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Advanced Arlington Medical Center Offers Holistic and Traditional Healing

Feb 26, 2016 ● By Carrie Jackson

Dr. Eric Nagaj

When Dr. Eric Nagaj opened Advanced Arlington Medical Center, in Buffalo Grove, he envisioned a place where he could treat patients with the anthroposophic medical approach that combines homeopathy, naturopathic medicine and elements of allopathic principles. Fourteen years later, his clinic is thriving and patients are drawn to his patient-centered, holistic practice.

Nagaj, who comes from a family of doctors and attended medical school in his native country of Latvia, is no stranger to natural and holistic remedies. “My grandparents lived on a farm, where everything was natural. Nobody had heard of using chemicals or worrying that something was organic back then. A healthy, nutritionally balanced diet was very important to my family,” he says. Nagaj came to the U.S. for his residency, where he learned about anthroposophic medicine. “This holistic medicine approach is unique in having both conventional scientific basis and spiritual depth and breadth. I combine the remedies, which are low-potency homeopathic preparations and herbs, with diet, nutritional supplements, healthy rhythm, warmth, compresses and baths in many of my treatments,” says Nagaj.

Advanced Arlington Medical Center offers a wide range of services for patients with many different ailments. “We’re a one-stop shop. Patients can come in to talk to a doctor, get an EKG or X-ray, have blood work done, see a chiropractor or physical therapist or get a therapeutic massage,” says Nagaj. Some conditions they treat include skin disorders, digestive problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, pain and arthritis. They also specialize in sports injuries and rehabilitation after a car or work-related accident. “We offer comprehensive medical evaluations; advanced nutritional testing; treatments with new lines of validated anthroposophic and homeopathic remedies; bioidentical hormones; injection therapie; pharmaceutically prepared products which support the immune system and specifically lessen side effects of cancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy; chiropractic; and physical therapy treatments,” says Nagaj.

Nagaj likes to look at the whole patient, not just focus on their symptoms. “I get the most information from listening to what my patients tell me about how they’re feeling and what’s going on. Their appearance tells me a lot, too. If someone comes in and their face is pale, I know that their neurosensory system is overworked. If their cheeks are flushed, their metabolic system is probably in overdrive. I don’t put a lot of focus on numbers, I prefer to observe,” he says.

Because overall health is his goal, a patient’s everyday habits are important to Nagaj. “If they’re not getting good quality sleep, they’re not able to fully heal. During sleep, our metabolic system is active and trying to fix ‘holes’ in our body which were made by the neurosensory system. Instead of pills, I’ll recommend a homeopathic remedy or taking a lavender bath before bed. If my patient is depressed, I’d recommend behavioral therapy and lifestyle changes before I’d suggest taking medication,” he says. Advanced Arlington also offers massage to assess and treat the soft tissue of the body. “Massage improves blood and lymph circulation, decreases pain and inflammation, improves mobility and reduces stress,” says Nagaj.

Advanced Arlington Medical is growing their alternative medicine offerings and working toward even more focus on total wellness. Nagaj encourages his patients to eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables and stay away from processed foods as much as possible. “We should eat what is grown naturally, not made in factories. Our bodies can’t digest chemicals. That’s a big part of the reason people come in with rashes and digestive problems,” Nagaj says. He also recommends daily exercise of some sort to keep the body strong and limber.

Nagaj’s overall goal is for his patients to achieve a total balance in their body, mind and spirit. “The body as more than just a physical being, and when all parts are aligned, then total wellness will happen. Anthroposophic medicine looks at all of these together to optimize physical and mental health and well-being,” he says.

 Advanced Arlington Medical Center is located at 333 W. Dundee Rd., in Buffalo Grove. For more information, call 847-243-0355 or visit PainReliefMasters.com.

Carrie Jackson is an Evanston-based writer and frequent contributor to Natural Awakenings magazine. Connect at CarrieJacksonWrites.com.