She tells of the stressed out working mother with little or no time for herself, and the suffering female car accident victim, both of whom must rely on pharmaceuticals to ease their chronic pain.

Rita DiCarlo had for some time mulled over other ways for women to treat their ailments. In July, she opened Women's HealthCare Unlimited, an alternative health care facility on Townside Road in Roanoke, next door to Fiji Island Restaurant. Services include massage therapy, chiropractic treatments and acupuncture for pain.

"If you have to take 10 pills for a number of days, why not try a chiropractor for a month," said DiCarlo, a former marketer for a pharmaceutical company who researched and found herbal alternatives to drugs and then decided to attend chiropractic school.

"In pharmaceuticals I saw the danger of some of these drugs," said DiCarlo, 37. "I'm hoping people will try this before they jump into the drug scene."

A Detroit native, she moved to the Roanoke region in December 1998. A graduate of Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles, DiCarlo is enrolled in Virginia Western Community College to complete a nursing degree. She said these studies will enable her to become a well rounded health care worker.

"It shouldn't be nursing here and alternative medicine over here," said DiCarlo, who wants to incorporate the two to help clients.

Services are strictly for women, DiCarlo said, because she wants them to have a "safe haven" in which to relax and receive treatment. "I love working on women because I don't think a lot of other professionals really listen to them. I listen. We talk. It's sort of a more total health care that I like to offer, and then refer them to the more appropriate medical doctors when needed."

DiCarlo uses a manual instrument called the integrator to adjust the levels of pressure placed on different areas of the spine. This procedure can be followed up by a massage.

Women's Healthcare Unlimited staff includes DiCarlo, who is a licensed chiropractor and acupuncturist; a masseuse and a medical assistant student volunteer from National Business College.

The office is scented by sandalwood incense, with the sounds of falling water coming from a small fountain in a corner. She has decorated her office under the principles of feng shui, which she said opens up the room and produces a calmness.

Her prices are comparable to those of other chiropractors, she said, averaging about $50 per visit. Some of the cost is generally covered by insurance. DiCarlo hopes to be profitable, but, "This is not my way of becoming a millionaire," she said. A lot of chiropractors make money on the volume of patients, she said. "I only see 10 to 20 patients a day. I definitely do it because it's my passion." Treatment of migraine headaches is a specialty.

DiCarlo said she emphasizes to women that their health is their responsibility.

It's like going to the dentist twice a year to get your teeth cleaned, "but you take care of your teeth by flossing and brushing, too," DiCarlo said.

Although chiropractic treatments vary from person to person, she said, "It's a big fallacy that you have to go all the time. Everyone should go to maintain their health. If they would at least go twice a year, to maintain their nervous systems which control functions of your body, they would be doing themselves a big favor."

A lot of women are balancing work and home responsibilities, and need to take the initiative to take time away from the pressures of life, she said. When women get a back pain or a headache, they shouldn't disregard it, because it could end up being more debilitating if care is postponed.

"They're going to end up at home," DiCarlo said. "But it's not going to be a vacation."
　　
　　(From HealthWorld Online)