Testimonials

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…)