Dr. K

FOUNDER – Kee Health & The Institute for Women's Metabolic Health™

Dr. Cheryl Koelling, DC, M.Ed., B.S., B.A., known lovingly as Dr. K, is a clinician, educator, and founder whose work focuses on women’s metabolic health, hormonal physiology, peptide science, obesity and weight management, inflammation, musculoskeletal health, and functional and lifestyle medicine.

With more than a decade of clinical experience and a strong academic foundation, Dr. K brings scientific rigor, educational clarity, and real-world clinical application to complex areas of health and wellness.

She has served as a medical peer reviewer for PubMed-indexed journals and spent four years as a collegiate instructor teaching coursework in psychology, anatomy and physiology, and biochemistry. This background in physiology, biochemistry, and clinical education has become an important foundation for her work educating clinicians on peptide biology, mechanisms of action, emerging research, safety considerations, and the responsible integration of peptide therapies into clinical practice.

Rather than approaching peptides as either something to promote or something to oppose, Dr. K's educational philosophy is centered on scientific literacy. Clinicians should understand what a peptide is, how it interacts with human physiology, its proposed or established mechanism of action, the quality and limitations of the available evidence, relevant safety considerations, and where the research currently stands.

Her broader clinical and educational approach is evidence-based and systems-driven, integrating:

• metabolic and hormonal physiology

• peptide science and emerging therapeutics

• functional nutrition

• anti-inflammatory nutrition and lifestyle strategies

• obesity and weight-management science

• intentional, joint-protective movement

• corrective and rehabilitative exercise

• bone density optimization

• nervous system regulation

• behavior change and sustainable lifestyle design

“I created The Institute for Women's Metabolic Health™ because clinicians deserve education that goes deeper than trends, protocols, and opinions. Whether we are talking about hormones, metabolic health, peptides, inflammation, or lifestyle medicine, my goal is the same: understand the physiology, understand the evidence, recognize what we still don't know, and use that knowledge responsibly.”

Dr. K is especially passionate about the intersection of hormonal health, metabolic resilience, obesity medicine, inflammation, musculoskeletal health, bone density, and emerging peptide science. Her work focuses on translating complicated physiology and evolving research into information clinicians can actually understand, communicate, and apply within the boundaries of their individual scope of practice.

She is the founder and owner of:

Kee Health — an integrated physical and functional medicine clinic
Kee Health Reformer Pilates Studio
The Institute for Women's Metabolic Health™ — a clinician and women’s health education company

In addition to patient care, Dr. K develops competency-based clinician education through The Institute for Women's Metabolic Health™, including education in functional and lifestyle medicine, laboratory literacy, metabolic and hormonal health, and peptide science.

Her Clinician Peptide Certification™ was developed to provide clinicians with a scientifically grounded understanding of commonly used and emerging peptides, including their biology, mechanisms of action, clinical applications, safety considerations, current evidence, research limitations, patient communication, and considerations for integration into wellness practice.

The philosophy behind the certification is intentionally neutral: it does not teach clinicians to love or hate peptides. It teaches them to understand them.

Education & Professional Training

Doctor of Chiropractic — Logan University
Master of Education — Western Governors University
MBA Candidate — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Women’s Health & Obesity Medical Management — Harvard Medical School
Endocrinology Education — George Washington University School of Medicine
Perimenopause & Menopause Certification — Integrative Women’s Health Institute

Additional professional education and certification includes:

• Anti-Inflammatory Diet

• Women’s Hormonal Health

• Weight Management & Portion Control

• Systemic Treatment of Obesity

• The BioMechanics Method Corrective Exercise Specialist

• Buff Bones® Bone Density Optimization Provider

• Functional and lifestyle medicine education

• Peptide science and clinical education

Dr. K is also the author of Girls Just Want to Have FUNctional Hormones.

Areas of Focus

Peptide Science & Clinical Education • Women’s Hormonal Health • Metabolic Health • Obesity & Weight Management • Endocrine Physiology • Functional & Lifestyle Medicine • Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition • Bone Density Optimization • Biomechanics & Musculoskeletal Health • Laboratory Literacy • Clinician Education

At the center of Dr. K's work is a simple principle:

Clinicians do not need more opinions. They need the education necessary to understand the science, evaluate the evidence, communicate it accurately, and make informed clinical decisions.

Katie

Director of Patient Experience

I’ve always cared deeply about helping people feel comfortable, supported and valued, especially when it comes to their health. I love helping create an environment where women feel truly understood and cared for as they navigate changes in life. There’s nothing more fulfilling to me than building relationships with patients and seeing them thrive. 

It’s no secret that very few doctors are truly focusing on women’s healthcare, especially during critical stages like perimenopause and menopause. That’s why working with Dr. K is so inspiring. Dr. K’s dedication to this underserved area of women’s health is life-changing, and I’ve seen first hand the difference that compassionate, specialized care can make. Healthy lifestyles and movement have been key to my own journey, and it’s my mission to help Dr. K reach even more women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s so they can feel empowered, balanced, and confident during this stage of life.

In my free time you can find me cooking, volunteering, walking or with my husband, son and pug on the lake boating and watching as many sports as possible!