Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program

Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program consists of:

2 Day New Patient Comprehensive Evaluation

Day 1

Physician Consultation. In this first visit, you will have a consultation with one of our clinic doctors, personally trained by Dr. Joseph Mercola, who will perform a comprehensive History and general Examination. Based on the findings, your physician will recommend an individualized program which includes a discussion of our holistic approach to your present state of health. In addition, you will be introduced to our cutting-edge Functional Medicine Program, a powerful and systemized approach to balancing your body's natural healing capabilities. This brief yet eye-opening review will reveal how many aspects of your health are inter-related, and will provide a framework on which to build your action plan for taking control of your health.

Comprehensive Laboratory Evaluation. We collect fasting blood and urine samples as part of our baseline assessment at the office. In addition, we will direct you on collection of saliva, stool and urine specimens for our complete line of specialized tests.

Moving Well Consultation. During this visit, you will gain a new perspective as to the true benefits of movement and exercise. You will then receive an assessment of your range of motion and current level of activity. You will also receive a scan of your spine and nervous system using the latest technology and will discuss how each of these components contribute to your state of well being.

Day 2

Nutritional Typing Consultation. In this first of multiple sessions you will review the results of your Nutritional Typing questionnaire with your nutritionist. During this process of discovery you will receive feedback on how food can make a direct impact on your health and how to create simple changes that will form the foundation on which to build your new healthy lifestyle for years to come.

Emotional Wellness Consultation. Based on extensive research and our experience we realize that all physical illness has an emotional component. Unfortunately there has been little to no use of this fundamental truth by most conventional models of medicine. In addition, emotions play a major role in who we are as individuals and affect our ability to address the challenges we face when looking to improve our health. At your first of multiple sessions you will receive an initial assessment of the present state of your emotional health as well as identify potential blocks to achieving success with your program. You will also be invited to experience your first of many practitioner directed EFT sessions which can quickly and effectively reduce those blocks to your success.

ART Session (Only for those who travel from out of town - typically done at 6 month follow-up) This specialized medical muscle testing system grounded in solid science, is used to screen for potential food allergies, geopathic and biophysical stress, interference fields, emotional blocks, heavy metal toxicity, dental related problems, and environmental toxicity and is then used in guiding potential treatment modalities.

Special Therapies

In addition to our 2 Day Comprehensive Evaluation, we offer additional therapies on an as needed basis. Typically these modalities of healing build upon your basic program and are targeted in ways that work to accelerate changes to specific aspects of your health. Many who travel to our from outside of our clinic area have an interest in experiencing these modalities and we encourage you to discuss the possibility of doing so with your New Patient Consultant. You can find a List of Services by Clicking Here.

Total Health Program Duration

This is one of the most frequent questions asked and is one of the hardest to answer. The reality is that everyone is different and everyone heals at different speeds. We have found consistently that people who are fully committed heal the quickest overall. Our program consists of approximately one to three dozen visits in total for an average patient and usually takes a full year to complete.

The first three months are designed to create a foundation of health from which the rest of the program is built. During this critical period, you will be focusing on correcting you nutritional needs, reducing stress and removing emotional blocks, addressing movement and your range of motion as well as generating a healthy pattern for rest and recovery.

As your laboratory tests become available a customized action plan for the remaining year will be created based on your results. This will include treatment and follow-up recommendations. Our goal is for you to live a lifetime of wellness and will support you in the realization of you health goals.

Information For People Who Live Out-of-State

Patients travel from all over the world to the Optimal Wellness Center. The initial patient visit must be on-site, in order to do a brief physical exam, which is required for all new patients. There are three additional appointments (Chiropractor, EFT and ART) that are hands-on sessions and need to be performed in the office as well. After these four visits have been completed in our office you may have all future sessions with our practitioners by phone. (Special note - for those wishing to submit their visits to insurance, phone visits are not covered by most providers.) There are some cases however, where it may be recommended that a patient return to the office.

Although we recommend that your comprehensive evaluation occur over 2 days, you can do all five visits (Physician, Chiropractor, Nutritionist, EFT and ART sessions) in one day. Please note, however, that if you are using health insurance most providers will only pay for one visit per day. Some of our patients will pay out-of-pocket for the four additional visits in order to have multiple visits per day while they are in town as this can be more cost effective.

