Dr David Wheeler DC, MBAcC, LRCC, DipLSSM
BSc (Hons) Degree Chiropractic (Doctor of Chiropractic)
BSc (Hons) Degree Acupuncture
MSc (Hons) Degree Chinese Herbal Medicine (Distinction)
Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP) (Diploma)

My Journey Back to Health

Witnessing, as I have, the positive changes that chiropractic, acupuncture and Chinese herbs can bring to peoples’ lives, has been nothing less than phenomenal.

Hi. I’m David Wheeler, Advance Clinic’s Principal and sole practitioner. I’m a friend to all who need my help, an avid researcher and seeker after truth in healthcare, and separately and fully qualified (to bachelor of science (BSc) degree level) in both chiropractic and acupuncture. I also have an MSc (Master of Science degree) in Chinese Herbal Medicine and in October 2018 completed the Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP) intensive course run by the US-based Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM).

I also feel fortunate at this stage of my life to have had many years of successful practice experience behind me. I hope that there will be many more ahead. I certainly have no desire to retire!

I’m also just an ordinary person like you. Like you, I knew what it was like to feel unwell, to feel tired, worn out, older than my years. To battle with physical pain, skin issues, poor gut health, lack of energy and emotional stress. I know how all of it sucks the joy out of life.

For a long time I simply accepted the conventional medical route. For me that meant a lot of antibiotics, creams, potions and sometimes painkillers. But it just didn’t feel right to me. I didn’t seem to be getting to the root of the problem.

That’s when I started my journey back to health and my passionate pursuit of knowledge of high-quality healthcare. Chiropractic care dealt brilliantly with my back and neck pain. I personally found acupuncture and Chinese herbs incredibly helpful for my skin issues.

Importantly, I also applied the positive things I found from my reading and research into diet and other aspects of lifestyle to myself. Food became medicine, my emotions stabilised and sleep became, well, restful.

I’d started to feel better and I can tell you, it’s only got better from there. I’m now well into my 50s and still going strong.

So was born Advance Clinic’s proven approach to helping patients regain and maintain their health – physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual.

Nowadays I enjoy:

• High-quality, nutrient-dense food which provides all the energy I need for my busy but rewarding job.
• Moderate, but healthful, levels of exercise.
• Improved sleep patterns and the bonus of waking feeling truly refreshed.
• Quality time with my family and friends.
• Time to read, research and further my professional knowledge, so as to bring my patients the best that current, progressive healthcare can offer.

Why not start your journey back to health too.

Begin Your Journey Back to Health

Each of us has the potential to heal and create our own special version of ‘living life to the full’. I want to inspire in you that idea. Why? Because in my own life and in patient after patient, I’ve seen it’s true!

For many years now I’ve shared my patients’ journeys back to health. I opened Advance Chiropractic & Acupuncture Clinic in Hertford in 2014, after previously working as a chiropractor and acupuncturist for many years elsewhere in the UK.

With a wealth of experience behind me, I’ve learnt what works best for my patients. But don’t take my word for it. Why not read some of the many fantastic reviews our patients have been kind enough to leave on Google.

There is one great thing that I have learned in practice. My personal health transformation wasn’t unique. Many of the numerous patients who have attended the clinic have undergone similar and remarkable transformations in their health. I want to inspire you to do the same!

I’ve improved week by week and now I would say that I feel as good, if not better, as I did before I was ill. – Richard Lucas

How I’m Qualified to Help You

My professional qualifications are as follows:

• BSc (Hons) Degree Chiropractic (Doctor of Chiropractic)
• BSc (Hons) Degree Acupuncture
• MSc (Hons) Degree Chinese Herbal Medicine (Distinction)
• Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP) (Diploma)
• DipLSSM (London School of Sports Massage)

I’m fully registered and insured with the following bodies:

• General Chiropractic Council (GCC)
• British Acupuncture Council (BAcC)
• British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS)
• British Chiropractic Association (BCA)
• Royal College of Chiropractors (RCC)
• Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM)
• Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)
• Royal Society of Medicine (RSM)

Qualified But Also Fully Regulated

The General Chiropractic Council (GCC), set up by an act of parliament in 1993, is the only regulatory body for chiropractic in the UK. As chiropractors we have protection of title. That means that no one in the UK can call themselves a chiropractor if not registered with the GCC. You are therefore in safe hands.

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) is the most prestigious regulatory body for traditional acupuncturists in the UK. It is accredited by the Professional Standards Agency, an organisation that oversees both statutory and voluntary bodies which regulate health and social care professionals in the UK.

Additionally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised the BAcC as one of the best organised bodies for acupuncture in Europe. BAcC-accredited degree courses meet the WHO guidelines for acupuncture initial (degree-level) professional education, about 2,500 hours of full-time education.

The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) is the lead regulatory body for Chinese Herbal Medicine in the UK. It adheres to the high and European-wide educational standards set by the EHTPA (European Herbal & Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association) which requires a Masters degree or equivalent level of study for membership. Additionally, RCHM oversight ensures that the herbal products sourced by its members in the UK are of the highest quality and just as importantly, are safe and adhere to all relevant UK and international guidelines and laws.

The US-based Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) promotes an innovative approach to Western medicine which is individualised, patient-centred and rooted in cutting-edge Western academic scientific evidence. Recognising that modern conventional medicine often struggles to find effective approaches to chronic, degenerative disease, functional medicine instead seeks to discover the roots of a patient’s disease in genetics, biochemical imbalance, lifestyle and other environmental influences. In establishing the cause or causes of disease, functional medicine can then offer a variety of dietary, lifestyle and other approaches that are effective in restoring health and wellbeing. Functional medicine and the IFM is increasingly being viewed as the way forward for twenty-first century Western medical practice, as attested by the large number of conventional medical practitioners (GPs, consultants and other specialists) the IFM now counts amongst its members.

Together, the GCC, BAcC and RCHM are the main regulatory and professional bodies for chiropractic, acupuncture and Chinese herbs in the UK. They help ensure the high quality of care Advance Chiropractic & Acupuncture Clinic provides:

1. Through promotion of high standards of initial and continuing professional education;
2. Through enforcement of stringent codes of professional conduct and ethics.

Rest assured your health and wellbeing are in the best possible hands. I continually update my professional knowledge through many hours of personal research, as well as through attendance at courses and seminars each year.

What is a Doctor of Chiropractic?

A Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) is not the same as a medical doctor. However, the first three years of a chiropractic degree and medical degree are practically identical and of the same high educational standard. On both courses anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology are learnt in detail. Additionally, a chiropractic degree requires detailed understanding of normal and pathological radiological findings (plain-film x-rays and MRI scans).

Rather than continuing with general medicine, the fourth and fifth years of a chiropractic degree focus instead on the development of high-grade expertise in the treatment of spinal and neurological, muscular and skeletal disorders.

I decided to opt for a chiropractic degree rather than a medical degree for two main reasons. Firstly, as described above, it enabled me to develop expertise in neuromusculoskeletal medicine. Secondly, I could work with my patients to foster prevention and not just cure. I have found that by encouraging and guiding my patients to prevent illness from arising, I could help them avoid the pitfalls of medications and surgery.

In short, chiropractic, acupuncture and Chinese herbs are fantastic natural therapies. These, together with the extensive functional medicine-based diet and lifestyle advice I offer, help me provide you with the best that current non-surgical and non-drug-based healthcare can offer. Despite now having a wealth of clinical experience behind me, I’m still learning while watching my patients get well.

Back Pain Neck Pain Slipped Disc Shoulder Pain Knee Pain Headaches Infertility and IVF Autoimmune Conditions Digestive Disorders