Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Starr.
Hi Rachel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a veterinarian who graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. I started as a mixed animal practitioner in rural Ohio. I really enjoyed working with cattle and doing herd health. Nutrition is an important aspect of managing the health of a whole herd. However, being on call is not very conducive to family life. When my husband and I decided to have children, I took a job at the local humane society, because I also loved surgery. After he graduated from his residency at the Ohio State University in 2005, we moved back to Michigan. My sister was living in Traverse City, so we moved here to be by family. I took a job at Suttons Bay Animal Hospital where I did surgery in the morning and saw small animal appointments in the afternoon. After several years of watching my patients get better in the short term, but then come back with the same problem later, I realized that we were not getting to the underlying cause of the problem. I then started to explore alternative therapies. I trained in Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation in 2009 and added laser therapy in 2010. Also in 2010, I had a patient who asked me about nutritional supplements after I diagnosed her dog with Lupus. I said I did not know if they would be helpful, and called the vet on staff at Standard Process, Tom Cameron. He sent me four articles to read on veterinary nutrition and was a mentor to me for the next couple of years. I then had several cases that improved significantly after I added nutritional supplements. One had even been down to Michigan State University, had he gall bladder removed for high liver enzymes, and her liver enzymes went up after her surgery. I started her on supplements and had her liver enzymes back down into normal range in about 6 months. I decided to seek more training in nutrition. I went to a laser conference where I saw chiropractors doing applied kinesiology (AK) or “muscle testing”. It blew my mind that you could just ask the body what it needed and was determined to learn how to do this. Then I came across Nutrition Response Testing, which is using AK to determine nutritional supplement programs and find underlying causes for problems. I started training in 2013 on people and practiced on my family for the next couple years. In 2016, I decided to pursue Advanced Clinic Training and graduated from the program in 2018. Owners of my patients regularly asked me to test them. When I found that I could legally do this in the State of Michigan, I started to see people out of a chiropractic office in Traverse City. I routinely saw my patients get better and my holistic clientele grew significantly until all of my appointments were nutrition, VOM, and/or laser therapy. I was now working out of two vet clinics – my boss had opened a second clinic in Elk Rapids and asked me if I would also offer holistic medicine there, and a chiropractic office. In May 2024, I decided to consolidate into one location and opened my own clinic, Pets and Their People, Inc – Nutrition and Laser Therapy Center. I ask that my veterinary patients have a regular veterinarian as I only do nutrition, laser therapy, and VOM for pets. I do not stock a pharmacy, but have a link to an online pharmacy on my website. There are no needles in my clinic. This makes for great relationships with my patients. I see people for Nutrition Response Testing and laser therapy. In 2022, Erchonia Corporation, whose lasers I use, asked me if they could sponsor me to lecture on laser therapy. I started lecturing on laser therapy at veterinary conferences. Everything I do has a basis in quantum physics. I love learning about quantum physics and exploring the possibilities of quantum medicine.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would say that I am swimming upstream and that comes with its challenges. I have certainly faced criticism from other veterinarians. However, as I gain more knowledge of quantum physics and can explain how things work, I get less criticism as I am able to use science to explain what I do. Now that I share patients with many general practitioners, I seem to be able to maintain good relationships with them. There is mutual respect.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Overall, I am a veterinarian, but I no longer function as a general practitioner. I currently only do three things:
Nutrition – I am a strong believer in a good base diet. Both people and animals eat too many processed foods. The processing of foods destroys nutrients and adds toxins. I work with people on fresh food diets for their pets whether that be commercial or homemade. I do Nutrition Response Testing to design individual nutrition supplement programs for a specific body, human or animal. It is amazing what the body can do if we give it the raw materials that it needs. I also do lectures on nutrition for the general public out of my office, explaining what processing does to foods, what to eat, and what not to eat.
Laser Therapy – The laser classification system is a hazard system. Class 3B and 4 lasers are unsafe for eyes, Class 4 lasers are unsafe for skin. I use Class 2 lasers, which are safe as long as you can close your eyes because they are visible light and you can see them. There are no OSHA regulation for Class 2 lasers. There is a misconception in veterinary laser therapy that more power is better. Class 3B/4 lasers are infrared light, which are longer wavelengths than visible light. A wavelength of light is a package of energy. There is an inverse relationship between the amount of energy and the wavelength. Shorter wavelengths of light contain more energy. The visible light spectrum is shorter wavelengths than infrared. Laser therapy works in our mitochondria, which have chromophores that are able to absorb light much like a chlorophyll in plants. I use violet, green, and red light based on the absorption spectrums of the electron transport chain in the mitochondria. Laser Therapy is applicable to all species because we all have mitochondria.
Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation – This is a type of adjustment or chiropractic technique. There are many different types of chiropractic techniques. This is an activator techinique that I have been trained in.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People and pets can become patients by making appointments. I also work with other veterinarians since I ask my veterinary patients to maintain a relationship with a regular veterinarian. I welcome collaboration with anyone who is interested in teaching or learning about quantum medicine – using energy, frequency, and vibration for healing. I have a room in my office for community education and outreach.
This year I took on a position with the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. I am the Student AHVMA (SAHVMA) Committee Chair. This committee was formed to help students and veterinarians with mentorship and education in alternative modalities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://petsandtheirpeopleinc.com
- Instagram: pets.andtheirpeople
- Facebook: PetsAndTheirPeople
