Natural Health Center of Medical Lake has a new name – we are now Essential Health Group. Same team, same location, same great care. Learn more ›
★ VA Preferred Provider
Essential Health Group
Smarter, Team-Based Pain Relief – All Under One Roof
We don’t just mask your pain – we help you understand your body, restore movement, and reclaim your quality of life through integrated, whole-person care.
We care for your physical and mental health needs, at one convenient location.
What Brings You In?
- Back & Neck Pain
- Chronic Pain
- Sports Injury & Recovery
- Depression & PTSD
- General & Family Health
Many patients come to us after months of trying everything else.
What Brings You In?
Back & Neck Pain? | Chronic Pain? | Sports Injury? | Depression? | PTSD?
You've tried the prescriptions, the rest, maybe even another clinic.
That’s why we take a different approach: treating the cause, not just the symptom, with a coordinated team that actually communicates.
At Essential Health Group (formerly Natural Health Center of Medical Lake), the same trusted team you’ve relied on for years, now with an expanded range of services to care for your whole self. Whether you’re seeking relief from chronic pain, recovering from an injury, or looking for support with your mental health, Essential Health Group brings physical and mental healthcare together under one roof in Medical Lake.
“My doctor just keeps prescribing more pills”
“I’ve already been to three different providers”
Our integrated model means one location, shared records, and a care team that coordinates behind the scenes. No more starting over at every appointment.
“Standard treatment hasn’t helped my PTSD”
We’re a VA preferred provider specialising in PTSD and depression for veterans and first responders. Led by retired USAF veteran Dr. Candie Wellwood, DNP, PMHNP.
“The depression is making the pain worse”
Physical and mental health are deeply connected. We treat both — physical medicine, psychiatry, and advanced therapies like TMS and Spravato, under one roof.
Everything you need. One location.
Each category of care has its own specialist team – but they work together so your treatment is always coordinated. You’ll never have to explain your history twice.
Essential Family Care
Your long-term health partner – family medicine, wellness checks, and coordination across your whole care.
Essential Psychiatry
PTSD, depression, anxiety, and mood disorders – compassionate, evidence-based care in-person and via telehealth.
Essential Regenerative Medicine
PRP, prolotherapy, placental cord tissue, and perineural injections – harnessing your body’s own healing ability.
Essential Physical Therapy
Fully equipped rehab gym, sports injury recovery, pelvic floor therapy, and personalised home exercise programmes.
Essential Chiropractic
Spinal alignment, mobility restoration, and drug-free pain relief for acute injuries and chronic conditions alike.
Essential Massage Therapy
Medical massage to reduce inflammation, improve circulation, relieve muscle tension, and restore function.
Essential Medical Management
Hormone therapy, medication review, specialist coordination, and ongoing pain management support.
Essential Ozonated Therapies
Ozone injections and UV blood irradiation to reduce inflammation, improve motion, and accelerate tissue healing.
TMS Therapy
FDA-approved treatments for major depression – covered by most insurances, inc VA, TriCare, Medicare, & Medicaid.
FOUR PILLARS PF CARE
Every category. Every specialty. One team.
Most clinics do one thing. We do four – and they work together. When your physical pain and your mental health are both addressed, recovery happens faster and results last longer.
Primary & Family Medicine
Your long-term health partner. From family medicine to hormone therapy and pain management, we coordinate your entire health picture.
Psychiatry & Mental Health
Led by retired USAF veteran Dr. Candie Wellwood, DNP, PMHNP. Specialising in PTSD, depression, and mood disorders - for veterans, first responders, and civilians.
Physical & Manual Therapies
Where most patients begin. Hands-on, active rehabilitation that restores movement, reduces pain, and builds lasting resilience.
Regenerative & Injection Care
When the body needs support to heal itself. Cutting-edge biologics and injection therapies that repair tissue and reduce inflammation without surgery.
Serving Those Who Served Us
Our psychiatric and pain management teams understand the weight that veterans and first responders carry. We’ve built our services around helping you carry less of it. Our psychiatric team is led by retired USAF Staff Sergeant Candie Wellwood, DNP, PMHNP – a veteran who has walked the same path.
Why Essential Health Group
What gold-standard care looks like - and how we deliver it
We don’t just say we’re comprehensive. Here’s how our model aligns with what the research actually recommends for effective pain and mental health treatment.
Treatment Pathway at EHG
| What research recommends | What we deliver at Essential Health Group |
|---|---|
| ✓ Multimodal, team-based care — Sciatica / Nerve Pain | All services under one roof with shared patient records |
| ✓ Active rehab & personalised exercise — Knee Osteoarthritis | PT plans with real-time progress updates |
| ✓ Avoid unnecessary opioids or surgery — Spinal Stenosis | Non-invasive regenerative medicine and diagnostics |
| ✓ Whole-person care including mental health — Arthritis (Multiple Joints) | On-site psychiatric and emotional wellness support |
A team that knows your name
Every patient at Essential Health Group works with real, consistent specialists. Our providers collaborate behind the scenes so your care stays coordinated — and you only ever have to tell your story once.
Dr. Christopher Wellwood ARNP, NP-C, DC
Physical medicine, regenerative therapy, pain management, and chiropractic care
Dr. Candie Wellwood DNP, PMHNP
Psychiatry, PTSD, depression, and mood disorders — retired USAF Staff Sergeant veteran
300+ five-star reviews on Google
Insights from our care team
Medical Lake Pain Management – All Under One Roof
We’re Not Just a Pain Clinic — Here’s What We Actually Specialize In Many people first come to Essential Health Group because they’re in pain. Back pain. Neck pain. Joint pain that won’t go away. And yes — we treat those conditions every single day. But we are not...
Lower Back Arthritis Chiropractic Treatment
When someone asks me about arthritis chiropractic treatment for chronic lower back pain, I usually start with one simple idea: the more comfortably we can restore motion in the joints, the more often pain starts to calm down and function starts to come back. In the...
How to Prevent ACL Injury
How to Prevent ACL Injury: Proven Strategies for Stronger, Safer Knees An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury can be devastating—especially for athletes and active individuals. Each year, over 250,000 people in the U.S. tear their ACL, one of the four key...