Dr. Ihotu Ali

Meet Dr. Ihotu Ali, DC, MPH

Dr. Ali’s journey into healthcare has been shaped by a lifelong curiosity about the human body, healing, and the many factors that influence our health. For more than 15 years, she has worked alongside individuals and families through stress and burnout, headaches, chronic pain, fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum healing, and pelvic health concerns. Her path has brought together clinical science, research, hands-on bodywork, and traditional healing practices, giving her a unique perspective on caring for the whole person.

Influenced in part by her own Nigerian and Polish-Irish family traditions, Dr. Ihotu (“ee-ho-too”) traveled frequently and was raised with cultural practices such as herbs and food, cupping, and massage as daily ways to care for the body and bond as a family. These experiences sparked her interest in understanding how traditional healing practices could work alongside modern healthcare. Over the years, she has continued to explore this connection through chiropractic care, craniosacral therapy, Maya Abdominal Therapy, nutrition, dance and movement, somato-emotional release, and other gentle, trauma-informed approaches.

Before becoming a chiropractor, Dr. Ihotu built an extensive career in maternal and newborn health research and education. She holds a Master of Public Health from Columbia University and has worked with the United Nations in maternal and newborn health research and education. She has also worked with Evidence Based Birth, helping translate complex maternal and reproductive health research into accessible information for families and birth professionals.

Her clinical experience has allowed her to support individuals and families through many different stages of life. She has worked with concerns including chronic pain, stress, headaches, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, painful or irregular periods, endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, and pelvic pain. She is also a clinical massage therapist, former birth doula, and Arvigo® Maya Abdominal Therapist, bringing additional experience in bodywork and women’s health to her chiropractic care.

Dr. Ihotu recently earned her Doctor of Chiropractic degree in the Midwest before returning to the West Coast. As a chiropractor, she combines her training in chiropractic care with her extensive background in public health, research, bodywork, and traditional healing. Her approach is centered on understanding the individual in front of her and creating care that considers the many factors that can influence how a person feels and functions.

Today, at Activate Chiropractic, Dr. Ihotu is excited to work alongside Dr. Libby and the Activate team to support individuals and families at every stage of life. Her name, Ihotu, pronounced “ee-ho-too,” means love, and that spirit is at the heart of the care she brings to our practice. She is passionate about helping patients feel heard, supported, more aware of their own body patterns, and connected to their sense of joy in life.

Licence # DC 37745