Meet Michelle Lim of Dr. Lim Chiropractic in Bellflower

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Lim.

Michelle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a child, I always knew I wanted to work in the health field. I wanted to help people, so initially I wanted to be a Doctor of some sort until I realized I couldn’t deal with blood and needles. My dad had a friend who was a Chiropractor and once I saw what he did, I realized I could be a Doctor minus the shots, surgery and dealing with blood. I watched everyone leave his office happy, satisfied, and feeling good, so I thought “I’d like to be a Doctor that makes people feel good without the use of drugs or surgery. That’s really cool.” So at a young age, the profession has always resonated with me-how you can help people by primarily using your hands.

Then on my 16th birthday, my parents took me to another Chiropractor who practiced Applied Kinesiology. As a hormonal, moody teenager, I was upset at the fact that I was going to be spending part of my birthday at a “doctor’s office”. I thought, “Why am I going to a Chiropractor on my birthday!?” My parents’ response was “This will change your life.” And they were right.

I was gaining weight, breaking out and getting severe eczema on the inside of my elbow creases. I was overweight, moody, itchy and suffered from cystic acne despite being active in sports (I was on cross country, Track and Field, and even participated in Water Polo). I thought I ate healthy. At least healthy for a teenager-fries, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on wheat bread, string cheese, salads with ranch dressing and cookies sold at the cafeteria a couple times a week). After being muscle tested, this new chiropractor told me I was allergic to dairy, peanuts and that I had a gluten intolerance. That meant re-evaluating my diet and I remember being so angry with this news. Long story short, he gave me some supplements to help out my liver, clean my gut and strengthen my immune system. I did my best to adhere to his diet recommendations, and just like that, my skin cleared up, my arms stopped itching and I lost weight effortlessly. And since then, I’ve been in love with the whole Chiropractic philosophy. That your body can heal itself if you take care of it properly, fuel it with nutrition and remove any interference in the spine. It just made sense to me.

Less than 15 years later, here I am with my own practice, preaching to my patients about the value of holistic care, adjusting them and loving what I do!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Going to Chiropractic school was probably the most challenging aspect to getting to where I am today, but since I love what I do and live by the chiropractic philosophy, it hasn’t been too much of a struggle. I think when you are passionate about you do, nothing can really get in the way. The biggest obstacles I’ve faced and I think what any chiropractor faces is when people who say they “don’t believe in chiropractic” and you have to explain to them what you do. That it’s not a religion, there’s nothing to believe in, it just comes down to basic anatomy and biomechanics – it’s just structure and function.

It’s also difficult when you hear someone complain of neck or back pain and you offer to help them or inquire for them to try chiropractic and they shoot you down. It can be deflating, but I try not to take these things personally. One time I was in the sauna listening to a young woman complain of neck and shoulder pain for 10 minutes straight (she was complaining to the fitness instructor about how she couldn’t raise her arms and how her neck and shoulders were limiting her), so I politely asked if she had tried seeing a chiropractor. I think she said she was a nurse or something and didn’t believe nor like chiropractors despite not ever having been to one. I told her, “That’s too bad. I’m a chiropractor and I see this kind of issue all the time and people get great results.” And without further a due, literally 8 out of the 12 remaining people in the sauna chimed in, saying “Oh, I have a chiropractor and he’s helped me out with my hips so much,” and similar stories started pouring in, all of success that they’ve experienced by going to a Chiropractor. I don’t need to ever say much and I don’t persuade people to try to go because I know it works and when they’re ready, they can give it a try.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Dr. Lim Chiropractic story. Tell us more about the business.
I am the proud owner of Dr. Lim Chiropractic, serving Bellflower and the adjacent areas. I am a family chiropractor passionate about inspiring and empowering people to live an optimal quality of life. I help people in all stages of their life-from pregnant moms to newborns, infants, children, teenagers, adults, and seniors. I specialize in helping people achieve their health goals and maintain wellness by aligning the spine. I am most proud of being able to take my time with my patients and to really get to know them on an individual basis. As a patient or client of any kind, I hate being seen as just a number, so I really wanted to emphasize quality care where people not only get treated, but feel loved, welcome and happy, as emotional health is an essential part of overall wellness and is a key component to the healing process. I love the fact that kids are excited to come to the office and that patients are happy and excited to see me. I am known for being a happy chiropractor who likes to laugh with her patients and is passionate about what she does. I am big on patient education and pride myself in explaining things thoroughly, but in simple terms. Having a cozy office setting also sets me apart from other chiropractors because people come in and feel at home and at ease.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I am very blessed to be where I am today, but in regards to luck, I believe life is what you make of it. I’m very fortunate to have a career that I love, so naturally, it comes easy to me in terms of translating it to business. I’m a big believer in that “happiness is when what you think, say and do are in harmony with each other” and luckily for me, my values in life, my philosophy, what I practice and what I preach all align with each other (no pun intended). When your personal life and your business life are in congruence with each other, it’s a beautiful outcome.

Contact Info:

• Address: 10120 Alondra Dr.
  Bellflower CA 90706
• Website: www.DrLimChiropractic.com
• Phone: (714) 315-7723
• Email: drmichellelim@gmail.com
• Instagram: @drmichellelim
• Facebook: facebook.com/drlimchiropractic
• Twitter: DrLimDC
• Yelp: Michelle Lim, DC

Image Credit:
Belinda Gomez

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