Welcome to HealthWise Clinical Nutrition

I spent my entire life living as a rock star. That would be figuratively, not literally. I flew through most of my adult life as an Alaskan wilderness adventurer, global traveler, health care provider, backcountry hiker, commercial fisherman, endurance horse racer, power yoga practitioner and Latin dancer. All these fun-filled activities ran neck and neck along side an action-packed career in integrative health care and traditional Chinese medicine. Needless to say, I was happy, healthy and whole and was living life as large as I could possibly manifest.

Then came 2010-11. That was the year of my tsunami. I was 52 years old and had been living overseas for 10 years. It was a year of cascading personal stressors in my life and the rheostat of my energy slowly dialed down. So slowly, that I didn’t even perceive it was happening as I was so strong and so passionate about my life. And then one day I found myself struggling to avoid being a half-bubble above bed-ridden. (more…)

My whole life I had suffered from stomach issues and a handful of other problems that as I got older became just a part of life. I would just deal with them, living off of Pepto-Bismol, and assumed that everyone had these same issues. As I got into my early 20’s those symptoms began to manifest and I began to pretty regularly faint or come right to the edge of fainting. I saw a couple doctors, was put on antidepressants and anxiety medications, diagnose with IBS-C and a thyroid disorder. They kept telling me that it was just because I was about to graduate college and the stress of that was getting to me. I didn’t feel stressed, I was excited to be finishing school and following my dreams. I went on a family vacation at the age of 24 and blacked out, though I was awake I couldn’t see anything, my heart was beating 100 miles a min and I was certain I was going to die. That’s when I decided it was time to solve this problem, because there was no way this could be normal. (more…)

I appreciative of the impact Dr. Flannery and the HealthWise office has had on my health journey. I spent the week before my wedding romping endlessly around town with my bridesmaids and creating wonderful memories. I woke up early on my wedding day to an hours-long hair and makeup session, smiled through tons of photo shoots, walked down the aisle (in 4-inch heels!) to marry my now-husband, and danced the night away with friends and family. My husband and I are now in Kaua`i for our honeymoon doing so much every day! (more…)

I had spent the two years prior to finding Dr. Flannery suffering from exacerbated symptoms that I had been dealing with my entire adult life. For the longest time, I attributed these symptoms as being “normal”. My doctors had always come up with a seemingly reasonable explanation for every symptom I had and eventually I was convinced that it was all a result of stressors in my life, of which at the time, I had many. Determined to find a way to reduce my stress, I quit my high profile executive level job which almost immediately dissipated all that was causing my stress. Somehow though, my symptoms were getting worse and they were all emerging at once.

I couldn’t understand why I still had the fatigue, anxiety, depression, brain fog, irritable bowels, moodiness, and difficultly sleeping. On top of it all, I had recurring infections, severe back pain and was losing my hair in patches. I went to the doctor’s office on numerous occasions and was refused referrals to specialists because my symptoms were not seen as uncommon and were not severe enough to be referred. I was however, offered antidepressants and therapy, which I refused. If there was any other medication to be prescribed, it was either steroids or antibiotics and I was sent on my way. (more…)

After having the first dose of Gardasil, my health started deteriorated at a rapid rate. I started having unbearable migraines once a month (had to sleep it off and any movement would result in me vomiting), knee pain, leg weakness when walking short distances, complete loss of menstrual cycle, abdominal pain, weight gain, brain fog, IBS symptoms and digestive problems. I experienced these health problems for at least five years while seeking a variety of medical attention (multiple endocrinologists, multiple GI doctors, multiple neurologists and multiple OBGYN’s). (more…)

So grateful for Dr Flannery and all his expertise and passion for functional medicine. My journey started about 13 years ago with my daughter’s stomach issues. As a toddler I took her to the family pediatrician, to urgent cares, we visited specialists from UCLA and other highly recommended doctors. They tested her for Celiac, Crohn’s, she had scans, X-Rays, blood work done – unfortunately no doctor we saw ever had an explanation. The typical response to us was – “it’s probably just constipation, have her take Miralax every day.” That wasn’t an acceptable response for me. I never gave up, we visited doctors over the years as she got older hoping someone would be able to offer us some type of answer as to why her stomach hurt her weekly. (more…)

It was in 1997 when I was 27-years-old that my health first started to decline. I was an upbeat, energetic, extreme athlete up to that point in time. It wasn’t until a falling-out with my father which caused so much stress in my life that my health began to decline.

