Center for Holistic Care, Davidson Street, Cornelius. (Jennifer Montague/DavidsonNews.net)

By JENNIFER MONTAGUE
DavidsonNews.net

For some people, going to a chiropractor is a regular part of life, like getting the oil changed every 2,000 miles. Others go only on referrals from their primary care doctors. Dr. Sandrine Martin, a Board Certified Chiropractic Internist, sees them all. Dr. Martin, along with her husband Mr. Joe Martin, a licensed body work and massage therapist, owns The Center for Holistic Care in Cornelius.

If you’ve ever been to the Lake Norman YMCA, you’re probably familiar with the small brick building set back a bit from Davidson Street in Cornelius.

Originally called the Center for Holistic Instruction (CHI) when it was created in 2002, the business has recently been divided into two separate entities: the Center for Holistic Care, which provides health care services, and the Center for Holistic Instruction, which is located in the Huntersville Business Park and provides a variety of classes for the public.

Although renovations for the creation of CHI in Cornelius began in September 2001, the building had a previous life as a health food store called Eden’s Essentials since 1995. Mr. Martin, who owned Eden’s Essentials, has long been a practitioner of holistic and alternative care. A Grandmaster now, his interest in these fields began with studies in martial arts over 47 years ago.

Joe Martin

In an effort to help his students work through their muscle pain as they progressed in their martial arts skills, Mr. Martin learned about trigger points—those distinct spots in muscle where “knots” can form and cause pain. This education led him to massage therapy and then on to a number of related therapeutic techniques.

He has developed and now teaches a massage therapy technique called Esomassage, which is based on tai chi and emphasizes a grounding technique for the therapist so that the movement comes from the center of the body and not just from the elbow down. Mr. Martin also offers classes in kung fu, tai chi and healing tao.

Like her husband, Dr. Martin has spent most of her life in the wellness field. Her father was a chiropractor in her native France, and she has been interested in how the human body works and the ways to heal it since she was in her teens.

After becoming a chiropractor and treating patients for a number of years, Dr. Martin realized she wanted to do more for her patients than just treat their spinal disorders, so she went back to school for three years to become a board-certified chiropractic internist. This higher level of training allows her to diagnose and treat certain internal disorders, as well as perform spinal corrections.

STUDYING UNDERLYING ISSUES

With the ability to analyze blood chemistries, such as hormone levels, she can get a better understanding of the patient’s issues and how to best help the patient heal. In one case, for example, a 30-year-old patient came to Dr. Martin complaining of eye pain, blurred vision, and bloating, among other problems, and also mentioned she had not menstruated for few months. Her OB-GYN suggested birth control pills, but the patient was not happy with that suggestion because she was trying to get pregnant.

Sandrine Martin

Dr. Martin ordered extensive blood tests to confirm her suspicions that the patient was having a problem with her pituitary gland. The results from those blood tests were indeed indicative of a pituitary problem, so Dr. Martin referred the patient to an endocrinologist for further testing, including an MRI and a CAT scan. The results of these additional studies revealed the presence of two benign tumors on the patient’s anterior pituitary gland. Following this discovery, the patient was treated with both conventional and holistic treatments for a satisfactory outcome.

FAMILY BUSINESS

Dr. and Mr. Martin met many years ago when they had neighboring booths at a health care show. Friends and colleagues for quite some time, they have now been married now for over six years. The Martins’ complementary skill sets provide their patients with a wide array of healing and holistic services from which to choose. While their main requests used to be for chiropractic treatments, the most common ones now involve whole health wellness.

The path to wellness is not always an easy one, and Dr. Martin stresses the importance of the patient’s own willingness to put in the effort necessary to create the change. She and Mr. Martin strive to empower everyone to get back on a healthy track.

It is clear when speaking with them that they are both passionate about their work to guide people to better health using that person’s own “tools”. Every day, the Martins try to teach their patients that, no matter what their current healthcare concerns may be, there is always hope for improvement.

MORE INFO

Center for Holistic Care, 21316 Davidson St., Cornelius

Center for Holistic Instruction, 11330 Vanstory Drive, Huntersville

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