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Healthcare in Itasca

Finding a good family dentist is no easy task. Each family member has different emotional reactions and physical needs when it comes to dental care, and some dentists simply don’t consider them all. Dr. Kathy French and Dr. Daniel Pope of Hamilton Lakes Dentistry, though, do take such factors into account and stress the importance of taking the initial time and effort to understand each individual's needs. That way, when patients come in for checkups or procedures, the doctor and staff know how to make them as comfortable as possible.

Concerned parents are allowed to be in the exam room to help comfort their children. The practice works with an M.D. anesthesiologist who can put high-anxiety patients under if they wish. Other patient comforts include nitrous oxide, local anesthetic, “surround sound” movie visors, music headphones, pillows and blankets. “Families feel very comfortable here,” notes Dr. French, “because they know we will treat them with the utmost, individual care vital to good doctor/patient relations and vital to optimal care and treatment."

Hamilton Lakes Dentistry was established in 1977 and provides both preventative family dentistry and cosmetic dentistry.

In 1989, Dr. Joseph Sperlazzo joined the practice of senior associate Dr. Leon Ragas, who had been practicing dentistry in Itasca since the 1960s and known as "The Itasca Dentist." Dr. Sperlazzo is an active member of the American Dental Association, and the Chicago Dental, Illinois State Dental and West Suburban Dental societies. He highly recommends regular check-ups every six months, of course, and also offers advice for everyday maintenance that will help prevent future dental problems:

• Yellowing of teeth is going to occur naturally, but drinking coffee or smoking will greatly expediate the process. Carry a toothbrush with you; a quick brush (even without toothpaste) immediately after drinking coffee or tea, or after smoking, will go a long way to preventing stains.
• Don't think of whitening toothpastes and gums as a solution. Even if they do contain whitening agents, they aren't in your mouth long enough to have any real effect.
• The gum line is frequently an ignored part of the mouth, but gum recession can be a serious problem. To avoid recession, stimulate blood flow to to the gums by gently brushing across your gum line. If your mouth starts bleeding, you've brushed too hard.

The Naturapathic Approach
Chiropractic diagnoses and treats mechanical disorders of the spine, skeleton and muscles. Chiropractic can be effective in relieving chronic pain, and doctors are recognized members of the medical community. The chiropractic philosophy does vary somewhat from that of traditional medicine and it's important to understand the difference.

Traditional medicine employs an “allopathic model,” which considers health problems to be the result of some external influence. Allopathic treatment involves finding that external influence and eliminating it.

Chiropractors, while incorporating aspects of allopathic treatment, rely more heavily on a “naturopathic” approach, which considers the underlying internal causes of health problems, emphasizing prevention and overall patient health.

Consider the model of Dr. Joseph Riggio, founder of Itasca Health and Chiropractic. “Rather than simply treating pain, I also try to help patients create a ‘biomechanical balance’,” he explains. "Pain is why patients come to see a chiropractor, but the cause of pain is what a good chiropractor will address. With the proper diagnosis and education, the patient can then decrease the possibility of future chronic pain."

According to Riggio, poor posture, weak muscles often due to neurological inhibition, improper nutrition, repetitive motions, and odd walking habits are all common causes of chronic pain. These daily routines cause an imbalance in the ideal joint position that can, over time, cause arthritis and degeneration. Riggio compares an imbalanced body to a car that needs a tire balance: it may not be immediately noticeable, but it can affect everything from mileage to engine wear to stability.

Chiropractors such as Riggio do treat symptoms with spinal adjustments and physical therapy, but they concern themselves more with educating patients on the causes of their specific pain, and give them strategies for minimizing the habits that cause pain and degeneration. This emphasis on education had lead to a misperception that chiropractors are not “real” doctors; a claim that is patently untrue. “Chiropractors are licensed physicians who can treat any part of the body using any method but surgery or drugs,” says Riggio.

Dr. Riggio, a graduate of National Chiropractic College, has been a resident of Itasca for more than 15 years. He and his wife loved the area so much that, when it came time to start his own practice in 1999, they decided to stay here.

Getting to the "Sole" of the Matter
Dr. Marie Schlund of Itasca Foot and Ankle, on the other hand, has lived all over the world — she grew up as an army brat. She chose to start her practice in Itasca because she knew some old acquaintances who lived in the area. "As soon as I set foot — pardon the pun! — in Itasca, it felt like an instant friend,” she says. In her 20 years of practice, Schlund has reciprocated that friendship through her practice where patients from 16 days to 93 years old are treated for everything from pediatrics to sports medicine to dermatology to nerve pathology.

