Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Parker.
Hi Matt, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in an unhealthy family, but we didn’t know that we were unhealthy, or that we could change it. We ate fast food, drank a lot of High Fructose Corn Syrup, and a lot of breads and sugary cereals and processed foods. I was 40 or more pounds overweight, but I didn’t know it- I thought I was fine.
In my early 30’s I finally decided to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian. In Modern Western Veterinary Medicine School I learned all about how the individual organs in the body work (it’s basically the same for dogs as it is for humans), and I learned the names and symptoms of diseases and which pharmaceutical drugs to ‘treat’ them with.
It was only after 6 full years of being a Modern Western Veterinarian that I started to seriously question what I had been taught.
In those first 6 years I cut perfectly good parts out of dogs & cats (Spay & Neuter). cut of thumbs (dog dewclaws), cut of the entire part of the toes that have the toenail (cat declaws), extracted all of the teeth from a true carnivore who needs his fangs for hunting meat (feline full mouth extractions), and more than anything- I ‘treated’ infinite “skin & allergy” issues in dogs & cats.
Several small observations, events, and “gut-feelings” over the years finally culminated in the realization that everything I had been taught (and not taught) in Modern Western Vet School was actually making our pets sicker instead of healthier. In addition to the chemicals and removing important parts, I realized the the high-carbohydrate highly-processed foods were a bit part of all of our pets health problems, just as they were a big part of my family’s health problems.
I started transitioning away from pharmaceutical-based Modern Medicine into more “integrative” and “holistic” practices, but everywhere that I went to work where the clinic would be offering something “good”- like acupuncture or chiropractic or herbs & supplements- they were still injecting the chemical vaccines and not really exploring the underlying causes of disease, instead still just “treating” it.
I realized that I wanted to be part of a culture of actually preventing diseases and promoting full health & wellness, without also masking symptoms and still using toxic chemicals on our pets.
The only way to do that was to “go out on my own” and start my own private holistic practice. This meant giving up the security of a guaranteed salary, giving up the benefit of having other veterinarians in the building to consult with, and putting a huge target on my back by publicly speaking out against huge powerful litigious industries.
So I am now an independent holistic house-call veterinarian, and although I would make significantly more money working for a corporate vet clinic, I am very happy knowing that every decision I make is of my own free will and volition, and I feel like I am truly helping and making a difference for pets & their people, and I feel fulfilled with my work for the first time in my life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Very difficult to work against the powerful invasive pharmaceutical and artificial-food industries. Overcoming the misinformation and propaganda of these industries- which has been pushed on us since birth- requires a “leap of faith” that can be very frightening.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
It was easy to work at a corporate multi-doctor practice with a support staff and peers to consult with, but being independent puts all of the pressure and responsibility on one person.
But, I have a naturally calm energy which makes most pets and people comfortable around me, and accepting of me, such that pets are usually welcoming or at least tolerant of me handling and examining them.
I am proud that I went against the grain and deviated from the industry narrative so that I could do something I believe in. I am proud because for most of my life I would just “go with the flow”- do what was expected, or what was easiest- and it’s only after you choose your own path that you realize how unfulfilling it is to just do what everyone else expects.
I use nutrition and acupuncture and chiropractic and other supplements to help find and treat the root cause of pet diseases, and I try to see the whole picture, which means that I often have to “meet people where they are”- some people are “all-in” on holistic approaches, and some aren’t comfortable with that, so I have to help treat their pets’ illnesses in a manner that the owners can understand agree with, That requires flexibility in thinking and approaches whereas most vets only know one approach.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can work with me by contacting me through my website (DrMattParker.com) to help understand and improve their pets (and their own) health.
Pricing:
- See website for detailed prices
Contact Info:
- Website: https://DrMattParker.com
- Instagram: drmattparker
- Facebook: holisticfunctionalveterinarian
- Youtube: drmattparker
