Our Company History

Healworks is the third iteration of the Alternative Health Care practice of Dr. Guy T Gunter.

Dr. Gunter received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 1985.  Prior to that time he had been a professor of Clinical Science at Life Chiropractic College.  He entered private practice in 1985 in Hickory Flat, GA and became a country Chiropractor.  It soon became apparent that, while his patients benefited from standard Chiropractic care, more was called for to facilitate the patient into a rapid, full recovery.

One of the first observations was the desperate need for adequate, supportive nutrition in the healing process.   It was at that time the Dr. Gunter began his long association with Standard Process and Nutri-West as his nutritional suppliers.  Both companies were dedicated to the production of precise nutritional supplements that supported the entire human body.  As more patients were treated with nutritional and herbal supplementation, as well as Chiropractic, it was observed that they recovered much faster than with Chiropractic care alone.

Guy T Gunter III is an Atlanta born science geek who received a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from UGA in 1973, and a Masters of Science from Purdue University in 1975.  He has performed independent medical research at Emory University from 1975 to 1977. This wealth of a research background gave Dr. Gunter a unique perspective in coordinating a healing regimen that reduced the amount of time before the patient was free of pain and dysfunction.

As a Chiropractor, Dr. Gunter only treats problems of the spine and its related structures.  This requires nutritional strengthening of the tissues involved as well as correction of spinal subluxations and restoration of healthy spinal function.  But, every nerve in the body (except the Cranial nerves) penetrates the spinal vertebrae and, it is true that problems with the organs of the body will respond favorably to restoration of the normal nerve function that is achieved via Chiropractic.  However, there are muscles and ligaments that create the stability the vertebra.  These, particularly are vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies and, of course, stress.  In some cases, it is not possible to correct spinal pain without improving the function of related organs.  For example, the large intestine shares nerves with the muscles that support the Lumbar Spine.  If the patient has a Colon problem, the neurological feedback from the dysfunctional colon will compromise the strength of the related muscles (Iliacus, and quadratus lumborum.)  It is not possible to correct a lumbar vertebral problem without addressing the muscles and making them strong with normal function.

This was the big epiphany for Dr. Gunter.  There was no longer adequate Family Practice in allopathic medicine.  The simple Family Doctor was replaced with specialists and finding a person to reduce your health problem to a simple solution was vanishing. It seemed to Dr. Gunter that an Alternative Health Care Family Practice was needed.  Using the tools and nutrition available to him, Dr. Gunter was able to understand the reasons for the pain and to find a safe, proven, holistic remedy.

Gunter Chiropractic Services moved to Sandy Springs, GA in 1991.  After six years of treating the residents of Hickory Flat, it was time to move into the city and evaluate the faster, hyper-stressed life style of urban Atlanta.

As the practice grew, the variety of problems and complaints became epic.  Many were referred to more appropriate physicians, but there were also those who had been everywhere and still suffered. It was this population that presented the greatest challenges and provided the education that sparked the second iteration of the practice:  The Healing Experience.

A millennial creation, the Healing Experience began by renovating the building that houses the office and adding an Acupuncturist so that both Dr. Gunter’s work and Traditional Chinese Medicine were available for their patients.

Dr. Gunter had received multiple certificates in Chinese Medicine from the Jung Tao School of Chinese Medicine in Boone, NC. This was an education in its self and Dr. Gunter came away with the paradigm and understanding of the principles of Chinese Medicine, but, was also sufficiently humble to realize that he had not enough experience in Acupuncture to treat his own patients.  With the addition of Yong Q. Luo, OMD, the Healing Experience was able to treat many different aspects of family health and structural pain .

It was also in 2000 that Dr. Gunter stopped filing or accepting any insurance company payments. It came about this way:  as the nineties were coming to a close, it became more difficult to receive anything like the full payment for services.  Indeed, one usually received about half and had to badger the patient for the rest.  This was an intolerable state of affairs and added too much stress into the doctor patient relationship.  Part of it was the speed with which a patient recovered at GCS.  Three visits to fix an acute lumbar strain was too short for an industry accustomed to standard Chiropractic treatment schedules.

In order to reduce their payouts in the long term, the Insurance Companies began limiting them from the first visit. And then, in 2000, Humana and other insurance companies sent out a contract to all Chiropractors stating that they would pay about 25% of the previous rate for all chiropractic treatments or else, no contract. The contract also stipulated that the Chiropractor could not get the difference from the patient.  In order to continue to accept insurance for their patients, standard Chiropractic added services to the bill so that the final payment would be a living wage.

At the Healing Experience, we saw it differently.  Our office visit fee was $85.  We had been receiving about $40 dollars from the insurance companies and our patients were paying the rest.  It was decided that we would become a Cash Only practice.  That way we could continue charging our regular fee and the patient could recover in three to five visits and they could submit the insurance bill we gave them and, sometimes, get a portion of their money back.

A fantastic thing occurred:  The speed and success of the treatments encouraged people to pay cash and come to The Healing Experience.  They had broken free of the Insurance Companies defining their health care and who they could see.  By taking the responsibility into their own hands they utilized their will power to find a more efficient Health Care practice.  Those fees from 2000 did not change for 14 years.  Except for the period of 2009 to 2010.  During those two years, Dr. Gunter reduced his fees from $85 to $70 in an effort to help his patients during that lean and difficult time.

The success of the Healing Experience and the growing record of rapid healing and recovery for many health issues has led to the present iteration of our little practice: Healworks.

