A BETTER WAY towards
excellent health!
Offices in Wheaton, Lemont, and
Bu Buffalo Grove, IL
630-897-8187
Dr. Robert Filice was one of the first physicians in the State of Illinois to practice full time natural medicine. Originally trained and Board Certified in Psychiatry, but with rapidly waning patience for the total pharmaceutical orientation of that specialty, he soon left the fold and the blinders of orthodox medicine in 1980, and has never looked back.
For 27 years now Dr Filice has helped two generations and tens of thousands of every kind of patient with every sort of medical, gynecologic, and allergic problem in his alternative and complementary general practices located in Naperville and then Oak Park. In 1995 he began incorporating intravenous
chelation therapy into his practice, and since then has become one of the most experienced and effective alternative practitioners treating heart problems like coronary artery disease, hypertension, and congestive heart failure.
Considering retirement, he took a 3 year sabatical from medical practice starting in 2000, but decided to return to alternative medicine in January 2003, but without all the administrative responsibilities characteristic of a solo practice. Thus he joined Ross Hauser, MD at Caring Medical in Oak Park, a world renowned center for the natural management patients with chronic painful musculoskeletal conditions like tendinitis, arthritis, back pain, and ligament strain with Prolotherapy. During his 4 years in Oak Park, Dr Filice added expertise in prolotherapy to his well seasoned collection of effective treatments, while also caring for essentially all of the non-pain natural medicine cases there. In his prolotherapy experience(about one third of his practice there), he was trained by the man (Ross Hauser) who was trained by and took over the pactice of the physician who originally put Prolotherapy on the map, Gustav Hemwall, MD. Also during those Oak Park years, he worked even more extensively and effectively than before with transdermal natural hormone replacement therapy for both men and women, and with patients suffering from chronic infection, cancer, and heavy metal overload. He offers patients a full range of health, wellness, and disease care services.
Dr Filice strongly believes that a motivated and educated patient gets the best results. He knows how to explain the medical scenario related to each case to his patients in an understandable way. He is a very focused listener, and works hard to put the often-times wide variety of clinical problems and issues together to derive a logical and effective treatment plan. He has the experience, the caring attitude, and the skill and knowledge that come from a life dedicated to helping people solve their health problems, naturally.
Call 630-897-8187 for an appointment.
We feel we can help patients with most any health concerns, and request the opportunity to meet you. If the Dr or the patient feel during or after the interview that we cannot be of help to the patient, there will be no charge for the consultation.
Want to know more about Dr Filice? Read below what he gave for an interview with "The Compounder" , which is running a series of articles on "Doctors You Should Know" on their web site at www.thecompounder.com:
Describe your services:
I practice what might best be called "interventional natural medicine". This means I treat really sick people and use tools with enough power to get the job done. Whether it's a patient after his first heart attack or stroke, a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, or MS, or chronic pain conditions, I believe (because I have seen it happen again and again) that I can help people regain their health. A few herbs, acpuncture, and a vegetarian diet are NOT going to get the job done in many cases. Mine is NOT the watered down kind of integrative medicine that you will find being tolerated and promoted at local hospitals and "wellness" centers.
My patients and I need therapies that work, and I am not afraid to try new things, and go out of the box, as long as patient safety is assured. So that's why I've come to use a variety of injection therapies (EDTA, glutathione, phosphatidylcholine, magnesium, DMPS etc), as well as oral supplements, and prolotherapy (which helps the body heal itself, but may be considered interventional because of the injections involved). Many patients appreciate the dual pespective that I offer them. My scientific methods, appropriate use of modern high technology when necessary, combined with my emphasis on safe, less costly, and effective natural healing methods provide a combination of characteristics that make many patients feel comfortable, and help them rest assured that they are getting the best possible medical care. To me that is the real definition of "integrative medicine".
