Linda is a doctor of osteopathy.

Her practice includes all the medical, surgical, immunologic, pharmacological, psychological and hygienic procedures of modern medicine. But she also utilizes osteopathic manipulation, cranial manipulation, energy work, natural remedies and supplements, with an emphasis on prevention.

“ My favorite patients are the ones that say, ‘There’s nothing really wrong with me, but I just don’t feel good,’” she said. “I’ll do a history and physical. Maybe all they need is to drink more water, to get a bit more exercise. Maybe they’re suffering from inadequate nutrition. That’s a common problem these days with so much pollution in our air and soil and food. Maybe all they need is some whole-food vitamins or more organic food in their diet to energize their body.”
Linda has studied with people who have truly mastered the techniques of osteopathic manipulation. She knows the textures of the body and can detect blockages or problem areas by touch and by the energy that surrounds and permeates every living thing.

“ I’ve been very blessed with great teachers” she said. “I’ve learned so much about osteomathic and cranial manipulation, about the subtlety of energy fields and about spiritual health. I’ve had a lot of hands-on training, literally, with masters who taught me just what I was feeling, taught me about cranial rhythms. All living things have it, a separate rhythm than breathing, more subtle, less pronounced.”

Of course, Linda practices more traditional medicine, too. She treats colds and sore throats, performs pap smears and analyzes blood work. She has been trained in family medicine and never pushes alternative methods on anyone.

“ I just love to integrate both worlds when I can,” she said. “I’m not afraid to prescribe medicine. Maybe antibiotics are appropriate; maybe not. Maybe vitamins are appropriate; maybe not. But I’m convinced that the more natural ways are the best. However, any treatment must be supervised. The bottom line is to help people lead the healthiest lives possible.”

Linda is from the Chicago area, Brookfield, near the zoo... I had known my whole life that I wanted to do something like this, like my practice here at Holistic Healing Arts. I was always the mystic, drawn to health and healing and the metaphysical. I was always searching.”  While Linda was married, she lived in the country, where she said she learned a lot about life and health from nature and animals.

“ I knew, even back then, that I wanted to be a doctor,” she said. “I’ve always meditated and prayed. It’s what I do to keep myself sane. I remember once when my twins were babies, I was praying by the door to their room when this incredible feeling came over me, almost like a liquid shower of love. At that moment I knew that I would be OK. That I would find what I was looking for.”

Linda would need that assurance in the months and years to come. Because it was at about that point in her life that she found out she had cancer. What followed – surgery, radiation treatments and chemotherapy – only served to strengthen her resolve to be the best doctor she could be.

“ I knew that the mind, body and spirit interacted,” she said. “I knew that as a human thinks, the body releases chemicals. Basically, that means that a positive mental attitude is a very healthful thing, increasing your chances of living a better, healthier life.”

Linda’s beliefs were bolstered by her experiences on the job at the Argonne National Lab. She was working with HIV-infected cells in toxic and non-toxic environments and observed firsthand how the cells, which were immunocompromised, did so much better in a healthy environment. At the same time, she was attending classes at Northern Illinois University at De Kalb. It was at about that time that Linda had what she calls, a vision.

“ I had been taking my kids to a doctor of osteopathy, but I really didn’t understand what all the practice entailed,” she said. “So I did some research and found out that a D.O. is equivalent to an M.D. but has additional tools with which to treat patients, with a more holistic philosophy and approach. I learned that the body has an inherent ability to heal itself, a major tenet of osteopathy. The more I learned about the practice, the more I like what I learned.”

Osteopathic physicians use all the procedures of modern medicine. They believe that health depends not only on mental condition, environment, nutrition, and sanitation, but also on proper body mechanics. Osteopathic medicine emphasizes the importance of the musculoskeletal system (the muscles and bones of the body and their connecting tendons and ligaments), and the interrelations of this system with other parts of the body.

The practice has been around for a long time. The founder of osteopathy was Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917), who announced the basic principles of osteopathy in 1874. Still organized the first osteopathic college at Kirksville, Mo., in 1892. The first law regulating osteopathy was passed in Vermont in 1896. Graduates of recognized osteopathic schools are eligible to be licensed as physicians and surgeons.

“ At about that same time, I heard about the Chicago College of Osteopathy and had a vision about studying there. So I submitted my application, and I accepted,” she said. “I spent five years there getting an excellent education. Of course, because of my children and having to work to support myself, it took me a bit longer than some students to complete my studies. But thanks to some wonderful friends, a supportive family and an uncle who really helped me, I succeeded.”

Linda learned a lot of important lessons about herself during those five years.

“ I learned that I have an inner strength,” she said. “I told myself, ‘You can do it, Linda!’ I had been told for years that I couldn’t do things, that a woman could be a doctor. Thank goodness those lessons didn’t stick. I had to work to get that old ‘conditioning’ to let go, to get that gook off of me. But I found that the more I worked at cleansing myself of those negative ideas, the closer I came to finding my true self.”

Linda always returned to one of her original beliefs, that the mind, body and spirit are inextricably connected.

“ In order to be whole, you must take care of you body – incorporate positive healthy routines – take care of your mind – study what you love – and develop a spiritual practice,” she said. “Your spiritual practice will help define who you are. And if you can achieve that balance, you can be happy and for the most part, healthy.”

Linda believes that people are like light and depression or illness can bend or dim that light. She cites as an example the many people who are affected by seasonal affective disorder, characterized by depression, and associated with the shorter periods of daylight during the winter months. Linda says that SAD can be effectively treated with regular exposure to plant lights, which utilize the full spectrum of light.

“ I’ve replaced a lot of my light bulbs with plant lights and have found that employees and patients alike seem to thrive under them, just like plants,” she said. “It just reinforces my belief that humans are meant to live in a natural world.”

Living in a more natural world was part of the reason that Linda decided to practice in Southern Illinois. She served her residency here, at SIUC. Almost as soon as she arrived in the region, she knew she wanted to stay. She graduated last June, took a couple of weeks off, and opened her first office in July in Carbondale. Since then, she has opened a second office in Herrin and is building a retreat and healing center in Pomona.

“ I just love the energy of this region,” she said. “There are great people here, people with open minds, a great mixture of Eastern and Western medicines, at least one naturopath, many chiropractors and several acupuncturists. Western medicine is great in an emergency. But Eastern medicine has so much to offer. There are so many paths up the mountain. I find myself drawn to ancient cultures and have tried to integrate some of those ancient practices in to modern life. I’m always learning.”

Osteopathic physicians believe that disturbances of the musculoskeletal system may lead to conditions that will initiate disease processes in the body. They treat these disturbances by osteopathic manipulation, with particular attention to the fascia, the material that connects the muscles, bones, tendons and skin.

“ Your fascia can get twisted, torqued from accidents, trauma or just repeated movement,” she said. “It can take several sessions to straighten that out and some time to let your body get used to what its new “normal condition” is. My goal, for every patient, is to help them get to the point where they don’t need my services.”

Linda Hostalek has offices in .......

Herrin    618.942.8506                   Pomona 618.893.1950

304 N 14th Street                            2010 Hickory Ridge Road