Every so often, you encounter a name in life that makes you wonder whether it was a self-fulfilling prophesy. An arborist named Forester Dean. An herbalist named Louise Plant. A high jumper in the Olympics named Nathan Leeper. An optometrist named Dr. Steven I. Ball. Lincoln Square's example of this phenomenon is Jennifer Paschen (pronounced like "passion"), who founded the aptly named integrative health care center called The Nest. Jennifer is a licensed acupuncturist who literally radiates with the enthusiasm she has for caring for women and children through her center. She has followed her passion on its winding road through her life to create this special place of refuge and support. Her excitement about what she does is irresistible. "There's just no way to fail when you're inspired and passionate about something," insists Jennifer.
The Nest provides specialized care or women and children throughout the cycle of life: fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, and pediatrics. It's care for women, by women that applies principles of Chinese Medicine along with an understanding of Western medicine. And it offers this care in an atmosphere of peace, light, and serenity. It's hard to believe that it sits right beside the Rockwell "L" Station. A rebirth of the original storefront, the space was designed by Mark A. Miller who specializes in green, Zen-like architecture. "I told him I wanted to make an incredible, special place," recalls Jennifer. "I wanted it to feel dreamy, like a haven." Her plan worked. The Nest combines Asian design elements in a way that's comforting and welcoming. "It's all about the chi," explains Jennifer. "Mark sent me a description of his work that described the synergy of the architecture and the healing work taking place here as really complementary."
The Nest came to be partly out of fate, determination, and a leap of faith. Jennifer cares for patients on their journeys toward wellness, but she also traveled on a journey of her own before founding The Nest. The part of the story that brought her to Lincoln Square was a literal journey. "I was riding my bike one day and happened to pass through the Rockwell area," Jennifer explains. "I had been there a few months earlier and thought, 'Wow! This is like a little Mayberry.' I started fantasizing about how cool it would be to have a business here." While on her bike ride, she happened to see a "For Rent" sign in a vacant storefront window. "When I called to rent it, the woman who answered the phone laughed and said she had just put the sign in the window 30 minutes before," recalls Jennifer. "It was fate, kismet, that I found this place."
Years before, Jennifer's own health problems had brought acupuncture into her life. "I got frustrated with the limitations of Western medicine and started treatment," she says. "I haven't had any more problems since then. The experience inspired me to think about how I could help other people achieve the same results." Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Jennifer put her degree in early childhood education from Drake University on the back burner and traveled to Portland, Oregon to study traditional Chinese Medicine. She studied there until she moved to Chicago with her then-boyfriend-now-husband Heath Jansen in 1997. Upon her arrival here, Jennifer enrolled at the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine and finished her master's degree. After some soul-searching, she decided to move back to Iowa to start her own practice, Ames Acupuncture and Therapeutic Massage Center. Meanwhile, Heath opened his own business in Chicago—Pet Friendly Grooming Salon on Southport. Living apart was a growing experience for each of them, and one that made them realize they wanted to be together. "When we decided to get married, we had a decision to make," recalls Jennifer. "Each of us had our own business. We had to practically flip a coin to decide whether we'd live in Iowa or Chicago."
When Jennifer returned to Chicago, a friend encouraged her to apply her knowledge of acupuncture to public health. She went to work at Heartland Health Outreach clinic in Uptown, where she cared for people suffering from HIV-AIDS who were often homeless or refugees brought to the U.S. "We provided complementary alternative therapies to help people have a better quality of life," explains Jennifer. "I saw the huge benefits that acupuncture brought our patients. Plus we were really helping the people who needed it the most."
After working at the clinic for a number of years, Jennifer began transitioning from an acupuncture provider to a provider/teacher at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. She also began completing advanced post-graduate training in treating children. At the same time, she began to dream about the idea of starting another business. After her fateful encounter with the Rockwell storefront, Jennifer opened her Chicago practice in January 2007. She initially opened as a general practice called Center for Health & Well Being. "At first, I didn't want to be exclusive, but things just didn't feel right," says Jennifer. "I gradually saw more and more women and children, then I made the decision to really focus on what I love to do and what my patients need. It was a natural progression." One day Jennifer saw a photo of a nest in a magazine, and inspiration struck. "It was a total epiphany," she recalls. "I felt totally electrified." It was a big investment for her to make the name change, but she felt it was true to the spirit of the place.
