Community Highlights: Meet MICHAEL BONO II of LEVEL UP WELLNESS

Today we’d like to introduce you to MICHAEL BONO II.

Hi MICHAEL, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
“Naturopath” was a completely foreign word to me until I was 30. Here is the short version of how I found this word:
My father was a paramedic for 45 years, most of them here in Muskegon County. Because of his profession, I was close to Medicine since I was born and was always fascinated with it. Growing up, I was not in the best health. Heart problems and asthma were never far from my mind and lead me away from physically strenuous activities in favor of books and video games. I experienced semi-annual trips to the hospital for heart issues until I was 13 and then for infections, checkups, and a generally low-functioning immune system. therafter. Neither of my parents were good health either. My mother had several back injuries and my father battled Diabetes for decades.

As I neared graduation from high school, I had to make the choice about what my career path would be and my father heavily discouraged me from becoming a Paramedic like him. I made the decision to pursue Biomedical Engineering and German Language studies. I wanted to build robotic prosthetics for people who needed them. After 6 years of part-time study, it became clear to me that this path was not for me, so I dove into my current work – Construction. I spent 10 years in the Construction Industry working for a building materials supplier.

The last 2 years of my time in the Construction industry lead me to seek Chiropractic care for various injuries I had sustained. After nothing but temporary relief, I was encouraged to make an appointment with a Naturopathic Doctor by my then-fiance’s grandmother. This appointment changed my life. 2 years of attempted fixes by Chiropractors and several years beforehand of painkillers and muscle-relaxors was completely remedied in less than one hour. The pain never came back. My world had been flipped around, inside out, and a new career opportunity had made itself VERY apparent to me. I went from having never seen the word “Naturopath” in 30 years to choosing to become one in less than 60 minutes. I enrolled at the Naturopathic Institute of Therapies and Education and began my studies.

I had found my path in life but not without difficulties. My mother’s health continued to decline, requiring her to have reconstructive back surgeries. My father’s health drastically declined and, while I studied how to help people heal at a Root-Cause level, I watched as my father withered away over 2 years. This lit a new fire for me and provided me a level of motivation that I did not know I possessed. I dove into my studies and graduated from the Naturopathic Institute to earn the title of “Certified Naturopath” and passed the American Naturopathic Medical Certification Board’s exams to earn my title of “Naturopathic Doctor.” After which, I opened my practice here in Muskegon to begin helping people heal using the power of Nature and the body’s own innate healing systems. I have spoken at the Eyes Wide Open conference on the topic of Male Fertility. I have been invited to speak on Men’s Health at other events, and have worked with local government to help plan better access to health and wellness services as well. I am honored at all of these opportunities.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road was most certainly not smooth. There were plenty of lessons learned along the way. The most significant of which was my father’s two-year decline in health culminating in his death. During this time, I learned how difficult Insurance Companies, Hospitals, Medical Doctors, and Skilled Care Facilities could be to work with. I was his Medical Advocate and then Medical Power of Attorney during that time and I taught me 2 things:
1. How broken the conventional Medical System is and
2. How to love someone who is walking their own path.
The other major challenge was overcoming self-doubt and the “imposter syndrome.”

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about LEVEL UP WELLNESS?
LEVEL UP WELLNESS is the Naturopathic Clinic I operate where I see clients for their health concerns, teach classes to educate my community, and offer wellness products to help people at home. As a Naturopathic Doctor, I do not prescribe, diagnose, treat, or cure diagnosable medical conditions; rather, I work with clients to help them address the root cause of their health concerns and educate them about true health so that they can continue on living their best life at the physical, emotional, and mental levels. I utilize the assessment tools of traditional Naturopathy to help my clients learn what their imbalances are. These include Iridology, Sclerology, and assessments of the Face, Nails, Feet, Tongue, Hands, Pulse, etc. I have incorporated some advanced technological tools like Nutrigenomics, Live Blood Cell Analysis, and more into my practice as well. To help clients correct their health imbalances, I leverage Food, Herbal preparations, Essential Oils, Homeopathy, Sound and Color frequencies, many forms of Bodywork like CranioSacral, Reflexology, and Light Healing Touch, and many more.
While my training focused on family care, Women’s Health, and Children, I have specialized in Men’s Health.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Networking and finding a Mentor in the field of Natural Health can be quite challenging. What has worked for me is to build trust with other practitioners locally in order to develop a mutual referral network. A Naturopathic Doctor cannot be everything to everyone no matter how hard we try, so finding a good Chiropractor, Massage Therapist, Dentist, and other specialists has been key for me. I achieved this through taking the initiative of introducing myself to them. Joining the local Chamber of Commerce can also be helpful.

Pricing:

• Initial Consultation – 90 minutes, $135
• Follow Up Consultation – 60 minutes, $90
• Most Bodywork Sessions – 60 minutes, $90

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lvlupwellness.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lvlupwellness_mi
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/levelupwellnessllc