“Dr. Bergin at Chiromed Wellness Centers is the best chiropractor in town. I no longer have to take pain meds. If you still have pain, you’re not seeing to best chiropractor.”
Service
Gut Health
in Lakeland and The Villages, FL
Testing that looks at food sensitivities, microbiome balance and nutritional gaps, then a nutrition and supplementation plan written from what it finds.
- 22 years in practice
- Doctor of Chiropractic led
- Testing led, not guesswork
- $47 new patient exam
- 22 years in practice
- $47 new-patient exam
Medically reviewed by Dr. Justin Bergin, DC Updated September 14, 2026
Gut Health at ChiroMed
Bloating after most meals. A stomach that dictates where you sit in a restaurant. Energy that drops in the afternoon whatever you eat, skin that flares without a pattern, and a mind that has gone foggy in a way you find hard to describe to anybody. Tests come back normal. You are told it is stress and sent home. Normal test results mean no disease was found, which is genuinely good news, and they do not mean nothing is wrong. Gut health care at ChiroMed starts in that space: what you eat, what your digestion is doing with it, which foods you react to, and what is missing. It is testing-led rather than guesswork, and the plan that comes out of it is nutrition and supplementation aimed at what the testing actually found. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC has 22 years of hearing this story from patients who came in about their back. Gut health sits inside [the functional and holistic health line at this practice](/functional-medicine/) for that reason.
This page sits under holistic medicine practitioner, the ChiroMed holistic medicine practitioner pillar.
What gut health actually does
Gut health care at ChiroMed uses functional testing to look at food sensitivities, microbiome balance and nutritional deficiencies, then builds a plan of targeted nutrition and supplementation around the findings. It addresses the gut-brain axis and the inflammation that often starts in the digestive tract. It informs a plan rather than diagnosing disease.
**The gut-brain axis.** The digestive tract carries its own dense network of nerves and communicates constantly with the brain in both directions. Johns Hopkins Medicine has written about that connection for years, describing a system in the gut extensive enough that clinicians talk about it as a second brain. It is why a digestive problem can show up as mood, concentration or sleep, and why a stressed person gets symptoms in their stomach. **Where inflammation starts.** Systemic inflammation frequently begins in the digestive tract. When the gut lining is irritated and the bacterial balance has shifted, the effects do not stay local: energy, joint discomfort, skin and immune function all sit downstream of it. **What the testing looks at.** Food sensitivities, microbiome imbalance and nutritional deficiency. The purpose is to replace guesswork with a starting point, which matters most for the patient who has already cut out four food groups without a clear result. **What testing cannot do.** Functional testing informs a plan. It does not diagnose disease, it does not replace the work of a gastroenterologist, and it is not a substitute for investigation when symptoms are alarming. Anybody presenting it as a diagnosis is overstating what it is.
Background reading from an independent authority: Johns Hopkins Medicine on the connection between the gut and the brain.
Conditions we treat with it
Each of these has its own page, and each one links back up to this service. The examination decides which of them applies to you.
Why patients choose it
It starts with testing, not a protocol
Two people with the same bloating get different answers, and a plan built on somebody else's results is a plan built on a guess. Testing gives you a starting point that belongs to you.
Nutrition and supplementation are targeted
Supplements aimed at what your results showed, not a shelf of bottles sold to everyone who walks in. If a finding does not call for something, you are not sold it.
The whole patient is in the room
This is a practice that also treats your spine, your joints and your metabolic health, so the connections between fatigue, inflammation, blood sugar and pain get noticed rather than split across four clinics.
The limits are stated out loud
You are told what functional testing can and cannot establish, and when a gastroenterologist is the right next call. That honesty is the reason to trust the rest of it.
Cost, insurance and financing
The cost here depends almost entirely on what testing is recommended, and that is not decided until after the consultation. You are told what each step costs before you agree to it.
The one published price
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47
What moves the cost
- Which functional testing is recommended for your symptoms, if any
- Whether testing is repeated later to check progress
- How many review visits the plan calls for
- Whether supplementation forms part of the recommendation
What a course includes
- The consultation and a full dietary and symptom history
- An explanation of any recommended testing and its cost before you agree to it
- A written plan covering nutrition and supplementation
- Review visits measured against the symptoms you arrived with
Payment: Functional gut health care is a cash-pay service at ChiroMed. Chiropractic care here bills insurance and our team verifies those benefits before your first visit, but functional testing and nutrition programs are self-pay, and most plans do not cover them. Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, and our front desk will tell you exactly what applies before you commit to anything. Payment plans are available for self-pay care. Ask the front desk which plan fits your course of care. The entry point is the same for every new patient: Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47.
