You want a structured, professional nutrition plan—not online advice
You suspect food is contributing to symptoms but don’t know how
You want nutrition aligned with labs or functional medicine care
You’re managing chronic symptoms and want a non-pharmaceutical support layer
You value long-term health, not quick fixes
Disclaimer: This service is not designed for crash dieting or short-term weight-loss programs. And it is not for emergency care. Always consult your primary physician for urgent symptoms.
Generic Diet Plans Vs. Clinical Nutrition
Generic Advice
One-size-fits-all
Trend-based
Focused on weight
Short-term compliance
Clinical Nutrition
Personalized to your body
Evidence-informed
Focused on health systems
Long-term sustainability
Why Patients Choose Functional Medicine with Dr. Donna Kulp
Dr. Donna Kulp is a Licensed Chiropractor, Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist and a Functional Medicine Practioner. She is trained and certified through the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM), and she holds Diplomate in nutrition from Northwestern University, she later trained with the American Institute of Integrative Oncology, along with holding an Advanced Whiplash Master Certification specializing in auto related injuries.
Dr. Kulp has been studying nutrition for over 40 years & practicing wellness for over 33 years. She has incredible and rich experience as a chiropractor and nutritionist & has helped many patients regain wellness and improve their health over the years.
For 13 years she was the Team Chiropractor for the Reading Royals Hockey Team Affiliate of the NHL, Los Angeles Kings, Former Team Chiropractor for Reading Express Football Team.
Dr. Donna Kulp is also the Vice president of the Chiropractic Board of Clinical Nutrition (CBCN).
She offers nutritional lectures to local civic organizations, workplaces and private lectures.
Dr. Kulp applies a "whole person approach" that is based on the patient-centered healthcare.
I can't say enough good things about Dr. Kulp, from the moment I met her, I felt genuinely cared for - not just as a patient, but as a whole person. She is incredibly caring and attentive, always taking the time to listen closely an ask thoughtful questions.
What stands out most is her genuine concern for my well-being and her clear design to be a true partner on my health journey. It's rare to find a doctor who makes you feel both heard and empowered, but Dr. Kulp does exactly that. I'm so thankful to have her in my corner.
My symptoms were very tired, brain fog and muscle aches. Dr. Kulp sat with me and
reviewed my blood work, diet and exercise. She spent time with me explaining each blood work result. After 2 weeks I felt my energy come back and my brain fog diminished as well as my muscle aches. I realized my diet wasn’t as good as I thought and I definitely wasn’t drinking the amount of water I should have been drinking.
I feel 100% better. Dr. Kulp and her staff are terrific and they give you their time and explain everything as far as diet and supplements. Thank you!
I started seeing Dr. Kulp for chiropractic care based on a friend's reference. Then I learned that she practices nutritional counseling and functional medicine and I began seeing her in that capacity.
Finally, I started the Ideal Protein weight loss program. I’ve gotten results with everything.
Dr. Kulp has recommended. If something isn’t working at first, she & her staff are willing to stay the course and keep working with you to make modifications and find out what will work.
Her office has become my first choice go-to or all health and wellness questions.
Dr. Kulp is a caring and compassionate chiropractor and nutrition counselor.
I had a very painful plantar wart that was resistant to traditional therapy.
She used her extensive background in nutritional health and functional medicine and recommended two supplements and within a week or two the wart resolved and my pain was gone.
I suffered from frozen shoulder which caused severe nerve pain going all the way down my arm. Dr. Kulp worked with me everyday and helped ease my pain. In just a few short weeks I was on the road to recovery without surgery or prescription pain meds. I highly recommend Dr. Kulp. Her staff is kind and compassionate which is a great comfort when you are in a lot of pain like I was.
Clinical Nutrition uses a different approach than traditional medicine. We address
the root-cause, system-based. It is looking for underlying drivers (nutrition, gut,
hormones, toxins, lifestyle, genetics) and we address the whole person.
Conventional medicine is disease-centered and guideline-driven it focuses on
diagnosing and treating specific conditions or symptoms, often with medications
or procedures. In Functional medicine we look at diet, lifestyle, nutritional
deficiencies, stress, sleep, environmental issues, toxins, hormones, gut health
and more to determine what path to address wellness.
Your first visit is about 60-75 min. for initial visits, it includes a detailed history
(diet, sleep, stress, environment, life events, etc.).
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Clinical Nutrition is not solely weight-loss focused, but if weight loss is needed it
can be as an important symptom of underlying issues. It focuses on finding root
causes (metabolism, hormones, gut health, inflammation, sleep, stress,
medications, environmental toxins can all drive weight gain or make loss difficult.
Individualized methods consist of multi component plans - nutrition, activity,
sleep, stress management, targeted supplements, and sometimes specialized
testing.
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Clinical Nutrition often use labs and special tests to look beyond symptoms and
identify underlying drivers. Find root causes uses tests that can reveal hormonal
imbalances (thyroid, cortisol, sex hormones), insulin resistance, chronic
inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, gut infections/dysbiosis, or toxin exposures
that contribute to symptoms. Personalized treatment allows for a tailored diet,
supplements, and lifestyle changes for your specific physiology instead of using
one-size-fits-all advice. Labs allow progress checks, baseline labs let you
measure whether interventions are working (e.g., improved A1c, lower
inflammation markers, normalized hormones).