It started out with headaches and moved on to depression. I became debilitated, so much so, that I could not even make a trip to the grocery store, it was too overwhelming. I tried to muster up enough energy just to go into work and make it back home. This was during my pre-healthcare days; I did not know anything about health. I was eating McDonalds 2 to 3 times per day and would order the fish sandwich when I felt like eating “healthy”. I saw specialist after specialist for my headaches, brain fog, fatigue, and my depression. I spent tens of thousands of dollars seeking help. No one could help me. (more…)

Dear Dr. Flannery,

This month, as we begin a new year, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your excellent treatment which has really given me my life back in so many ways. Last year at this time, I was struggling with blood sugar issues which were leading me towards type one and type two diabetes, gut issues including SIBO, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel disease, severe constipation/motility issues, and multiple food allergies which put me on a severely limited diet.  My primary care doctor and gastroenterologists could not really help me anymore, and I was pretty incapacitated. I also had problems sleeping and had been taking sleeping pills on and off for many years. In addition, I was struggling with depression, anxiety, brain fog and a tremor, chronic pain, as well as a very low energy level. (more…)

I was referred to Dr. Mark Flannery by a woman I work with after telling her about how tired I felt and the stomach pain, bloating and weight gain that I was suffering with. My condition was keeping me from spending quality time with my kids and I was losing focus at school. At first I thought it was normal “female” problems, but when the symptoms didn’t go away after 1-1/2 years , I knew I needed to take action. (more…)

When I first sought help at HealthWise Clinical Nutrition, I suffered from neck pain, inflammation, bloating, irritable bowel and trouble sleeping for more than 15 years! I had been to other chiropractors, physical therapists and on pain medication with no long-term effects.

The HealthWise doctors took excellent care of me! Dr. Flannery (more…)

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia back in 1991, but I have been in constant distress with my health for the past 50 years. The number of doctors I have seen would shock you! When one doctor was finished running tests that didn’t show anything, he would pass me to the next specialist for more tests. Medication has been part of my life for my asthma, on and off of antibiotics (more…)

I initially sought treatment with Dr. Flannery because I was diagnosed with osteopenia. I also was not sleeping well and would wake up with a pounding heart at 3 a.m. every morning.

My medical doctor prescribed hormone replacement therapy. I became aware of the long-term negative effects of taking hormones (more…)

In 2008 I visited Dr. Mark Flannery due to my complaint of a repeated acid-reflux disorder that was continually awakening me at night in bouts of great pain and distress. During my consultation, Dr. Flannery suggested that I have a complete blood work-up, which I did. Upon his review of my blood work he became very concerned about my overall health (more…)

It took me a while to write this testimonial because I don’t know how to express how much I’m thankful to God for giving me the chance to meet Dr. Flannery and to be subjected under his care. The improvements have all been so overwhelming; I can’t believe that in eight months, I’m now feeling so much better—even better than my “old self.”

At 22 years old, I’ve done so many abuses on my body without even realizing it: training too hard, (more…)

My experience with working with Dr. Mark Flannery over the past few years has been an incredibly pleasurable and beneficial one. Dr. Mark Flannery is a very informative, helpful, and caring Doctor that always takes the time to thoroughly explain everything to his patients and never hesitates to answer any questions or help in any way he can. When I first came to see Dr. Flannery (more…)

I have had a chronic cough for over 20 years. Thinking it was a food allergy but doing nothing about it in the beginning because it didn’t make me sick. It didn’t alter my life and it wasn’t very bad. It was only a small cough in the beginning occurring every once in a while.

As the years went by my cough increased with other symptoms. I had a hard time getting through my day without coffee and the cough would start waking me up at night. Nine and a half years ago I quit working thinking (more…)

In November of 2013 our family received devastating news, when our 9 year old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Needless to say, we were at a loss since no one in our family had ever been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. Immediately following his diagnoses, my wife and I began his treatment of the daily regimen of insulin shots, which very quickly proved to be an overwhelming and daunting task. My wife and I believed that we owed it to our son, to seek any alternative treatments (more…)

After receiving the Gardisil vaccination in February, I experienced severe abdominal pain that brought on vomiting, headaches, back pain and high blood pressure. I was in and out of the hospital for a total of 12 days in 2 months while they performed many tests including: blood tests, multiple cat scans, an MRI and other tests revealing no definitive diagnosis.

