What Is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a licensed health care profession that focuses on the body’s natural ability to heal when there is balance within the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems. Chiropractic treatment involves spinal adjustments to address vertebral subluxation patterns, postural imbalances, and gait disturbances by removing interference within the nervous system, thereby allowing the body to work properly. 

Why Is Chiropractic Important?

Every function of the body is controlled by the nervous system. When the spine is not in alignment, there may be irritation or stress to the nerves in the area that can affect other parts of the body, including muscles, organs, and glands.

Vertebral subluxations or misalignments are often a result of physical, emotional, and/or chemical (nutritional) stress. When you are checked by a proficient chiropractor, your stress patterns can be identified and adjusted, helping to prevent dysfunction within the nervous, muscular, or skeletal systems.

Just like your cardiologist is an expert at checking your heart and ensuring it is working properly and your gastroenterologist is an expert at checking your gastrointestinal system and ensuring it is working properly, your Chiropractor is an expert at checking your nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems and ensuring that they are working properly.

The ideal time to receive your first chiropractic assessment is within hours of birth, as birth is the first potential physical stress to the body. With a comprehensive proficient chiropractic exam and analysis, any subluxations that are present within your baby’s spine will be revealed and can be corrected with very gentle chiropractic adjustments. 

Another ideal time to receive chiropractic assessments and treatment when appropriate are during the developmental milestones of childhood, when your child begins lifting their head, rolling over, crawling, and walking. There are tremendous neurological connections made during this time and a proper functioning nervous system is essential for proper child development. 

Other times to consider receiving chiropractic care during[3]pregnancy to allow for balance of pelvic muscles, joints, and ligaments to provide an optimal environment for fetal development. 

Finally, athletes who rely on optimal performance of their bodies and people looking to enhance their body’s ability to adapt to stressful situations and to work optimally for health and wellness appreciate receiving a comprehensive chiropractic assessment and treatment when warranted.

How Does Chiropractic Help?

A chiropractic adjustment is a gentle, specific, personalized, non-drug, non-surgical approach to restoring balance in the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems. When there is balance, there is homeostasis, and the body is in the state it needs to be in order to heal and potentiate health.

Many people seek chiropractic care for ear infections, developmental delays, speech delays, latching difficulty in breastfeeding, torticollis, allergies, eczema, immune and gut challenges, headaches, neck pain, stress, anxiety, back pain, and fatigue. However, chiropractic does NOT directly treat these conditions.

Rather, precise chiropractic adjustments address the root cause of the presenting signs and symptoms to encourage the body’s innate natural ability to heal.

At Balance Equals Health we are proficient in a wide variety of chiropractic techniques and utilize whichever one(s) are most appropriate for each patient at the time of treatment.

They include:

• Webster technique
• Applied Kinesiology
• Sacro-occipital technique
• Diversified (including gentle, low-force, or non-force technique).
• Activator
• Cranial
• Thompson
• Logan basic

How Are We Different?

Dr. Klein’s method is a result of her experience combined with what she feels is appropriate for the patient she is working with. She considers the patient’s age, health picture, and what she is looking to accomplish, whether it be a structural type of adjustment or one that has more of an effect on the nervous system. She always considers the whole person rather than his/her symptoms and addresses the physical, emotional, and biochemical needs of the individual, often times merging various chiropractic techniques and collaborating with other health care professionals when necessary.

Patients and their families are often impressed by how comprehensive Dr. Klein is in her approach and appreciate that enhancement of their overall health, wellness, and function (physiology) is the ultimate treatment goal.

I used to suffer a lot from lower back pain, until I came to see the amazing Dr. Klein who took great care of me. Of course when I got pregnant I came to see her throughout my pregnancy so we could have a smooth ride. I felt significantly better by this pregnancy (which was number 7) than I have ever felt before. My experience was unbelievable. I gained tons of knowledge and am more aware of my lifestyle, which I very much appreciate to this day. When it came to delivery I couldn’t believe how well the epidural worked and I ended up having a pleasant, calm, almost pain-free labor with the epidural working, and ended up delivering an 11.4-lb. baby naturally!

As for my epidural, for six out of my seven pregnancies, it never worked as well as it did now. I discussed this with my anesthesiologist and we both agreed that chiropractic definitely was the reason why I was lucky now and it worked so well! So thanks again for doing your magic (as I like to call it) and I’m looking forward to seeing you again. I couldn’t be happier to finally thank you in public which you so deserve for keeping my back aligned and in place then and now! Wishing you tons of luck and I wish everyone should be so lucky and blessed like me for finding Dr. Klein as a wonderful lifesaver!

A.F.

