A Letter from Dr. Phillips

A few nights ago I noticed my cat Uma’s left eye getting squinty. The cornea appeared cloudy, with a reduced red reflex, and soon a drip of white-green pus collected in the conjunctiva. A year ago when this first happened, Uma’s sickly behavior especially struck me: she sat primly, eyes closed, swaying slightly as if in a trance, not interested in play or pets. I panicked and rushed her to a vet who ran tests and prescribed eye drops. Regardless, at every attempt to corral Uma and dispense the drop, she fought, even with my husband Mark’s help. We gave up after a couple days. Her eye nevertheless returned to health soon after without the aid of medicine.

The power that made the body heals the body, so said BJ Palmer, son of chiropractic’s founder. While I was training to become a chiropractor, I internalized BJ’s epigrams emblazoned on the walls of our classrooms and hallways, challenging everything I had previously thought about health and illness.

Every organ in your body is connected to the one under your hat.

Look well to the spine for the cause of dis-ease.

Expect miracles.

When the body appears to break, it is so easy to believe that to repair it will take drastic measures, or that complete recovery is impossible, or that whatever is done to solve this problem will lead to further problems. That the body is fragile, all its functions fine-tuned and easily tumbling out of alignment. I’ve been there, and my patients have been there. The path from comfort and ease to pain and “dis-ease” can hijack one’s life, supplanting all joys and aims with the singular goal of getting better.

The body is like a machine, but it is not a machine. It has the power to heal itself. The awe for such power is what inspired me to be a chiropractor in the first place. As a chiropractor, I facilitate better communication between body and brain by way of the spine so that the brain can better guide healing of the body. An adjustment recalibrates the messages traveling up and down the spine between the two.

Little Uma, even without having ever had a chiropractic adjustment, demonstrates this power to heal from “above down, inside out” as BJ Palmer used to say. The brain coordinates all the functions of the body, and is far more complex than anything man-made. When she faced an eye infection, or a corneal scratch, or whatever caused her to instinctively–protectively–squint her eye, rest her body, and call on white blood cells to repair and fight, the very power that formed her body into existence organized the healing of her body in that moment.

This month I implore you to remember and call on your body’s innate healing power. And if you need a little help tapping into that power, I’m here for you.

Yours in health,

Book Recommendations

One of my favorite things to do is read, and in each newsletter I like to recommend a book (or few) pertaining to health. You can often find them at your local library which means you don’t have to spend a cent to enjoy them! However, if you want to purchase a copy, the links below will take you to Vroman’s, my favorite Pasadena bookstore.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

Bryson takes the reader system by system through the body, explaining interesting tidbits and topics pertaining to each with an attitude of amazement. To quote the inside flap, “this book will have you marveling at the form you occupy, and celebrating the genius of your existence.” Informational without getting into the weeds, and great on audiobook!

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

While Bryson’s book takes a scientific approach to the body, Ratajkowski's collection of essays examines the body both more personally and from a sociological lens. What is the meaning of a body, the value of a body? A woman’s body? A beautiful body, and the person who exists within it? To be honest, at first I was skeptical that a supermodel would have anything substantive to say on this topic, which exposes my own implicit prejudice, now corrected. Ratajkowski has plenty of experience and analysis to share that you just won’t hear from anyone else.

Health Affirmation

Here’s an affirmation you can use this month however you’d like. A few ideas: Write it on a post-it and leave it somewhere you’ll see every day. Meditate on it. Think of it in moments of pain or need.

I trust my body with all it does

and give my body what it needs.

Nutrition Nook

Now that the days are getting shorter, it’s time to think about Vitamin D. Vitamin D supports the immune system and is a precursor for hormones that your body needs to function properly. It’s an essential vitamin that your body makes naturally from sunlight! 15 minutes in the sun wearing just a swimsuit, sans sunscreen, will provide your daily fix of Vitamin D.

I don’t know about you, but it’s not every day I don a swimsuit and bathe in the glowing So-Cal sun, so I take a daily Vitamin D supplement. However, not all Vitamin D supplements are equal. I recommend Orthomolecular’s Liquid Vitamin D3 with K2. One drop a day provides all the Vitamin D you need, and the addition of Vitamin K2 protects the calcium in your bones–what a bonus!

You can order yours at Sequoia Chiropractic’s Fullscript storefront. All orders through my storefront automatically receive a 10% discount and ship directly to you.

Create your Fullscript Patient Account Now

Just One More Thing

Here’s a link to one of my go-to yoga routines by Adriene Mishler, my favorite youtube yogi. She’s all about finding what feels good, and she offers pose options for different skill levels. This video in particular is for the low back and hips, which I find feels GREAT after a long day of housework or sitting at a desk.

Until next time, friends, peace out!

November ‘22 Newsletter