In a world increasingly reliant on conventional medicine, Dr. Keri Francl stands out as a passionate advocate for natural healing. As a board-certified Doctor of Natural Medicine and the driving force behind Alternative Answers, Dr. Francl dedicates her practice to uncovering the root causes of illness and empowering individuals to reclaim their health through holistic approaches. Her deeply personal and profoundly impactful journey has led her to help countless patients, including her own daughter, achieve remarkable transformations.
Roots in Rural Nebraska and a Journey to Natural Medicine
Dr. Keri Francl’s story begins in the small town of Cairo, Nebraska, a community of just 700 people. Her path to becoming a Doctor of Natural Medicine was deliberate and embarked upon later in life. She pursued her education online through the University of Natural Medicine, earning her Bachelor’s in Nutrition before continuing on to achieve her Doctorate in Natural Medicine. Her credentials were further solidified by becoming board-certified through the American Naturopathic Association.
The practice she took over, Alternative Answers, actually has a rich history rooted in family.
“Alternative Answers was actually my mother-in-law’s business,” Dr. Francl revealed. “She ran this business out of her home for years.”
Her mother-in-law’s practice focused on homeopathy and herbs, with people directly seeking guidance at her residence. Dr. Francl took over the business in 2015, marking a decade of dedication to natural healing.
A Lifelong Calling: The Path to Naturopathic Medicine
Dr. Francl’s decision to become a naturopathic doctor was deeply influenced by her own health experiences, stretching back to her childhood. She suffered from chronic sinus issues, for which antibiotics offered little relief. This led her parents to a chiropractor who introduced them to nutrition principles and holistic health.
“He helped my healing process and became our doctor from then on out,” she recalled, highlighting the profound impact this early exposure had on her family’s approach to well-being.
Another pivotal moment occurred about 15 years ago when a tick bite led to severe, debilitating joint and muscle pain. Her mother-in-law, still running Alternative Answers from home at the time, employed muscle testing and homeopathic remedies to address what they suspected was Lyme disease.
“I started using the DesBio homeopathic kit geared towards addressing deeper stealth pathogens to address the suspected Lyme disease. Within the first vial that I took, all my symptoms were gone,” Dr. Francl recounted, emphasizing the speed and effectiveness of the treatment. This experience solidified her belief in natural medicine, which had already been ingrained in her since childhood.
Her passion intensified as she pursued her doctoral degree, continuing her education.
“Because homeopathy, herbal solutions, and a focus on nutrition helped fuel healing in my own body, it became a passion of mine. Furthering my education after dealing with my Lyme disease diagnosis is really what led me to pursue holistic wellness solutions and become a natural medicine doctor,” she explained.
A Daughter’s Healing Journey: A Testament to Natural Medicine
One of Dr. Francl’s most compelling success stories involves her own daughter. Her daughter experienced low energy, mental health struggles, and fatigue, particularly during her college years. Dr. Francl conducted comprehensive lab work and discovered her daughter had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that can significantly impact mental status and energy levels.
Their approach involved a multi-faceted strategy.
“We started working on her diet and lifestyle and employed several herbal therapies, along with a detox to drain toxins from her body,” Dr. Fancl shared.
More recently, they incorporated healing peptides, which yielded remarkable results.
“We ran her labs with her antibodies before she used peptides and then after. The results showed her antibodies were at high levels within the 4,000 range before she started. When we re-ran them three months after using those healing peptides, her antibody levels had lowered into the 400 range. That was a notable improvement,” she said.
This significant reduction in antibody levels, coupled with improved well-being, underscored the power of this integrative approach.
The Three Pillars of Alternative Answers: Labs, Muscle Testing, and Bio-Energetic Scans
At Alternative Answers, Dr. Francl employs a comprehensive, three-pronged approach to patient care, designed to uncover the underlying causes of health issues.
First, they run extensive labs, going far beyond the general markers typically checked by conventional doctors. This includes an in-depth analysis of hormones, gut health, food sensitivities, and environmental toxins. This detailed lab work provides a comprehensive picture of a patient’s internal landscape.
