Your Path to Regaining Control of Your Health Naturally and Effectively

I admit I was skeptical and what surprised me more than anything is he hardly even touched my back. Sure a short massage with some herbal lotion, (it felt great) but more importantly he stuck needles into my ears, forehead, my knees and feet. I lay on the table thinking, “this is a lot of hooey.” But after an hour of this therapy and one more visit, I was ready to dance—all night! I’m telling you I felt like the guy at the revival meeting who casts his crutches away and screams, “I can walk!”
Thanks, Paul McKenna

Oriental Medicine recognizes 12 organs; the lungs, large intestine, stomach, spleen, gall bladder, liver, heart, small intestine, urinary bladder, kidney, pericardium, and the overall digestive tract. They produce blood and energy, which are the building blocks of proper body function. Blood flows in the blood vessels throughout the body. Energy flows on specific pathways or meridians throughout the body.
Physical, chemical, or emotional stressors can cause the organs to malfunction, blood to stagnate, and energy to stagnate. The function and healing process of vital body parts are affected at this point and although extreme health problems have been observed, it is more often not noticed at all. If the condition is allowed to go untreated, the body will attempt to support the affected area, but as the problem increases, the area starts to degenerate.

The healers at Art of Natural Healing have the best jobs in the world – helping others to achieve wellness naturally. Nagging, reoccurring, chronic health problems are often times overlooked, overmedicated or not addressed by conventional Western medicine.
But here’s our secret: “We don’t actually heal anybody!”
That’s right… No healer can truly cure any condition because the body itself does the true healing. All we do is put things into balance so the body is able to utilize its own self-healing mechanisms. For example, when you break a bone, setting and casting doesn’t heal it. The bone mends itself with the aid of the cast over time.
This is our team:
Alejandro Fernandez, L.Ac. MSOM, NMD – Director
Alejandro Fernandez is the Director of Art of Natural Healing. In this capacity, he serves as the main practitioner and oversees the practice’s daily operations and patient care. Fernandez has more than 15 years experience with Eastern medicine. He has taught classes in the Chicago Medical School, West Suburban nursing school, Dominican University in River Forest, led Kampo (Japanese herbal medicine) and Sooji (Korean hand-based acupuncture) seminars as well as conducted training in more than 10 countries.
Additionally, Fernandez is doing extensive research in Infertility, women issues and ADD/ADHD using acupuncture, herbs, NMT (Neuro-Modulation Technique), Tuina, nutrition, counseling and the use of the latest infrared technology to diagnose health issues.
Fernandez holds a master of science in Oriental Medicine from the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine, where he periodically was substituting as an instructor. He also has a doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from the American Naturopathic Medical Institute and completed a 2-year internship at the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. Fernandez is a member of the Illinois State Acupuncture Association, NCCAOM, American Association of Oriental Medicine and the American Herbalist Guild.
His main purpose is to help as many people as possible through the use of Natural Medicine as well as educating the community on healing naturally.
Art of Natural Healing, a natural healthcare and education practice incorporating Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture, was started by Kelsey and Alejandro Fernandez in 2001. Art of Natural Healing has assisted hundreds of patients with health issues including, but not limited to, infertility, irritable bowel syndrome and digestive disorders, anxiety and stress related disorders, depression, and allergy and sinus problems. The practice relocated from Chicago to its current location in River Forest in late 2002.
Kelsey Fernandez, L.Ac. MSOM, NMD – President & Owner
Kelsey is the President of Art of Natural Healing. In this capacity, he serves as the main practitioner and oversees the practice’s daily operations and patient care. Fernandez has more than 15 years experience with Eastern medicine. Fernandez holds a master of science in Oriental Medicine from the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine. She also has a doctorate in Naturopathy Medicine from the American Naturopathic Medical Institute and completed a 2 years internship at the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. Fernandez is a member of the Illinois State Acupuncture Association, NCCAOM, American Association of Oriental Medicine and the American Herbalist Guild.
In addition, she has post-graduate studies in TCM Gynecology, Clinical certification in medical infrared imaging (thermography) and Naturopathic medicine. She is NCCAOM certified in Oriental Medicine and holds an Illinois acupuncture license. Prior to dedicating her life to natural medicine, Kelsey was involved with her other passions of painting and martial arts. She currently has a private practice with her husband, Alejandro Fernandez in River Forest, Illinois.
Personal statement
I have gained tremendous knowledge over the past few years in practice, in many areas. For me, it has been quite exciting to learn what it really takes to be a successful practitioner, run a business effectively, and balance family life. My passion for helping people get well naturally has infiltrated every aspect of my life, from my personal choices and recommendations for patients to my political positions concerning the future of our license and healthcare in general. My goal is to become a positive role model for our profession and contribute my experiences and passion towards educating patients and professionals on the importance of bringing preventative medicine to the forefront of healthcare.
Marlene Baczek
Marlene holds a BS in Business Management from Eastern Illinois University. She also received a BS in Nutrition and an MS in Oriental medicine from the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago, IL. She is a clinical thermographer, a licensed massage therapist, and certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork. She is a Reiki master teacher; a certified yoga (hatha and vinasya), practical Pilates and laughter yoga leader and is certified in CPR and AED.
Marlene has a mission to assist people in self-healing and to let them know they have choices to promote better health. She believes in preventative medicine. She also works in the following areas of therapeutic massage and bodywork – deep tissue, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, sports massage, Swedish massage, prenatal massage, shiatsu, orth-bionomy (rg trademark), lymphatic drainage, neuromuscular re-education, tmjd, pre and post-surgical therapies, tuina, cupping, raindrop technique and essential oils.
Laura Pietrzak
Laura received her BA in Hospitality and Tourism management from the University of Wisconsin. She was a manager of both corporate as well as independently owned upscale restaurants. She then switched career paths and became the events director for a non-profit organization, and then served as an Executive Director of a private family foundation. She brings a wide variety of experience and talents to her current position at Art of Natural Healing.

Art of Natural Healing
7773 Lake Street River Forest,IL 60305Phone: (708) 366-8002
Fax: (708) 366-8002
Mon-2-8pm, Tues-9:30am-4pm, Wed-Closed, Thurs-2-8pm, Fri-Closed, Sat-8am-12pm, Sun-Closed
This is a widgeted area which is called Home Left.