When Jon Pak learned about Brain Balance Achievement Center, a program that helps children improve their focus and behavior without drugs, he knew he had to bring it to San Diego.
Pak, a father of a boy with a neurodevelopmental disorder, said he was always searching for ways to help his son.
“In the process, I have seen many other families seeking help for their children and their own challenges,” said Pak, who earned his master’s in business from National University. “Going around in circles, just to see their frustration grow and ultimately, dropping the ball entirely… it is just painful to see children getting diagnosed and medicated as early as a 5-year-old, if not earlier, just to see them behave like very different kids, adding to the families’ pain.”
Two years ago, the Rancho Peñasquitos resident said he came across Brain Balance, a franchise founded in 2005 by Robert Melillo, a New York-based physician. The program has received praise for helping children without the use of drugs.
“I was very intrigued — and skeptical at first — but the more I learned about it, the more I grew convinced that I had to bring this program to San Diego and help as many kids as possible,” Pak said. “Soon enough, I was fully embarked on the journey to source, build and open a center in San Diego and bring the Brain Balance program to help struggling kids in a non-medical, holistic way.”
Today, Brain Balance serves children from throughout the county, including Pak’s own son, Sean.
“We are excited to see how his attention and processing speed has improved among many other improvements,” Pak said. “His teachers have also noticed the difference and asked us if Sean had been taking any new medicine or supplements. Our program has a whole-child, coordinated approach, including nutritional guidance, sensory motor and cognitive exercises, auditive and visual exercises, core strengthening and more, making it very effective and efficient, under one roof and completed within a reasonably short period of time.”
Since opening a year ago, Pak said they’ve seen success in many of their children. For example, one boy who had “severe behavior and social issues” became “more composed and gentle.”
“His father came to my office one day to thank me for giving him a new son,” Pak said. “He hadn’t had a real connection with his son before the program and by the end of it, they were communicating and building this new father-son relationship. He’s also doing much better socially as he’s improved his self-esteem and is becoming a ‘cool kid.’”
The avid surfer said the goal of Brain Balance is to help as many children and families as possible live healthy lives. Of course, Pak said he’s inspired by his own relationship with his son each day.
“Our personal experience has been very important to help understand and relate to other
parents as they deal with their own challenges,” Pak said. “Raising our son has taught us so many life lessons, but it has also given us exposure to many families with different struggles and how they deal with them. We are just so proud of our students and their families. We do all this together as a team and I am lucky to have the best team you can ever wish at the center.”
To learn more about Brain Balance Achievement Center, go to brainbalancecenters.com.