Renato Hess provides specialized one-on-one care to promote healing and education, so a patient can return to his or her regular daily activities. Every session, he gives home exercises with pictures and explanations to facilitate a quicker rehab. Providing consistent and progressive rehabilitation maximizes the well-being and quality of life of a patient, even after discharge from physical therapy.
Renato Hess provides specialized one-on-one care to promote healing and education, so a patient can return to his or her regular daily activities. Every session, he gives home exercises with pictures and explanations to facilitate a quicker rehab. Providing consistent and progressive rehabilitation maximizes the well-being and quality of life of a patient, even after discharge from physical therapy.
Dr. Smith is a dedicated learner and an enthusiastic teacher of all things related to the body and to health. She believes in the integration of different healthcare modalities and chooses the techniques that will enhance each individual person’s healing process and promote their health and vitality.
Dr. Smith listens tenderly and thoroughly to her patients. Her touch is gentle, intuitive, and knowing.
She is a physician (MD), licensed to practice medicine and Traditional Asian Medicine in Illinois and California.
Dr. Smith initially trained as a general surgeon before completing several years of formal training in Acupuncture and Traditional Asian Medicine. She initially attended a physician-only course for acupuncture, but decided she wanted to learn the medicine more deeply. She therefore completed several years of coursework at the renowned Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Los Angeles. She also studied Structural Acupuncture (Kiiko Matsumoto’s Japanese style) through Harvard Medical School and completed that training in June 2012. She continues to attend post-graduate training seminars on various continuing medical education topics and sets aside at least 30 minutes each day, every day, to study her craft and further her knowledge base.
Dr. Smith has two additional post-graduate degrees. She obtained a Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics because she wanted to understand how the body works more completely. She obtained a Master of Arts in Medical Education and Leadership and completed a year-long Fellowship in Surgical Education because she wanted to develop expertise in communicating her knowledge to others.
In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Smith is a dedicated educator. She provides continuing education credits to healthcare practitioners of many types (nurses, emergency medical personnel, other physicians). Dr. Smith is frequently invited to speak at medical conferences, most recently at the Integration in Medicine Conference (Nov 2012) and at Integrate Chicago (Jan 2013). She is a professor and teaches medicine to acupuncture students at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago. She has both a clinical faculty appointment (Department of Family Medicine) and a medical education appointment at the University of Illinois, Chicago College of Medicine, where she teaches professionalism and “doctoring” courses (Essentials of Clinical Medicine) and alternative therapeutic courses (Introduction to Acupuncture and the Scope of Complementary Medicine) to medical students.
Dr. Smith is happily married and loves her two rescue dogs, Grace and Heidi. She is addicted to spending time merging art and science in her kitchen, is trying to learn how to knit, and you will often catch her developing blisters on the dance floor.
Dr. Kimberly AuBuchon is an Illinois licensed Physical Therapist who joined the practice in March of 2012 after working in Chicago’s loop since 2005. She is excited to join Lakeshore Integrative Healthcare in their goal of bringing comprehensive one-on-one care to patients in the Lincoln Park community.
Dr. Kimberly completed her undergraduate studies in 2003 at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and had the opportunity to live and study in Granada, Spain. She received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2005 from Northwestern University and went on to complete a clinical certification program in manual therapy from the Ola Grimbsy Institute. With 7 years experience practicing physical therapy, she specializes in orthopedic manual therapy for the spine and extremities and has extensive experience with runners, post-surgical rehabilitation and patients with chronic pain. She is also trained in Functional Capacity Evaluations utilizing the Matheson system to help patients safely return to work.
Kimberly lives in the Lakeview neighborhood with her husband and son where she enjoys cooking, exercising and boating on Lake Michigan in the summer months.
FAQs
Lakeshore Integrative HealthCare, Ltd offers a comprehensive and holistic-based healthcare system designed to bring overall balance to the body utilizing a combination of age-old manual medicine and remedies along with the most advanced techniques and the latest technology in manual medicine, bioenergetic stress testing, nutritional counseling and laboratory diagnostic testing. We bridge advanced Physical Therapy with Manual Medicine to treat the whole person and not just your symptoms. Relief is often immediate and dramatic with our type of care!
Questions about Lakeshore Integrative Health Care:
When you arrive for your first appointment, you will be asked to fill out an Initial Patient Intake Form which will take approximately 8 to 10 minutes to complete. Please allow time to complete this form prior to your scheduled appointment time. This information will allow the doctor to perform a comprehensive review of your health history, nutritional status, current concerns and locations of discomfort - accurately identifying the reasons you are seeking treatment and if Physical Therapy, Acupuncture or Naprapathic care is appropriate for your condition. Naprapathy is now covered by most insurance companies - with the exception of Medicare and Medicaid. HMO insurance plans almost always require the Primary Care Physician (PCP) give a direct referral to our office specifying Naprapathy and a practitioner's name (called a "global referral"). Be sure to bring your current insurance card with you!
The initial visit may take up to one hour in order to give full attention and the appropriate care for your current health condition. You will be assessed with special orthopaedic tests, deep tendon reflex tests, kinesthetic muscle testing and various other evaluative tests to further determine the underlying cause of your pain or discomfort. Before a "hands on" treatment begins, you may be asked to change into a gown and/or shorts for comfort and ease of exam and treatment. You are always welcome to bring in your own pair of shorts for your treatment.
