Our Approach
A Whole-Person, Root-Cause Philosophy for True Healing
At Denver Sports & Holistic Medicine, we believe healing is not about chasing symptoms — it’s about understanding why they’re happening in the first place. Our approach blends the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with the precision of Functional Medicine, giving you a comprehensive, individualized pathway toward long-lasting health.
Why Our Approach Works
Most healthcare systems treat symptoms.
We focus on the physiology underneath those symptoms — the imbalances in digestion, detoxification, hormones, immune function, inflammation, circulation, and nervous system regulation that drive chronic issues.
By restoring these systems, the body naturally returns to balance.
We Treat the Root Cause — Not the Diagnosis
Every system in the body is interconnected. Symptoms in one area often reflect dysfunction somewhere else.
We look for the root causes behind:
Chronic fatigue, brain fog, and metabolic issues
Hormonal imbalances & cycle disruptions
Digestive disorders, microbiome dysfunction, IBS, SIBO
Mold toxicity, environmental illness, recurrent infections
Pain, inflammation, orthopedic injuries & sports recovery
Neurological symptoms, dysautonomia, migraines
Sleep and stress-related disorders
Immune dysregulation and chronic inflammatory patterns
Your symptoms are never “random.” They’re messages from the body — and when decoded properly, they reveal exactly where support is needed.
A Truly Integrative Method
We combine Eastern and Western diagnostic systems to see the full picture of your health:
Advanced Functional Testing
To understand your biochemistry and physiology, testing may include:
GI mapping & microbiome analysis
Hormone + adrenal rhythm panels
Food sensitivities and nutrient deficiencies
Mycotoxin & environmental toxin testing
Metabolic, mitochondrial & inflammatory markers
Cardiometabolic and insulin resistance profiles
Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostic Methods
These provide deep insight into patterns of imbalance affecting:
Digestion
Circulation
Immunity
Hormones
Emotional stress
Sleep
Pain & inflammatory pathways
What Your Personalized Treatment Plan May Include
Your treatment plan is never one-size-fits-all. It is tailored to your biochemistry, history, stress load, lifestyle, and healing goals. Depending on your needs, your care may draw from the following therapeutic pillars:
Acupuncture & Electro-Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a clinically proven therapy that restores balance to the nervous system, enhances circulation, reduces inflammation, and supports the body’s innate healing response. By stimulating specific points along neurovascular pathways, acupuncture helps regulate hormones, improve digestion, modulate immunity, relieve pain, and optimize overall physiological function.
Electro-acupuncture may be used to amplify therapeutic effects by delivering gentle electrical stimulation to targeted points, which enhances microcirculation, accelerates tissue repair, improves neuromuscular activation, and provides deeper pain relief.
Acupuncture is especially supportive for:
Chronic pain & injuries
Hormonal imbalance
Migraines & neurological symptoms
Stress, anxiety & sleep disorders
Digestive issues & metabolic dysfunction
Inflammation & immune dysregulation
Our approach combines classical TCM diagnostics with modern biomedical understanding, delivering a treatment experience that is both deeply therapeutic and highly individualized.
Herbal Medicine & Targeted Nutraceuticals
Herbal medicine is one of the most sophisticated and time-tested healing systems in the world. Using individualized formulas, herbal therapy works to restore internal balance, support organ function, regulate hormones, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, and strengthen resilience.
Every formula is customized to your specific pattern of imbalance, ensuring precise and effective support. We use only professional-grade, lab-tested herbal lines to ensure purity, potency, and safety.
Herbal therapy may be combined with:
Nutraceuticals
Functional medicine protocols
Detoxification plans
Hormone & metabolic support
Immune and inflammatory modulation
Digestive & microbiome restoration
Targeted nutraceuticals may also be incorporated to correct deficiencies, support mitochondrial health, enhance detox pathways, and provide precise biochemical support based on your functional test results.
Herbal medicine and nutraceutical therapy work synergistically with acupuncture, lifestyle medicine, and metabolic rehabilitation to create comprehensive, multi-layered healing.
Detoxification & Environmental Medicine
Detoxification protocols may include binders, lymphatic support, antimicrobial botanicals, sauna therapy, liver support, glutathione pathways, and Nrf2 activation. This is especially important for mold illness, mycotoxins, chemical exposures, heavy metals, and environmental toxicants. Detox is always sequenced safely and strategically to avoid overwhelming the body.
