Mayor Don Lyons, Dr. Antonio Gonzales, Office Manager Tammy Gardner and Kim MacGregor of Edward Jones Investments pose for a traditional ribbon-cutting photo. Leader Photo/AMBROSIA NELDON

The lead chiropractor at a new wellness center in town is happy to return to Dowagiac, and the town seems happy to have him.

Dr. Antonio Gonzales has been practicing chiropractic care for the last 15 years, and has been the lead physician at the Alternative Wellness Center in Niles for 2 1/2. Tuesday, he and his staff hosted an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony to provide patients and community members a look inside the new Dowagiac office.

“I was here about 4 1/2 years ago with a clinic before they closed down that office. I always enjoyed being here. I have patients from Cass and here in Dowagiac, and it was nice to have another office here since we already have patients coming from here,” Gonzales said. “I’m really happy to be back in Dowagiac. I like being in this town. The people are really friendly.”

The Dowagiac office, located at 114 Commercial St. in Dowagiac, has been in operation for almost two months, with office hours on Tuesdays and by appointment Thursdays. Gonzales said he felt it was important to host a ceremony now because he intends to expand business hours.

“If we’re open three to four days a week, we could see as many as 150 to 200 a week. The goal is to see about 50 a day. That’s with having quality care for each patient,” Gonzales said.

The Niles office is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Gonzales said having multiple offices allows patients in the Niles and Dowagiac area to travel to whichever office is convenient. He also said that if a certain day works best for patients and the office nearest them is not open on those days, those patients can be seen at the Dowagiac office.

“As far as massage therapists here, we have two full-time and four or five that are on call if we need others. We do usually book three massages across and we carry three full-time in Niles,” he said.

Gonzales said he and his staff are searching for another certified chiropractor so that the Wellness Center can increase the number of patients seen with the highest quality care.
“We need to find another doctor that fits a town like this. You can’t have someone that’s big city and has that kind of attitude,” Gonzales said.

The Alternative Wellness Center offers chiropractic care, massage therapy, rehabilitation, orthotics, nutritional services and yoga. Dr. Gonzales’s specialty is in sports injuries and rehabilitation, and he has done extensive studies on patients with fibromyalgia.