Michael Chance, DC
I've always been interested in helping others.
I thought that I would either be the quarterback for the Baltimore Colts or shortstop for the LA Dodgers. When I turned 10, I realized that I wasn’t a gifted athlete. What did I really want to be when I grew up? I wanted to be like my Dad – a Chiropractor. My Dad helped people every day and that’s what I wanted to do! I grew up with Chiropractic and whenever I didn’t feel well, my Dad would check and adjust me. I would immediately feel better. I never got sick like my friends. I always felt healthy and I didn’t even know what an aspirin was. Chiropractic was the “natural” choice–both meaning non-artificial and obvious choice.
There was one detour on my path to my chosen profession. While attending the University of Florida, I became interested in helping others through public service and government. I became a sociology/political science major, heading to law school. My goal was to help people by becoming Florida’s next Governor or U.S. Senator. In 1974, I became the traveling aide to a U.S. Senate candidate here in Florida. He was obviously the best candidate, but he lost. Money had bought the election and I became disillusioned. How could I help people if I didn’t get elected? Then I realized that, through Chiropractic, I could help people everyday and that the only vote I needed was the patients’ vote of confidence in electing me to help them.
When I arrived at the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, I knew instantly I had made the perfect “natural” choice for me. I, and 120 of my classmates in 1978,, were all working together to become the best Doctors of Chiropractic that we could be. We all wanted to help people naturally become healthy through Chiropractic – the only health care that I had ever known.
In practice, I realized that Chiropractic doesn’t cure any disease. Only your own body can cure itself. Chiropractic helps remove the obstacles that prevent the body from healing itself. These obstacles can be structural, chemical or emotional. That’s why my practice incorporates Chiropractic adjustments (structural), nutrition and NAET (chemical) and NET (emotional).
I believe that symptoms are not the problem but are pieces to a puzzle and will lead to finding the underlying cause of the person not having optimum health. If I focus on listening to my patients’ story about their health, than I should be able to find the missing pieces. Some people’s puzzles are simple and have only a few pieces and some peoples puzzles are complicated and have many pieces that have to be put together. I kid patients sometimes that there are only two types of patients, ones that are easy to figure out and those that are here to make me smarter. Hopefully, for that patient, they are not here to make me smarter. I find deep satisfaction in helping people who modern medicine can’t help.
I married my childhood sweetheart, Sandi. We came to UF together and she is the one who went to law school. She is a professor in the College of Journalism and Communications and runs the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information. We have three children–Dean, Justin and Caroline. Dean, a chiropractor, practices in Gainesville with his wife, Kristin, who also is chiropractor, at Back at Balance. Justin also graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic and is now practicing at our clinic. Caroline is a licensed Mental Health and Family Counselor.
Health is of major concern of mine. I tend to get a Chiropractic check- up whenever I can get Dr. Chris, Dr. Mark or Dr. Justin to fit me into their busy schedule. I exercise on a regular basis. I run, bike and swim. I enjoy competing in local running races and in sprint and Olympic distance triathlons. I have a pretty good diet except for my obsession with key lime pie. I take Standard Process Nutrition daily and go on their 3-week cleanse once a year. I meditate, usually twice a day, in the morning and at lunch, to help focus my energy on the patients I am about to care for. My hobbies are golf and water sports especially boating, fishing and snorkeling. My family also enjoys watching the Gators. Especially when they win National Championships in football and basketball. (Check out my Gator waiting room!)
Enough about me. Can we help YOU attain optimum health? Give me a call
so that we can help you take your first step toward better health. Although we love Gators, we have lots of Seminoles and Bulldogs as patients. We even have patients who don’t like sports, but love feeling great.
Don’t wait! Contact Chance Chiropractic Center today to get started with care.
Dr. Michael Chance with his family at the Gators championship game.