FAQs

Founded upon a holistic philosophy, naturopathic medicine combines safe and effective traditional therapies with the most current advances in modern medicine. Naturopathic medicine is appropriate for the management of a broad range of health conditions affecting all people of all ages.

Naturopathic physicians (N.D.s) are the highest trained practitioners in the broadest scope of naturopathic medical modalities. In addition to the basic medical sciences and conventional diagnostics, naturopathic education includes therapeutic nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, natural childbirth, classical Chinese medicine, hydrotherapy, naturopathic manipulative therapy, pharmacology and minor surgery.

Naturopathic Medicine is based on six core principles that guide all treatment decisions:

• First, do no harm (Primum non nocere)
• Work with the healing power of nature (Vis medicatrix naturae)
• Find and treat the cause of disease, not just the symptoms (Tolle causam)
• Doctor as teacher (Docere)
• Treat the whole person
• Prevention

Chiropractic health care focuses primarily on spinal function and its relationship to the nervous system and overall health.  The science of chiropractic is based on the premise that good health depends, in part, on a normally functioning nervous system. Chiropractic principle emphasizes that the body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism and that body function is controlled and coordinated by the brain, spinal cord and the nerves that branch throughout the body.  The chiropractic approach to better health is to locate and remove spinal dysfunction and nerve interference, returning the body to its natural state of health and wellness.

These services are offered:

• • Neurostructural Integration Technique:  a gentle, hands-on therapy for pain relief
  • Botanical (herbal) medicine
  • Physical exams
  • Clinical nutrition
  • Chiropractic adjustments
  • Therapeutic lifestyle counseling (nutrition and exercise) for achieving optimal body weight, and reducing the risk of chronic diseases, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
  • Counseling, using various mind-body techniques (such as breathing exercises, Emotional Freedom Technique, Sedona Method, and labyrinth walking) for the management of  negative emotions.

No.  Natural medicine has a tremendous impact on unleashing the body’s inherent powers for self-healing.  In some cases, though, pharmaceutical drugs may be appropriate and necessary as part of an overall treatment plan; in such instances, Dr. Peters will refer you to your medical physician.

Andrew Peters, DC, ND, graduated summa cum laude from the National College of Chiropractic (now National University of Health Sciences) near Chicago in 1997.  He then practiced for 3 years in Wisconsin.  Dr. Peters earned his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND) degree in 2004 from Bastyr University in Seattle, the nation’s premier naturopathic medical school.  Dr. Peters continues his training through professional continuing education programs.

Dr. Andrew Peters is a provider for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois,  Aetna, and Medicare.  We also accept worker’s compensation and personal injury cases.  Other insurance plans are accepted at an out-of-network rate.  Coverage is limited to chiropractic benefits. Our office will assist you in obtaining coverage information.  CINHC also accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.

No.  Dr. Peters is a licensed Chiropractic Physician in Illinois, and a licensed Naturopathic Physician in Washington State.  The broad scope of practice law for Chiropractic Physicians in Illinois allows Dr. Peters to employ all the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities used at Central Illinois Natural Health Clinic.  The Illinois Association of Naturopathic Physicians continues to work for naturopathic licensing legislation.

No.  Central Illinois Natural Health Clinic and Dr. Peters maintain a policy of not participating in multi-level marketing (a.k.a. MLM or “network marketing”) companies.  While some of these companies’ products may be of good quality and have therapeutic value, there are often less expensive alternatives available from reputable professional manufacturers.  Other products are merely over-hyped and have no scientific validity.
Most importantly, our primary mission is the establishment of an effective doctor-patient relationship, based on naturopathic principles, to assist you in achieving your health goals.  The  commercial incentives that form the basis for MLM companies have the potential to interfere with that relationship.

Considered by many to be the world’s leading technique in structural and spinal therapy for lasting pain removal and rejuvenation, this gentle hands-on therapy can produce significant pain relief in as little as 2-3 treatments in most cases.  NST is a remarkably effective professional bodywork technique, that when applied, initiates a process of natural auto-regulation to occur in the spinal column and consequently throughout the whole body.  The  effect of this is a rapid elimination or reduction of symptoms, followed by an increase in energy and an unmistakable sense of well being.

For even more information, visit the official Neurostructural Integration Technique web site.

A treatment comprises the application of sequences of specialized “moves” to the body, carried out in a very specific and systematic manner. Characteristically, skillful soft tissue manipulation is applied to the lower and upper back, abdomen, neck, arms and legs.

There is no forceful manipulation; rather, NST uses a cross-fiber maneuvering of muscle, tendon, ligament or nerve, using varying pressure and incorporating resting periods to allow the body to respond. Treatment can be done either through clothing or directly on the skin.

A session generally lasts 25-45 minutes, but can be as short as 5 minutes in certain circumstances. Treatments should be scheduled for between five and seven days apart, and an initial set of three treatments is recommended in order to establish whether the patient is likely to respond to treatment.

Substantial relief is frequently attained after the first session; however long term improvement is typically attained after the second or third session.  This is not to say that every condition will respond in the same way. Advanced degenerative conditions often require a multifaceted approach, of which the NST may form an exceedingly significant part.  For such degenerative conditions (e.g., arthritis), further sessions may be required  every four to eight weeks to maintain optimum health.

Conditions which frequently respond well to NST include:

• Spinal conditions
• Cranial conditions
• Headaches (including migraines)
• Neck conditions (including whiplash)
• Back conditions (including pelvic, lumbar and thoracic)
• Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand conditions
• Leg, knee, ankle and foot conditions
• Arthritis and joint conditions
• Accident injuries
• Sporting injuries
• Acute and chronic fatigue
• Stress conditions and emotional depression

A fairly strong rule of NST is that it should not be mixed with other hands-on therapies.  The treatment is in effect asking the body to undertake a process of repair and so should be allowed to do so without interruption or contradiction.  A patient will be asked not to have other forms of hands-on therapy (massage, P.T., chiropractic) while receiving NST, and to leave a period of a week on either side.  Under certain circumstances, Dr. Peters may use chiropractic adjustments in conjunction with an NST session.  Supportive therapies such as nutrition, herbs, and homeopathy work well to augment the effects of NST.

NST is an advanced form of Bowen Technique.  Tom Bowen was an Australian bodyworker in the mid-20th century who used gentle soft-tissue manipulation to provide lasting relief for many patients within 2-3 sessions.  Fellow Australian Michael Nixon-Livy took Bowen’s later work, studied it thoroughly, and systematized it into Neurostructural Integration Technique in 1995.  NST differs from standard Bowen Technique or “BowTech” by incorporating Bowen’s most advanced methods from his later years.