Lessons from Dr. Zachary LaVigne, B.S., D.C.
When I was a kid, I was sick. A lot. I had asthma, severe heartburn, and intense allergies. I caught strep throat and ear infections multiple times a year—and even had a bout of shingles before I was old enough to drive. I was on a cocktail of daily medications and spent what felt like every other week at the doctor’s office.
But no one ever explained why. Why was my body constantly struggling? Why did I feel so run down all the time? Like so many people, I never received a real health education. Not in school. Not from doctors. And certainly not from TV, where health advice is often squeezed between fast food commercials and pharmaceutical ads.
That’s what this column is here to change.
Each week, I’ll break down one simple but powerful concept to help you better understand how your body works—and how to care for it in a way that actually makes sense. Think of it as the health class we all should’ve gotten but didn’t. No fads, no gimmicks, and no fluff. Just real, practical knowledge you can use in your day-to-day life.
A little about me: I have an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. I’ve been in practice for over a decade, and I’m the owner of Any Spine Chiropractic & Massage Studio in Inman Park—a proudly 100% LGBTQ+ owned and operated practice. Our mission has always been to provide a space where healing is personal, empowering, and inclusive. My husband, Will, is also our licensed massage therapist, and together we’ve created an environment where patients can feel truly seen, supported, and cared for.
My philosophy is grounded in one foundational idea: the human body is 300,000 years old. Not your individual body, of course, but the blueprint it follows. Our biology evolved in a very different world—one where we moved constantly, ate whole foods, lived in rhythm with the sun, and were part of tight-knit communities. Fast forward to today, and most of us are living in highly artificial environments: sitting all day, disconnected from nature, stressed out, overstimulated, and under-rested.
That mismatch between ancient biology and modern living is at the heart of many of our health struggles—fatigue, poor digestion, chronic pain, anxiety, and more. Rather than focusing only on symptom management, my goal is to reconnect you with the foundational habits and rhythms your body still craves. This isn’t about turning away from medicine—it’s about complementing it with strategies that respect the way your body was built to thrive.
We’ll explore topics like posture, movement, gut health, sleep, hormones, stress resilience, and even how to recover after a night out (because yes, your hangover is trying to tell you something). Some weeks will be light and fun. Others might challenge long-held beliefs. All of it will be focused on one thing: helping you feel more at home in your body.
Whether you’re a gym rat, a weekend hiker, or just trying to get through the day without crashing at 3 p.m., this column is for you. Whether you’re queer, trans, cis, or figuring it all out, you belong here—because everybody deserves to be understood, respected, and cared for.
Let’s unlearn the noise.
Let’s relearn what matters.
Let’s open The Body Manual.
See you next week.