Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Strang.
Jennifer, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have been a practicing chiropractor and acupuncturist for over six years. Had you asked me what I would be doing 12 years ago, I would have said confidently, “I am going to be a healthcare practitioner.” What I had yet to determine was my path. In undergrad, I was a pre-med major and on-track for going to medical school. In my junior year, I applied and was accepted into a small summer pre-medical program at the University of Louisville, (SMDEP: Summer Medical and Dental Educational Program), which gave students a glimpse into what it would be like during medical school and after, as a long-term career. It was through that month-long, campus live-in program that I realized I wanted to provide more than just a short office visit, diagnosis and possible pharmaceutical intervention. I wanted to spend time with each patient, get to know them and be able to provide holistic options for their care and management.
It was around that same time, I began receiving treatments from a Chiropractor for the treatment and management of lingering injuries after spending 16 years as a ballet dancer. He was the one that really opened my eyes to the profession and sparked my initial interest. I attended National University of Health Sciences, in Lombard, Illinois, and received my doctorate in Chiropractic in 2012. It was during my last year of chiropractic school when acupuncture really came into my life. I had signed up to take a 100-hour acupuncture certification course as it appeared to offer a compliment to the alternative healthcare field. The course intrigued me immensely as its evaluation and treatment of conditions differs significantly from a traditional western medicine work-up. The theory and application seemed abstract to me, but I was curious to see how it actually worked. I vividly remember the encounter with my first acupuncture patient. I was working with her on a stubborn case of adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) with physical therapy and chiropractic treatment, but these were only offering moderate improvement. She was still unable to raise her hand over her head. Putting on clothing was arduous and reaching for glasses and plates in her kitchen was a painful and difficult task. I asked if she would be willing to try acupuncture and she replied, “I am willing to try anything.” After a 30 minute treatment, I removed the acupuncture needles and asked her to sit up and move her arm around. She had full and complete range-of-motion in the shoulder. We both sat and looked at each other astounded. It was that pivotal moment when I decided I was going back to school to learn how and why the treatment worked. I graduated a year later with my diplomate in acupuncture.
Looking back, I did not end-up in the initial place where I thought I would be today; however, I am so gracious with where my path has taken me and all of the people I have met along the way.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an owner of a business can be tricky at times, but my business partner and I try to manage the bumps along the way gracefully. There are many positives to owning your own business like being able to make your own schedule, having flexibility, being your own boss, and not having the pressure to see a certain number of patients per day or week. I have been fortunate that the practice has reached a point where our new patients are largely referrals from other patient’s, doctor’s and from the positive and kind review’s left on yelp and genbook.
Some of the tougher aspects for me have been taking off time to go on vacation or to see my family as they all live out of state, convincing some patients that my petite size does not impact the successfulness of their care, and working towards the delicate balance of managing work and self-care. I think that stress and stress management are becoming a greater piece for so many people and that engaging in stress reduction techniques is becoming ever more important. I try to make time to decompress throughout the week by getting acupuncture, going to yoga, cooking, or integrating meditation into my day.
River Forest Health and Wellness – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I think our company is unique in that it offers a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates alternative and holistic based care options. Our office integrates the use of several treatment options including McKenzie therapy, physical therapy that incorporates DNS (dynamic neuromuscular stabilization) and reflex locomotion, chiropractic adjustments, muscle release techniques, acupuncture, and nutritional guidance.
McKenzie therapy or MDT (mechanical diagnosis and treatment) fits very well into our practice as it is a patient-centered assessment that allows a patient to engage in a set of repeated movements, called the directional preference, that will make a change in range of motion or pain. This assessment can then be applied to any affected area of the body. Based on a patients individual directional preference, we will send them home with one, but highly effective stretch/exercises. DNS and reflex locomotion have a basis in developmental kinesiology and were developed at the Prague School of Medicine in the Czech Republic. The application is based in establishing solid foundational movement patterns that assist in stabilizing the core and reducing the risk of injury recurrence in the future.
We pride ourselves in treating patients as a whole person rather than becoming hyper-focused on a specific area. This might translate into working up the kinetic-chain in a musculoskeletal case; for example, if someones comes in with foot pain they might also get an assessment for the knee, hip and lower back because all of the joints are integrally interconnected. We enjoy helping patients achieve their goals that enable them to return to doing the things that they love. My job is very fulfilling and I love that each day is varied. Over the course of a day, I can treat a variety of cases spanning from neck to lower back pain, sciatica, digestive issues, allergies, sleeping difficulties, and nerve based muscle atrophy.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have a lot of passion for the work that I do and the patients that I treat, but my proudest moments are when my patients are able to feel educated about their presenting condition, how treatment can positively impact them and feeling empowered, whether that means less pain, improved mobility, stress reduction or being more at peace with the process, when they leave the office.
Contact Info:
- Address: 7353 Lake Street
River Forest, IL 60305 - Website: www.riverforesthealth.com
- Phone: 708-488-0900
- Email: drstrang@riverforesthealth.com
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/river-forest-health-and-wellness-river-forest
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