We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nimira Alibhoy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nimira, appreciate you joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I really consider this more to be a defining moment in my life. High school can be a challenge either way – studying, standardized testing, extra curricular activities – all for the chance to get into the college of your choice. I remember working so hard in high school and ended up in a seven year program to get my Bachelors of Science and Doctor of Osteopathy degrees at the same time. Just coming up with that life plan was a challenge! My parents and I had gone back and forth about my career path and while I know they were trying to look out for me, I just didn’t want to be an MD for multiple reasons. I still knew I wanted to care for people, I just also knew being an MD wasn’t my journey to take. Two weeks shy of leaving to go off to college I was in a car accident while bringing my little brother and cousin home from the library. I was hit on side of my small SUV which caused it to flip twice. All I remember thinking in that moment was to get the car upright and drive it off the road and out of the way of danger. Thankfully none of us had any major injuries, but it was my first introduction to chiropractic – something I’d never heard of before. The chiropractor asked me about my college plans and if he could share with chiropractic was about. After he explained the philosophy I knew I was hooked. It was the first time a profession lined up with my beliefs about how our bodies function and heal and I couldn’t believe I’d never heard of it before. I now call it the car accident that saved my life!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

ALIVE Wellness Center has become the culmination of over a decade in practice. Starting with just my name and my ability to help people get the results they were looking for I transitioned from a small practice in Santa Monica to a small practice in Agoura Hills. During COVID we were able to help an even larger population, move into a larger space with even newer technology to have a greater effect on the community’s health.

Simply put, I help people feel better in their bodies, which I absolutely love! I practice upper cervical chiropractic (UCC) care, which is different from traditional chiropractic in several ways. First, it’s a minimalist approach. Only the upper vertebrae are adjusted, and corrections are more accurate and less frequent. Our bodies have an amazing ability to heal and adapt when the upper vertebrae are aligned. But when those top bones in the neck are out of alignment, they can interfere with the nervous system and cause pain, stiffness, headaches, sleep problems and many other health concerns affecting the entire body.

UCC focuses on locating brain stem interference within those top bones in the neck and making a tiny correction to “unblock” that interference. It’s really just a nudge in the right direction that lets the healing process being – no popping, twisting, cracking involved! With no interference, the rest of the spine can reset on its own, and the whole body can heal. UCC is very effective, but it doesn’t involve continuous adjustments over a long period of time. Many patients see dramatic results in about six months of care, as their bodies are able to adjust and adapt on their own.

The other notable difference is that UCC uses nervous system testing — a scientific scanning method that shows me when the body is adapting (or healing itself) and when it’s truly stuck. At each visit, I can see a patient’s neurological patterns in real time. When we continue to see these same patterns over and over, the body has lost the ability to adapt. I can then make a tiny, specific correction, and do another scan to make sure that a change was made. When a patient comes in for a check and doesn’t need an adjustment, that’s because the body is actually healing. This approach is scientific and holistic, and it gets lasting results that hold, by allowing the body to do its job. I love my patients, but my goal is to see them a lot less over time.

I also now in the last year offer an amazing soft tissue regeneration therapy called SoftWave which helps reduce inflammation, break down adhesions/scar tissue, improve circulation to the area of injury and activate resident stem cells for cellular healing of the tissues. This has helped so many of my patients get back to doing the things they love – whether it being their basic day to day activities or getting back to their fitness passions.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think any business that goes against the norm of what is expected is bound to have its fair share of bumps in the road, as well as some twists, turns and unexpected trees falling out of nowhere! Upper cervical care is very different from traditional chiropractic work, so of course, educating patients is a big focus of my practice.

From a personal standpoint, I started my practice when my daughter was 15 months old, with an hour commute in each direction to my Santa Monica office. Those three years there were the hardest. Not only did I have to spend the time educating potential patients on how I was different than most chiropractors they’d met, I also had the physical demands of my commute and sleepless nights from nursing my child! During those years, I truly found my strength and passion for what I have to offer, but it wasn’t sustainable.

I was ready to bring to an end the exhaustion of my commute, and I moved my practice to Agoura Hills in 2014, and then became pregnant with my little boy. Networking and building community has created a reputation for me here in Conejo Valley and truly helped me grow my practice, even while pregnant and then with an infant in the office. Thankfully, more people are understanding the unique advantages of upper cervical care, and the idea that minimal adjustments can bring major results. As I’ve grown the practice through COVID I was able to open a larger space now called ALIVE Wellness Center and add new therapy offerings for soft tissue regeneration called SoftWave. While sometimes starting over is the hardest thing to do – this ultimately was the best decision I’ve ever made for my business and my family.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the biggest thing that has helped me stand out in my market is that I’m not just my patient’s chiropractor. My patients are so used the being the caregiver for everyone else and we’ve created a space for them where someone can finally be a caregiver for them. Whether its through chiropractic care, or helping them relearn and manage how to get their basic health responsibilities – things like exercise, sleep, hydration, stress management and nutrition under control, I’m here to help them through my expertise or finding them the right resources in the community.

I will always look at them with a whole body approach to their healing – they have me as the person who is there to help them put the puzzle pieces of feeling good again back together. I will always take the time they need to ask their questions and feel heard and cared for.

I know having this support system will allow them to thrive and continue to be strong, focused, and successful in fulfilling their purpose and passions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ALIVEWellnessCenter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alivewellnesscenter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrNimira
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drnimira/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alivewellnesscenter
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/alive-wellness-center-dr-nimira-agoura-hills

Image Credits
Kellianne Jordan Photography – headshot