For more than 25 years, Space Coast Advanced Health has been serving the Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Melbourne and Space Coast areas, educating patients about chiropractic care and other natural solutions to health issues. Using a holistic integrative approach to treatment, a dynamic partnership between patient and practitioner is created, which focuses on the whole person and recognizes that the subtle interactions of mind, body, spirit and lifestyle all play a part in a person’s vitality and well-being.

Space Coast Advanced Health takes this whole-person modality even further by incorporating Functional Medicine, which has helped them utilize conventional, therapeutic and alternative therapies to assist many clients onto the path of restoring and maintaining optimal health.

Functional Medicine is a process that looks for the underlying causes of imbalances in the body. It takes the diagnosis of an imbalance and then looks for the reason why that imbalance or illness exists in a particular patient, providing a systematic method of viewing and treating each individual. One of the main focuses while looking for root causes to chronic conditions is to look carefully at the integrity of the digestive system. Commonly, overgrowth of yeast, parasites, and bad bacteria impede digestive health. Another component which plays a pivotal part in our healthcare protocol is comprehensive testing and restoring of the adrenal glands.

At Space Coast Advanced Health, Dr. Steven Alukonis, D.C., DABCO, who is a board certified chiropractic orthopedist with postgraduate studies in functional medicine utilizes this multi-faceted approach toward healing, which can be applied to anyone. Because of the functional medicine approach, Space Coast goes beyond treating the typical musculoskeletal conditions that most people associate with chiropractic, and is able to provide assistance with a variety of medical ailments and ongoing issues such as thyroid conditions, fibromyalgia, migraines, ulcers, chronic fatigue, food sensitivities, autism, ADD, weight loss, vertigo, peripheral neuropathy and others.

“I enjoy helping those who have suffered for years finally find relief and restored health,” says Alukonis.

Professionals at Space Coast Advanced Health gather a thorough history on each patient and run comprehensive tests, including blood chemistry panels and a regimented metabolic protocol if necessary, to uncover the triggers or reasons a person’s system is out of balance and causing symptoms.

Once these triggers are discovered, individualized plans are developed for each patient, which means that, as opposed to just treating symptoms of an illness, Space Coast Advanced Health finds and treats the cause of ailments to reduce or eliminate symptoms in their patients. This approach helps patients work toward a balanced system with fewer or no symptoms.

Individualized plans may include spinal manipulation or several adjunctive therapies including massage therapy, therapeutic exercises or nutritional counseling. In addition, physical modalities such as muscle stimulation, cold low level laser, ultrasound and deep heating may be used.

In addition to the variety of services offered by Dr. Alukonis, Jenn Albers, Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Gluten Coach and Functional Medicine Practitioner, provides an important brain-based therapy called Interactive Metronome (IM). IM is an assessment and treatment tool for pediatric and adult patients with neurological conditions that affect cognitive and motor functioning. This therapeutic modality is an evidence-based, engaging modality treatment that improves temporal processing, which can help the brain learn to work more efficiently. It is used for ADHD, autism, post-stroke, overall brain performance and many other reasons.

“Interactive Metronome can fundamentally change the way your brain works,” states Albers.

Alukonis and Albers have been working as a powerful team for more than eight years. They are dedicated to taking ample time to investigate the results of testing, along with a patient’s history and current status, to get to the root cause of any health issue. They have an excellent track record of providing methods toward relief for patients who have previously been unable to find successful treatment protocols.

“Our primary focus is helping people with chronic conditions who have been unable to get the care they need through conventional medicine,” states Albers. “We search deep to see where specific ailments are coming from.” 

Space Coast Advanced Health also provides monthly educational health seminars on various topics, which are free to the general public and have become so popular that they require advanced reservation by phone to ensure a spot. Further information, educational materials and scientific studies are available and constantly updated on the Space Coast Advanced Health and Space Coast IM websites. The Facebook site also provides tips on health and wellness, inspirational messages, information on upcoming events and news of groundbreaking therapies.

“Through functional medicine, nutrition and a wide variety of revolutionary and innovative practices and techniques utilized at Space Coast Advanced Health, we feel we are among the best in the area to help people return to health,” states Albers.

Space Coast Advanced Health and Space Coast Interactive Metronome, 299 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach. Hours are 8:30 to 5 Monday through Friday. Call 321-783-1960 to schedule a consultation or for information on upcoming free health seminars. SpaceCoastAdvancedHealth.com. SpaceCoastIM.com. Facebook.com/SpaceCoastAdvanced.