Each month, the Greater Ravenswood Chamber highlights a different business from our neighborhood. This month we caught up with Dr. Lina of Wellbeing Personalized Healthcare! Located at 4821 N Damen Ave, WBPHC is a holistic healthcare provider utilizing a combination of chiropractic techniques, acupuncture, nutritional counseling and functional medicine to “bring you back to proper movement, function and optimal health.”
Can you tell us a little about your approach to healthcare? What kinds of services do you offer?
We offer a variety of natural medicine services, including Functional Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Chiropractic Medicine, Nutritional Counseling, Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, Hydrotherapy and Homeopathy.
We use a variety of pharmaceutical-grade supplements and herbs from companies who verify the quality and potency of the ingredients, unlike most of the over-the-counter products that can make false claims on their labels. We also use environmentally-friendly products in our office, from botanical cleaners to recycled paper.
What’s the biggest difference between you and your competition?
Personalized Healthcare. We treat the individual and address the root cause of their condition, not just the symptoms, whether it be pain or an autoimmune condition. We have a variety of tools to address a variety of conditions, enabling us to personalize treatment accordingly. We try to empower our patients and give them the tools they need to regain their health.
Is there something you’d say inspired you to start your own business?
Wellbeing was established in 2007 in the Edison Park neighborhood in Chicago. After covering the practice of another chiropractic physician for a year, Dr. Black realized she wanted to offer more personalized care to patients than the run-of-the mill practice, where patients were treated quickly and had to come back often. Most jobs in the field were similar and many aspects of patients’ health, from diet, lifestyle habits, ergonomics were not being addressed due to the time constraints, so Dr. Black decided to open her own practice, to be able to give patients the attention they deserved.
What do you offer at Wellbeing PHC that I can’t find somewhere else?
Two things we have that are not impossible, but hard to find at other businesses:
One- our appointment times. We understand that one’s health can be complex and we don’t rush through patients’ concerns. Our appointment times are 2-3 times longer than most doctors’ offices. We listen to patients and strive to provide the best care without having to cut corners because of time.
Two- Functional Medicine. Functional Medicine seeks to identify and address the root causes of disease and views the body as one integrated system, not a collection of independent organs divided up by medical specialties. It treats the whole person, not just the symptoms. We are proud to have been offering Functional Medicine for the past 8 years. Dr. Black is sitting for her certification exam with the prestigious Institute for Functional Medicine in April. She will be one of very few IFM certified practitioners in Chicago.
Is that what you’d say you’re most proud of about the business? Your individualized approach?
We are proud of the trust that our patients and their families have in us. We are grateful to be able to be part of their healthcare team, their health and their lives. We have met so many wonderful people over the years and we owe that to the trust people have in us. We are a predominantly word-of-mouth business and are happy to have so many who have had positive outcomes and trust us with the care of their family and friends. We are grateful for our patients and would not exist without them.
Are there any fun facts about your staff that you can share with us?
As a business, we speak four languages. Kat, our office manager, speaks Polish. I speak Bulgarian, as I was born and raised in Bulgaria. Before moving to the US at age fifteen, I was a nationally-ranked tennis player, a sport I started at age four. Dr. Black speaks Spanish, having lived in Spain and Mexico and having traveled in central and South America. Both Dr. Black and I are involved with Natural Doctors International and have served in their natural medicine clinic in Nicaragua on 3 separate volunteer trips.
Do you have a favorite business in Ravenswood?
Our old neighbor on Wilson Ave, O’Shaughnessy’s. They are a very environmentally-conscious business, they offer a gluten-free menu, and we love the outdoor patio.
How about a favorite neighborhood event?
The Thirsty Ears Music festival. It’s a family-friendly, very chill street fest where you don’t have to worry about beer being spilled on you.
Last one- what’s the best thing about living in Chicago?
The neighborhoods. We have both lived in many different neighborhoods in Chicago, including Pilsen and Logan Square before they were trendy. We love the different flavors each neighborhood has to offer and how each neighborhood can be its own little city.
For more on Wellbeing Personalized Healthcare, visit wellbeingphc.com and follow them on Facebook.
Wellbeing Personalized Healthcare
4821 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 334-9355
