Business: Renew Health & Wellness
Address: 1300 Iroquois Drive, Naperville
Phone/website: 630-442-7175, www.drmikegenslinger.com
Owner: Dr. Mike Genslinger, 37, of Naperville
Years in business: 10 — nine in Lisle and one in Naperville
What does your business do? “We are a health and wellness organization. We try to give hope because a lot of times we are the last stop. Especially with neuropathy and knee pain,” Genslinger said.
What is neuropathy? “A loss of feelings in the toes or feet. It can be in the hands as well. Numbness. Tingling. Pain. It typically is with diabetes. It can be from a previous surgery or some sort of autoimmune condition. Alcohol can cause nerve damage.”
And knee pain? “A lot of it is with weight. There’s a 1-to-4 ratio. Every pound you gain, there’s an additional four pounds of stress to your weight-bearing joints. You lose 10 pounds, you lose 40 pounds of pressure on weight-bearing joints.
“(People say) ‘I can’t do this, I can’t spend time with my grandkids. I can’t go bowling anymore. I can’t play golf.’”
How did you become a chiropractor? “From personal experience. I had back trouble and shoulder issues mostly from wrestling and football. I was a running back at (University of Wisconsin) Platteville. Before that, at Neuqua (Valley High School in Naperville).”
How did you feel after a game? “I felt like I got into a car wreck. Especially in college.”
And that led to this career? “I was going to be a PE teacher and coach. But after (I received treatment), I knew I wanted to be a chiropractor. I felt terrific. So, I went back to school.”
Do you find your job rewarding? “Very much so. Imagine being able to help someone who has tried everything with no result. Having them come here and giving them hope. I’ve had patients unable to work who have returned to work. Patients who were worried about walking and are now able to go on vacations. Another didn’t want to go to his grandkid’s birthday party because he didn’t want to be the center of attention.”
Do you see tears of happiness? “Absolutely.”
What do you have here? “Adjustment rooms. Therapy rooms. (A table) for spinal decompression. We can use it for the cervical spine or lumbar spine. Red light therapy.”
What does red light therapy do? “We use it for joint pain, thyroid functions. When I bought this machine, I got a guide, 40 pages of categories. … It penetrates down to the (blood) vessels, helps with circulation so the nerves are able to get oxygen, nutrients they need. … It can help erectile dysfunction.”
How did the pandemic impact your business? “I wasn’t shut down but nobody was coming in. … We were lucky to get some grants from DuPage County. The PPP loans. We did everything we could to get as much funding to help us through.”
Are things better now? “Yes. A gradual progression over time.”
When are you busy? “Toward the end of the year is busy because patients have met their (insurance) deductibles. Beginning of the year because of New Year’s resolutions. … Summer is slow with school being out, families on vacations and activities in general.”
What do you like best? “Being able to help people. The stories that come back in. … I own the business so I can create my own hours.”
Any negatives? “I can’t turn it off. There’s always something that I can do better. … It’s all on me.”
Your wife works here? “Yes. Her name is Kristin Genslinger. She is a nurse practitioner. She does the evaluations and management for knees. She also does weight loss.”
What misconceptions do people have? “With chiropractic, one is, ‘Once you go, you always have to go.’ Another is, ‘If your back didn’t crack or pop, the adjustment didn’t work.’”
How do you deal with doubters? “The response I usually have is, ‘I wouldn’t be in this field if it hadn’t changed my life.’ I have so much data and research, I can prove to you on a scientific level what I’m doing is not voodoo. It’s science. … If I can choose a different path and get a result as a provider, does it matter how I get there?”
Is there competition? “Tons. Especially in Naperville. We use marketing.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “We do as much as we can to get our name out there. We’re at farmers markets. … When I started in Lisle, I went door-to-door. Got my solicitor’s permit. I still have patients to this day from that. I went to about 2,000 houses.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
