A Personal Farewell to Dr. Julian Whitaker from Dr. Breen’s Office

A Pioneer and Trusted Authority of Alternative Medicine

Dr. Breen says farewell to a pioneer in functional medicine. Dr. Julian Whitaker has retired after more than 40 years helping people improve their quality of life.


Dr. Julian Whitaker

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Dr. Julian Whitaker, an esteemed colleague who is respected and admired for his enduring commitment and outstanding contributions to “good medicine.” Dr. Whitaker is an author, lecturer, and founder of the Whitaker Wellness Institute. He has spent more than 40 years helping people improve their quality of life by providing them with the knowledge and tools that engender health and wellness.

Dr. Whitaker founded the California Orthomolecular Medical Society and worked at the Pritikin Longevity Center before opening the Whitaker Wellness Institute in 1979. Early in his medical career he began researching nutritional supplements and other natural therapies ignored by medical schools and most conventional physicians. As a result of his research and firsthand experiences, he quickly became convinced that natural therapies held far more potential for maintaining and restoring health than prescription drugs and invasive procedures. This conviction led him to take “the road less traveled” and redirected his career into alternative medicine.

Health Care, Not Disease Care

Dr. Whitaker’s philosophy and treatment protocols involve a combination of therapeutic lifestyle changes, hormones, supplements and additional cutting-edge natural therapies that work in tandem to jumpstart the body’s innate healing ability. He believes that with the right guidance, education, and therapies, we are all capable of achieving optimal health and well-being and that no patient is too sick to improve his or her health. This, he says is the true meaning of “health care” – achieving wellness, not managing disease.

I wish you the best in your next chapter and to say you will be missed is an understatement. Thank you for your contributions to Functional Medicine and making a difference in patients’ lives.

Dr. Sean Breen