Mid-August 2024 Newsletter
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A Letter from Dr. Phillips
It’s been a summer of new experiences for me as a chiropractor: I wrote and published an article in Dynamic Chiropractic, I completed an educational course for chiropractors on migraine care, and I presented on simple remedies for pain relief with the Living Beauty Cancer Foundation. All of these have invigorated my drive to focus on patient care, which is truly the core of my work as a chiropractor.
What is so special about chiropractic? It comes down to the adjustment: the hands-on treatment that helps your body and brain sync up so that you can heal properly and live well. BJ Palmer, an early pioneer of chiropractic, said that “Adjusting a vertebra is what happens when my hands leave the back … my work is an enticement to get innate to make the adjustment.” This means that the adjustment isn’t the hands-on treatment itself, but how the body responds to such treatment.
Within our biology is an intrinsic ability to heal, in chiropractic history referred to as “innate intelligence”. The spine is a two-way path of communication between brain and body. The brain, the source of this intelligence, needs to receive high-quality info in order to give the body the proper instructions to heal. Chiropractic clears the path to allow this process to happen.
So while we may call chiropractic treatment an adjustment, the term adjustment ultimately refers to the healing that occurs thereafter. This brings me to another saying we have in chiropractic: chiropractic is not designed for you to instantly feel better, but to instantly heal better.
Nevertheless, I’m heartened by the patients who do report feeling better soon after their adjustments. They notice headaches don’t come as frequently, that their sleep quality improves, that they can move more easily. Being a chiropractor has taught me to expect results that you CAN feel, because when you heal better, you can’t help but feel better.
Yours in health,
Announcements
With the school year under way, Sequoia Chiropractic’s clinical care hours will now be MTWF 9am-3pm. However, if you have a new injury that needs urgent care outside of these hours, call or text 626-346-0977. Feel free to leave a voicemail or text ANY TIME and Dr. Phillips will return contact as soon as possible.
Sequoia Chiropractic is offering an exclusive service for newsletter subscribers. Receive a FREE 15-minute nutrition consultation with Dr. Phillips via phone or video call. To get started, fill out this form. You’ll receive answers to questions you have about nutrition, diet, and supplements, along with recommendations to help you achieve your health goals.
Care to share a few words about your experience with Sequoia Chiropractic? Leave a review by searching for “Sequoia Chiropractic Pasadena” on Google or Yelp. Even a sentence or two helps others feel confident choosing Dr. Phillips as their chiropractor.
Interested in scheduling chiropractic care for employees at your business? Email Dr. Phillips.
If your business or organization would like to arrange a guest talk or article by Dr. Phillips, email drphillips@sequoiachiro.com.
Did you know Sequoia Chiropractic has special rates for families and groups? Leave a voicemail or text at 626-346-0977 to get started.
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Book Recommendations
To find the list of current and previous books featured in the newsletter, head to Sequoia Chiropractic’s bookshop.org storefront.
When We Cease to Understand the World
Benjamin Labatut
I’m perpetually captivated by how science is performed, what it can tell us, and what it can’t. The shortcomings are sometimes human: we bring bias and illogic, or we fail in our methodology to ascertain the knowledge we seek. But in this book, the genre of which teeters between history and novel, the author explores the shortcomings of science as a process. Is it possible to know everything about the world all at once? And how does a person grapple with the answer once they face it?
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–And Why Things are Better Than You Think
Hans Rosling with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund
If someone is going to tell me I’m wrong, this is the exact way I hope to be wrong: learning that the world as a whole is becoming a better place to inhabit. It’s so easy to get bogged down in the particulars of what is wrong with one’s corner of the world, and to feel like life on this planet, with fire after hurricane after earthquake, will only go down from here. Despite that this book was written before the Covid pandemic and the resultant collective bad-mood-hangover, it will give you the perspective you didn’t know you were craving: real evidence that things are not as bad as they seem, and are in fact better than we had imagined.
Health Affirmation
As a jaded teen, I used to joke that I wanted to be a critic when I grew up. It didn’t matter what I would critique, because my penchant for discernment was ironically indiscriminate: music, clothes, art, people! Thank heavens I grew up, threw off my mantle of disillusionment, and over time learned that if you pay attention to the good in the world, you’ll find it.
You can even apply this to your health: what is your body getting right? Did you feel surprisingly light after that meal? Wake up feeling rested? Have a particularly energizing workout? Noticing the good puts the bad in context and reminds you of all the resources inside you (such as the body’s innate intelligence) to solve problems when they arise.
Nutrition Spotlight
FUN FACT: Eating just one Brazil nut provides all the selenium you need in a day. Selenium is a mineral that binds to proteins found primarily in skeletal muscle, although it has a variety of roles for thyroid function, reproduction, and DNA production.
Selenium comes from the soil, and the amount of selenium found in plants depends on the soil it’s grown in. Brazil nuts are the BEST source of selenium. No other plant-based food comes close! The next best sources of selenium are seafood, meat and poultry, eggs, dairy, and then whole grains. Vegetarians and vegans, your selenium intake is typically lower than that of the rest of the population, but because we in the U.S. eat a variety of imported foods grown in different soils, it’s probably still sufficient.
While you may think, if one Brazil nut a day is good, won’t more be better?--be careful! Too much selenium over time can be harmful, with effects that include brittle hair and nails, as well as garlic breath (how on earth, I don’t know). There’s no need to freak out if you happen to have a handful of Brazil nuts in a given day; just dial it down over the next several.
So, when you come across a bowl of fancy mixed nuts, find that one Brazil nut and know that you’ve got the selenium you need for the day–yay!
To receive Dr. Phillips’ expert nutritional guidance and personalized recommendations, sign up for a free 15-minute nutrition consultation by tapping the button below.
One More Thing
Pop quiz! Just kidding. Well, it’s optional and just for fun. Test your exercise IQ with this quiz from the New York Times. Get ready to bust some myths and learn useful tips for making your workout work for you.
Class dismissed. 😉 Catch you in October!
Thank you for reading the newsletter. If you have a friend who would enjoy it, please invite them to subscribe. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, subscribe here.
