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March 17, 2025
EAU CLAIRE – Starting out her career as a registered nurse, Laura Hoehn – owner of Natural Health and Vitality – said overall health and well-being have always been important to her.
After earning an associate’s degree in nursing from Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC), Hoehn worked as a nurse case manager within occupational health, increasingly becoming more passionate about functional medicine.
“I felt there was a need in the community for a natural-based care facility,” she said.
Hoehn said that inspired her to further her education and become a board-certified practitioner in natural wellness and certified in Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy – both of which led to the opening of Natural Health and Vitality.
“I have provided alternative health care to those in need, including our furry friends, since 2021,” she said. “I meet you where you’re at in your healthcare journey, facilitating a natural plan that continues to support your health and weight loss needs.”
Four years of growth
Hoehn said she became interested in functional medicine after seasonal allergies stopped her from going on a bike ride with a colleague.
“She asked me if I’d seen this practitioner in Minnesota that helps with allergies,” she said. “I hadn’t heard of him, but I couldn’t make the appointment fast enough. I went to see him, and I was intrigued by what he offered and how he helped me.”
After that appointment, Hoehn said she quickly realized “I want to do this.”
This realization, she said, led to her reaching out to the company that created the software.
“So, I met with a practitioner (who used) Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy (NSRT) – which (was what) he used on me, and she showed me all about what I could do for people with it,” she said. “I instantly called the company and was on my way to purchasing the equipment and starting this new journey.”
Hoehn said she started by scanning her friends and family, but it wasn’t long before others started hearing about it – “that’s when I rented a space” at 3119 Golf Road, Suite 103 in Eau Claire.
“We offer something no one else offers in the area,” she said. “We can even do what we do remotely. We help get to the root cause of symptoms. We listen to the patients and meet them where they are at. We offer a natural approach to a healthier life.”
After a year in business, Hoehn said she purchased the building and now rents the other spaces to three like-minded businesses – Seek Chiropractic, Baby Echoes and Chippewa Valley Myofunctional Therapy.
Hoehn said the Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire played “a huge part in my journey” in starting Natural Health and Vitality.
“The SBDC helped me create a business plan and financial projections and provided bank loan support,” she said.
Hoehn said the SBDC also connected with five CVTC students to help her set up the business’s website and make business cards and brochures.
“The SBDC put me thru multiple business classes and conferences, came and took professional photos and videos of me and my business, created several marketing pieces for me, connected me with One Million Cups, supported me in my first-ever presentation and helped me connect with the Mainstreet Bounce Back Program, which awarded me a $10,000 grant,” she said. “The SBDC is always available for questions and support anytime I need.”
Starting at the root cause
At Natural Health and Vitality, Hoehn said patients start with a 30-minute complimentary consultation.
“Offering a 30-minute consultation lets the patient and us learn about each other,” she said. “We have the opportunity to explain all that we offer and what we think will help them in their health and wellness journey. They also get to tell us their story.”
Hoehn said the main focus of Natural Health and Vitality is treating patients as a whole – “not just a few symptoms.”
Getting to the root cause of a patient’s issues, Hoehn said, starts with NSRT.
“With NSRT, we find the body’s top stressors and top supporters along with allergies, sensitivities, emotions and much more,” she said.
Hoehn said the QI-5 technology she uses not only identifies the top stressors but also creates a report that recommends the top supporters to facilitate natural whole-body healing.
“There are no needles and no waiting for test results – patients discover answers from their very first session,” she said.
Hoehn said Natural Health and Vitality also has a PTL II low level light laser “that when placed on different parts of the body can heal.”
“Light applied to the body at specific points by a laser has been clinically proven to have powerful healing effects,” she said. “When the PTL II is introduced, it carries substance-specific frequencies to the cells, which communicate through the body to the brain, causing the release of natural chemicals which reduce stress and promote healing.”
Natural Health and Vitality is also home to Eau Claire’s only red light therapy bed – which Hoehn said helps with fat reduction/skin/pain and inflammation reduction/circulation through a process called photobiomodulation.
“This means we’re using very specific wavelengths of light to make small changes to the cells,” she said. “Light therapy can result in fat loss and fat cell reduction by introducing red light that triggers the formation of small openings or pores in fat cells, which releases fatty acids known as lipids for a more natural, safe approach to weight loss.”
Hoehn said the bed has sensors in all of its 16 pads that can sense if the intensity should increase or decrease in a certain section of the body.
“Red light also helps mood, energy and sleep,” she said.
Also available at Natural Health and Vitality, Hoehn said, is the Opus Soundbed.
“The Opus Soundbed is a full body wellness bed – it’s like a home gym for your heart,” she said. “Soundbed offers seven channels of spatial sound and vibroacoustic technology to deliver frequency vibrations throughout your body that can wrap around you like a cocoon. This is an experience unlike anything you’ve ever felt before.”
Hoehn said depending on the needs of each patient, Natural Health and Vitality has a handful of targeted treatment options, including Trapped Emotion Therapy, a Stop Smoking/Nicotine Program and a Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Program.
Specifics on all of Natural Health and Vitality’s treatment options, she said, are available on its website at naturalhealthvitalityec.com
In addition to treatments, Hoehn said Natural Health and Vitality offers “professional-grade, high-quality supplements.”
“We’ve even branded our own supplement this past year,” she said.
Just like humans, Hoehn said pets have root causes for problems they are dealing with as well – and Natural Health and Vitality has options for them as well.
“Pets have symptoms, too – itchy, painful fungal ears, licking constantly, coughing, anxiety, kidney disease, after-surgery care, injuries and more,” she said. “One brand of supplement is homeopathy sprays and liquids, so it is safe for pets. Our PTL II healing laser can be used on animals as well. We’ve helped so many recover from injuries within days using our laser. We offer an amber necklace for dogs that is an all-natural flea and tick collar that lasts a year – no poison or chemicals, and they work.”
A slight pivot
Last year, Hoehn said she changed the name of the business slightly in order to better represent what she offers patients.
“Our name was Natural Health and Allergy,” she said. “But when we acquired the red light bed, we thought of how much more we can help people, so we changed allergy to vitality. We still help many people with food, pets and seasonal allergies, but now the business’s name better reflects what we have to offer.”