A big part of what makes The Nest such a different place comes from Jennifer's burning desire to learn new things and share her knowledge with others. She continues to seek other practitioners who are using Chinese Medicine to assist with pregnancy and childbirth. While pursuing this information, Jennifer found Claudia Citkovitz, a doula and acupuncturist who piloted a program at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn. Claudia found in her studies that acupuncture during labor leads to a significant decrease in the rate of c-sections. "I contacted Claudia and asked if I could study her model," explains Jennifer. "She welcomed me and I went to Brooklyn to learn from her. I also brought her to Chicago to personally train everyone at The Nest." Jennifer has traveled to Denmark to study with Julian Scott, one of the world's experts in childhood acupuncture. "Education is such a huge part of growing personally and professionally," she says. "I never want to stop learning. I've been so lucky to have so many inspirational people in my life."
The Nest helps with women's health issues in general, as well as before, during, and after pregnancy. Acupuncture brings a number of benefits through these phases of life. Jennifer often works with women who are trying to get pregnant. "Acupuncture increases the chance of a positive outcome during in vitro fertilization," explains Jennifer. "Patients come in for a treatment the day before and the day of the procedure." Once a woman is pregnant, it can help ease some of her aches and pains. During the delivery process, Jennifer and her colleagues attend births both at home and in hospitals. "We have an on-call package," she says. "You can call our office if you're in labor and you've stalled. We'll go to you immediately and then charge an hourly rate for as long as we need to be there. Acupuncture can really help move labor along. We also have techniques to do breech turns." For additional support during pregnancy, The Nest shares its space with A Woman's Place, a practice of midwives. Jennifer also provides postpartum care. "What we call the fourth trimester is probably the most overlooked part of pregnancy," explains Jennifer. "A woman's body really needs to be replenished. There's a lot of lost energy and blood at a time when a mother needs the strength to care for her child."
The Nest also specializes in treating children of all ages. Offering a welcoming atmosphere for children, it has a fully stocked play area in its reception room. And its treatment room has twinkling stars on the ceiling to soothe its little patients. Jennifer has had children as her patients who have overcome health battles such as severe eczema that Western treatments couldn't heal. Regular acupuncture treatments can also help healthy children. "I remind parents that if their child is healthy, acupuncture can help them stay that way," Jennifer says.
Unfortunately, a lot of patients come to acupuncture out of frustration, like Jennifer originally did. "We are often a last resort," explains Jennifer. "People come to us so broken down and ill, and there's no magic bullet. That doesn't exist in any medicine. We are a conduit for energy. You have to be willing to work to heal yourself." And sometimes healing takes time. Chinese Medicine considers how long someone has had a condition and acknowledges that the longer you've had it, the longer it could take to treat. "You have to allow your body the space and time to heal," Jennifer says. As a licensed acupuncturist, she does not make medical diagnoses. But she has studied hours and hours of Western biomedical science in acupuncture school to receive that license and pass the national board exam. That's why it's so important to work with a licensed practitioner. "It takes 3,000 hours of study to become a licensed acupuncturist," explains Jennifer. "Other practitioners can do acupuncture after only 100 hours of classes."
The Nest strives to make its care as affordable as possible and will also work with patients to submit their visits to insurance. "We'll issue a statement with the correct coding for insurance," says Jennifer. "It's encouraging to hear that some of our patients are starting to be reimbursed." Jennifer also suggests that patients tell their insurance companies about the positive results they're experiencing by successfully being treated through acupuncture. "Ultimately it's the consumers who will drive this change," she says.
Whether it's through fate or simply determination, Jennifer's plans have worked. She now has a growing base of patients and sees more than 100 each week. Perhaps it's that she relates so well to her patients as a mom to two children, Anna who's six and Ellen who's three. She understands how hard it is for parents to even make small changes at home. "But sometimes little changes can have a huge effect on a child's life as a whole," explains Jennifer. "What you can change now can really have an effect five years from now." Small changes she recommends? Spend time together and have inspired meals. Nourish and replenish yourself and your family. Avoid processed foods. Be more mindful. "Western culture is all about flooring it all the time," she says. "We all can benefit from slowing down." As people become more open to the value of other traditions of health care, the future looks bright for places like The Nest. "This is my dream. I feel lit up inside," says Jennifer. "I could never see myself anywhere else."
The Nest
4650 North Rockwell Street
Chicago, IL 60625
773.267.0248
www.thenestchicago.com
Please call for an appointment.
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