How the Optimal Wellness Center is Different from other Healthcare Practices

• We take the time to listen. Our practitioners schedule more time with you than a typical doctor visit for a good reason: To truly understand your condition and assist with physical, emotional and spiritual healing takes time and we go the extra mile for our patients.

• We perform an in-depth laboratory analysis and medical history for each patient. Our testing is much more comprehensive than traditional laboratory testing. We also use a more accurate interpretation of the lab values from a functional perspective, as one may have "normal" values but normal does not always indicate "optimal."

• We treat the cause. Our philosophy is to help you find and understand the hidden causes of your health challenges and create a customized treatment plan for you.

• We use the healing power of nature with lifestyle changes and natural remedies that stimulate the vital force of the body to heal itself. On the other hand, conventional medical practices focus on expensive drugs that only suppress the symptoms and can cause many harmful side-effects.
   

Benefits Our Patients Have Experienced as a Result of Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program

Program Cost

Most people spend more on their car than they do on their health. However, a significant portion of our patients choose to pay out-of-pocket for their visits because they consider their health to be very best investment they can make. Without your health, all other things in your life, spiritual purpose, family, friends, possessions, hopes and dreams cannot be enjoyed to their fullest. What is your health worth to you?

What would you pay to add 20 years to your life?

What would you pay to have a slim figure?

What would you pay to avoid a fatal heart attack?

What would you pay to be full of energy and joy?

Optimal health is priceless. Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program designed to achieve optimal health, only costs an average of $3,000-$6,000 but will vary depending on the patient needs.

Such a small sum of money divided over a lifetime of optimal health, amounts to as little as 18 cents a day. Many people spend thousands of dollars per year on restaurants, vacations, automobile expenses or home improvement projects. Wouldn't it make sense to invest 18 cents a day in your self?

Cost of Services:

Additional Specialized Lab Tests That May Be Done:

Click here for detailed information on the benefits of each service.

Insurance Coverage

Why we are not in Insurance plans

Our mission here at the Optimal Wellness Center is to assist you in restoring your health and vitality so that you and your family can enjoy all the benefits that come along with living a lifestyle of wellness. We are here to help you to take back control of your health.

We are a unique center and our system of analysis and care involves holistic methods and natural medicine. Our understanding of wellness is contrary to what insurance companies believe and pay for. We like to spend time with you; lots of time. Our time is measured in hours not minutes, and as you can see by reading the above, our initial evaluation takes place over two days.

Let me ask you a few questions.

When you go to a doctor in your insurance plan, how long do they typically spend with you? When was the last time your "in-network" doctor sat down with you and listened, I mean really listened? Also, can I ask when was the last time your "in-network" doctor didn't offer or prescribe a drug? Have they ever advised you on what the right things are for you to eat? And finally, when was the last time your "in-network" doctor explained how your body actually works, or educated you on the possibilities of how amazing your body truly is?

We want to honor the fact that you work hard and pay dearly for your insurance, and as part of that we are more than happy to provide you with a receipt including any codes which you may use to submit to your insurance on your own. However, please understand that if you are entitled to any reimbursement under your individual policy it will be considered out of network and will come from your insurer directly to you. It's pretty straight forward; we speak a different language than the insurance companies.

Our expectation is that the people who come to our center understand and greatly value their health. We appreciate people that enjoy not just our holistic services, but also our unique expertise and our heartfelt kindness. After your initial workup we have options for continuing care here, from payment plans to healing groups as well as the option to have consultations over the phone that make it financially sound for anyone to get all the care they need.

We want you to succeed in all of your health care goals, and reach outrageous levels of health, wellness and vitality. We are always here for you, to help you to take control of your health.

We do NOT submit to Medicare, Medicaid or HMO insurance

Medicare and Medicaid have strict governmental regulations that physicians are to follow standards of medical care. This means, if the Medicare providers use natural medicine instead of pharmaceutical drugs with Medicare or Medicaid patients, they can be fined for millions of dollars and be sent to federal prison. We deeply regret not being able to accommodate Medicare or Medicaid patients but we cannot afford to take this risk.

All patients over the age of 65 must pay out of pocket for their visits. We do not bill any form of insurance for people over 65 because there is still a chance that if the primary insurance is dropped and the patient submits the bills to Medicare, then we will be liable for Medicare fines for practicing natural medicine.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Q: Can I bring my own lab results instead of having the labs done at your office?