But I am also personally and professionally very interested in age management medicine. There are now some awesome tools which,when coupled with knowledge I have gained over the years, makes me confident that I can help people live younger and better longer. I am also the only area physician (with his Boards in Psychiatry) who has an interest and expertise in treating neurotransmitter related disease with nutrition, orthomolecular medicine, and balanced and targeted amino acid therapy. This is especially important for patients with psychiatric complaints like depression, OCD, ADHD, and anxiety, as well as those with migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, Parkinson's disease, or obesity. Amino acids can safely turn off the appetite, thus permitting sustained weight loss using very low calorie regimens. Because I am an integrative physician who still believes in scientific diagnosis, and utilizes the best that traditional medicine has to offer, many patients have found that their so called "psychiatric" or "hypochondriac" problems actually turned out to be physiological. Just bcause the local GP or specialist can't diagnose it doesn't mean the problem isn't real and very treatable. My patient files are full of stories where patients saw multiple specialists, were not properly diagnosed, and then were subsequently completely and permanently relieved of their distress because I helped them address the real cause (or causes).
I'm also very proud to bring prolotherapy and neural therapy services to the western suburbs. Prolotherapy is an awesome treatment for chronic pain, including back and sacroiliac, knee, shoulder, foot, and elbow pain. The results are very gratifying and permanent, and occur because the body has actually healed the weakened area.
What sets you apart from other doctors?
I have been practicing natural medicine exclusively since 1980, so decades of front line training has helped me learn how to solve some of the toughest health problems out there. So my experience is the first thing. I believe I was one of the first physicians in Illinois to turn to an alternative medicine practice. Secondly, the rapport and loyalty I achieve with patients is outstanding. My secret is simple: I listen and I care. Third, I feel that I am long past the point of feeling the need to “sell” anything. I give patients the straight story, give them all the facts, and answer all their questions. I don't push any un-needed potions, procedures, or tests. I just help them get well. Finally, my patients have my cell phone number and can call me directly. No one abuses this privilege. I am a real person to them. I do not hide behind the title of doctor, or behind the white coat, or behind the chart and the lab tests. I interact closely with people, and together we usually get the job done.
Who is an ideal patient?
That's easy. The ideal patient in a nutshell is the one who has experienced the revelation and now understands that to a great degree their future health is in their own hands. This requires someone with a proactive attitude, plenty of motivation, commitment, and hope. It also requires someone who does not take another doctor's word for their outlook or prognosis. They read, they research, they ask questions. They participate in the health care decision making process. And most of all, they are willing to think outside the box.
What needs to change in medicine today?
The major problem with modern medicine is that it is disease rather than health oriented. It relies on LATE high tech and invasive interventions and pharmaceuticals and ignores the modifiable risk factors and known causes that can improve outcomes or prevent later problems. Generally physicians show no interest whatsoever in getting to the root of health problems. They only want to cut or burn it out, replace it, or suppress it with drugs. The physicians who most clearly represent modern medicine today are on the whole a closed minded group who for whatever and various reasons refuse to consider other approaches than those they learned in medical school, and those which their esteemed colleagues in the traditional allopathic medicine “club” use. I think the lack of intellectual honesty and curiosity which produces “learned” physicians who not only don't know, but are dead set on NOT knowing about other safer and less expensive ways of helping patients is one of the greatest impediments to progress. We need a system that pays for health education, early intervention and preventive services, and for less expensive yet equally (or more) effective natural treatments. We need to break through the deadly stranglehold imposed on us by the pharmaceutical and insurance companies, and protected by the FDA. The way they tell it in the media, we should all be excited when a new drug comes out. I never am. Except for an occasional infection responding to an antibiotic, there are virtually no drugs that cure anything!
Closing thought:
Remember that it has always been true that for every progressive spirit, there are hundreds of mediocre minds set on maintaining the status quo. I urge people to think for themselves, and to look beyond what the traditional medical system has to offer. Those who insist on getting only treatments that their insurance will pay for will inevitably fail to get the very best of care and advice, and will subject themselves to various unnecessary risks as well.
