Magnificent Business: Dr. Chad Sato

Dr. Chad Sato, Chiropractor with Mind-Body Specialty

By Sarah Hodges

 “We are given this incredible opportunity to experience life, and the moment we are true to ourselves we can be true to others and experience life so much more fully,” shares Dr. Chad Sato.

 During the summer and autumn of 2022, I faced some unusual health symptoms. All arrows seemed to point toward a previous dental misdiagnosis, which led to my receiving unnecessary work on a tooth that was fine. That started the snowball of strange symptoms – in my mouth, jaw and head. With serendipitous timing, my friend introduced me to Dr. Chad Sato in Mānoa, O’ahu. And after learning about his alternative chiropractic approach, and from very positive success stories from former patients from Still & Moving Center, I decided to go in for a session. What I found was Chad’s comprehensive body-mind-spirit approach to healing.  

 In my session with Dr. Chad, he considered the location of my symptoms and asked if there were any ‘truths’ I had been ignoring, or not speaking or acting upon. His question led me to some inward reflection, which led me to make choices to speak and live in a way that felt more aligned with who I am. Curiously, after paying closer attention to hearing myself, and then speaking and acting on what I heard, some of my health issues also began to improve.

 So how did Dr. Chad Sato find his way to his personalized method of chiropractics and does he just talk to his patients? 

 Chad’s father had a friend who was a chiropractor, and one day during his senior year at Iolani high school his father’s friend told Chad that he should consider becoming a chiropractor also: “You have what it takes: a good personality. And, you will make lots of money.” Not convinced that these were the right reasons to go into chiropractic, Chad moved to California and began his young adult life with a strong ambition to pursue a pre-med degree. Dr. Chad stepped into pre-med with a true interest in helping people with their health and was open to what direction that might take him.

 In 1995 Dr. Chad finished college and returned home to Hawai’i, where he planned to re-group. He wasn’t sure if pre-med had been his own dream, or more a wish of his family that he was trying to fulfill. Taking time to consider his options, Chad began some handiwork with his father. 

 Then, one day, tired of feeling like he wasn’t on his path, he paused and sent a strong prayer. “I asked, please God, tell me what to do,” says Chad. To his surprise, he got a clear answer immediately. The reply came as messages and images. It told him: “Be a chiropractor.” Unhesitatingly, Chad got up the next morning and applied to two colleges in California. Shortly after, he was packing up his things in Hawai’i and returning to California for his chiropractic studies. “The moment the president of the college began addressing our class in a welcoming speech, I knew I was in the right place,” Chad remembers. 

 During his time in chiropractic school, Chad took some elective classes which opened his eyes to alternative approaches to chiropractics. He realized that the body was an integrated whole, connected to mind and spirit. He started to pay closer attention to his own health and well-being and began a meditation practice. 

 “I took one college elective about energy and contact points on the body. It opened my eyes. I learned that chiropractics is more than just moving bones,” explains Dr. Chad. “I decided I would take as many electives as possible and develop a full ‘bag of tricks’. I got to a point where I didn’t have to put much force at all onto the patient and their bones would move.” 

 Dr. Chad completed his chiropractic studies well-equipped with a diverse toolbox for helping people regain balance and health. In 1999 he moved back to Hawai’i to start his practice, was blessed with a daughter in February, and opened his private practice in October. “Everything was divinely inspired and orchestrated,” expresses Dr. Chad. Over the following years, his chiropractic approach evolved greatly.

 “5 years into my practice I started asking people questions about what was going on in their life,” recalls Dr. Chad. “It seemed that when they heard themselves speak their own truth, they could then see things differently and make choices to better their lives.” Dr. Chad began to see how teaching people to lead more empowered lives also helped with their physical dis-ease. “Inner clarity is hugely important. When we navigate from the space of knowing who we are, our lives can shift in amazing ways.”

 Dr. Chad now considers himself to be more of a mind-body specialist than a traditional chiropractor focused on adjusting his patients’ bones. He believes that healing happens when he helps people tune into their own truth and higher self. Everything he does now begins with asking his clients questions. From there, the cause of dis-ease seems to naturally reveal itself.

 “Helping people speak their truth and live their truth is a huge part of my mission,” states Dr. Chad. He’s on a mission to live his truth and encourage others to find theirs. “Healing comes from living in harmony with one’s own truth.”

 In taking Dr. Chad’s message to heart, I’m continuing to work to see where in my life I can better identify, live and speak what feels most truthful. And so far, it has brought me some beautiful discoveries and a greater sense of physical well-being. 

 “I’m inspired by those who are willing to define who they are and live that,” explains Dr. Chad. He continues to offer a dynamic approach to wellness at his office in Mānoa, Hawai’i, and sees clients from around the world via online sessions. He offers new-patient intake sessions on Fridays and Saturdays. 

 We are delighted to have Dr. Chad’s warm, sincere smile and his healing approach gracing our Still & Moving ‘ohana. 

 Learn more and connect with Dr. Sato at  https://drchadsato.com