Three years ago, I was in a very dark place. After suffering multiple losses in my family, stress, poor eating habits, and lack of exercise, I found myself in a very scary place. At my yearly doctor visit I was told that my ANAs [antinuclear antibodies] were extremely high — at almost 20,000. My doctor began to check me for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and every autoimmune disease that I knew nothing about. I was extremely scared.

A friend suggested I see Dr. Klein. She believed that Dr. Klein could help me find a way to health.

At our first meeting, Dr. Klein made it very clear that I needed to heal my gut. She made it clear that it would be a process. I had to take baby steps and not huge leaps to wellness. She started with my diet. Though difficult, I went to a mostly green diet.

She then worked on my body pains. My back was especially bad. I could not bend or sit for long periods of time. Over the next few weeks I noticed many differences. For one, I regained the ability to bend, move, and exercise. I also began to notice a difference in my aches and pains. Eating mostly greens with lean meats and fish proved to help with inflammation. My body was not reacting as it once did (bruising, constant joint pain, foggy brain, etc.).

believe wholeheartedly in Dr. Klein’s message. She is not only my doctor but at times I feel she is my therapist. It is so funny to say but she has helped me in so many ways — body, mind, and soul. She teaches me about how to forgive myself, how to pick myself up when I haven’t made the best choices or I relapse. She allows me to be human and remember my personal whys. I am very grateful for the work she does. She has never given up on me when I wasn’t the “perfect” patient. I believe everyone needs a doctor like her. She is the doctor you can’t wait to see!

J.M.

Dr. Klein was incredibly helpful when I was recovering from childbirth. She was very knowledgeable about postpartum chiropractic, and I so appreciated how thorough, professional, and warm she was throughout. Even after just a few weeks, I was eagerly recommending her to friends and family.
T.D.

I began my journey with Dr. Klein at Balance Equals Health on April 15, 2012. I was suffering from lower back pain, diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and weighed a solid 200 lbs. It is documented in my medical history that I have a bulging and herniated disc from which I thought the pain was associated with. I came to see Dr. Klein because a family friend’s husband also suffered from lower back pain and gone to see her and had been pain-free for years, and her children are also treated by Dr. Klein.

So on April 15, 2012 I went to Dr. Klein’s office and experienced a different type of chiropractic care.

Unlike laying on your back and having stim treatment, bones cracking, etc., I was subjected to different body movements, different pressures, and of course a lesson in how my body reacts to the various movements. Through it all, I learned the pain I was experiencing wasn’t from my noted spine issues but was due to my diet! Who knew? As much as I thought I was eating healthy, I quickly learned I wasn’t. So hard decisions had to be made, such as which foods I could no longer eat, how to get more exercise into my already hectic life (I’m a father of three, married, and worked nights). I made some changes but not right away because some old habits are hard to break and I was reminded of the consequences. The light went off when Dr. Klein asked me some straight questions: “Do you want to be on meds all your life? What is important to you?” My answer: No and my family. I want to be around for my family. Done. Sold. No excuses.

So round two of my journey began and improvements started to show. I don’t remember at what point I achieved one of my goals which was to lose weight. But at some point, I weighed in at 180 lbs. Cholesterol was lowered to the point where “You’re not out of the woods yet,” Dr. Klein said, but it was a vast improvement. I started eating more veggies, fruits, used my treadmill more, eating less breads, cut out inflammatory food, and cut out fast food! And guess what: no pain in my back at all. I became more aware of what I was eating. I was also taking supplements Dr. Klein had recommended. I used to see her twice a week for a month and then visits occurred once a week for a month, then twice a month. This continued until 2015.

In 2015, I relocated for work. My last office visit was an emotional one. I still recall it today. Dr. Klein had introduced me to another world of understanding my body and an alternative to “traditional medical practices.” I was afraid I wasn’t going to find the same care in my new location. Well, Dr. Klein surprised me by giving me a name of a doctor here that practices in the same field as she. Additionally, I found out the director of my department at work has been going to a doctor whose approach to healing, eating, and medical practice is the same as Dr. Klein. Who knew?

All that was good, but there was something still missing. That voice. My kids would catch me out there by saying “What would Dr. Klein say?” Before leaving New York, Dr. Klein offered her services through teleconferences. Some doctors still make house calls, believe it or not. So that leads me to today.

Today where am I? My journey continues and will forever continue, I have had numerous consultations with Dr. Klein since I moved. I send her my blood results so she knows what’s going on even though the doctors here give me the thumbs up. I complain about the boring foods I eat (I love to cook but there aren’t enough hours in a day to do what I like to do), so it’s good food, but it’s repetitive. To combat that, Dr. Klein has offered recipes to assist that are easy to make and quick. She continues to be that voice in my head even after the consultations. She continues to be an advocate for my health.

Thank you to my friend, Dr. Klein!

L.W.

