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NEDERLAND — Enhance Wellness focuses on the ‘why’ behind weight loss, nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle.

Tamara Vandiver is a certified nurse practitioner and owner of Enhance Wellness, a business that helps the community with weight-related health conditions.

“Prior to Enhance Wellness, this place was a weight loss company, and it still is to some people,” Vandiver said. “That company focused on weight loss with diet. In December, we switched to the company Healthwise. It’s the same concept, just a little bit different of a program.”

Enhance Wellness offers an array of products and services from monthly vitamin subscriptions to nutritional advice.

“We can do hormonal replacement therapy, physicals, DOT physicals, regular office visits with nutritional counseling, supplements and more,” Vandiver said. “It’s overall health and wellness.”

One of the most notable services offered includes the DNA body scan. A program that takes a person’s DNA and offers the best-personalized diet and exercise plan based on its findings.

Vandiver said the $250 kit is sent home with the patient.

“You swab your mouth, send it off for about three weeks and it will give you a 40-plus page report on everything you need to know about vitamin deficiency, fat or carb sensitivities, what kind of exercise you need to do, recovery methods, inflammation problems and more,” she said. “It’s a whole lot. Once we take the DNA sample, we can link it back to your health assessment and hone into what you need to do. It tells you what you need to know about your body, diet and exercise.”

Vandiver said the product, and company, are all about finding the ‘why’ behind weight loss and health issues.

“I want people to know the why behind each decision or reaction and not just fix it with medicine,” she said. “Medicine can cause things to happen internally, and not everyone can absorb meds the same way. So our job is to find a more holistic, personalized approach to weight loss and diet.”

The Enhance Wellness program’s been successful in weaning patients off of harmful medication or eating habits.

Jennifer Garcia, the business’ office manager, said she’s seen the changes made in people for several years now.

“It really helps to hold our patients accountable,” she said. “When people know they have to come in and see us, it helps them to make better choices.”

Garcia said health is a top priority in most people’s lives.

“A lot of people don’t know the things they are eating are bad for them,” she said. “We ask people to keep a food diary and that helps a lot. It also helps personalize the journey. Everyone is not the same, and you can’t put a price on your health. Health is everything.”

As a certified practitioner, Vandiver has studied health in many aspects. After graduating in 2016 from South University in Georgia, she practiced family medicine at CHRISTUS and took a turn at Beaumont’s Wellness Clinic before starting Enhance Wellness.

“I like helping people become a better version of themselves,” she said. “People don’t like taking medicine, and I try to help them wean from that and try a more holistic approach. I like to help people find their why.”

Enhance Wellness, 3312 FM 365 in Nederland, is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and accepts cash, check, card, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Care Credit.

Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are accepted. To book an appointment, call 409-853-1000 or visit Enhance Wellness on Facebook.