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Monday 08:00 - 17:00 Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00 Thursday 08:00 - 17:00 Friday 08:00 - 17:00 Saturday 08:00 - 12:00

Dr Chad Spence

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South Africa
Groenkloof
Dr Chad Spence

GP at Life Groenkloof Hospital, Pretoria. Primary Care and Gynaecology. Good medicine starts with actually listening.

01/05/2026

Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? As the doctor in question, I feel qualified to answer.

I bake sourdough on weekends. I drink more coffee than I should. I have ignored a symptom for three weeks that I would never have let a patient brush off.

So what actually keeps the doctor away? Here is what I do:

- I sleep like it’s my job. Seven to eight hours. Non-negotiable. More than any supplement I have ever seen, sleep moves the needle.

- I exercise regularly. Not every week looks the same, and I skip more sessions than I should. But I always go back.

- I get my own bloods done. Not because I feel bad. Because I want to know what is happening before I feel bad.

- I don’t wait until something is wrong to pay attention. I check in with my body the way I check in with my patients.

- I try to eat well most of the time. I don’t always get it right.

No apple protocol. No detox. No optimised morning routine.

Just a reasonable amount of sleep, knowing my numbers, and not ignoring things I would tell a patient to take seriously.

Prevention beats treatment. The apple is optional.

22/04/2026

When something goes wrong with your heart, you see a cardiologist. When something goes wrong with your kidneys, you see a nephrologist. Specialists go deep into one system, and they are very good at it.

A GP does something different.

My job is not to be the best person in the room at any one organ. My job is to know you well enough to see how everything connects.

The headache that keeps coming back. The weight that has shifted without explanation. The anxiety that started around the same time your sleep went wrong. A specialist sees one piece of the picture. A GP holds the whole thing.

This matters more than most people realise. A lot of what brings people to a doctor does not fit neatly into one specialty. It sits in the overlap. Fatigue that could be thyroid, iron, sleep, mood, or three of those things at once. Irregular periods that could be stress, PCOS, perimenopause, or something else entirely. Chest tightness that needs a heart check, but also needs someone asking about work and home and how you have been sleeping.

Specialists are essential. Referrals are often exactly the right move. But the person who helps you make sense of the results when they come back, who knows your full history and can see where they fit, is your GP. That coordination is not a small thing. It is often the difference between a diagnosis feeling overwhelming and it actually making sense.

That relationship, built over time, is one of the most useful things in medicine.

15/04/2026

If weight is just about calories in and calories out, why do so many people who eat carefully and exercise regularly still struggle?

It's a question I get asked a lot. The honest answer is that the equation is missing most of the picture.

“Eat less, move more” treats your body like a passive container. Energy in, energy out, weight goes down. But your body is not a passive container. It's an active biological system, and it responds to what you do to it.

When you eat less, your metabolism slows to compensate. When you lose weight, your hunger hormones shift to push you back toward where you started. Your body defends its weight. This isn't a character flaw. It's physiology.

Weight is also shaped by things the calorie equation does not account for at all. Sleep. Stress. Hormones. How well your cells respond to insulin. Your gut microbiome. Your genetics. Two people can eat the same food and do the same exercise and get completely different results, because their biology is different.

This is why I don't start weight conversations with food diaries. I start with questions. What is your sleep like? What does your stress look like? Has your weight changed in response to something specific?

You know your life. I know the biology. Together we can usually figure out what is actually going on.

10/04/2026

A lot of people arrive at their first GP appointment apologising.

Sorry for wasting your time. Sorry it’s probably nothing. Sorry I left it so long.

Here’s the thing: you don’t need to do that.

A first consultation isn’t a test you can fail. It’s a conversation. You tell me what’s going on, in whatever order it comes out. I ask questions. Sometimes we figure out it’s nothing to worry about. Sometimes we find something worth investigating. Either way, you leave knowing more than when you came in.

The people who wait the longest before coming in are usually the ones with the most going on. And the people who feel embarrassed about “small” symptoms are often the ones I’m most glad came in.

No preparation required. No minimum symptom threshold. Come as you are.

07/04/2026

I'm Chad Spence, a GP at Life Groenkloof Hospital in Pretoria.

I chose general practice because it's the only specialty where I get to see the whole person. How your sleep affects your weight. How your stress affects your heart. How your history shapes everything. The systems don't work in isolation and neither do people.

I'm not the doctor who's going to lecture you or hand you a pamphlet and call it a consultation. Medicine works best as a collaboration. You know your life. I know the biology. Together we can usually figure out what's actually going on.

A few other things about me: I bake sourdough, I'm genuinely fascinated by health technology and what AI is starting to do in clinical practice, and I believe good food and good health are not opposites.

This page is where I share what I find interesting, what I think patients deserve to know, and occasionally what I'm learning myself.

If that sounds like the kind of doctor you've been looking for, welcome.

02/09/2024

Spring into health this September! 🌸 It’s the perfect time to take care of your well-being. Book an appointment today!

www.drspence.co.za

29/08/2024

At Dr Spence’s practice, your well-being is what matters most to us. We’re here to support you with compassionate care, expert advice, and a listening ear. Ready to take the next step in your health journey? Stay connected with us or book an appointment for the tips and guidance you need 💙

26/08/2024

"Hey there, it's been a while! 🌟 We’re back in action and excited to reconnect with you. From expert health tips to essential updates, we’re here to keep you informed and empowered. Let’s take on your health journey together—there’s a lot to look forward to! 💪 "

03/06/2022

Crazy socks at the office today! Breaking down the stigma around mental health issues in doctors and health professionals

04/05/2021

Hi, I’m Dr Chad Spence. I have grown to be a confident, empathic and compassionate General Medical Practitioner who is passionate about his patients and enjoys working with people of all ages. My special interests include primary health care, aesthetic medicine, and sexual health. I completed my medical degree at the University of Pretoria, followed by two years of internship rotating through various departments at Job Shimankana Tabane Hospital in Rustenburg. I then went on to work at Pretoria West District Hospital as a Medical Officer gaining experience in anaesthetics, treating acute medical conditions, maternity, HIV, and primary health care before opening my own practice in Pretoria East.

Dr Spence in a nutshell 👇
General Practitioner
Aesthetic & Anti-Aging Treatments
Dermaceutic & Dermalhealth Stockist

#2021

Address

50 George Storrar Drive
Groenkloof

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:00
Thursday	08:00 - 17:00
Friday	08:00 - 17:00
Saturday	08:00 - 12:00

Telephone

+27120040166

Website

http://www.drspence.co.za/

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