How I Reclaimed My Health After Living with Chronic Illness for Years

Marley Frank, a member at Parsley Health LA spent her entire life living with chronic illness. After years of prescriptions drugs, a number of lifestyle changes, and no signs of improvement, Marley sought out Parsley Health to answer the questions she had been seeking.

PH: Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am an actor, writer and health advocate living in Los Angeles.

PH: When you first came to Parsley, what were you hoping to accomplish with your health?

I came to Parsley after a two year period of intensive immunotherapy treatment. When I arrived at Parsley I had already dealt with my most severe issues and needed to understand how to treat my more chronic health issues: Hashimoto’s disease, fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD). Arriving at Parsley I needed support with the systems of my body.

PH: Up until that point, how did you try to reach those goals?

I have lived with chronic illness, broken bones and surgery since I was a kid. For many years I was consistently on a myriad of pharmaceutical drugs (steroids, opiates, antibiotics, etc.), I had allergy shots every week as a kid, and slept with a nebulizer for asthma. As I grew up I ate a Paleo style diet, exercised every day, did yoga, acupuncture, and spent time in nature. I did many things to live a highly functional life while also being deeply sick. I never let my body hold me back, using each ailment as a lesson in resilience, innovation and gratitude. However, no matter how hard I tried there came a point where I could no longer outthink nor creatively out work my underlying diseased state.

“The road has been long and winding, mostly because I was misdiagnosed and mistreated for so many years.”

PH: What has your health journey been like since starting at Parsley?

Parsley has helped me reconnect to my body. After years of many different medications and treatments and being told over and over how dysfunctional my body was, I lost touch. I came to Parsley with a medical history that left me physically and emotionally traumatized. Here, I was met with a diversely talented team who has championed me with confidence.

PH: Do you feel differently now than you did before?

Parsley has helped me reconnect to my intuition and figure out what’s best for me. Learning to trust my journey after so many years of pain and not feeling safe in my body was not easy, but Parsley has provided me with an incomparable level of logistical and emotional support that I did not think was possible. This support has helped me to re-define my own version of health as I heal my way to my own personal revolution.

PH: What has been the most valuable part about working with Parsley Health?

The people.

My health coach, Christina V., is poised, elegant, funny and fiercely loyal while also being one of the best listeners that I’ve ever met. After decades of feeling unheard and dismissed, she has radically changed my idea of what it means to ask for help.

My doctor, Dr. Gonzalez is brilliant. She is wise, responsive and thoughtful in her correspondence. Our conversations about science and the soul have been truly healing.

The LA care managers, Christina W. and Meghan, both express their own unique energies with kindness and motivation. Their aptitude for detail and generosity truly fuels the whole operation. Working with one of these women would have been meaningful, but the power of this team combined is truly profound.

PH: What’s the next step on your health journey?

Moving forward I’ll be looking into my endocrine and digestive systems. I know that through utilizing the resources that Parsley has to offer I will continue to heal and thrive. I look forward to counting my time with Parsley. It has been a privilege, in every way, to be on this journey together.