Owning a chiropractic practice\u00a0had been\u00a0one of Green\u2019s longtime dreams before\u00a0opening Apopka Wellness.\u00a0He just had to decide between New York, \u201cvirgin territory for chiropractic at the time,\u201d and\u00a0Florida,\u00a0Green said\u00a0in a sit-down interview with The Apopka Chief.\u00a0Green credits his wife\u2019s cousin, who had\u00a0a practice\u00a0in Altamonte Springs,\u00a0for helping him narrow down his options in Central Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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See Member Benefits<\/a>Join Our Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe said, \u2018There are two places I want you to\u00a0look: Goldenrod and Apopka,\u2019\u201d Green said. \u201cWith Goldenrod, I drove\u00a0through Aloma Ave., that area, and it just\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0do anything for me. Then I drove through Main Street in Apopka, and I hate to use the term, but it felt like Mayberry R.F.D.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0an old TV show with Andy Griffith,\u00a0small\u00a0town. It just felt good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Apopka Wellness originally opened in the shopping plaza on Fifth Street\u00a0on\u00a0Oct. 1, 1979, before moving to its present location at 424 N. Park Ave.\u00a0on Oct. 1, 1981.\u00a0Although Green\u00a0worked long hours \u2014 he\u00a0would typically arrive at the office at 4:30 a.m. and stop seeing patients at 6 p.m.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0he\u00a0always loved sharing his \u201cweird sense of humor\u201d and\u00a0\u201ctreating them like family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPatients know that when I joke with them, it\u2019s to make them laugh \u2014 because when you go to a chiropractor, you may have to start off at two, three times\u00a0a week for a\u00a0week or two or three,\u201d Green said. \u201cYou\u2019ve\u00a0got to make the experience rewarding and hopeful and make them want to come into\u00a0the office because they know they will get treated right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n One of his favorite chiropractic cases involved Shana Lee,\u00a0a then-preschool-age girl who had \u201cdeficiencies, mental and physical.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHer mom had to carry her in\u00a0\u2014\u00a0she was deadweight,\u201d Green said. \u201cThe aunt and uncle said, \u2018Can you do anything for her?\u2019 And I said, \u2018I will try\u2019\u2026 We\u00a0treated her for, I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know, a month or more \u2014 I\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0remember\u00a0\u2014\u00a0but even the physical therapist said, \u2018What are you doing? Because\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0making such\u00a0really great\u00a0progress now that she can hold herself up by herself.\u2019 And the mom said, \u2018I\u2019m bringing her to our chiropractor.\u2019 I would have to say that was the most memorable case.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the years, Green\u00a0also ventured beyond his chiropractic work by opening\u00a0The Salt Room, welcoming\u00a0his wife into the practice to offer skincare\u00a0and energy healing, and hiring\u00a0medical doctors.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI even opened up an office in New Smyrna Beach when we did the\u00a0neuropathy things,\u201d Green said. \u201cIt was very, very successful in patients getting better, where they had tried gabapentin and other medications, and it didn\u2019t work\u00a0\u2014\u00a0but this treatment that was developed by a podiatrist in Wisconsin, Dr. Cernak, she had I think an 80-85% success rate, and not just short-term. Years later, they\u00a0still were\u00a0feeling better. I had one patient go on one of my appeals with a judge, and this was like\u00a0five years later, and the judge asked, \u2018Well, how are you doing today?\u2019 \u2018Still feeling good, still feeling fine.\u2019 And that really felt nice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Apopka Wellness Center experienced its first unexpected closure\u00a0when the office had to close for two months due to a severe health condition Green developed. After the center reopened, approximately 80% of his patients returned, though he has had to cut back business hours and days.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, Green\u00a0wants\u00a0\u201cto go out on a high note\u201d while he\u00a0is\u00a0still healthy and to\u00a0spend\u00a0time with his children and grandchildren.\u00a0But he has \u201cno regrets\u201d about opening his practice,\u00a0crediting\u00a0the\u00a0philosophy displayed on an old button he received at a seminar years ago as the key to\u00a0his\u00a0business\u2019s\u00a0success.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt says \u2018serve to deserve\u2019\u00a0\u2014\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0the same as the golden rule,\u201d\u00a0he said. \u201cI wear this every day I come\u00a0in\u00a0the office in my pocket as a reminder: give more to get back.\u00a0You\u2019ll\u00a0always get back when you do services for people.\u00a0So\u00a0I guess\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0the biggest positive thing\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0had in all these years: do more for the patients than they\u00a0expect, and\u00a0be there for them whenever you can.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah Merly is an editorial assistant and reporter for The Apopka Chief. She joined the Chief in May 2025 after graduating from Patrick Henry College’s journalism program in Washington, D.C., where she served as the layout editor for her school newspaper. In her spare time, Sarah loves serving her local church, visiting Disney, and throwing parties.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2-1.png\")
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