Functional Medicine Meets Main Street

by Meryl Kelly

Here in Western Maine there is no shortage of treasured gems hidden off the beaten path. Our meandering backroads and acres of woodlands hold within them innumerable amounts of fascinating people and extraordinary places. But not all good things require a journey or gatekeepers. When something is truly special, sometimes it’s best to let everyone know. Hidden in plain sight, in the offices at 14 Main Street, Bluebird Wellness is just that kind of universally accessible gem.

Bluebird Wellness is an integrative and functional medicine practice, founded and operated by Dr. Jenny-Mae Wheeler MD. Her “slow medicine” approach is aimed at reintegrating people of all backgrounds into a trusting and compassionate relationship with their own health; one that brings the focus back to each individual patient, meeting them where they are every step of the way.

Growing up on Mason Street in the Bethel Village, Jenny was inspired by Dr. John Gehring and his medical practice, housed in a large estate at the end of Broad Street from 1890 until 1925. Now known as the Gehring House, his clinic operated as a therapeutic haven for his patients. His treatments, tailored to the individual, were usually a combination of hypnosis, dietary changes, talk therapy, medicine and exercise. In 1947, MIT

Established Collaborative Partners

psychologist Kurt Lewin chose the Gehring property to establish his newly conceived NTL Institute, transforming it into a groundbreaking gathering place for the pioneering study of group dynamics. Jenny’s fascination with these two moments in Bethel’s history sparked an ambition to pursue a career in medicine with the goal of becoming a similarly creative and accomplished physician. The healing arts, and specifically the connection between mind and body became her guiding light.

Jenny, a graduate of Gould Academy, followed her professional pursuits all across America. She attended college at Tulane University in Louisiana and Medical School at Mercer University School of Medicine in Georgia. She completed her Family Medicine Residency at Eisenhower Medical Center in California. Throughout her career she has worked as a traditional Family Medicine Physician (in both hospitals and private practice), a hospice physician and a traveling MD making home visits to patients in rural Kentucky.

Over the years, Dr. Wheeler has maintained her focus on alternative healing treatments — based in quality science — which effectively enhance the body’s natural healing mechanisms. The ability to draw from this pool of knowledge is particularly helpful for patients who haven’t responded completely to conventional medical treatments or who prefer to avoid pharmaceuticals altogether. With certifications from the American Board of Family Medicine, the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture and The Institute of Functional Medicine, Dr. Wheeler is able to fuse several healing modalities into a unique approach for each patient. In 2020, while pursuing a life-long dream of practicing with Native American populations, Dr. Wheeler found herself working on the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation in Southern California. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, while witnessing the profound communal connection between tribe members for whom she was caring, she felt the tethers of her own community roots calling her home.

When she returned to Bethel in June of 2021, Dr. Wheeler was saddened to see the Gehring House in a state of disrepair. She always secretly dreamed of restoring it back to its former identity as a holistic community health center and retreat. With this in mind, Dr. Wheeler pivoted from her remote practice with an integrative and holistic primary care center in California to a new in-person practice, Bluebird Wellness PLLC, opening her doors in November 2022.

Bluebird Wellness offers personalized consultations, standard exams, acupuncture and lab work as well as access to advanced functional lab testing that helps pinpoint root causes of disease. Bluebird Wellness has also partnered with regional plant based apothecaries and holistic practitioners of bodybased therapies to create local accessibility to their products and services (check out the sidebar to see some of the local professionals she’s working with!) Creating access to other businesses dedicated to the healing arts is an invaluable step towards her future aspiration of building a therapeutic haven of her own. When the stars align, this modernized healing arts and wellness co-op will provide a variety of holistic science-based treatments and lifestyle choices for Bethel and its surrounding communities.

Dr. Wheeler believes the sacred relationship between patient and doctor should be cultivated in an environment of unrushed mutual respect and trust. If you are someone who would like to learn how integrative and functional medicine could help treat what ails you, know something is not right but can’t quite figure it out or simply want to include another perspective on your healthcare team give Bluebird Wellness a call and Dr. Wheeler will be happy to listen to you and tailor your healthcare to your needs. v