Queanbeyan · Practising since 1996
Beyond pain, toward human potential.
Areté is a chiropractic atelier in Queanbeyan. We look past the symptom to the nervous system that governs how you heal, find what is interfering with it, and correct it with intention rather than routine.
Dr Marcus Chacos
Principal chiropractor
1,000+ patients
Since 1996
30 years
In practice
Published author
The Arthritis Solution
Minutes away
From central Canberra
The problem
Pain is the last thing to arrive, so it is the worst place to start.
By the time something hurts, your body has usually been compensating quietly for months or years. Treating the ache alone leaves the compensation in place, which is why the same problem keeps finding its way back to the same shoulder, the same lower back, the same headache on the same side.
What usually happens
- You describe where it hurts, and the hurt is what gets treated.
- Relief arrives, then fades, and you book again a few months later.
- Nobody asks why the problem chose that part of your body.
What happens here
- We take a full history before touching anything, because the story matters.
- We assess six systems, not one, so the actual driver has nowhere to hide.
- You are shown the findings and the reasoning before any plan is proposed.
The method
The Total Healing Blueprint
Three phases, in order, every time. The sequence is what makes the care repeatable rather than improvised.
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01
Understand your body
A detailed history first, then a comprehensive physical assessment. We are building a picture of how you function, not just where you hurt.
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02
Identify the cause
We look for the dysfunction underneath the complaint. Where it is warranted, imaging or further assessment is arranged before anything is decided.
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03
Correct and restore function
Findings are explained in plain language, a care progression is proposed, and your response is reviewed as we go and adjusted when the evidence says so.
Six factors assessed, not one
- Nervous system
- Physical structure
- Biochemistry
- Emotional and mental stress
- Lifestyle
- Genetic factors
The practitioner
Dr Marcus Chacos
You will not be handed between practitioners here. The person who takes your history is the person who assesses you, explains the findings and delivers the care. Continuity is not a nicety in this work. It is how patterns get noticed.
- In practice since 1996, serving Queanbeyan and Canberra for close to three decades.
- Trained under Dr John Kelly at Macquarie University, where the emphasis was on chiropractic philosophy alongside continual study.
- Lectured and tutored psychology at the Canberra Institute of Technology, and taught medical sciences at Kim Dudley College for Natural Therapies.
- Founded Areté after rebuilding, from the ground up, the way he wanted a practice to run.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, Anatomy
- University of New South Wales
- Master of Chiropractic
- Macquarie University
- Graduate Diploma, Clinical Nutrition
- Postgraduate
- Master of Chiropractic Sports Science
- Postgraduate
What we work with
Common complaints, assessed uncommonly carefully.
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Back and neck pain
Acute episodes, and the long running ache that never quite clears. We look for what is driving it rather than treating the site of the pain.
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Headaches and migraines
Many headaches originate in the neck and upper spine rather than the head. That distinction changes the whole approach.
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Osteoarthritis
Joint surfaces change with time. How the joint is loaded and how well it moves are still very much open to influence.
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Disc injuries
Careful assessment first, with imaging arranged when the findings call for it and not as a matter of routine.
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Posture
The compensations that quietly became your normal. Correcting them is slower work than easing a symptom, and it lasts longer.
Your first visit
You will know what is happening before anything is recommended.
The first appointment is an assessment, not a commitment to a course of care. Findings come first, the plan comes second, and the decision is yours.
- 01
History and assessment
We start with a conversation, not a table. Then a comprehensive assessment of how your body is actually functioning.
- 02
Further investigation, only if needed
Imaging, scans or additional assessment are arranged where the findings warrant it, and not as a matter of course.
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Your findings, explained
At your next visit the results are walked through in clear and practical language, so you understand the reasoning before you agree to anything.
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A plan, then regular review
Care is proposed based on what was found, and progress is reviewed as you go rather than assumed.
Consulting runs Tuesday and Thursday only, which keeps appointments unhurried and means availability is genuinely limited. Booking ahead is worth it.
A dedicated program
The Arthritis Solution Program
Built on more than two decades of research and clinical experience, the program sets out to reduce and where possible reverse the effects of arthritis naturally, combining education, coaching, workshops and chiropractic care into one structured plan rather than a series of appointments.
It is currently being expanded into a fuller offering, and already runs two ways.
In person
For patients local to Queanbeyan and Canberra, delivered face to face with Dr Chacos.
By video
Consultations are also available over Zoom, so distance does not rule out the education and coaching side of the program.
Questions
The things people ask first.
If yours is not here, call the practice on (02) 6155 5816 and ask.
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A detailed history, then a comprehensive assessment of how your body is functioning. Where the findings warrant it, imaging or further investigation is arranged. Your results are reviewed and explained at the following visit, and a plan is proposed after that, not before.
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No. Chiropractors are primary contact practitioners in Australia, so you can book directly. If you are being managed under a plan through your GP, bring the details along and they will be taken into account.
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Fees depend on what your first visit involves and whether further investigation is needed. Call the practice on (02) 6155 5816 and you will be told the current fees before you commit to anything.
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Because the alternative is rushing. Consulting runs Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30am to 6:00pm, which keeps appointment lengths honest and gives assessment the time it needs. It does mean availability is genuinely limited.
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Most people describe the adjustment itself as brief and unremarkable, and it is common to feel some easing straight afterwards. Anything you find uncomfortable should be said out loud during the visit, and the approach will be changed.
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That is not answerable before the assessment, and any practitioner who answers it beforehand is guessing. A proposed progression is given once the findings are known, and it is reviewed as you go rather than fixed at the start.
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Yes. Assessment and technique are adapted to the person in front of us. Dr Chacos has a long standing interest in family wellness alongside sports science and clinical nutrition.
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Unit 12, 72 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan NSW 2620, a short drive from central Canberra. Street and nearby off street parking are available along Monaro Street.