Nutrition & Metabolic Rehabilitation
Therapeutic nutrition plans may include anti-inflammatory protocols, blood-sugar balancing strategies, gut-healing diets, mitochondrial-supportive foods, elimination diets, detox-supportive meal plans, or targeted therapeutic diets depending on your physiology. Nutrition is customized to your labs, symptoms, metabolism, and lifestyle — ensuring food becomes a source of healing rather than stress.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation & Nervous System Regulation
Optimizing vagal tone is essential for digestion, hormone balance, inflammation control, and emotional regulation. Vagus-supportive therapies may include auricular acupuncture, breathwork, HRV tracking, gentle vagal nerve stimulation devices, somatic techniques, and targeted lifestyle strategies. These therapies help shift the body from “fight or flight” into a restorative parasympathetic state, allowing deeper healing to occur.
Red Light Therapy (Photobiomodulation)
Red and near-infrared light therapy enhances mitochondrial function, boosts ATP production, reduces inflammation, and speeds healing at the cellular level. It is highly beneficial for chronic pain, muscle recovery, skin health, cognitive function, metabolic balance, and reducing oxidative stress. This non-invasive therapy is often paired with acupuncture, metabolic rehabilitation, and detoxification protocols for deeper synergistic results.
PEMF Therapy (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy)
PEMF uses low-frequency electromagnetic waves to recharge cellular energy, improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and accelerate tissue repair. This therapy is particularly supportive for chronic pain, injuries, mitochondrial dysfunction, poor recovery, and nervous system dysregulation. PEMF complements acupuncture and functional medicine by enhancing oxygenation, supporting detox pathways, and improving overall cellular resilience.
Peptide Support
Peptides may be recommended to support tissue repair, immune modulation, gut healing, metabolic regulation, neurological recovery, or sleep optimization. These biologically active amino acid sequences work at the cellular level to enhance regeneration and restore optimal physiological function.
Common supportive peptides may include BPC-157, TB-500, thymus-based peptides, mitochondrial peptides, or sleep-regulating peptides, depending on your individual needs.
Injection Therapies (Ozone Therapy, Prolotherapy, Trigger Point Injections & Vitamin Injections in Denver)
Injection therapies may be incorporated through collaborating medical providers to support pain relief, tissue regeneration, inflammation control, and metabolic recovery. These therapies can include ozone injections, prolotherapy, trigger point injections, and nutrient or vitamin injections. They are often used for chronic pain, orthopedic injuries, joint instability, nerve irritation, fatigue, and nutrient deficiencies.
Breathwork, Mind-Body Medicine & Lifestyle Optimization
Healing requires more than symptom management — it requires supporting the body’s foundational systems. Breathwork, stress reduction practices, sleep optimization, circadian rhythm support, hydration strategies, and grounding techniques may all be incorporated into your plan. These tools help regulate cortisol, improve mitochondrial health, enhance detoxification, and create sustainable wellness habits.
Corrective Exercise & Movement Rehabilitation
A personalized movement plan may include functional mobility work, posture correction, neuromuscular re-education, therapeutic strengthening, and injury-specific exercises. These strategies help restore structural balance, enhance joint stability, reduce pain, prevent reinjury, and improve athletic performance.
Movement therapy complements acupuncture, PEMF, and metabolic rehabilitation to support long-term musculoskeletal health.
Healing Is a Partnership
You will be fully supported and guided every step of the way.
Our work together includes:
Understanding your health history at a deeper level
Identifying triggers, obstacles, and hidden stressors
Creating a personalized, actionable healing strategy
Monitoring your progress through symptoms and lab work
Making adjustments as your body heals and strengthens
Healing is not linear — but with the right tools, clarity, and support, it becomes predictable and achievable.
Who We Are a Good Fit For
Our approach is ideal for patients who:
Are tired of symptom-chasing
Suspect their labs are “normal” but something is still off
Want a practitioner who listens, investigates, and personalizes
Prefer natural, integrative treatments
Want a long-term solution — not a temporary fix
Are ready to participate in their healing journey
If this resonates with you, you’re exactly where you need to be.
Why Patients Choose Denver Sports & Holistic Medicine
Patients consistently share that they appreciate:
The time we take to understand their full story
The integrative use of Eastern + Western medicine
The depth of testing and personalized analysis
The ability to address complex, unresolved issues
The compassionate guidance throughout their process
Treatment plans that are both effective and realistic
Our goal is to help you feel better now, while strengthening the foundations of your long-term health.
Your Body Can Heal — Let’s Begin That Journey Together
If you’re ready to finally get answers, uncover the root causes of your symptoms, and experience a personalized, integrative approach to healing:
Request a free 15-minute consultation with Dr. Martina Sturm
Let’s take the first step toward restoring your health — naturally and powerfully.
You need a holistic doctor who’s dedicated to uncovering the root cause of your health conditions, and who will partner with you to resolve them. Someone who takes the time to review the details of your health journey and symptoms, and understands the importance of addressing their root cause.