Functional Medicine Reviews

After a decade of frustration and deteriorating health with typical medical options, drugs and lots of testing; Dr. Phelan sorted out my complicated neurological disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and inflammation with empathetic compassion, but more importantly with the rigors of a scientific researcher determined to help me. He has a great reputation for treating neck and back pain, but what he offered me was, “Functional Medicine.” He gave me carefully planned food choices and specific nutritional guidance that made remarkable changes in my health in a matter of weeks. No, there is not a magic bullet; I had to listen and implement precisely what he told me. Bottom line is, it worked. I went from difficulty walking and breathing to a good quality of life, moreover my blood tests document improvement too. When I check in with him to discuss trends in my health he consistently has kept up with the research and continues to learn more himself. The two times he felt stumped, he told me so in earnest, and said he has a network doctor colleagues he can tap for clinical experience and research data. He always gets back to me. I felt the need to write this posting, not just for Dr. Phelan to have a well-deserved compliment, but with the hope someone out there could be helped with a distance health consultation. You see, I made the point to meet him in person, but the vast majority of my guidance has come from him reviewing my extensive records, making suggestions and providing course correction via phone and email consultations. Most of my relief and improvement in quality of life occurred in the first 6 weeks of implementing his functional medicine plan. It is a year later, and I have held my improvements by continuing to follow Dr. Phelan’s advice. 

- With much gratitude, Dr. G. NC

"Dr. Phelan isn't your typical chiropractor - he is also well versed in functional medicine and this has changed the course of my life drastically. If you have a 2 minutes to spare, I'd love to share my story with you.

I went in to see Dr. Phelan for chronic tension headaches and after working through some typical mechanical issues in my neck he began to look at other chronic illnesses and symptoms I had been showing for a number of years - including frequent debilitating heartburn, cholesterol had been over 240 for 15 years and still rising, blood pressure and weight had been rising even with decent diet and exercise. (For the record, my PCP had tried to prescribe me various medications to treat several of these individual symptoms without ever trying to determine what the root causes were). These symptoms gave Dr. Phelan the impression that perhaps there was something else at the core of many of these issues, perhaps even tying them together.

After an initial blood test we discovered the presence of an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - basically my body was killing my Thyroid. With this information Dr. Phelan had a better idea that there was very likely a connection between the various symptoms mentioned and after further food sensitivity testing the linkage was confirmed - I had a serious gluten intolerance and had a laundry list of other foods that my body was cross-reacting too as well. The test confirmed that I was full-on Celiac positive but I had no idea because the only gut related symptom I had was chronic severe heartburn (which had been treated for nearly 15 years with a daily prescription proton pump inhibitor).

Now, less than a year after going fully gluten free - I have no headaches, I have no heartburn, my blood pressure has returned to normal, my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis seems to have gone dormant with thyroid hormone levels now back to normal ranges and no additional damage to my thyroid, I've lost 20 lbs that just fell off with no additional exercise, and my cholesterol is the lowest it's been in over 15 years - with my bad cholesterol dropping by 45% in the past 6 months to now be in normal range.

I cannot thank Dr. Phelan and his wonderful staff enough for helping me work through these issues. Without their help, I likely would not have understood the root cause of many of these issues and due to the rising blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol I very likely would have had heart disease by my early 50's. I recommend that anyone who is suffering through symptoms that their PCP can't really explain should take their medical care into their own hands and schedule a consultation with Dr. Phelan - it could change your life.

Oh and I forgot to mention - he's treated me for lower back pain as well and is an excellent chiropractor too :-)"

-Jeremy Savoy

"My family and I have been going to Wake Forest Chiropractic for years for Chiropractic care. About a year ago I also took the opportunity to learn more about the Functional Medicine world under Dr. Phelan's guidance. I now feel more healthy, have less pain and sleep better than I have in years. I have sent and will continue to send friends and family concerned about a more healthy lifestyle to Dr. Phelan and his professional staff."

-Bobbie M, Raleigh

"All staff are pleasant, knowledgeable, & very easy to work with. Dr. Phalen has been extremely knowledge in his use of Chiropractic & whole body changes via nutrition that I have being following to improve my body's health."

-janetg, Wake Forest

"I sought help for migraine headaches, averaging 8-9 a month after suffering with them for decades. I wanted an alternative to taking Imitrex. Dr. Phelan took a very thorough health history on my first visit and also some x-rays and we discussed my reasons for visiting him and my goals. He developed a treatment plan with me and has included me in decisions in my care throughout my experiences. My first visit to his office was in the latter part of August of this year and I'm writing this review in October. My headaches are down to between 1 and 2 a month, a tremendous improvement. My quality of life has been incredibly altered and restored. I also made the decision to try a gluten free diet as part of my treatment plan after several discussions and reading about the connection between gluten and inflammation. This has also helped me tremendously. Although I am not 100% gluten free, I do attempt to reserve gluten items as something out of the ordinary, maybe once a week, or as a treat. What I cannot comprehend is why no one in the medical field ever suggested trying chiropractic for migraine relief and why no one educated me on the connection between gluten, inflammation and headaches. If you're a migraine sufferer, you owe it to yourself to try this treatment option. The difference for me has been life changing!"

-anonymous

"My wife and I are very fortunate to have Dr. Phelan as our chiropractor-nutritionist. Both he and his staff are very professional, knowledgeable and patient oriented. With each visit we also learn more about how our bodies function."

-edwina, Raleigh

"I've been a patient of Dr. Phelan for many years. My first appointments were to address ongoing neck and back discomfort that no other provider could alleviate. The pain prevented me from being as active as I wanted to be. Dr. Phelan efficiently and effectively put me on the right path to being pain free. After correcting my initial issues, I began my routine of seeing him once a month for regular care. The neck and back issues that haunted me for so long have not returned since being in the care of Dr. Phelan. I run trail marathons, do CrossFit competitions, compete in triathlons, and play a lot with my family. Dr. Phelan is one of the main reasons I am faster and stronger in my forties than I was in my thirties. I still do stupid things and hurt myself, but once a month Dr. Phelan is quick to help put me back together. Dr. Phelan is also a great resource regarding diet and your body's inflammatory processes. My wife and I have gone through many phases of Paleo, vegan, vegetarian, and other types of diets to find what works best for us. Dr. Phelan has solid advice to offer. I absolutely recommend Dr. Phelan to my friends and family. He is an outstanding healthcare provider, and a genuine individual as well."

-James Gerdts

"Dr. Phelan has been of tremendous help with my sciatic nerve pain and works with my Orthopedic physicians in resolving the issue. We are now at the point where I have little or no pain. In addition, Dr. Phelan has treated several other pain problems and is helping me get my body in better shape by suggesting diet changes to work with my diabetes. He is a very caring and knowledgeable physician and works with the whole body. I can't recommend him highly enough."

-Suzanne Nobles

"Dr. Phelan is a doctor that will not stop until he helps you get to maximum improvement and if he can't help you, he will refer you to someone who can. Just recently he was able to order labwork that pointed me in the direction that I needed to go in to be able to feel good again. I feel much better and I am very glad that I followed through with his recommendations."

-A Google User