Balance Equals Health… Those are the words that encouraged me to get in touch with Dr. Klein. And it has been a blessing in our lives that we did!

Dr. Klein is one of the few doctors today who really takes the “whole child” into account. When she works with my kids, she adjusts them, works and talks with them about health and nutrition, and always always checks in with them emotionally. She is a safe place for my kids, and I am so happy that my husband and I can provide our children with such a high quality of super-personalized care. Thank you for being our doctor when we are sick and healthy, Dr. Klein. We so appreciate you!

My seven-year-old son says “I want to be a doctor like Dr. Klein when I grow up.” My three-year-old daughter says “I feel GREAT when I see Dr. Klein.” My five-year-old daughter says “I like spending time with her.” Dr. Klein came to see us at my house when my two-year-old daughter was born. She muscle-tested both of us and figured out which foods were good for her and which were not. After Dr. Klein met with us, my baby did not cry much anymore. She barely spit up and she slept much better! A huge THANK YOU to Dr. Klein!
H.T.

I was lucky enough to see Dr. Michelle Klein one week after I had a baby. After my epidural, my back was so messed up that I was unable to even bend down to pick up my baby. After one session with Dr. Klein, I was able to hold and tend to my baby with no pain. Besides for adjusting me, Dr. Klein also worked on my baby to ensure he is developing correctly after a long labor and delivery. She treated my son softly and gently and talked me through every move she was making. It was incredible to see how responsive he was from one adjustment! It was the best move for myself and my baby to book a postpartum appointment with Dr. Klein.

M.N.

We’ve been seeing Dr. Klein for about seven years now. It all started when my little son had a terrible case of eczema which was making him miserable. By getting him adjusted and changing his diet, the eczema slowly disappeared. Throughout the years I’ve steadily taken the others in my family to benefit from Dr. Klein’s gentle adjustments and invaluable guidance in nutrition and healthy lifestyle changes. I will be forever grateful to Dr. Klein for improving the quality of life for my whole family.

P.W.

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture works with the energy that flows through the meridians or energetic channels in the body to encourage the smooth flow of vital energy, known in Chinese medicine as “Qi,” that is essential for optimal health. When there is an energetic imbalance, it has an effect on the structures and functions within the body, and can lead to symptoms such as pain, dysfunction, and less than optimal health.

When tiny needles are inserted into specific points on the body, acupuncture balances the energy flow through the meridian channels to stimulate the body’s innate healing abilities to promote physical and emotional well-being.

How Does Acupuncture Help?

Treating specific acupuncture points redirects your Qi to promote balance of your vital energy. When there is balanced vital energy there is enhanced function of the energy of the internal organs and body systems, including the skeletal, muscular, endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, nervous, and reproductive systems.

The balance of vital energy can be affected by any harmful substance, such as environmental toxins, poor nutrition, injury, disease, excessive exposure to heat, dampness, or cold, and excessive emotional responses such as anger, frustration, worry, fear, or anxiety.

When all body systems work together and balance is achieved, all of the internal relationships can work in harmony to achieve optimal health. Chinese medicine offers a framework to understand how our environment, our relationships, the foods we eat, and the thoughts we think affect our well being.

Creating harmony within the energy of our body systems allows us to be part of the rhythm of nature, allowing for optimal expression of health.

How Are We Different?

While there are countless diet programs available, our Innate Biohackers wellness program is unique in many ways:

Denise’s method is a result of her lineage of healers, experience, expertise, and dedication to continuous learning. She combines the ancient healing art of Chinese medicine with the best in modern science.

She spends ample time listening to the intricacies within her patient’s health story and combines that information with what she gathers in her thorough exam, understanding the relationships and interrelationships within the body systems. This allows her to formulate the right treatment for the individual patient, knowing precisely where on the body to place the acupuncture needles for an optimal outcome.

Denise’s unique method works at the crossroads between the physical structure, the energetics of the body, and the hormonal and emotional systems, thereby treating the whole person.

Testimonials

I look forward to coming to Denise for acupuncture! Denise is a warm, caring, and devoted practitioner. She is very gentle and gives her patients a very pleasant experience.
ANONYMOUS

Oh, my goodness! I have been getting acupuncture at least once a month for the past ten or more years, and additionally whenever I feel a particular physical or emotional need. People who share with me their health issues will hear me ask: “Have you considered acupuncture?” I have trusted in its benefits owing, in great measure, to my trust in Denise.

I delight each time at the completion of the treatment when she reassures me that my body has responded. I just finished reading an internet article regarding the potential physiological effects and health benefits of acupuncture.

What up until now I have attributed solely to genetics I now see as a benefit derived from my faithfulness to this treatment. This summer I will turn 81. Most people who don’t know me or anything about me will reduce that number by 10, and sometimes even 15.

