The following blog is about our previous Women's Retreat and our vision behind its inception. If you're interested, stay tuned in your emails about any retreats in the near future!

Over the course of my almost 25-year wellness career I’ve worked with patients individually, I’ve led workshops of fifty and I’ve lectured to hundreds in a corporate setting. I’ve discussed health with toddlers (thanks to Parker’s preschool), taught stretching to the elderly and infirmed and even worked with attorneys looking to live healthier, happier lives.  I have had the opportunity to work with clients from Chicagoland to Austria (unfortunately not in person - yet!). But something was missing…

For those of you that have had the chance to visit our clinic in the Chicago suburbs it was envisioned fifteen years ago while I was finishing up Chiropractic school. I wanted somewhere clients would feel comfortable. Somewhere that didn’t scream “doctors...

As the weather is changing and you are spending more time outdoors, you’ll be noticing those pesky critters biting your exposed skin. Especially after a nice rain, mosquitos are everywhere and it’s hard to find a good repellent that keeps them away!

If you are tired of putting chemicals all over day after day, you are in luck! There are some natural remedies out there that actually work!

If you are an essential oil pro, or novice, there are some great ways to use them to avoid bug bites. The first way to keep the mosquitos at bay is to create your own bug spray. Grab or buy any glass spray bottle, add witch hazel, water, and a tbsp of vodka as your base. Then you can add a combination of oils that not only smells great but that bugs hate! A good combination is Rosemary, Peppermint, Citronella, Lemongrass, and Cedarwood. 

If you currently use or have thought of using an essential oil diffuser at home, they are fantastic to take outside! You can diffuse the same oils...

Now that summer is wrapping up, lets talk exfoliation.  Skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays an important role in elimination.  Fall is a great time to set the refresh button and remove that dead skin, unblock pores due to sweating and sunscreen, and get in a little bit of self care. 

The best way to start is with a good dry brushing session. The mechanical action of dry brushing is wonderful for exfoliating dry winter skin. It also helps detoxify by increasing blood circulation and promoting lymph flow/drainage. Dry brushing unclogs pores in the exfoliation process. It also stimulates your nervous system, which can make you feel invigorated afterward. 

The best way to dry brush is to always move upwards and in towards your heart. This shouldn’t take long, a few minutes max. That’s when we get to move on to the fun part.  I love mixing up my own sugar/salt scrubs with some essential oils...

Working with a functional medicine professional can be exciting and rewarding. At the beginning of your journey, your doctor may start with a few simple tests to see what contributing factors are responsible for your current situation. Later on if you find that you have implemented lifestyle changes and you are not seeing the results your doctor expects, testing may be exactly just what the doctor orders!! Below are the four tests most frequently used by Dr. Jordan Leasure at her clinic in Illinois. If you’ve completed any of these please share your experiences below.

1. ORGANIC ACID TEST

This is one of Dr. Jordan’s favorite tests for a variety of reasons. It’s easy to complete - just pee in a cup at home! It gives a TON of information - Dr. Jordan calls it the “poop of the poop”. Essentially it measures metabolites - a fancy word for the end products of your metabolism - when you create energy and eliminate waste. It gives an overall look at your...

“A condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.”

I was reminded of balance today from the owner of The Dailey Method in Lake Forest where I work out.  She was discussing the importance of finding the time for yourself, regardless of the obstacles and joys in your life.  

Balance has a different meaning for everyone, but I want to focus on the importance of health in your life and how that plays a huge role in feeling centered.  We’ve all been in a place where we ate whatever was convenient, didn’t have the time to work out and went to bed still answering emails. More than likely this caused a need for more coffee in the morning and the entire cycle started over.  Not only will this decrease your energy and your mental focus, but this will start to increase pain in your entire body.

How do we find balance in a world where we are pulled in multiple directions everyday?  It comes...

For many people the word detox sounds scary, depriving and unnecessary.  The reality is we are inundated with toxins on a daily basis and they are wreaking havoc on our systems.  Every second of every day our bodies work on eliminating toxins that we are exposed to and it is extremely effective in doing so.  Problems arise when we overload the system.  

We eat chemically laden, processed foods.  We use products in our homes and on our bodies which contain plenty of toxins.  We breathe in toxins, and follow it up with our alcoholic beverage of choice at night. All of these items independently of each other won’t cause a system crash, but when you combine them, over the months and years, your body is crying for help.

Many symptoms that are considered common or normal most likely are signs of toxic overload.  Headaches, fatigue, brain fog, gas, bloating, pain and even difficulty losing weight may all be due to an inability to detox...

With the fast paced lifestyle many families are living today, most don’t have the time to put a healthy, delicious meal on the table for dinner. It may be easier and more convenient to go through a drive-thru, order a pizza or some other unhealthy, non-nutritious food from a restaurant. But for many of us who are looking to be healthier, lose a few pounds/inches, and/or teach our children better eating habits, what good does that do for us? I have found that using my crockpot has helped me and my family in more ways than one. It is super easy just throwing a bunch of ingredients in to the crockpot, turning it on low and then letting the crockpot work its magic. When you come home from work later that night, you have dinner ready to go and the family can sit down to a hot, cooked meal and you don’t have to feel the added stress about what to feed your hungry family.  

One of my favorite “go to” crockpot recipes is super delicious, figure friendly, and...

Did you know massage therapists in Illinois need 750 hours of learning and training to qualify for licensing?  A typical curriculum would consist of Anatomy 1 and 2, Pathology, Physiology,  Kinesiology, Palpation, Clinical integration, Ethics, Hydrotherapy, and Alternative complementary therapies.

A skilled massage therapist should know how to assess a range of motion for all joints, assess your gate and posture upon viewing, utilize Orthopedic testing if necessary, assess your information from your intake form, and talk to you about your concerns.

After doing these things, massage therapists should be able to use their knowledge of anatomy and massage therapy to devise a plan for treating you that day. Usually, our goal is to find the source of your pain and eradicate it through various massage techniques and modalities.

Sometimes the therapist may check for pain or abnormalities in areas other than where you are experiencing localized pain because often times the source...

Deciding to take the plunge into parenthood in itself is a big challenge. But before you do that, pause for a second – or even a month or two. In order to give yourself the best opportunity for a healthy pregnancy and ultimately a healthy baby, here are the top 5 things you need to know and do before trying to hop on the conception train. At North Shore Pro-Active Health we see patients, pre -conception, pre-natal, during pregnancy, post partum and even adjust our smallest patients within 5 minutes of birth!  Pre-conception is a very important time as you can change the DNA of your follicles, which leads to the DNA of your fetus!

1. Schedule a Prenatal Checkup

Schedule an appointment with your chiropractor, midwife, ob/gyn, or family practice physician for a preconception health check. At North Shore Pro-Active Health we will thoroughly analyze your personal medical history, family history, any supplements or medications that you are on, etc. We may...