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While many aspects of clinical nutrition & functional medicine are not covered by
insurance, some tests may be eligible for reimbursement. Some lab fees can be
reimbursed with most insurance plans. You have the option to bill any
conventional lab fees directly to your insurance. Just provide the lab with your
insurance information. If your insurance plan covers lab expenses, this can help
offset the costs. However, if your insurance does not cover lab tests, your
deductible is too high, or you don’t have insurance, we also offer special
discounted cash rates. These rates are significantly lower than the out-of-pocket
costs you would incur by paying the labs directly. Office visits and specialized
testing is not covered.
Insurance focuses on medical necessity over personalization, as a Functional
medicine practitioner I invest significant time and resources into thorough
evaluations, in-depth consultations, and specialized testing, which are not
covered or reimbursed by insurance.
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Certainly! You can utilize your Health Savings Account to cover functional
medicine services. This allows you to use pre-tax dollars to pay for your
healthcare expenses. For more information, please contact your HSA broker or
provider.
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Clinical Nutrition & Functional mMedicine works alongside traditional,
conventional medicine by adopting a complementary, "best of both worlds"
approach that combines acute care with root-cause, holistic, and
preventive strategies. While traditional medicine often manages symptoms
with medication and procedures, functional medicine integrates
personalized lifestyle changes, nutrition, and advanced testing to enhance
overall wellness and manage chronic conditions.
How we might complement each other in care.
1. Targeted Diagnostics: While conventional medicine uses diagnostics for
acute conditions, functional medicine adds, for example, comprehensive
nutrient assessments, gut health panels, and genetic evaluations to find
the root cause of symptoms.
2. Chronic Disease Management: Functional medicine adds lifestyle,
dietary, and stress-reduction strategies to traditional treatments to
enhance efficacy and reduce medication side effects.
3. Comprehensive Care Plans: It bridges gaps in conventional care by
focusing on the interaction of environment, genes, and lifestyle. For
instance, a patient might receive medication for hypertension
(conventional) while adopting a customized diet and exercise plan
(functional) to reduce long-term dependency.
4. Collaborative Approach: The goal is to have providers communicate
openly, with functional medicine acting as an integrative partner rather
than a replacement for necessary traditional care.
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Supplements are generally considered a key, though not always mandatory,
component of functional medicine to address nutrient gaps, reduce inflammation,
and support healing, but they are never used as a substitute for a nutrient-dense
diet. While not required for everyone, they are used to treat specific, tested
deficiencies or to support underlying root causes of illness. Supplements are
chosen based on individual needs and testing. While functional medicine
emphasizes food first, supplements are used to address modern diet limitations,
chronic stress, or health conditions that make it difficult to get all nutrients from
food alone. Plans are tailored to your unique, lab-verified, needs rather than onesize-fits-all.
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Yes. But, I prefer to have one in person visit to assess you physically here is
why. With out a physical exam we are missing the in-person physical examination
component, such as palpation e.g., checking for thyroid nodules, abdominal
tenderness, listening to heart/lung sounds, blood pressure, oral exam or
assessing musculoskeletal issues and more. The physical examination allows me
to evaluate weight, BMI, nutritional deficiencies and more. This in-person visit
allows us to connect and have a better understanding of what is expected from
both patient and doctor to building a healthy rapport. Some manual palpationbased therapies, or in-office, supervised nutritional protocols, cannot be delivered
remotely.
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Most patients start to feel better within 2 to 3 months of beginning a functional
medicine program, with significant, lasting improvements often achieved within 6
to 12 months. While some changes can be noticed in 4-8 weeks, the timeline
depends on the complexity of the condition, with deeper issues like gut repair or
hormone balance taking longer. Complex, chronic issues (e.g., autoimmunity,
chronic fatigue) often take longer to reverse than acute symptoms.
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Yes, working with a functional medicine (FM) doctor and a primary care physician
(PCP) (MD/DO) together involves creating a collaborative care team where the
PCP handles urgent issues, screenings, and conventional, symptom-based
management, while the FM doctor focuses on root-cause analysis, chronic
disease reversal, and personalized lifestyle/supplement plans. To safely manage
medications, keep both providers informed of all prescriptions, supplements, and
lifestyle changes.
The prescribing doctor will oversee making any adjustments to medications. The
better your health and lifestyle the better the chances are you can address
changing and lessening or eliminating medications with the primary MD. Keeping
open communication with all physicians, share lab results to eliminate duplication
of testing.
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Yes, clinical nutrition & functional medicine is used across all age groups, from
children to older adults. It focuses on personalized, root-cause analysis rather
than a "one-size-fits-all" approach, it can be adapted to the specific
developmental and physiological needs of different life stages.
Ready for Nutrition That Actually Supports Your Health?
If you’re tired of guessing what to eat and want a clear, professional strategy, clinical nutrition may be your next step.