A: You are welcome to bring a copy of your blood work results for us to review but we perform more comprehensive lab tests than the standard lab tests and we have a more precise interpretation of the lab tests we run. Therefore, it is required for each patient to run our specific battery of lab tests.

Q: How do I know if your program and practitioners have worked with my condition and are able to treat me?

A: The vast majority of diseases are caused by an unhealthy lifestyle (unhealthy diet, emotions, sleep, sun exposure, exercise, stress, environmental poisons, etc.) Our experience tells us that disease conditions dramatically improve with lifestyle counseling and natural remedies. The focus of our clinic is treating the underlying cause of the disease and guiding the patient in making healthy lifestyle changes.

Q: How do I find a natural health practitioner near me?

A: We are in the process of putting together a practitioner certification program to be able to refer people to. Until this is completed, we are unable to assess and recommend any outside practitioners.

Scheduling Your Initial Appointment

Please thoroughly read through the New Patient Tour, which answers most questions that people have, before proceeding. If you have already read through the entire New Patient Tour, please continue below.

Before You Schedule

Before you schedule your first appointment, please review the following four important considerations that are often important factors in scheduling appointments for new patients.

1. Discuss the program and cost information with your family members and obtain any consent you may need.

2. If you are a parent or relative of the perspective new patient, please be aware that we need to speak to anyone over the age of 12 directly before their appointment can be scheduled. All patients under the age of 18 need to be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian at all appointments. Also, it is important and recommended for the person doing the shopping and cooking for the patient to attend the nutrition appointments of anyone over 18 years of age.

3. Be aware of your schedule in order to successfully schedule an appointment. You will need to help us determine an acceptable time & date of your appointment when you speak to our New Patient Consultant.

4. Be prepared to travel, as you must travel to the Optimal Wellness Center for the initial visit since we do not have phone consultations for New Patients. Click here for Driving Directions & Lodging Information.

A Commitment That Will Optimize Your Success With Our Program

In our experience, we have found the following elements to enhance the results our patients can achieve at the Optimal Wellness Center:

1. Have an open mind and be ready to work.

We understand that making this first step towards change may be difficult and challenging. We have provided many tools and levels of support in order to make this an easier transition for you. We are ready to coach and support you on your healing path. We rely on you for information to formulate the best plan to meet your goals. Ultimately you need to be aware that it is your responsibility to make the necessary changes in order to be successful.

2. Keep your commitments.

Following through on commitments that you make to yourself and others is vital when it comes to improving your health.

3. Know your health insurance or financial situation.

You have made a wise investment by starting the program at the Optimal Wellness Center. Most of our patients have some type of health insurance to help them pay for the cost of their care. It is your responsibility to know your plan and limitation and exclusions. We can help you to contact your insurance company if you have questions. Click here to view the Quote of Benefits form.

4. Be on time.

We want you to get the maximum benefit from all of your visits. Being on time for appointments is important. The Optimal Wellness Center is a very busy and tightly scheduled office. Missing or delaying your appointments impacts not only your care, but the care of many other patients. For all New Patient Visits any missed appointments will be forfeited from the 2 Day Visit package and must be made up separately in order to continue with your program. Additional appointments may need to be scheduled to cover the missed material. If an emergency occurs and you cannot attend, you must notify us as soon as possible. Sometimes an appointment can be changed to a phone consultation with adequate notice.

5. Commit to required visits.

After your initial 2 day comprehensive evaluation there are follow-up visits which are essential to enhance your chances of success. Because the Optimal Wellness Center is committed to treating the whole person it is necessary to see:

• Nutritionist Consultations every 1-2 weeks for 3 follow-up visits
• EFT Sessions every 1-2 weeks for 3 visits
• Blood Work Review by Nutritionist based on your Nutritional Type
• Adrenal Stress Index Test Review
• Physician Report of Findings
• Nerve system Re-scan(s) and Chiropractic Adjustments
• Physician 6 month follow up
• ART Session
• Yearly follow up with Physician to remain a current patient
  
   

In addition, it may be determined that you would benefit from many of our other special therapies including Provocation Neutralization (PN) for Environmental Allergies, Total Body Modification (TBM), NeuroStructural Integration Technique (NST), ART and/or EFT appointments specific to your health goals.

6. Optimize your phone consultations.

We have created a convenient and efficient way to meet with your therapists and nutritionists. If you choose to do your follow-up visits by phone, it is most helpful to have all your materials in front of you. This will maximize your benefit from the consultation.

