Our Story
Learn about Wilmington Functional Medicine, our approach to persistent fatigue and low energy, and why we use a root-cause evaluation model instead of surface-level explanations.
Whole Family Medicine was built around a frustrating truth: tens of millions of people are living with undiagnosed or undertreated thyroid conditions because standard medicine isn't asking the right questions.
TSH alone doesn't tell you whether your body is converting thyroid hormone properly. It doesn't tell you whether Epstein-Barr virus is triggering autoimmune activity. It doesn't tell you whether gluten or dairy is creating the intestinal permeability that's driving your inflammation. And it definitely doesn't tell you whether your adrenal system is so depleted that no amount of thyroid medication will make you feel better.
We designed our practice to find all of it — because treating the thyroid in isolation rarely works, and your patients deserve better than "your labs are normal, here's an antidepressant."
MEET YOUR DOCTORS
Dr. Mathew Bradshaw
DC, AFMCP
Dr. Matthew Bradshaw is a Kansas City–born, Colorado-schooled chiropractor and functional medicine practitioner who blends natural healing principles with advanced training through the Institute for Functional Medicine. After overcoming his own debilitating panic attacks and gut issues using a clean diet, targeted supplements, and lifestyle changes, he now loves helping patients who feel stuck in the traditional medical system finally get answers and lasting relief.
Hilary Rutledge
DC, DABCI
Dr. Hilary Rutledge is a Sierra Nevada Foothills native, longtime Wilmington resident, and chiropractor-turned-functional medicine doctor who has spent more than two decades helping patients get healthy naturally. After returning to school for four additional years of advanced functional medicine training, she now focuses on partnering with patients who feel unheard in the traditional system, using in-depth testing, personalized care plans, and plenty of real-life empathy as a mom, horse lover, and yoga enthusiast.
OUR APPROACH
Many patients come to us after months or years of feeling exhausted without clear answers. They have had standard bloodwork, been told everything looks normal, and still feel terrible. Our approach is designed to go deeper — looking at thyroid function, iron status, stress hormones, gut health, infectious contributors, and other possible imbalances that a routine visit may miss.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR FATIGUE PATIENTS
Fatigue is rarely explained by one thing. One patient may have low iron and subclinical thyroid dysfunction. Another may be dealing with a lingering viral burden from EBV or a cortisol pattern that has been disrupted by chronic stress. A third may have H. pylori affecting gut function and nutrient absorption. That is why we do not use a one-size-fits-all fatigue protocol — we evaluate each person individually.
OUR TESTING APPROACH
Our fatigue evaluation may draw on blood testing, the Organic Acids Test, Adrenocortex Stress Profile or HU-Map, stool testing for H. pylori, spirometry, and EKG, depending on each patient's specific presentation and clinical needs.