Dr. Liza Egbogah: A Balancing Act
Advice from celebrity body and posture expert Dr. Liza Egbogah on how to achieve the ultimate health by reaching balance and alignment in our mind and body with the help of osteopathy.
As Aristotle famously said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Dr. Liza’s approach to health reflects this notion and helps us understand that the key to wellness is to take a truly holistic approach: “We can never look at anything as individual parts when everything in life is interconnected in some shape or form. This is especially true in our body; various parts work together cohesively for it to function properly.”
Q: What is osteopathy?
A: Osteopathy is a holistic form of healthcare that aims to restore balance and alignment in the body to improve function. This is done primarily through hands-on manipulation of muscles, fascia, joints, nerves and viscera.
Q: What is it about your treatments that make A-list stars come to you? What makes you stand out from the rest of the doctors in your field?
A: When it comes to work that is hands-on, you truly do have to have a significant level of expertise and a gift for healing. I, fortunately, have both the expertise and gift. My innovative treatments are particularly attractive to celebrities because not only do they help you feel better physically and mentally, they also help you look better. As an actor, the way you feel, move and look are very important, so treatments that address all three are a bonus.
I’ve always thought outside of the box and work with each patient as a distinct individual and treat accordingly. One of my patients, who is an actress, describes the treatment as “detailed surgery with precision fingers — minus any actual cutting.”
Q: Do you have a guiding philosophy when it comes to health and wellness?
A: I believe that wellness is holistic, and we can never look at anything as individual parts when everything in life is interconnected in some shape or form. This is especially true in our body; various parts work together cohesively for it to function properly. The biggest connection is really between the mind and body, so, in order to achieve good health and well-being, both have to work well together and be in balance. How the two impact each other was my main draw to approaching health holistically. If we take care of our mind and body, we function and feel better, which, to me, is a key indicator of health.
Q: What are three general tips you’d give to someone looking to improve their lifestyle?
1. Firstly, implement regular stressor detoxes into your self-care routines. There may be activities, people or things in your life that act as stressors, and you should try to eliminate as many of those as possible.
2. Movement is one of the best ways to take care of our minds and our bodies. It helps our bodies work better and releases trauma and tension. It’s important to find a form of movement that you find enjoyable, like walking or dancing, so that you’ll enjoy it and look forward to it every day.
3. If you want to improve your lifestyle, I think it’s important to look at the things you spend the most time in. Your bed, clothes and shoes. Make sure they are comfortable and contributing to your wellness — they are worth investing in.
Q. What is one exercise everyone should be doing every day?
A: Walking. It’s simple but essential to our well-being. And, going beyond that, if you can do just one yoga pose daily, it should be the dancer’s pose. It addresses all the areas that are affected by too much time sitting.
Q: As a society, we’ve seen so many advancements in science and technology designed to make us healthier, yet we are still suffering. Do you believe we’ve generally become healthier?
A: While there have been many advancements designed to make us healthier, the majority of advancements in science and technology have actually had the opposite effect. Our modern-day lifestyle revolves around convenience, the use of devices, sitting and minimal movement, which have made us unhealthier than we have ever been.
Q: What’s the definition of health to you?
A: Health, to me, is reaching balance and alignment in our mind and body. In essence, I feel like health is actually happiness.
Q: What’s the definition of happiness to you?
A: When I think of happiness, I, again, go back to balance — contentment in ourselves and the world around us. A balance of what we can do for ourselves and what we can do for others is where I feel true happiness comes from.