Why ChiroMed
Digestive symptoms usually arrive attached to something else, which is why they land badly at a clinic that does one thing. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC has spent 22 years running a practice where chiropractic, spinal and knee decompression, Omniwave shockwave, Neuromed electroanalgesia, metabolic care and functional testing sit under one roof and on one plan. A patient whose fatigue, joint pain, blood sugar and bloating all belong to the same story gets that story assembled here instead of split into four appointments at four addresses, none of which talk to each other.
Where you would be treated
The Lakeland office is at 6595 Florida Ave S, Suite 13, on S. Florida Avenue in South Lakeland, near Southgate Shopping Center and Lakeside Village, with easy access from Highland City, Christina, Grasslands, Scott Lake, Cleveland Heights and the Polk Parkway. The northern office is at 929 US-441 #404 in Lady Lake, just above CR 466, serving The Villages, Summerfield, Wildwood, Oxford, Fruitland Park and Leesburg, a short drive from Spanish Springs Town Square and Lake Sumter Landing. Consultations for this program run at both addresses.
In Lakeland that is 6595 Florida Ave S, Suite 13, Lakeland, serving Polk County. In the Villages market the office is at 929 US-441 #404, Lady Lake, serving Lake County, Sumter County, Marion County. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC performs the examination personally at both, 22 years into practice.
This page links up to its parent hub only: holistic medicine practitioner.
Compare your options
Real alternatives exist, including ones this practice does not perform. Here is the honest set.
| Criteria | Our approachFunctional gut health program | What it is | Typically considered when | Invasive? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functional gut health program | Yes | Functional testing for food sensitivities, microbiome balance and nutritional gaps, followed by targeted nutrition and supplementation. | Symptoms are real, standard investigations found no disease, and nobody has looked at food, absorption or bacterial balance. | No. Sample collection and dietary change. |
| Elimination diet on your own | Not a service we sell, and a reasonable thing to try. We will help you run one properly if that is the right starting point for you. | Systematically removing and reintroducing foods to identify reactions. | Symptoms are mild and clearly food-related, and you have the patience to do it methodically. | No, though it becomes restrictive and hard to sustain without guidance. |
| Gastroenterology investigation | Not performed here. The right call when there is bleeding, unexplained weight loss, difficulty swallowing, persistent vomiting, anaemia, a family history of bowel disease, or any change that came on suddenly. | Specialist assessment, endoscopy, colonoscopy and laboratory investigation to find or exclude disease. | Alarm symptoms are present, or a diagnosis is needed rather than a plan. | Yes, in the sense that scoping procedures are involved. |
| Long-term acid-suppressing medication | Not prescribed here. Appropriate when a physician has judged it necessary, and worth reviewing with them periodically rather than continuing on autopilot. | Prescription or retail medication that reduces stomach acid production. | Reflux or ulcer disease needs controlling under medical supervision. | No, though long-term use has trade-offs worth discussing with the prescriber. |
The third row is the one to read twice. Alarm symptoms belong with a gastroenterologist and functional testing is not a way to avoid that conversation. If you describe one of them at your consultation here, you will be told to make that appointment.
Is gut health right for someone like you?
Candidacy is decided at the examination, not on a web page. These are the general lines.
Likely a good candidate if
- Digestive symptoms that are real, persistent and not explained by any test so far
- You react to foods but cannot work out which ones, or the list keeps growing
- Fatigue, brain fog or low mood that tracks with how you have been eating
- Inflammation, skin flares or joint discomfort with no clear trigger
- You want a plan built on testing rather than another elimination diet found online
We will point you elsewhere if
- Bleeding, black stools, unexplained weight loss, difficulty swallowing or persistent vomiting, all of which need a physician now
- A known inflammatory bowel disease or coeliac disease that is not under specialist care
- You are looking for a diagnosis, which functional testing does not provide
- Pregnancy, unless your obstetric provider has cleared dietary change and supplementation
- An eating disorder is present or suspected, where restriction of any kind needs specialist input first
When we’re not the right answer, we say so , and connect you with someone who is.
Your first visit
What to expect, step by step
You know the plan and the cost before anything begins.