With gratitude to God and to the treatment I have received, first from Denise and now Balance Equals Health, I am free of any illness or dependence on medication.

C.R.

I have been under the acupuncture care of Denise Forster consistently for the past 10 years! That does not sound like anything special, until I tell you that I was deathly afraid of any kind of needles. At first the tension from just thinking about having a needle was overwhelming. With each visit the tension and fear dissipated, but I think the pivotal visit that changed my relationship with the needles was one afternoon when I arrived at her office with an excruciating headache. The pain was so unbearable that even the drive out to her office was a feat in itself. As soon as she saw me, it was evident that something was wrong. I told her about the headache and she proceeded to treat it. Within a couple of minutes I felt the headache going away. By the time I finished my appointment, I felt as if I could have walked all the way back to Brooklyn!

The above is just one instance of the many occasions when acupuncture treatment has helped me. The beauty of it though, is that you don’t have to be in pain for it to help you. It has helped me both physically and emotionally. I feel more centered and balanced — more in tune with my body since being under Denise’s care.

I have recommended her to family and friends. The exposure to this form of treatment has changed my approach to how I view conventional, symptomatic treatment versus causative treatment. She is dedicated to finding the cause for the imbalances in the body and mind, as she relentlessly pursues it until she finds the answer!

A.B.

Balance does equal Health. Denise Forster inquired what brought me to her office. Because I had been feeling tired and was having problems breathing, I decided to give acupuncture a try and my family doctor suggested I try acupuncture for my stiff neck. After taking my medical history and having an acupuncture treatment, Denise massaged my shoulder and had me move my head. The stiffness was gone. She explained that the whole body works together.

I phoned her the next day to report I felt energized and after a few acupuncture treatments I felt great. My whole body was in tune and I felt strong. I can’t thank you enough for making me feel energetic again. Thank you, Denise!

A.I.

Some years ago I was bothered by my thumb which was getting stuck in a bent position. The situation became increasingly annoying as it progressed to my having to use my other hand to pull the thumb out of the locked position.

Knowing the fine work that Balance Equals Health had done for me and my family in areas of nutrition, chiropractic, and overall health management, I asked Denise Forster to take a look

Denise, after a number of acupuncture treatments aimed at unlocking my thumb, which had been diagnosed as “trigger finger” to which I quickly professed that I wasn’t even a gun owner!  Nevertheless, the treatment progressed with a focus directly on the thumb.

Today, 10 years later my trigger thumb is a distant bad memory and I use the finger normally without any impairment. A 21-gun salute to Denise Forster aka The Pin Lady.

R.A

What Is Clinical Nutrition?

Using the latest in advanced nutrition science and dietetics combined with a thorough objective evaluation of a patient’s health picture, we work to prevent and treat metabolic imbalances, ensuring a proper balance of macronutrient and micronutrient intake, absorption, and utilization.

How Does Clinical Nutrition Help?

Clinical nutrition is personalized lifestyle medicine that is the foundation for optimal health and wellness. There is not a single diet or supplement that is appropriate for everyone. The most efficient way to optimize your health is to take the time to identify your unique nutritional needs. When working with clients we ask specific questions to determine the best possible lifestyle and wellness plan for them.

Nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, which are found in the foods we eat, are the foundation for a healthy body. They provide the building blocks it requires to function properly. The nutrients required are obtained through diet, supplementation, and cellular absorption, all of which must be appropriate based on your genetics, lifestyle, food preferences, and overall nutritional needs.

“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” — Hippocrates

By creating a personalized nutrition plan, supporting your gut microbiome, minimizing inflammatory foods, and taking into account your genetic foundation, we establish an optimal environment for expression of health and well-being.

How Are We Different?

While there are countless diet programs available, our Innate Biohackers wellness program is unique in many ways:

1. CREATE the platform to unleash the infinite power within you.
2. TRANSFORM your body and mind, allowing you to reach your health and life goals.
3. “If you can envision it, you can create it.”
4. EMPOWER who you are by aligning your behavior, thoughts, diet, and lifestyle.
5. TRUST your internal wisdom while utilizing the latest scientific information to guide your lifestyle choices.
6. LEARN to understand your foundational genetic makeup that sets the stage for your risk of disease versus promotion of health.
7. CONSCIOUSLY SHIFT your direction towards the outcome you desire.
8. TRUST your ability to unleash your absolute health potential.

Individual Program for Clinical Nutrition

This program includes:

• Two one-on-one 30-minute doctor’s visits (at beginning and end of program)
• Five 30-minute individual coaching sessions
• Review of your current diet and lifestyle
• Blood work analysis
• Nutrigenomix genetic lifestyle testing
• Body composition testing
• Access to members-only section of website
• Access to online store to purchase professional-grade supplements