My sudden illness kept me from completing my schoolwork and I had to eventually (more…)

After receiving the Gardasil vaccine, my daughter began experiencing an array of troubling symptoms, including numbness, severe swelling, and difficulty walking. At times, Alison’s ankles would swell so badly that she could not wear shoes. The doctors we originally sought just wanted to treat her symptoms with drugs instead of getting to the root of her problem. No one knew how to treat Alison’s “mysterious” illness, (more…)

There are not enough words for me to be able to fully express my gratitude to Dr. Mark Flannery. It is because of him and the grace of God that I still have my daughter with me today.

My daughter Cassie started experiencing side effects from the Gardasil vaccine immediately after her first injection, but because we were told the reaction was completely unrelated to Gardasil she continued with all three shots. It was after the third and final one that she became seriously ill. Cassie was hospitalized, her symptoms consisted of severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, severe headaches (more…)

I have been injured on the 14th of March 2011 by the Gardasil vaccine. Right after that I started a severe back pain, nausea, total fatigue along with total body pain. At one stage I reached to a level that I lost the ability to walk more than two minutes as the pain was unbearable. This vaccine is the worst thing that ever happened to me. I looked for many doctors but none of them had a clue of what is going on with my body.

Dr. Flannery is the only Doctor who I met that had a clear understanding of how much Gardasil can damage (more…)

My daughter BaLeigh was treated by Dr. Mark Flannery for side effects from the Gardasil vaccine. We live in New Mexico and, of course he is in Simi Valley, California. To my surprise the distance was not an obstacle in any way. The attention we received from Dr. Flannery far exceeded anything we experienced with local doctors.

I cannot say enough positive things about the experience that we had with Dr. Flannery, (more…)

In the middle of June 2009, Ashlie received her first and only Gardasil vaccine. Approximately 16 days later Ashlie began to complain that her legs were not working correctly. Looking back, I am not sure what I thought it was, but I had her take some Tylenol. The next morning, I came downstairs and Ashlie was lying on the couch. She told me that she had crawled from her room and down the stairs to get to the couch. She informed me she could not walk. I asked her to stand. She tried and fell to the floor.

She was quickly taken to our local ER. The doctor threw his hands in the air saying (more…)

Just wanted to say thank you! You have changed my life. Before we started care with you I felt miserable. My whole body was in pain. I never wanted to do anything except sleep all the time. But now I feel so much better then I use to! My pain and jerks have gotten better! The sound and the light sensitivity has also gotten better. I can handle light more and it doesn’t hurt my eyes as bad (more…)

I was struggling with fatigue which had been increasing over the last few years and had come to see Dr. Flannery as recommended by a friend of mine. I had seen my general physician and ruled out any problems that could be detected by her examination and blood tests. I did have elevated cholesterol, elevated blood calcium and early stage osteoporosis and was advised to go on prescription medication to treat these symptoms which I did not desire to do.

From the beginning, I was treated with much care and concern. I was educated by Dr. Flannery (more…)

Initially I was referred to HealthWise because I was so tired. I was on medication for my Thyroid but I wasn’t feeling like myself. I also suffered from severe neck and hip pain for the last 5 years.

I didn’t know how complicated my condition was until I clearly saw my results from my blood tests. Dr. Flannery had a detailed approach to how he handled my condition and now I’m not as tired as I used to be. I can tell I’ve improved and that I continue to improve (more…)

At 27 years old, I was training for a marathon and was in the best shape of my life. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and prescribed medication. At 30 years old, I was diagnosed with Gall Bladder disease and referred to a surgeon. At 40 years old, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroid Disease and prescribed medication. Physicians blamed genetics. But, I thought there was an underlying issue causing these conditions.

I saw many alternative health care professionals (more…)

As a health care professional, I tried effortlessly to find someone that would address my health concerns. Nothing that Western medicine offered was effective. I knew that a pill was not the answer. After many years and thousands of dollars not covered by my insurance, I stumbled upon the book “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal” in 2010 by Dr. Datis Kharrazian. My passion is wellness research and I thought I could figure out my body and what it needed, evidenced by multiple supplements, multiple consults, and countless hours
spent researching remedies, modalities, which might offer an answer to my health issues. I felt like I was losing my mind and becoming a hypochondriac. I had reached the end of my rope with my weight at an all-time high of 185 lbs on my 4’10 frame along with the list of symptoms that accompany adrenal exhaustion, pre-diabetes, hypertension, high blood lipids, shortness of breath, and too tired to exercise. I felt like a balloon ready to pop. (more…)

For many years I knew something was wrong with my body. My fatigue was so unbearable it took everything I had to get out of bed. I had to take naps daily and still couldn’t function! I was gaining a steady 3 pounds a month regardless of my diet and exercise. I had pretty much NO memory and could not retain anything I heard or read. I had many more symptoms, to many to list. I was a mess!!

