Dr. Morgan's Alternative Family Medicine Clinic

When you walk into Dr. Anna Morgan's office in Uptown, the first thing you notice are the complementary colors.

"Color is healing", she says, walking through the space which is painted in warm shades of blue, green and other calming colors.  "It affects people. I wanted to create an environment which is de-stressing, healing and non-institutional." 

Her exam rooms also stand out: one is "Sedona-inspired"; another, “Michigan-inspired.” Strong animal images in one room help patients who are getting their blood drawn. Many paintings on the walls are her own watercolor creations.

Dr. Morgan, a family medicine physician at Swedish Hospital, recently opened "The Alt Clinic" to provide the community with access to a range of personalized health services.
 
The inviting space is just one example of the ways in which Dr. Morgan tries to make her patients feel welcomed and comfortable. "It is important to me that no matter how bad the disease situation is, that patients leave my office feeling emotionally and spiritually better than they did when they arrived," she says. Her practice doctrine is simple: "Never take hope away, and do not harm."

Healing techniques

Dr. Morgan practices functional medicine in her office, a medical practice which celebrates a holistic approach, rather than a disease-centered approach. This means that she focuses on the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. From the treatment of common medical conditions and skin care to some urgent care and minor surgical procedures, Dr. Morgan provides solutions for an array of physical and emotional ailments.  

"Absence of disease is not always equivalent to being healthy; the main goal of doctor-patient collaboration is to help the patient obtain his or her optimal state of health."

Dr. Morgan is also experienced in a variety of integrative techniques, including: 

• Reiki: A practice for healing both physical and emotional diseases by mobilizing your own healing potential.
• Hypnotherapy: Helps patients inspire new thought processes and responses to their mental and physical health concerns, and supports healing.
• Grief and end-of-life counseling: Helps prevent patients from feeling emotionally isolated; gives them assistance to resolution of loss.

Dr. Morgan is also skilled in the recognition of psychosomatic disorders: diseases which involve both the mind and body, and which often have no reasonable medical explanation for symptoms. She states that there are a lot of misconceptions about complementary medicine, but some patients can have tremendous success with it—if they have an open mind. For example, Dr. Morgan has seen success with some of her infertility cases. "You cannot treat your body without addressing your emotional problems," she says.

Family-focused care

Dr. Morgan provides care for people of all ages, from new born babies to elderly adults, as well as female care services. She enjoys providing care for entire families and staying with patients throughout the course of their care.  She takes time to get to know her patients, outside of their current health concerns, and insists that one of the most important parts of her job is listening to patients and providing them with a variety of options to help solve their problems. 

"Healing is a mutual process," she says. "My patients learn from me, and I learn from them."

   Anna Morgan, M.D., is a board-certified family medicine physician and a member
   of the medical staff at Swedish Hospital.

The Alt Clinic is located at 4727 N. Clark St., Suite 1N, Chicago, IL 60640.

To schedule appointment, please call 773-334-9300.