Although the foot and ankle make up a relatively small percentage of the body, they figure prominently in our everyday lives — not just for walking, but for the effect that they can have on other parts of the body as well. They are also complex: our two feet and two ankles contain more than 50 bones, 30 joints, 100 ligaments, and 20 muscles and tendons. A lot can go wrong with so many intricate parts, and like a fine watch maker, it takes a great deal of precision and skill to diagnose and repair these parts.

Despite the complexity of the foot and ankle, Schlund’s most important advice to patients is, “keep it simple”: wear sensible shoes, and always stretch tendons before doing any strenuous exercise.

“I get a lot of patients on January 2,” muses Schlund, “because they made a New Year’s resolution to exercise more, but didn’t educate themselves about proper stretching before they hit the treadmill.” She also likes to show women x-rays of what their feet look like in high heels. The results are often shocking, and help give some women an idea of what harm they do to their feet every day.

A critical aspect of podiatry education. Schlund is a skilled surgeon and more than able to fix problems when needed, but notes that what she does is “more than just surgery — it’s helping them understand what’s wrong.” Often, injuries and conditions are caused by bad habits, and taking steps to change those habits can prevent further problems.

Grief and Loss Also Require Care
At some point in life everyone goes through the process of grief and loss. This process is completely normal, though the ways one deals with certain situations differs between people, as does the length of the grieving period. Each person reacts to and handles a grieving situation in varied ways.

The notion of grief can be described as intense emotions felt when one loses someone or something close, or the feeling of extreme unhappiness caused by a number of other reasons. The National Mental Health Association lists several emotions one may experience during the grieving process:
• Denial • Disbelief • Confusion • Shock • Sadness • Anger
• Humiliation • Despair • Guilt

The following are a number of coping options:
• Express your emotions to friends and family through talking, writing or exploring an artistic side by painting, sculpting, scrapbooking, etc.
• Take time to relax and unwind – visit a place offering a tranquil atmosphere or engage in calm and relaxing hobbies.
• Get enough sleep through the night.
• Exercise – visit the local gym, partake in yoga, Pilates or other exercise classes, or simply take a walk outside. Exercising is known to aid in the pituitary gland’s release of endorphins, a certain chemical that may take away the feelings of pain and replace them with feelings of elated happiness.
• Engaging in favorite pastimes or other social interests.
• Get support through local churches and organizations.

Geils Funeral Home, with locations in Wood Dale and Bensenville, provides information on aftercare support through its website at www.geilsfuneralhome.com. Search through the Internet, the phone book, or talk to friends and family in order to gain more information on support during the grieving process. Grief is part of life and getting through it is always possible with a little help.

When a Trip to the Hospital Becomes Necessary...

Itasca's acute medical needs are served by nearby Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare, which was recently recognized among the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for clinical excellence, according to a study of mortality and complication rates recently released by HealthGrades®, the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings company. This year, only 266 of the nation’s 4,971 non-federal hospitals received this designation. Of those hospitals, 20 are in Illinois.

EMHC has also been recognized with the 2007 Cardiac Care Excellence Award™ and 2007 Gastrointestinal Care Excellence Award™ for the second straight year.

According to HealthGrades’ study, patients admitted to a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence are, on average, 28 percent less likely to face mortality and five percent less likely to suffer from a major complication.

“It is an honor to be considered among the top hospitals in the country,” said EMHC President/CEO Leo Fronza. “To hold this distinction for two consecutive years provides further evidence that we have been successful in our efforts to provide high-quality healthcare to communities we serve.”

In furthering that goal, Fronza pointed to EMHC's new 50-acre integrated healthcare campus at the corner of York and Roosevelt roads in south Elmhurst, scheduled for completion in late 2010. The new campus will include an acute care hospital with all private rooms; a state-of-the-art Emergency Department; technologically advanced surgical suites; guest rooms for family and friends; healing gardens; and extensive landscaping.

"In recent years, medical breakthroughs and technological advancements have grown exponentially, and they’re continuing to evolve at an amazing pace. The new campus is our way of bringing those advancements to the communities we serve," he said.

The new campus will build upon the services already provided at the hospital and healthcare center, featuring specialty services, individual physician offices and a retail complex.

Founded in 1926 as Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, EMHC is today a comprehensive health system of multiple locations and services. With 427 licensed beds, the hospital staffs more than 3,200 employees; its 550 physicians specialize in medical and surgical care, behavioral health, cardiology, emergency care, maternity, neurosurgery, oncology, orthopedics and pediatrics. For more information, call the physician referral line at (630) 782-7878 or visit www.emhc.org.