I began what would end up being several years of research, going to doctor after doctor, (more…)

While I was in college, I was diagnosed with diabetes and put on medications. I was then later diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Not only had I been diagnosed with two serious conditions, I had been losing pigmentation of my skin over a number of years, a condition known as vitiligo. The medication I was prescribed was not correcting my conditions, only managing my symptoms. I grew increasingly more frustrated with my medical treatment.

I had been to a number of medical doctors through this process, but I felt like they could never pin point the problem.  (more…)

I truly believe that God directs our path to certain people and I am so glad that he directed me to Dr. Mark Flannery! Dr. Flannery has helped me so much, but let me start from the beginning. I am a mother of two boys and one of my boys has a muscle disease. Since he has been born there has been extra stress on me to make sure his health needs are taken care of all the time. I also work long hours, which complicates things. I wouldn’t eat for half the day and I drank two pots of coffee a day to keep me going. Despite all that coffee I was still tired all of the time. (more…)

I brought my 6-week-old daughter in to HealthWise Chiropractic & Nutrition because I had heard chiropractic care could help with symptoms of colic. She had gas pains and cried everyday for hours. I switched formulas to try to see if that was the culprit, but that only constipated her. Needless to say, I was as tired and cranky as she was! (more…)

I am a mother of a three-year-old boy and pregnant with my second. My first baby was breech and had to be born via c-section. I first met Dr. Vera during a M.O.P.S. meeting where she was educating us on how chiropractic can help with pregnancy discomforts. Also, she mentioned how chiropractic (more…)

I was referred to HealthWise Chiropractic for treatment of painful symptoms associated with my first pregnancy. At 5 months pregnant, I suffered from low back pain, had difficulty walking, and had trouble getting in and out of bed.

As of today I feel 70% better than when I first started chiropractic care. Dr. Vera (more…)

In the past two years I have suffered from consistent chest pain. During those two years, I consulted two different gastroenterologists, two pulmonary doctors, two cardiologists, a neurologist, have gone through two surgeries on my stomach, and have been put on and taken off over 15 different medications.

My mom’s friend told her about HealthWise (more…)

All of my life I have been an outgoing, very friendly and happy person, involved in sports and striving to live a healthy lifestyle; that is until about four years ago. It did not happen overnight, but slowly I was becoming unhappy, lethargic, and uninvolved with friends and family. After going through two divorces, dealing with the stress of being a single mom, and struggling with family issues, my health had taken a back seat in my life. Over time, I was not only unhappy (more…)

In 2008 I visited Dr. Mark Flannery due to my complaint of a repeated acid-reflux disorder that was continually awakening me at night in bouts of great pain and distress. During my consultation, Dr. Flannery suggested that I have a complete blood work-up, which I did. Upon his review of my blood work he became very concerned about my overall health and well-being. My cholesterol and triglyceride (more…)

We feel truly blessed to have found Dr. Mark so quickly after the decline of our daughters’ health after their second Gardasil shot. Not only was I scared by the girls’ health but also by the lack of answers and attention we were getting from traditional medicine. Calling this nontraditional Doctor was a leap of faith in more ways than one. We were 1,300 miles away from him, our insurance (more…)

For over eight years I dealt with several irritating symptoms, including weight gain, hypothyroidism, very low energy, ovarian cysts, and elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. I never felt like I could gain control of one issue absolutely, so I found myself circling around with my general practitioner as we tried to alleviate only the most problematic of the symptoms as we went. We were not able to accomplish much more than frustration and a sense of defeat. My general practitioner finally shook his head and said I would just have to get used to being heavy for the rest of my life and to do my best to stay as healthy and fit as possible.

Feeling like a lost cause, I began to discuss my health concerns (more…)

When my husband and I married in December of 2006, I was a healthy, slim 26 year old. During our first pregnancy, I gained an unexpected 55 lbs. even though I ate healthy, balanced meals and exercised regularly. A few days after our daughter was born, I had a very irritating rash that moved around my body. After many months, many doctors, and many heavy medications, I was diagnosed with post-natal hypothyroidism, then hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s. I began taking some medication that seemed to be working because my rashes finally went away. The rashes lasted about 6 months after giving birth! However, about a year and half later, (more…)