead of simple symptom management. Serendipitously, she met a chiropractor who introduced her to the benefits of Chiropractic, Dr. Ted Matthews. He became a mentor and hired her as a chiropractic assistant at SpinalCare Physical Medicine located in Avon, Indiana. As a chiropractic assistant, she had a front-row seat to witness how Chiropractic can change people’s lives, and she even had the chance to participate in supportive chiropractic therapies, such as neuropathy treatment, thermo-stimulation massage, vibrational massage, cervical and lumbar decompression and electrical stimulation massages. She also completed patient charts and was able to gain knowledge on the business end of Chiropractic.

It didn’t take long for Dietlevson to decide that Chiropractic was her way forward. Originally, she had enrolled at Logan University for their chiropractic program, but after speaking with several chiropractors (even a few Logan D.C. graduates), the resounding recommendation was that Life University (Life U) was where she belonged. Most poignantly, she remembers shadowing a Life U D.C. alumnus who focused on TRT (Torque Release Technique) and a particular story involving a young boy with autism. This young boy struggles with severe limitations related to speech and behavioral issues. After seeing the boy over the course of a month and a half, the mom came in, emotional and tearful as she reported that her son had been able to say ‘I love you’ for the first time. The chiropractor she was shadowing reiterated to her that ‘They don’t do this at other schools. If this is the impact you want to have on people, you have to go to Life U.’ That pretty much cemented her resolve.

“The decision is made, I have to go now,” Dietlevson said.

A quick about-face and two weeks later, Dietlevson started in the Life U D.C. program. And now we find her as an 8thquarter student, early on in her clinic rotations and heavily invested in Student LIFEForce. For the first few years of her program, Dietlevson focused mostly on her direct studies and “being the best student” she could be. But Student LIFEForce always appealed to her, with its mission to spread Chiropractic on campus and beyond. She enjoys sharing knowledge with everyone she meets, especially prospective students at Life Leadership Weekends. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time for her to participate in a Life Leadership Weekend before enrolling at Life U, so she has had the chance to experience it from an internal perspective now.

“I wish that I had the opportunity to go to Life Leadership Weekend as a prospective student, but being on the back end of it is just so heartwarming.”

Being involved with Student LIFEForce has immensely helped Dietlevson get out of her comfort zone and learn how to effectively communicate with people. With her also being a student clinician as well, Dietlevson has progressively found her footing, growing more comfortable in adjusting techniques as well as filling out paperwork and other daily clinical tasks.

“It’s very rewarding to actually put everything that we’ve learned into what we all want to be doing with the rest of our lives,” Dietlevson said.

Through it all, Dietlevson bubbly personality shines through. She can often be found wearing her signature favorite color (green) – to the point that she is somewhat known for it. She is also often sporting an enviable manicure, though she jokingly laments that, given how hands-on Chiropractic is, her manicures do not hold up nearly as long as they used to.

As a student who is just over halfway through her program, Dietlevson is situated perfectly to explore which paths most suit her, in terms of techniques, practice types or other professional interests. The sky is the limit, and we are eager to see her future success no matter which chiropractic path she ultimately chooses.