More Alternative Therapy Options for Mokena Residents

It would seem that Thomas Edison once predicted the growth of alternative health treatments when he said, "The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."

Now, it appears more people in Mokena and the United States are seeking out alternatives to medicine when it comes to their health treatments. 

According to studies by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the use of alternative medicine in the U.S. increased from 36 percent in 2002 to 38 percent in 2007. Though the percentage as a whole only slightly increased, certain types of alternative treatments, including deep breathing, meditation, massage therapy and yoga, increased dramatically. Participants in the study said they used alternative treatments mostly for musculoskeletal conditions, such as arthritis, joint pain or stiffness and back pain.

Community and Economic Development Director Alan Zordan said there has definitely been a rise in chiropractic and physical therapy firms in Mokena in the last couple of years.

Robert Dieringer, owner of Dieringer Chiropractic Health Clinic in Mokena, said he doesn't see chiropractic as alternative medicine, though the study mentions it as a popular alternative form.

“Chiropractors find the problem and treat the problem instead of treating the symptoms,” Dieringer said. “That’s the main difference.” 

Mokena is home to about 11 businesses that relate to the most popular types of alternative treatments named in the study. They make up about 20 percent of the total number of health-related businesses in Mokena, according to the list of 54 health-related businesses on the Village of Mokena website. This includes seven chiropractic offices, three massage centers and one yoga studio. Two exercise gyms also offer yoga as a class.

Though Mokena is somewhat lacking in the areas of acupuncture, naprapathy or Reiki, nearby towns, such as Orland Park, have a wider variety of alternative healing services, including Enlightened Healing Center and Circle of Wellness.  

Alternative or not, Dieringer said he hasn’t had a down year in his chiropractic business since opening in January of 2000.

Cathy Senesac, owner of Unwind Massage Therapy in Mokena, said she has seen her business increase each month since she opened her establishment last year.

Senesac said she definitely considers massage to be a form of alternative medicine.

“They come to us when they’re hurting and we put them back together,” she said of her clients, adding that 75 percent of her clientele come to her for physical ailments after other forms of treatment haven’t worked.

Senesac said that while demand for massage therapy is rising around town, alternative medicine in general is “practically non-existent” in this area. She said it's on the rise on the West Coast and East Coast,  but the Midwest “gets everything last.”

Even with the rise in alternative medicine’s popularity, many doctors in the field of Western medicine choose not to incorporate alternative or complementary medicine into their practice. An article by the Mayo Clinic found that while doctors are increasingly becoming involved with complementary and alternative medicines because of the rise in evidence that certain therapies work, others are hesitant because they did not receive training in that field and because many alternative treatments do not yet have substantial research and testing for safety and effectiveness.   

Senesac also said that many alternative medicine providers don't have the credentials to be giving treatment, such as chiropractors who offer massage even though they aren't licensed as massage therapists.

"Alternative medicine is great if the person is trained properly," Senesac said. "We need to get rid of the frauds in order to be respected as an industry."