About Us
Holistic Health Practitioners | Carolinas Natural Health Center
Are you tired of taking expensive, dangerous medications or frustrated that your doctor only seems to have 15 minutes of time to spend with you when you go in for an illness or checkup?
You’re not alone…
The reality is that everyday people waste both precious time and money visiting conventional medical practices and often leave offices feeling hopeless or burdened.
That’s why, at Carolinas Natural Health Center, we do things differently.
The reality is that everyday people waste both precious time and money visiting conventional medical practices and often leave offices feeling hopeless or burdened.
That’s why, at Carolinas Natural Health Center, we do things differently.
Our expert holistic health practitioners provide whole-body healing through customized healthcare plans based on your unique health needs and wellness goals.
We treat the root cause of disease—not the symptoms—and will take the time to truly listen to you and help you put together a comprehensive program that will put you on the path to better health for the long run.
With the flexibility to see patients both in our office and virtually, receiving safe, comprehensive healthcare from wherever you are has never been easier.
We invite you to get to know our team, and then take the next step to becoming part of the Carolinas Natural Health Center family.
Meet Our Team
Dr. Michael Smith
Dr. Smith has been recognized as a leader in the field of natural medicine and has gained national attention through interviews and public speaking, and is quickly becoming America’s leading expert in lifelong, optimized living. His breakthrough optimal wellness system has proven that diminished health and vitality can be reclaimed by just about any proactive person at any age.
Using his customized blueprint, you harness your natural God-given ability to heal, through structured lifestyle and changes of habit. These programs cover the five essential keys to resolving the underlying stressors that lead to the breakdown of health including your hormonal balance, nervous system, detoxification, nutrition and fitness.
Dr. Smith empowers you to optimal health through his programs that train and educate you to finally take complete control of your health and fitness, while dispelling the ever-growing number of fallacies and myths related to this subject. Dr. Smith’s fascinating and refreshing approach to body transformation includes topics on mindset, nutrition, a unique exercise program and hormone balance. This program and approach works for all ages. His unique ability of delivering his presentations in an upbeat and often humorous fashion, leaves his audiences with a new sense of excitement and motivation.
Dr. Smith practices naturopathic medicine and functional wellness in Charlotte, NC at Carolinas Natural Health Center, the leading holistic wellness Center in the Carolinas, where he incorporates nutrition, homeopathy, hormone balance, fitness and permanent weight control. His doctorate is in Naturopathic Medicine with advanced training and certifications in clinical nutrition and homeopathy.
Dr. J Balducci
Dr. Balducci brings over 15 years of expertise in integrative healthcare, merging Eastern and Western medicine to support your body’s natural healing potential. As a Doctor of Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine, he specializes in East Asian medicine, nutrition, and herbal therapies, as well as exercise science and physical rehabilitation. His patient-centered, holistic care is designed to meet your individual health goals, whether you’re seeking relief from chronic issues or aiming for optimal wellness.
With a focus on educating and empowering our members, Dr. Balducci addresses key areas such as systemic balance, nutrition optimization, and multidimensional health to help you reclaim vitality and achieve long-term well-being. His approach equips you to take control of your health by addressing the root causes of imbalance and guiding you toward lasting solutions.
Outside the clinic, Dr. Balducci enjoys staying active through hiking, immersing himself in the latest wellness research, and continuously refining his practice to bring the freshest insights and enthusiasm to the community.
Dawn Armstrong
Dawn Armstrong is the Clinical Director, overseeing the day to day clinic operations as well as supplement ordering and fulfillment for the members of Carolinas Natural Health Center.
For years, Dawn was interested in health and nutrition. However, she came full circle with her interest in healthy eating when she realized that the modern health infrastructure couldn’t support the medical challenges her family faced. Dawn’s journey led her to Carolinas Natural Health Center, and she now empowers others to choose a better path to take control of their health.
Dawn graduated from UNC Charlotte with her degree in biology and earned her ASCP certificate in cytotechnology. Her strong medical background includes working in a global life sciences company and hospital. She also served as an instructor for CPCC’s cytotechnology program.
In her free time, Dawn enjoys attending live music events, hanging out with family and friends, and escaping to the beach.
Katie Saunders
Katie Saunders is a certified integrative nutrition health coach and classically trained chef who loves helping others eat for their best health. Katie loves to help with meal planning, recipes, and ideas to help you navigate your wellness program. If you need a recipe for something, Katie likely has it, or can create it! Katie got her certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition after attending Johnson and Wales in Charleston, SC. In her free time, Katie enjoys a busy life as a mom of three boys and one gorgeous basset hound. She loves spending time at the beach, or in her kitchen.
Sarah Freland
Sarah is a certified integrative health coach who is passionate about helping others live a healthier life. The knowledge she uncovered during her family’s own personal wellness journey revealed in her a calling to help guide others along their path.
She is married to her high school sweetheart, a mom of 3 incredible boys and an adorable double-doodle named, Archie.
Sarah loves to encourage, support and educate those who are wanting to make impactful lifestyle changes for the betterment of their health.
She not only likes to teach about better nutrition but also about safer products and habits to use in our daily lives.
In her spare time, she is either at a sporting event watching her boys, cooking and baking in her kitchen or just enjoying her time with family. Sarah absolutely loves the beach, the sunshine and meeting new people.
Christy Story
Christy Story is a Wellness Concierge and Certified Neuro Technician. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and is an avid Tar Heel fan!
She has worked in healthcare for 14 years and has a passion for helping others. She became interested in natural medicine through her own health journey- and hopes to inspire you to live your best life!
In her freetime, Christy enjoys traveling, hearing live music, and spending time with family and friends. She feels it is important to schedule FUN on your calendar so you always have something to look forward to.
Donald Grothoff
Donald Grothoff is the mindset coach here at Carolinas Natural Health Center. As the Mindset Coach he helps patients going through Dr. Smith’s program of healing get past the anxiety, stress, emotional blocks, or traumas that stop them from getting the full potential of the amazing healing Dr. Smith provides to his patients.
He has one-on-one sessions where he uses his skills in Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) tapping, breath work, mindfulness practices and much more. His work along with all the others working in this practice nurtures each patient to the next level in their healing process.
When he is not at CNHC, he has his own practice working with parents who are dealing with children with behavior and anxiety issues. In that capacity he is a speaker, EFT Practitioner, and Behavior Transformation Specialist along with his wife Gina.
Donald is passionate about helping patients and clients reach their best health level.
“It’s not just about healing the body, it’s a path to a more conscious life!”
TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP TO BETTER HEALTH
Today is the day to start on the path toward better health. We invite you to learn more about what we do and how we treat our patients at Carolinas Natural Health Center.