What is different about Healworks?  We use the same tested methods that Dr. Gunter began developing thirty years ago. There is a lot of testing and evaluation involved.  We have never used X-ray on our premises, preferring to refer out for X-ray and avoid everyone being exposed to radiation.  Instead, Dr. Gunter uses a plethora of neurological, kinesiological, muscular and orthopedic testing to evaluate the function of the body areas in trouble.  We are also preparing a method of documenting every patient’s progress so statistical analysis becomes possible.  It is an ongoing exercise in modern, interactive health care that is driven not by the consensus of distant people (telling you what you want), but the actual experience of the patients themselves.

Healworks comes from the life experience and vision of Dr. Guy T. Gunter.  He takes full responsibility for the practice and welcomes those who think that his approach is reasoned and logical. Come and join the Experience of feeling better.

Fees and Insurance Policy

All of our fees are based on the period of time you are with Dr. Gunter. While this puts us at odds with Insurance companies who prefer to itemize each modality, it gives you a more flexible treatment every appointment and allows Dr. Gunter to tailor your treatment to your changing needs every visit.

OUR FEES ARE:

INITIAL VISIT:  Our first visit fee is $195.00. It is a minimum of half an hour in length. It includes your case history and in depth physical exam, including all neurological and kinesiological examinations appropriate to your case. It also includes chiropractic treatment.  Any nutritional supplements that are prescribed are not included.

OUR STANDARD OFFICE VISIT FEE: $95.00.  This includes 15 minutes of direct time with the doctor as he evaluates and treats your problem. Every visit is evaluated new with emphasis on restoring normal function.

EXTRA TIME FEE:  Should your appointment be so complicated that it exceeds 15 minutes, an additional fee of $20.00 will be assessed for every additional five minutes.

CONSULTATION FEE:  Should you prefer to consult Dr. Gunter for an opinion rather than a treatment, this service is based on 30 minutes at $195.00

WE DO NOT PROCESS OR ACCEPT ANY TYPE OF INSURANCE INCLUDING MEDICARE AND MEDICAID.

We will give you a receipt which will present the correct ICD-10 codes for your diagnosis and treatment, but reimbursement is solely between you and your insurance company. We have been forced to assume this policy because Insurance companies simply do not pay full fee for our services.  In order to participate in the Insurance game, we would have to raise our fees (or reduce our service) in order to maintain our high level of care. Our fees are carefully planned and not excessive (far less than the industry standard).  We accept all major credit cards.

Guy T. Gunter, B.S., M.S., D.C.

Curriculum Vitae

Guy T. Gunter III was born in Atlanta in 1952.  He has lived in Atlanta his entire life except for attending college and his first six years of professional practice where he was the Chiropractor of Hickory Flat, GA.

Dr. Gunter was educated in the Life Sciences at Florida State University, University of Georgia and Purdue University.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from University of Georgia (1973) and a Master of Science in Bacterial Genetics from Purdue (1975).  After a period of working for Emory University as a Research Technician, Guy Gunter became an Associate Professor of Clinical Science at Life Chiropractic College and received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 1985.

Dr. Gunter entered private practice in 1986 in Hickory Flat, GA. For the next six years, he treated all manner of ills and injuries that can only occur in a rural environment.  The variety of treatments and diagnoses needed prompted Dr. G to develop the unique treatment protocols that became Gunter Chiropractic Services.

In Hickory Flat, everyone came by Dr. Gunter’s office to see if he could fix their problem rather than “going to town” and the hospital where they would have to spend “REAL” money.  During this period, Dr. G saw people with farming machinery injuries, sports injuries, muscle and joint damage from some of the most outlandish activities you can imagine.  There was the child who rode his bike into a tree where the impact changed the shape of his head, amazing varieties of muscle strains and even a man who was gored by his bull (could not help that one, drove him to the hospital).  This proved to be the best education that Dr. Gunter ever had.  It was the varied necessities of this rural population that presented the challenges that led to Dr. Gunter’s unique approach.

Dr. Gunter returned to metro Atlanta in 1990. In treating an urban population new needs became apparent.  Stress was a bigger issue than injury and nutrition became an essential component of successful treatment.  The ten years of dealing with the needs of the urban Atlantan gave Dr. Gunter the data and vision that produced the Healing Experience. 

In Hickory Flat the primary concern was low cost and dealing with insurance companies, but in Atlanta the main focus was how rapidly they could recover.  It was this shift of focus that led to the creation of the Healing Experience.  In Atlanta, time was money and no one had the time to be partially functional for weeks on end.  Using the Healing Experience protocol, most patients could be pain free in one to two visits and virtually recovered in five visits or less.

It was this speed of recovery that made Dr. Gunter’s practice unique among Chiropractors and other alternative health care practices.

Over the ensuing years, Dr. Gunter has refined the Healing Experience into an Alternative Health Care Family practice.  We accept all types of illness and dysfunction from the common cold and allergies to acute back pain and injuries.  We do not treat these conditions, we offer the very best in alternative methods (Chiropractic, Applied Kinesiology and Nutrition) to support the body in healing itself.  For, after all, there is no form of medicine that actually heals you, your body heals itself (should it receive the support it requires).

After all the years of being a researcher and science professor, Dr. Guy Gunter has found great satisfaction in becoming a source for healing support. 

2013 has seen the final iteration of Dr. Gunter’s alternative health care protocols:  Healworks

It represents the culmination of 28 years of active practice informed by a life time of scientific observation.  This site is filled with current information about Healworks.   As you read and think about it, see if it makes sense to you.  IF you see the great potential available in this regimen, then perhaps you should give us a call and make an appointment.  It was developed to help you meet your health needs.