Treating the body as a temple
Local chiropractor shares his spritual approach to good health
By Angela Randazzo Special to the Acorn

Michael Willis

Chiropractors Michael Willis and his wife, Laura Paine, have been practicing their healing art at Chiropractic for All in Simi Valley for 15 years.

During that time Willis was known for giving inhouse lectures to his clients, lectures he's now decided to share with the rest of the community.

Last Wednesday the chiropractor gave part one of a fourweek course he's calling "Body By God" at One Spirit Center for Conscious Living on Erringer Road.

More than 30 people attended the lecture, during which Willis explained the integration of mind, body and spirit in the quest for good health.

"You are spirit first and you are having a human experience. That being true, you still have to maintain that vessel through which you're taking the journey," Willis said. "If it leaks, you're going to sink midocean."

Willis' own journey began in Anaheim, where, after graduating from Magnolia High School in 1967, he worked at Disneyland as Goofy, the Mad Hatter, Captain Hook and other characters.

After being drafted into the Army, Willis spent three months in Vietnam as a sergeant trained in communications.

BACK RELIEF- Michael Willis helps patient Nancy Parmenter of San Marcos work out some kinks in her back and neck at Chiropractic For All in Simi Valley.

As a "ground pounder" with the 11th Armored Cavalry, he saw action in the dense jungles and nearly lost his life in an explosion.

"It was days of boredom broken up by intensely insane moments," Willis said.

The experience had a profound effect on his approach to life.

"I certainly learned what is really important in life. It isn't about the stuff," Willis said. "It's about the connections you make and understanding who you are and how precious life really is."

After returning from war, Willis, the son of a jazz musician, embarked on a career in music, touring and recording for 20 years as a drummer in a variety of bands.

Eventually, his well of musical passion ran dry.

"I got to the point where I wound up really disliking the business of music, and before I wound up hating music period, I needed to get out of it," he said.

His decision to quit showbiz, Willis said, guided him into medicine.

"It seemed like everybody I ran into was either a chiropractic student, a patient or a chiropractor," Willis said. "It was like a tap on the shoulder saying this is what you need to do."

Willis' lecture last week concerned what he calls the triad of health, with "physical," "nutritional" and "mental/emotional" each making up a side of the pyramid.

"If God has given us this body to experience, then we have to honor that great gift and treat it kindly," Willis said. "Most people try based on their level of knowledge. They just don't have all of the information that they need."

Moorpark resident Bob Cavalli attended the lecture to learn about making healthier choices.

"I came because I want to learn about my body and the body-mind connection and learn how they interact," Cavalli said. "It's understanding body, mind and spirit in order to create a more stable life."

Willis asked the audience rhetorically how many of them chemically, physically or emotionally beat up on themselves.

"There are limitations on our understanding on what drives the body," Willis said. "If you're eating Ding Dongs and slugging Coke, you're not giving the body the fuel it needs."

Willis explained some of the body's daily activities and offered ideas for identifying and changing bad habits.

Michele Roberts, a Simi Valley mother of three, was all ears.

"I made a big change in how I treated my body this year," Roberts said. "(I started) having respect for my body and thinking very carefully about the food choices I make."

Willis uses the philosophical approach explained in his seminar when dealing with his patients.

"It's not so much I check the direction of this or that," Willis said. "Of course I focus on the spine, but I like to find out what's going on in their life because that has such a profound influence on their health."