There are occasions when the attending Naprapath, Physical Therapist or Acupuncturist may require that you have x-rays or other imaging testing completed before getting a treatment - especially if the pain is severe or the result of an accident or trauma. If this is the case, you will be given a request form for these specialized tests to be taken to your preferred medical center. There also may be times when a consult with a medical doctor or osteopathic physician is required by the attending Naprapath in order to rule out a more serious or underlying condition - for example, a condition such as large tendon tear requiring surgical intervention.
Lakeshore Integrative HealthCare has access to Medical Doctors in our office. You always have the option of choosing which physician performs this type of consult, though we may also recommend a certain practitioner. If you have a Primary Care doctor he/she is always the one to consult at first. If you have already been to an emergency room or seen by another physician or chiropractor or have xray or mri results, please bring a copy of this visit with you. Naprapaths can treat a patient without a referral from any other physician - however, Lakeshore Integrative HealthCare values integration with other healthcare professionals and welcomes dialogue between other professional colleagues to improve your overall wellbeing. - Back to Top -
WHAT HAPPENS IN A TREATMENT SESSION?
A Naprapath uses hands-on therapy to gently release specific points of tension in the body and the spine that have become abnormally tensed and contracted. Neuromusculoskeletal pain is addressed with various forms of manual muscle therapies such as deep tissue massage and manipulation, neuromuscular reeducation, stretching/range-of-motion activities, and trigger-point therapy for example. A Naprapath may also perform spinal manipulation (where you may occasionally hear slight popping of the joints) but normally only to use the vertebrae as levers for stretching the contracted connective tissue. After locating areas of pain or rigidity, a Naprapath will gently manipulate the tissues, stretch and massage constricted areas, and apply pressure to specific places (called trigger points) until the muscle, tendon, or ligament loosens and balance is restored - providing a profound sense of relief.
Naprapaths utilize postural counseling, therapeutic exercise and modalities such as ultrasound, electric muscle stimulation, low level laser therapy, vibration, heat and/or cold therapy, and nutritional counseling to enhance the results of a treatment. After the treatment, you will be given specific instructions to enhance the treatment and continue the work of therapy at home. These instructions often include specific stretching and/or strengthening techniques, supplemental recommendations and possibly given orthopaedic supports/devices. - Back to Top -
WHAT TYPES OF CONDITIONS CAN A NAPRAPATH TREAT?
Naprapathic practice includes, but is not limited to, the treatment of contractures, muscle spasms, inflammation, scar tissue formation, adhesions, lesions, laxity, hypotonicity, rigidity, structural imbalance, bruising, contusions, muscular atrophy, and partial separation of connective tissue fibers according to the Illinois Naprapathic Practice Act of 1992.
Naprapathy is used to treat a wide array of ailments. Most common are back, neck, and hip complaints, but also include most forms of tendonitis, bursitis, muscle spasms, plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, whiplash and a variety of other disorders such as sciatica, runners knee, headaches, etc.... Conditions such as these may inadvertently produce systemic complaints including low energy, tension headaches, digestive disorders, radiating pain or even an unexplained depression. - Back to Top -
DOES LAKESHORE INTEGRATIVE WELLNESS CENTER OFFER OTHER TYPES OF SERVICES?
In addition to the above services, Lakeshore Integrative HealthCare, Ltd offers advanced BioEnergetic Stress Testing (see link) to further help identify the underlying cause of dis-ease. Furthermore, we offer functional laboratory assessments (see link) for the hormone, immune, metabolic, and gastrointestinal systems. We offer a wide variety of tests, including ones that can determine cardiac and liver function, address women’s health issues, and direct detoxification programs. These tests are designed to help determine the root causes of your health complaints. We also offer complete nutritional services. - Back to Top -
HOW MUCH IS A TREATMENT?
Charges are based on individualized treatment plans and will be different for each person depending on the activities/proceedures performed by the doctor, physical therapist, acupuncturist or other practitioners. For example, a patient who receives basic manual manipulation on one area of the low back will have a lower charge than a patient who requires treatment of several regions along with additional costs for applications of ultrasound, heat packs and/or cold laser therapy. Most insurance companies cover our services (other than nutrition counseling) and we will happily contact your insurance company to check for benefits prior to your visit if you provide us with the proper informaiton and then submit billing electronically at no additional cost to you.
However, Lakeshore Integrative HealthCare, Ltd does require ALL patients to pay a minimum co-payment fee of $150.00 for the initial visit and $100.00 for subsequent visits regardless of final fees if your insurance benefits have not been determined at the time of treatment. These fees will be be applied to your insurance benefits for balance reimbursement and deductible pay down. If your insurance company reimburses L.I.H. over the amount that you are expected to pay based on your individual plan, then L.I.H. will reimburse you directly for the differece between what you've paid and what you are responsible to pay in your plan. If you prefer to send in your own insurance reimbursement forms, L.I.H. will provide you with a "superbill" showing all charges and codes. In this type of payment situation, you will be required to pay the entire bill at the time treatment is given.
Lakeshore Integrative HealthCare, Ltd can accept many forms of payment including Visa, Mastercard, Money Order, Cash, or Personal Check (from local bank only). If your personal check bounces, you will be required to pay all fees involved to clear the check and you will also be required to pay subsequent payments thereafter in cash or CC only. - Back to Top -
