stress
journey

Our Wellness family of practitioners provides a wide range of skills and an unusual depth of experience. We have a wide referral base of practitioners in both allopathic and complementary medicine, and who are open to the concept of Integrative Medicine.

 

Martha H. Howard, M.D. combines a knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture and herbal medicine, Family Practice, environmental and preventive medicine, hypnosis, laser and other light-based therapies, and sound-based therapies in her practice. She is a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, which she has been practicing since l982. An administrator, teacher and speaker as well as a clinician, she is Medical Director of Wellness Associates of Chicago. Dr. Howard has a Master's Degree from Harvard University in Chinese Language and Literature and an M.D. from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. She was a board member for three years of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and is a current board member of the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine and NOHA. Dr. Howard has been teaching the Intelligence Qigong form at national conferences since 1992, and is the first woman to teach it here in the United States. She has just finished a new Wellness CD series, Power of Suggestion, that uses combined methods of relaxation and suggestion to support a happier, healthier life, improved memory and learning, stable weight, reaching your highest potential, and many others.

 

Gene Arbetter is Managing Director of Wellness Associates of Chicago, where he maintains a private practice in Massage therapy. Gene is one of the first Westerners to teach Intelligence Qigong nationally, and is recognized by his clients and peers as an exceptional wellness trainer. He has given lectures and classes on stress management, self care, ergonomics and posture correction, professional ethics, business practices and non-invasive bodywork methods. Gene is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and is a graduate of the Chicago School of Massage Therapy, where he was a faculty member from 1986 to 1994. He was in the first group of massage therapists to take national board exams and earn the title: Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. After being Public Relations Director for the AMTA for four years, Gene founded the Massage Therapy Resource Network in l993. Using his Chicago-based (312) M-A-S-S-A-G-E phone number, he helps people find therapists in their area, directs them to schools and training, and handles a wide variety of questions
about the broad field of hands-on therapies.

 

Chris Costas, M.D. is board certified in Internal Medicine,Pediatrics and Infectious Disease. He combines Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture with Western medicine in his practice. Dr. Costas has been using integrative medical therapies since l992. In addition to his clinical practice, he teaches and lectures. Dr. Costas has a BS in Botany from the University of Michigan, and he received his M.D. from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. He was trained in Pediatrics at Georgetown University and in Infectious Disease at University of Chicago. His acupuncture training was done at the UCLA acupuncture program for physicians.

 

Dr. Leon Chen 's unique background combines education, theory and practice of eastern and western medicine, integrating both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Orthopedics. A 1985 graduate of Gansu College of TCM, he became a full professor of Chinese medicine and O.M.D specializing in Acupuncture, Tuina and Orthopedics, including surgery in China. Currently Dr. Chen is licensed for acupuncture and bodywork in the US.

Dr. Chen has published twenty-three medical papers and four medical books on subjects ranging from orthopedic diagnostic methods to bone setting and joint disorders. At Gansu College Dr. Chen conducted research on herbal treatments for osteoporosis, arthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases. He holds a Chinese patent for an herbal paste to stop swelling and relieve pain. He has held numerous academic posts including editorial board member of the Chinese Journal of TCM, Vice President of the World Federation of TCM Orthopedics, and Vice Chief Editor of the World Journal of TCM Orthopedics. His ideas and communication skills have given him the opportunity to speak at world symposiums in Beijing, Hongkong, Japan and Malaysia. An article in the February 18, 2003 edition of the Lanzhou Daily newspaper, described Dr. Chen as “a famous expert in TCM orthopedics and traumatology.”

Dr. Chen is a Qigong Master who has published articles about the results of his research, practice, and teaching of the Dunhuang Qigong method, an ancient self-healing practice depicted on the walls of the ancient Mogao Caves in the Gansu Province of China. Part of Dr. Chen’s “prescription” for his patients is Dunhuang Qigong. His classes in the method promote longevity and a better quality of life.