Dr. Mathew Bradshaw, DC, AFMCP

Dr. Mathew 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. He works with patients who feel stuck in the traditional medical system — people with real symptoms, "normal" labs, and no clear plan — and helps them finally get answers and lasting relief.

Who Is Dr. Mathew Bradshaw?

Dr. Bradshaw trained as a chiropractor in Colorado and then went deeper into functional medicine, earning his AFMCP credential through the Institute for Functional Medicine. That combination shapes how he practices: structural and natural healing fundamentals first, then advanced functional medicine testing to find the "why" behind stubborn symptoms.

He didn't learn this work from a textbook alone. Earlier in his life, he dealt with debilitating panic attacks and gut issues that the standard route hadn't fixed. Clean diet, targeted supplements, and lifestyle changes got him his health back — and that experience is why he now loves helping patients who feel stuck finally find what's driving their symptoms.

What Does Dr. Bradshaw Focus On?

His work leans on the systems that quietly sabotage the thyroid: gut health, stress and adrenal load, and the nutrient gaps that come with both.

• Gut health and food reactions, because immune activity in the gut is one of the most common drivers of thyroid inflammation. See what gut health testing can reveal.
• Stress and adrenal dysfunction, which block the conversion of inactive T4 into the active T3 your cells use. See adrenal and hormone testing — and why we ask whether excess stress can cause hypothyroidism.
• Hypothyroidism cases where medication was started but the person still doesn't feel like themselves. Our hypothyroidism guide covers the pattern.

How Does Dr. Bradshaw Work With Patients?

He starts with listening. Most of his patients have been through the standard system already — brief visits, a TSH test, a shrug — and they arrive frustrated. Your story matters here: when symptoms started, what changed around that time, what you've already tried, and what actually helped even briefly.

Then comes testing before recommendations. Every patient goes through a thorough intake and workup before anything is proposed, because guessing at root causes wastes months. What comes back becomes a specific plan — diet changes that target your actual triggers, supplements chosen for your actual gaps, and lifestyle shifts you can hold onto. Nothing generic.

What Does He Believe About Thyroid Care?

We test, we don't guess. Fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, and brain fog aren't diagnoses — they're signals, and the job is finding out why they're happening. Thyroid health connects to your gut, adrenal glands, immune system, diet, and stress levels, so all of it gets looked at together.

He also believes care should be a partnership. Expect direct explanations of what the research shows, what he sees clinically, and what he'd prioritize first — with room for your questions before anything moves forward.

What Should You Do Next?

The free 15-minute discovery call is the simplest way to see whether this approach fits your case. It's a phone call, it costs nothing, and there's no obligation on either side. Bring your story and any recent labs; leave with a clear sense of what root-cause testing would look at and whether this practice is right for you.

You can also read more about Dr. Hilary Rutledge, the other practitioner on the team.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of patients does Dr. Bradshaw see most often?

People who feel stuck in the traditional system — especially those dealing with thyroid symptoms alongside gut problems, chronic stress, or burnout that predates the thyroid diagnosis by years. He also sees patients who started thyroid medication and expected to feel better, but didn't.

Does his chiropractic background change how he approaches thyroid cases?

It keeps the whole body in view. Thyroid symptoms rarely travel alone; they show up alongside gut issues, stress load, sleep problems, and muscle or joint complaints. Training across those systems means fewer blind spots when the story doesn't fit a single tidy diagnosis.

Do I need to live in Wilmington to work with him?

No. The practice is based in Wilmington and serves patients across Leland, Hampstead, Jacksonville, Pender County, and coastal NC — but many appointments can happen by phone or telehealth. The discovery call is always by phone, wherever you are in North Carolina.

What if my case is complicated and I've seen a lot of doctors?

That's the norm here, not the exception. Complicated cases usually mean the right questions haven't been asked yet. A thorough intake plus full-panel testing — thyroid, adrenals, gut, nutrients — is exactly how we piece together what previous visits left out.