Second, they utilize in-depth muscle testing. This hands-on technique, varied in method across practitioners, is a powerful diagnostic tool. Dr. Francl explained that she can identify what is burdening specific bodily systems by testing indicator muscles, often the shoulder, and observing their strength or weakness in response to different organs and “stressor kits” (vials of frequencies representing various substances).
“Let’s say the thyroid is stressed because of a virus,” she illustrated, “we utilize the muscle response testing and nutrition response testing, where we use the body to determine the root cause of the patient’s problem. Then we give recommendations of what therapies will help best to combat the virus.”
These methods help pinpoint the root cause, whether it is a virus, bacteria, parasite, or food sensitivity impacting organ function.
The third pillar is the NES scan, a bioenergetic scan rooted in 30 years of biophysics research. This technology provides a comprehensive overview of the body’s organs, meridians, environmental toxins, and nutritional status. By combining the data from labs, muscle testing, and the NES scan, Dr. Francl compiles a detailed intake that forms the basis of each patient’s personalized healing program. They also use a heart graph in the office to analyze heart valve function and assess organ drainage, providing even more insight.
Beyond the Diagnosis: The Importance of Diet and Lifestyle
Dr. Francl emphasized that diet and exercise are not merely supplementary but fundamental to their programs.
“I see inactivity as an underlying problem a lot,” she stated, adding, “You can’t out-supplement a bad diet.”
Many patients arrive unsure of what or how to eat. Her daughter, Keegan, a Natural Health Practitioner at Alternative Answers, plays a key role in guiding patients through diet, lifestyle, and exercise adjustments. Dr. Francl stressed the importance of tailoring these plans to individual needs, recognizing that “not everybody is going to feel good eating carbs, not everybody is going to feel good on a keto or carbless diet. You have to tailor exercise and nutrition to each individual’s body.”
The Rewarding Work of Uncovering Root Causes
When asked about her favorite aspect of her practice, Dr. Francl pinpointed muscle testing.
“The body can really tell you what’s going on through muscle testing,” she mused. “It’s like putting pieces of the puzzle together for me. It’s exciting to see what comes up and how the body can heal itself with the right support.”
The individuality of each case, where “less is more” for some and the opposite for others, adds to the fascination. Ultimately, the joy of seeing people get better and feel better truly drives her.
She shared powerful stories of patients who experienced significant pain relief after addressing underlying issues like Epstein-Barr virus and strep bacteria. One male farmer, initially struggling to walk due to systemic pain, became pain-free after his program. Another current patient, who had been hospitalized due to adverse reactions to antidepressants and was in severe pain, made a massive, quick turnaround with her pain almost entirely gone within two months of starting her program. Dr. Francl also recounted cases of Lyme disease patients who, previously misdiagnosed, found complete resolution of their pain and fatigue under her care.
Dr. Francl noted that incorrect diagnoses happen more than you know.
She explained, “Pain is just the body’s way of saying there’s something wrong. It’s our check engine light that comes on, like in a car.”
Her approach is to move beyond simply labeling symptoms and instead, find out why the symptoms are happening. If something is a stressor on the body, the root cause needs to be found and addressed to help the body heal.
Future Aspirations: Growth, Education, and Hope
Looking ahead, Dr. Francl envisions significant growth for Alternative Answers. She’s already brought on an online practitioner, and her medical assistant is training to become another practitioner.
“I see a lot of growth,” she affirmed, expressing a desire to add even more natural medicine practitioners. “A more personal goal of mine includes writing a book, with the aim of giving people hope that practical tools can actually change our health.”
Currently, Alternative Answers operates from a single clinic, offering both brick-and-mortar and virtual services, providing flexibility for their patients. Dr. Francl’s dedication to expanding access to natural, root-cause-focused healthcare promises a future where more individuals can discover their own paths to holistic well-being. To learn more, visit her website at https://www.alternativeanswersne.com/.