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01The history nobody else took
What you eat in a normal week, what happens afterwards, how long it has been going on, what you have already removed, what medications you take and what has already been investigated. It takes a while and that is deliberate.
- 02
Testing, where it will change the plan
Functional testing is recommended when the result will alter what we do, covering food sensitivities, microbiome balance and nutritional gaps. What is ordered and why is explained before you agree to it.
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03Your results, read with you
You sit down and go through what came back, what it suggests and what it does not establish. The honest boundary between an informative finding and a diagnosis is drawn here rather than left blurred.
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04The plan, and the review
Targeted nutrition and supplementation aimed at what the testing found, written down so you can follow it. Then a review against the symptoms you came in with, and changes to the plan based on what actually shifted.
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An adjustment that is not aimed at a specific finding is just noise. We treat what the exam and the X-ray tell us to treat.
“I have had sich a great experience seeing Dr. Bergin. When other offices have told me I just had muscle damage or the only thing they could do for me was give shots, he said he had others ways to manage my pain and numbness, along with improving mobility. And he was right! I feel so much better!”
“I have had pain in my right upper back quadrant by my shoulder blade for at least a year now and the doctors have been unsuccessful in making the pain go away. I came to Dr. Bergin looking for some help. Within 3 to 4 weeks. My pain in that area is completely gone.”
“Dr. Bergin is phenomenal. Chronic lower back issues led a different doctor to mention back surgery to me. That was not an option I wanted to entertain. After a consult with Dr. B, he was confident that he could help resolve my back issues. I’ve been seeing him weekly to resolve the issue, and I am so pleased with the results so far! More mobility, less pain, and a great customer experience.”
“I bless the day that Dr. Bergin started working on me. I have had long standing pain for so long. After just a few visits my pain left and I feel so good. He is very patient oriented and caring. I regard him highly.”
“Dr. Bergin was instrumental in relieving my back pain which I had for many years. The techniques he used on relieving my back pain were impressive. I been going to chiropractors for years and Dr. Bergin is the best.”
Get in touch
Book your gut health evaluation
Tell us what the problem is and which office is closer. A member of the ChiroMed team follows up within one business day.
- 1
Send the form
Two minutes. Tell us what hurts and which office is closer.
- 2
We call you back
A real person, within one business day, to find a time that works.
- 3
Exam and answers
History, orthopedic and neurological testing, imaging on site when it changes the plan.
- $47 consultation, exam, X-rays if needed and report of findings
- Payment plans available on the self-pay programs
- 4.8 out of 5 from 225 Google reviews
- Choose Lakeland or The Villages on the form
Gut Health questions
Tap a message for the honest answer. Call Lakeland (863) 940-3444
Can gut problems really cause brain fog or low mood?
The connection is well established and it runs both ways. The digestive tract carries its own extensive nerve network and communicates constantly with the brain, which is why anxiety produces stomach symptoms and why digestive trouble can show up as poor concentration or flat mood. That does not mean every symptom starts in the gut.
the clinic teamIs food sensitivity testing accurate?
It is informative rather than definitive, and any clinic claiming more is selling certainty it does not have. A result points at foods worth examining, and confirmation comes from removing them carefully and watching your symptoms. Used that way it saves months of guessing. Used as a diagnosis it produces unnecessary restriction.
the clinic teamHow is this different from seeing a gastroenterologist?
A gastroenterologist finds or excludes disease using investigations this practice does not perform. Functional gut health care starts after that, when no disease was found and symptoms remain, and looks at food, absorption, bacterial balance and nutritional gaps. If you have bleeding, weight loss, difficulty swallowing or persistent vomiting, the specialist comes first.
the clinic teamDo I need a referral to be seen for gut health at ChiroMed?
No referral is required and you can book the consultation directly at either office. Bring any recent test results, a list of your current medications and supplements, and a rough record of what you have been eating and how you felt afterwards. Those three things make the first visit far more useful.
the clinic teamWill insurance pay for functional gut health testing?
Generally not. Functional testing and nutrition programs are self-pay here, and most plans do not reimburse them. Chiropractic care does bill insurance and is verified separately before your first visit. Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service. You are told the cost of any recommended testing before you agree to it.
the clinic teamSame-week appointments
Find out whether gut health is the right tool.
One examination tells you which discipline the problem actually needs.
- 4.8 out of 5 on Google
- $47 consultation, exam and report
- 22 years in practice
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47