"Let food be your medicine and medicine your food ." Hippocrates

"Béchamp was correct: the microbe is nothing, the terrain everything." Pasteur (deathbed) on his scientific rival Antione Béchamp

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." Thomas Edison

By considering a health consultation with Essence-Healing, you have taken the first steps toward regaining health and maintaining balance. Our mission at Essence-Healing and this site, is to provide you with the treatment, education and tools you need to regain and maintain optimal health.

We specialize in NAET® allergy relief, conception support, sports medicine pain relief and general pain relief.

In addition, the information on this site is intended to encourage women and practitioners to expand the range of treatments offered to women throughout the conception and birth process and to promote optimal health during pregnancy and beyond.

Balanced Body=Sound Mind+Optimal Health=WELLNESS

Dr. Carla Edwards, Ph.D., LAc., Dipl.O.M.

About the Executive Director--

Dr. Carla Edwards began her academic training at the University of Wisconsin where she earned B.S. degrees in Biology and Biochemistry. Dr. Edwards then continued her training at Loyola University of Chicago where she earned both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry with an emphasis in Medicinal Chemistry. 

For over a decade , Dr. Edwards worked at Abbott Laboratories in the Anti-Infective Section of the Drug Discovery Division. While at Abbott, Dr. Edwards was named as a co-inventor of over ten Anti-Infective Drug Patents and was named as a co-author on several papers. As a research fellow at Northwestern University Feinberg Medical School, Dr. Edwards completed her post-doctoral training in the area of Alzheimer’s Disease Research.

After leaving Northwestern, Dr. Edwards continued her medical studies in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) at the Chicago campus of the San Diego based Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Dr. Edwards completed her residency at the Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital of Zhejiang Province, also known as the Red Cross Hospital in Hangzhou, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China's first three-level integrated combination of Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital. Dr Edwards is Nationally Board Certified in Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs and certified in NAET® , HEEL Homotoxicology for Health Care Practitioners and is a NADA® acudetox specialist. Dr. Edwards is a member of the Society for Acupuncture Research. Dr. Edwards also studied at Kellogg School of Business Management and was selected to participate in the Cells to Society Biomarker Institute at Northwestern University.

Dr Edwards is active in the community volunteering with Acupuncturists without Borders during Katrina and the Haiti disasters, NADA® treatments in Texas with Dr. Susana Mendez and participation in the education and training of Mayan healers in the highlands of Guatemala and working with Project Ix-Canaan. Dr. Edwards is the Executive Director of the El Corazón Foundation and Sanctuary Vita Community Clinics ©.

Essence-Healing has joined the Birthlink network as a partner in natural fertility medicine. Please refer to the Birthlink website for more information about this innovative network of practitioners. Essence-Healing is also a member and sponsor of the following local organizations, McGaw YMCA, Winnetka Youth Organization, Haven Youth and Family Services, Heartwood Center, Chicago Honey-Co-op, Slow Food Chicago.

Just as periodic checkups can help tooth decay before it becomes painful and lead to serious problems, regular TCM or acupuncture checkups can help identify, rebalance, and correct little problems before they become bigger ones.