Not many chiropractors offer a lending library filled with books on health, a waiting room with a TV playing educational videos about the benefits of good nutrition and nutritional supplements or fun tasting events where patients gather to try new, healthy dishes. For Dr. Gary Gendron, a chiropractic physician, graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and owner of Nutrition Specialists of Florida, in Bonita Springs, all of these perks are part of a normal day’s work.

Since 1986, Gendron has been practicing his special blend of nutrition-focused chiropractic, which piqued his interest while studying for his Bachelor of Biological Science degree at Florida State University. “Throughout my younger years, I was always interested in health and wellness, and I played various sports. I was naturally inclined toward a health profession, and when I did my research and discovered that chiropractic was an approach that treated the whole person and helped people from a conservative perspective without the use of drugs and surgery, I knew I found my calling,” says Gendron, who is also a certified clinical nutritionist and diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition.

Local residents that attend informative seminars in Naples at Whole Foods Market or Food & Thought may find Gendron’s face familiar. A regular presenter at both stores, he is dedicated to educating the general public, as well as his patients, about how to take responsibility for their health and create a relationship in which the doctor acts as a guide or facilitator of good health.

Gendron listens closely for what interests his patients. “Their needs are important to me, so I ask them regularly what they want to learn more about. They have asked for such things as more detailed information on genetically modified foods, gastrointestinal problems, digestion, fibromyalgia and the hormonal system, as well as clarification of conflicting media reports regarding the value of eating well and taking nutritional supplements,” he states.

“I don’t bombard them with information, but rather use a gradient approach, just as I do with my treatment and nutritional plans. For example, if a patient tells me that they are drinking six, two-liter diet cokes a week, I don’t say, ‘Stop drinking those immediately.’ Rather, I suggest that they cut back by drinking one less per week until they have completely eliminated soda from their diet,” he explains.

During visits, Gendron recommends books from his lending library and gives patients literature about how the body works and what it needs to stay healthy. “Eventually, a light bulb goes on, and invariably every patient says, ‘Why didn’t anybody tell me this before?’ notes Gendron. “I smile and tell them that doctors educated in allopathic medicine don’t know this because nutrition is downplayed in medical school. According to a 2006 report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a survey conducted in 126 U.S. medical schools revealed that students received only 23.9 contact hours of nutrition instruction during medical school. It also noted that most graduating medical students continue to rate their nutrition preparation as inadequate.”

Gendron’s wife, Dr. Karen Yale, a chiropractor and acupuncturist, also practices at Nutrition Specialists of Florida.

Location: 28315 S. Tamiami Trail, Ste. 101, Bonita Springs. For more information, call 239-947-1177 or visit DoctorGendron.com.