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When I moved to Los Angeles eight years ago, I was not ready. My husband Mark and I were freshly married. I was in status migrainosus (constant migraine), which just made everything I had to do way harder. Having no luck finding a pet-friendly apartment, we had to leave my cats with my mom, which broke my heart. I was coming off a chiropractic position that burned me out hard, and I felt pressured to find more work as soon as possible because living in LA is expensive. Once in LA, I found the constant sunshine oppressive, and Mark and I struggled to dig into all the fun LA has to offer, given that I had headaches 24/7 that got worse with car rides and physical activity.

I tried to have a good attitude about the move, but I definitely did not have a good attitude. Remember gratitude journals? (Such quaint times, the 2010s!) One night I was reaching for something, anything to be grateful about, and I landed on this: I’m grateful that I have arms and legs. I didn’t even feel grateful though. The subtext was, I have nothing to be grateful about, but I guess you could say I’m grateful for my limbs. Eye roll.

The next day I saw a man at an intersection earning cash by cleaning windshields. He had only one arm. Okay, I thought, now are you thankful for your limbs? I was, and I didn’t forget it. I thought to myself, enough with this inner pity party, you have to try to make this move work. I turned a corner.

Eight years later, I’m sad to have left Los Angeles. Mark and I made a good life there. We found the doctors I needed to recover from daily migraines. We found a pet-friendly apartment and adopted our beloved cats Uma and Olive. I joined a church choir. Mark had his work and his patients; I had my patients and my students. We went to the beach, we went on hikes, we went to concerts and restaurants. We made LA our home.

In packing for the move, I came across a journal from a few years ago in which I had written, I feel so lucky. So lucky for the work I’m doing and the life I’m living. It’s a life full of connection and meaning and growth.

I miss you and think about you, my patients, often. I’m thankful that I do in fact have both of my arms and legs, and that I could use my physical body and my learned skills in service to your health as your chiropractor. And I feel so lucky to have known you and been a part of your life and your healing.

And I have hope, based on my experience in Los Angeles, that in Boston I can build a fruitful life I’m grateful to live from the get-go.

Yours in health,

Announcements

Sequoia Chiropractic is temporarily closed for chiropractic visits while Dr. Phillips works through the red tape of transplanting the business to Boston.
Sequoia Chiropractic’s Fullscript site is still open for all patients! You can access your treatment plans and place new orders here.
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Book WORKOUT! Recommendation

This summer, in lieu of a book recommendation, I recommend a strength-training routine.

When it comes to functional fitness (think Crossfit-style workouts), I find the “functional” descriptor to be a stretch. When am I going to do anything resembling burpees in real life?? And if I am going to put my body in pain on purpose, it had better be useful.

So when I came across this workout that resembles everyday tasks, like getting up out of a chair and carrying bags of groceries, I knew I had to share it. Grab your kettlebells, find a workout buddy (not required, but way more fun), and get to it!

Health Affirmation

When I’m going through a tough time, I think about how no matter what I do or how I feel, time will march on. The sun will rise, the sun will set. Like a wave heading toward me, it will come over me, and past me. To endure it means to get through it, and whatever “it” is will not be permanent. Time’s unrelenting forward pulse is a comfort to me because it means nothing is static. No problem stays the same forever.

Nutrition Spotlight: Fiber

You’ve heard of probiotics, right? The gut microbiome has become a mainstream topic of health, but what keeps those good-buggers in the colon thriving? Prebiotics, or in the old-school vernacular, fiber.

Fiber is a variety of complex carbohydrates that do not provide energy (e.g. calories) but are essential for health. Eating foods containing fiber will keep you “regular” if you know what I mean, 😉 passing through the stomach and small intestine without being digested or absorbed. However, while fiber doesn’t provide you with energy, it is food for the probiotics, the good bacteria in the colon. That bacteria needs fiber to thrive! It’s their food, even if it’s not food that sustains you.

Before you spring for a fancy probiotic, consider your fiber intake. Do you need to feed the bacteria that’s already there? No probiotic will give you the results you want if you are not feeding those bacteria. Some of the top fiber foods include chickpea pasta, raspberries, and black beans; plant-based foods (legumes, nuts, veggies, fruit) in general contain some amount of fiber. Watermelon, a delightful summer treat, is a great source of fiber too!

Want to test your fiber knowledge? Take this fun quiz from the New York Times.

To receive Dr. Phillips’ expert nutritional guidance and personalized recommendations, sign up for a free focused nutrition consultation by tapping the button below.

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One More Thing

Even while I look forward to life in Boston, I can’t help but look back at the strife that has been forced on Los Angeles this summer. In this music video by will.i.am and Taboo, make sure to listen all the way to the end to hear will.i.am’s poignant love letter to the people that make Los Angeles what it is. I was brought to tears.

Stay cool, and see you in the fall!