Dr. John Staniland started off as a mechanical engineer. His mathematical and calculative mind has driven his entire career. Before he went to medical school in 1988, he worked for Messerschmitt designing helicopters. That’s right! Designing helicopters!

Instead of matriculating into master’s program in mechanical engineering, he chose to pursue his dream in medicine, graduating from the University of Calgary in 1991 and completing his residency in Family Medicine out of Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1993. From there Dr. Staniland worked as a traveling doctor for the Alberta Medical Association, relieving doctors in rural locations who couldn’t find anyone willing to give them much needed time off.

Dr. Staniland’s experience in rural family medicine was perfect for his innate engineering mind. Unlike many urban family doctors, rural doctors often don’t have specialists around the corner to refer patients to. They are the metaphorical end of the road and it is up to them to find appropriate solution for their patients. Dr. Staniland met this challenge with a willing and open mind.

In 1996, Dr. Staniland brought his rural experience to Fort Worth, Texas where he became the team doctor for the University of Texas at Arlington and has looked after pro-hockey and minor-league baseball teams.

Over time, Dr. Staniland became unsatisfied with the medical school’s resistance to explore the use of natural medicines and remedies. He often found homeopathic remedies and treatments worked better than prescription medications. Integrative medicine was a natural next step for Dr. Staniland and he has increasingly incorporated these methods into his practice.