We will call you at the designated appointment time. If you choose to you may tape the conversation to refer to at a later time. If you have small children or other people or pets that may demand your attention during the appointment, please arrange for them to be taken care of by someone else during your session. You will enhance the benefits of your consultation if you give it your full attention.

7. Respect time limits and constraints.

Each session with a physician, nutritionist or therapist is scheduled for a specific amount of time and should not exceed that time. Practitioners will do their best to respond to as many questions as possible during the appointment, but they have a responsibility to cover specific information for your benefit. Additional appointments may be scheduled to accommodate additional needs.

8. Write down questions before your visit.

You can best utilize your time with physicians and therapists if you have given some thought to the information you need.

9. If you are coming from out of town, figure out transportation and directions ahead of time.

Please make sure you know how to get to the Center before your appointment and be certain to have the phone number with you. If you need information prior to your visit on transportation options or directions, we can assist you.

10. Be aware of our late cancel policy.

We have carefully developed a late cancel and no show policy based on our experience over the years. In order to optimize our ability to schedule appointments and provide service, we ask that you be aware of the requirements for cancellation and the consequences for not coming to a scheduled appointment. This policy assures patient access to appointments in a reliable and timely way. We cannot accept cancellations through email or voice mail. Please call 847-985-1777 and follow the prompts to reach a receptionist and speak with a staff member during normal business hours in order for your appointment to be cancelled.

What You Can Expect Of The Optimal Wellness Center

1. Confidentiality

All of our interactions, conversations, email, faxes, etc, will remain strictly confidential, meaning that we will not share any information provided by you with anyone without your consent. For more information about confidentiality see the HIPAA guidelines.

2. Professional Care

We will seek to increase your chances of achieving the highest level of wellness possible, as described extensively on our website at www.mercola.com. Be assured that all our practitioners have the highest levels of integrity and professionalism. We are adamant about delivering high value to all our patients, and view this is a continuous process of collaboration. We will assess the ongoing benefits of our services with you.

Helpful Approaches to Increase Your Success

• You have control over what you eat, choose wisely.
   

• There is no substitute for a daily dose of sunlight, fresh air, exercise and a good night's sleep.
   

• The quantity of water that you drink will have a profound impact on your health. Please be sure to drink enough pure water.
   

• Eat your foods as fresh and organic as possible.
   

• An awareness of the experience of eating and an expression of gratitude for what you are eating will help increase nutritional intuition.
   

• There are two basic ways to improve health- put good food in and leave junk food out.
   

• Utilize EFT as often as you feel necessary. You can use this tool for everything from physical pain and sugar cravings to emotional distress. We recommend at least three times a day. See page in your white OWC notebook for further information on EFT.

How To Schedule Your First Appointment

1. If you would like to know your benefit information before you schedule, please print out our Quote of Benefits (QOB) form and contact your health insurance company. With their assistance, fill out the QOB form. Click here to view the Quote of Benefits form.

2. Please fill out our Health Appraisal Questionnaire (HAQ). Once you have completed the HAQ form it is automatically submitted to us. Click here to fill out our Health Appraisal Questionnaire. Please only fill out this form if you have read through all of the information above and are ready to schedule your appointment.

3. Once you have filled out the HAQ form, our New Patient Consultant will contact you within 2 business days to schedule your initial appointment.

Not Sure You Want to Schedule?

If you are unsure about scheduling an appointment, and have questions that were not addressed by this tour, fill out the New Patient Inquiry Form. Our New Patient Consultant will then contact you to answer any questions you may have. The information obtained through our form is for in-office use only and will be kept confidential. Click here to fill out the New Patient Inquiry Form.

We applaud your interest in joining the wellness revolution and look forward to serving you.

Location and Directions

The Optimal Wellness Center is located at:

1443 W. Schaumburg
Suite 250
Schaumburg, IL 60194

Phone:

(847) 985-1777
If you have a question we recommend that you email us due to our phones being for current patient needs. However, If you are going to leave a message, please remember to leave a phone number with area code, speak clearly, and make sure you have a clear connection without static (if you are calling from a cell phone).

Please note! This number should be used for PATIENT inquiries only. If you have a question about the website or products, please use our Contact Form.

We are approximately 30 minutes west of O'Hare International Airport. If you are coming from out of town, please see our Driving Directions. You may also be interested in local Restaurant, Hotel and Transportation information.