Patient-First Approach: Dr. Michael Johnson’s Holistic Health Mission

Dr. Michael Johnson, DC (ret), DACNB (ret), has been a driving force in holistic healthcare for over four decades. A 1983 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic, he began his career treating complex and chronic conditions that often defied conventional care. His passion for integrative healing led him to author multiple books on Functional Medicine and Neurology, and in 2006, he founded the Neurometabolic Super Group, a collaborative network now supporting over 400 doctors nationwide. 

Dr. Johnson’s enduring commitment to advanced therapeutic strategies continues through his leadership at the Johnson Wellness Institute in Michigan, where he incorporates expertise in chiropractic neurology, stem cell therapy, genetics, and nutritional science. Today, Dr. Michael Johnson is not only a respected clinician and educator but also a prominent digital voice in holistic health. 

With more than 625,000 followers on TikTok, he has emerged as a sought-after figure in the online wellness community, delivering practical health insights to a rapidly growing audience. Despite his viral success, his mission remains grounded in decades of clinical experience and innovation. Whether through clinical consultation, professional mentoring, or social media outreach, Dr. Johnson’s influence spans platforms and professions, uniting science-based protocols with holistic care principles to empower both practitioners and patients alike.

How did you get started in functional medicine and functional neurology? 

When I was in high school, I planned to become a pharmacist, open up 12-15 drug stores, and sell them off. When I got to Ferris State College, the top pharmacy school in Michigan in 1977, I soon realized that my main competitor would not be the drug store down the street but K-Mart. This was long before Walmart came on the scene, and K-Mart was the big box company that was expanding its pharmacy in all of their stores.  

That seemed like a recipe for failure, so I canned the pharmacy idea, but I knew that I wanted something in healthcare. There was a guy who was down the hall from me at Ferris who had a brother that was a very successful chiropractor. I had been helped by a chiropractor in high school so I applied to Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.  

I graduated from Palmer in March 1983, and I set up my practice in Appleton, WI. I expanded to three clinics in 1997 and one of my associate doctors told me about the Carrick Institute of Functional Neurology. At that time, Dr. Carrick was teaching, so I was hooked from the first seminar. As a result of my unique approach to Functional Medicine and Functional Neurology, I have enjoyed a very successful career.

What makes your approach different from other functional medicine clinics?

Many functional medicine clinics overwhelm patients with excessive testing and supplements, sometimes relying on muscle testing alone. Chronic health conditions stem from toxic overloads that weaken the immune system, allowing infections to take hold. 

My unique approach targets these root causes using personalized homeopathic remedies created from comprehensive lab work, including complete blood panels and Dutch Tests. This precision clears underlying toxins and infections effectively. 

I incorporate Functional Neurological protocols to calm the sympathetic “fight or flight” response, addressing chronic stress that hinders healing. This holistic, targeted strategy ensures patients receive truly effective, individualized care for lasting wellness.

After 42 years in practice, how do you stay on the cutting edge?

I am always looking for new and improved protocols to help my patients and myself heal faster. Many of our patients have suffered with their chronic health condition for many years, and they have been treated by countless Western MDs and other holistic practitioners. Many of them come to me and tell me that I am their “last hope.” I do not take that lightly, so I am constantly attending seminars and conferences.     

What daily practice or mindset do you recommend for healthcare professionals in high-demand settings? 

I started consulting with doctors (DCs, MDs, NDs, and ACPs) in 2006, and today, we have over 400 doctors on our message board at www.txfibro.com.  

From Day One, I have told all of them that you HAVE to put the patient first! The patient’s needs are paramount! It is not your status or income or ego, the patient is always number one!   

One thing that I have noticed in all of my years of practice is that patients can smell it when a doctor is in it for the money. They innately know when a doctor is running a test or making a recommendation for the doctor’s benefit and NOT the patient’s benefit! 

What are you most proud of when you reflect on your life’s work?

Hands down, the fact that I have helped so many patients over the years! I get tremendous joy and satisfaction when a patient comes to me and no one was able to help them, but I was able to help them get their life back!  

I have always stated that I help patients that no one has been able to help. That is in part because of my unique approach and thinking “outside of the box” but also because I never give up on a patient. I am tenacious when it comes to getting my patients better! 

I remember one patient who suffered from Lupus and severe anxiety. For over 5 years, the only time that she would get out of bed was for two hours, one hour for lunch, and one hour for dinner. She was so miserable and so filled with anxiety that she never left her bedroom. It took me a while, over a year, but today she is “back to normal” and those are her husband’s words, not mine. I literally gave her life back to her with our protocols.  

What is next for you and the Johnson Wellness Institute?

In 2003, I was one of the first practitioners to put videos on their website. YouTube started in 2005, and I started the minute that I found out about it. I built quite a following on YouTube, but my anti-Big Pharma stance, while popular with the audience, was not popular with the platform. Without any warning or notice, YouTube took my channel down.  

While I love video as an educational medium, I swore I was done with social media. In 2022, a patient encouraged me to try TikTok, and the rest is history. I currently have 632,000 followers on TikTok.  

My plan is to continue to practice and help those patients that no one else has been able to help and to educate others by expanding to other social media platforms. I want to expand my reach to help more people! Not everyone can afford a 12-month care plan with me but many can afford to take a digestive enzyme supplement to get off of omeprazole or IP-6 to lower their ferritin which will in turn lower their cholesterol or take an adrenal supplement because they are under massive amounts of stress. Helping others is what drives me and gets my juices flowing 42+ years after I started in practice.