Patients seek alternative paths for chronic conditions From the cover
What you need to know
approach increased from 19.2% in 2002 to 36.7% in 2022, according to a 2022 National Health Interview Survey. In 2025, there were roughly 308,000 alternative medicine providers in the country, according to global research rm IBISWorld—a number that jumped more than 5% since 2020. Houston’s Bay Area saw a similar increase, with many businesses opening during that time frame.
35-minute drive every other month to receive care from Cho. “I travel to see her because seeing her is that important to me,” Garza said. Garza is one of many taking advantage of the growing alternative services available for chronic conditions. The percentage of U.S. adults who reported using at least one complementary health
When Manvel resident Danica Garza chose to undergo weight loss surgery in 2022, she said she knew the decision would have a major impact on her health—particularly her hormone levels. A friend of Garza’s recommended The Hive, a holistic wellness center in Clear Lake owned by Elyse Cho, a certi ed nurse midwife and one of three practitioners at the center. Three years later, Garza now makes the
Holistic and functional medicine business in the Houston Bay Area
The Hive- A Place for Wellness • 1001 Pineloch Drive, Ste. 800, Houston • Opened: 2022
Aspire Medical and Wellness PLLC • 913 Hardesty Ave., Ste. A, Seabrook • Opened: 2020
Clear Lake Integrative Medicine • 1335 Regents Park Drive, Ste. 110, Houston • Opened: 2020
SOURCE: GOOGLE MAPS COMMUNITY IMPACT
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Miracles and Naturopathy • 1011 W. Bay Area Blvd., Ste. Spa, Webster • Opened: 2025
CLEAR LAKE
Clear Lake Integrative Medicine • 1335 Regents Park Drive, Ste. 110, Houston • Opened: 2020
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Center for Collaborative Medicine • 1011 W. Bay Area Blvd., Ste. Spa, Webster • Opened: N/A
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646 “We want patients to live better lives with less restriction … and be able to accomplish goals ... whether it’s just playing with their kids in their backyard or running the Houston Marathon.”
“[Miracles and Naturopathy] is more than just herbs and nutrition. This is about whole body, mind and spirit.” ELIZABETH MILES, NATUROPATHIC PRACTITIONER, MIRACLES AND NATUROPATHY
Mind and Body Solutions • 210 Genesis Blvd., Ste. C, Webster • Opened: 2020
EARL F. HENDRIKZ, D.C., FOUNDER OF CLEAR LAKE INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
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Why it matters
help get to the root cause of patients’ ailments. “I’m never going to tell you I don’t have an answer, and I’m never going to say there’s nothing we can do, because there’s always something you can do, because there’s always a root cause,” Wilson said.
eventually required a pacemaker and her undergo- ing a full abdominal hysterectomy at age 31. These experiences led her to pursue a career in functional medicine and holistic wellness, she said. Wilson opened Aspire in 2020. By o ering an approach that integrates both Western medicine and alternative medicine, Wilson said she’s able to
Nurse practitioner Amy Wilson, who is also the owner of Aspire Medical and Wellness in Seabrook, said she is no stranger to health complications. She said contracting Epstein-Barr virus set o a 20-year struggle with chronic fatigue. Within the rst year of her illness, she lost an ovary due to complications from ibuprofen use. This
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