Health Sphere Wellness Center
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For those unfamiliar with holistic medicine, that is the name given to a system of health care that fosters a cooperative relationship among physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of health.
It’s a concept that has become popular in the past decade or so and it’s something that has been used to heal chronic diseases, developmental delays, normalize weight, prevent disease and improve overall health, advocates say.
Health Sphere Wellness Center Director Karen Pryor, who has a bachelors degree in physical therapy, a masters degree in natural health and who is working on a doctorate in the field and who was also a director of physical therapy at Stones River Hospital and River Park Hospital for about 15 years, opened the center in 1999.
“In private practice, you have a little more freedom,” Pryor said of opening Health Sphere Wellness Center, which is located on the second floor of the physician’s wing of River Park Hospital. “I could take the amount of time the patient needed, because in other settings, you’re restricted on time.”
Since taking that step, Pryor has engulfed herself into non-invasive natural healing methods, conventional physical therapy, massage, manual therapy, an alternative healing method known as reiki and healing touch. Pryor works with a massage therapist, Jett Pryor, a physical therapy technician, Rhonda Barnes and an office manager, Marcy Martin.
The goal is to treat the cause, not the symptoms of the problems, which was something that impressed patient Donna Haston, who said she was in a car accident in February and who said she couldn’t move her neck until she sought massage therapy at the center.
“What amazes me is you’re not taking any drugs,” Haston said, noting she referred her husband, a cancer patient, to the center. “It’s all therapy.”
Pryor said another goal is long-term healing.
“We’re looking for permanent resolution so the body has a chance to heal,” she added.
Patients present a variety of other problems, such as chronic diseases, joint problems, back pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and even pediatric developmental delays.
Upon initial evaluation, patients are asked about their nutritional status, habits, water intake, whether they take nutritional supplements or the amount of sleep they get. Pryor noted poor health habits matter in overall health.
“Holistic medicine focuses on education and responsibility of for personal efforts to achieve balance and well being,” she added. “We evaluate the patient and give them a program according to what needs are presented. An amazing number of our patients had no idea that the food they had eaten, water they drank or their stress level could have been a factor in the disease process.”
To learn more about holistic medicine or natural healing, contact the center at 815-0005.