Anthony Wayne Community Chiropractic Set To Open In Whitehouse Square

BY KAREN GERHARDINGER | MIRROR REPORTER — The doors to Anthony Wayne Community Chiro-practic won’t open until Thursday, February 1, but Dr. Michael Hollerbach has been knocking on the doors of Whitehouse businesses and homes for the past month. “If you see me walking through Whitehouse with a clipboard, stop to say hello,” said Hollerbach, who recently signed a lease in Whitehouse Square. Standing in the lobby of the former Hair Chiasso, Hollerbach and his friend, Dr. Juan Fernandez of the Troy-area Full Life Chiropractic, toured the 3,500-square-foot space that has been empty since March 1, 2016. “I will use about a third of the space for my chiropractic offices,” Hollerbach said. “I’m working with a consultant to design a business model for the salon.” The space includes all of the furnishings and equipment for a full-service salon, which should open by April, he said. His main focus, however, is on bringing chiropractic care to the Anthony Wayne community – where his daughter and grandchildren live. “I went to school to become a chiropractor to help people have healthier lives – and to provide a good example to my grandchildren,” Hollerbach said. Growing up in Toledo, Hollerbach played football, basketball and baseball while a student at Whitmer High School. But as a teen, he also discovered alcohol, which led to an addiction to alcohol and other drugs, he admits. “That progressed for 23 years. At age 41, I sought help,” he said. “I’ve been sober for 13 years.” After working as a bakery truck driver, Hollerbach spent 10 years utilizing his skills in massage, physical therapy and reiki. He developed professional relationships with several chiropractors, who often referred their patients to Hollerbach. When the economy tanked in 2008, financially strained customers gave up their regular visits for his services. That’s when Hollerbach listened to advice from one chiropractor who urged him to look into the field. “I prayed on it and got guidance from people,” he said. “It turned out to be the best experience.” In 2010, Hollerbach enrolled in Life University in Marietta, Ga., where he spent seven years earning his bachelor’s degree in exercise science and his doctorate in chiropracty. While there, he was involved in the student newspaper, missions abroad, student fraternities – and unknowingly inspiring many of his younger peers. Fernandez recalls walking the residence hall corridor and spying a “guy with long hair, no shirt and a tattoo,” through an open door. An Army National Guard member who had just returned from active duty in Iraq, Fernandez soon found a roommate and a longtime friend he now describes as humble and inspiring. One of the benefits of being an “older student” was his ability to take advice from people – a trait he gained through sobriety, Hollerbach said. Now Fernandez is advising his friend on launching his business while the two share their reasons for choosing chiropracty as a career. “Chiropractic is more of a lifestyle than a place to go for back pain, neck pain and headaches,” Fernandez said. “We’re more like nervous system doctors.” “Our job is to educate people on true health,” Hollerbach added. “I want to help each person live the life they want – whether it’s the 70-year-old who wants to get on the floor and play with the grandkids or the 28-year-old who wants to compete in a triathlon.” Like Fernandez, Hollerbach plans to display a large container so that patients can discard empty pill bottles to illustrate how chiropractic care alleviates the need for medications for anxiety, headaches, high blood pressure and more. “The medical community has failed us. They rely on medications and surgeries. They treat the symptoms rather than looking at the cause of the pain. My goal is to help people and save lives,” Hollerbach said. That includes working with infants who may have colic, ear infections or neck issues from birth trauma, to older adults experiencing a variety of symptoms that all stem from the nervous system. Anthony Wayne Com-munity Chiropractic will open on Thursday, February 1. A hair salon is slated to open in April. For information, visit www.anthonywaynechiropractic.com