A grand opening celebration was held August 3rd for Mid America Medical and Diagnostic Center, 2640 Sheridan Road, Zion. Zion Mayor Lane Harrison honored the new business by cutting the ribbon in a brief ceremony last Wednesday. The long building, stretching from the front walk all the way to the alley, has plenty of room for the 10 treatment rooms it houses, all accommodating very impressive yet comfortable-looking equipment to serve the patients with their needs.

The center combines alternative and traditional treatments and features many different services, including applied kinisiology, kinisiotaping, orthodics, diabetic shoe fittings, osteoporosis testing, X-rays, diagnostic utra-sound, echocardiogram, acupuncture, diet and nutritional consultations and testing. It also provides testing for various allergies as well as blood testing and diagnostic services. Doctors and therapists include a chiropractor, and internist, a licensed massage therapist, an endocrinologist, a neurologist, podiatrist and physical therapist as well as ageneral practitioner. Dr. Emily Chatskis, MD also serves at the Lewis Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and also has an office two blocks from the hospital. Other doctors in the new Zion facility include Dr. Aleksey Polyakov, chiropractor, also working in Chatskis in Chicago, and who is known simply as Dr. Alex. And Dr. Dimitry Likterev, a chiropractor, is serving there.

The facility has been open to the public since December, 2004, and has already gathered several faithful patients who sings its praises. Venus Shannon, a tall, attractive and slender picture of health, said “I came here with chronic back pain, migraines and overweight problem and I was tired a lot. I’m a Math and Science teacher at Central Junior High, so I’m on my feet a lot. I’ve been going to chiropractors for 15 years and never experienced anything like this. These people are the best.”

Shannon said she had lost 44 pounds since December when she started coming to Mid America, and is now just 10 pounds shy of her goal weight. I hadn’t been a size 10 in 15 years. I wish I could get on a bullhorn and just tell everyone, ‘We’ve got something special here!’ “Doctor Alex understands how the body systems work together. He put me in a mold and it showed hoe I wasn’t walking level with the ground. My pelvis was unbalanced. He made me a molded shoe insert that can be slipped into my shoes and that straightened out my problems,” she said.

“He and Dr. Chatskis work together and between them, they got me back on track. I get all my general check-ups here now and keep on top of all that too, even mammograms and OBGYN things. “The massage therapist here work with muscles that were chronically in spasm, I have more stamina, and I can teache better.” Serving patients is the number one goal of Mid America. The facility is equipped with a fully stocked store where medical supplies and supplements and made available.

Early morning and late evening appointments are available (7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.) seven days a week, depending on day. Says Dr. Alex, “If I’m here doing paper work and someone calls with a need, I’m not going to turn them away, I want to help them. Our goal is making patients feel better. Without availability, quality of service suffers. That’s why we have so many servicesand fields of expertise under one roof. That way, we each know what the other doctor is doing and can work coherently together. We have communication.”

Medicare assignments and major medical insurances are accepted. For more information or to make an appointment call 847 731 6727.