After 16-plus years in the healthcare industry, Allison Laney realized that the system was fundamentally broken.
She worried that synthetic treatments were taking precedence over natural solutions, and that bureaucracy was making it harder to get to the source of patients’ problems.
It was her determination to find the cause of her youngest son, Griffin’s, illness that prompted Laney to act. Her family had just returned from living overseas for two years and noticed a sudden change in his behavior — so much so that his teachers said he couldn’t write his name when he had been able to before. Anxiety manifested in uncontrollable meltdowns, and at age 4, he had stopped growing.
“It was as if my normal child was becoming autistic,” Laney recalls, “but I refused to accept that a perfectly normal, high-functioning child could somehow fade away into something no one had answers for.”
She enrolled in a functional medicine class and continued her learning with several other courses. Through testing and her education, Laney connected her son’s dramatic decline to heavy metal toxicity with a yeast overgrowth — which the family was exposed to during their time in Spain.
As she started addressing these factors, she says, “Our child began coming back to us.”
“I recognized that true healing goes beyond symptom management,” Laney adds. “I chose to transition from traditional Western medicine into integrative holistic medicine to focus on addressing root causes, transforming patient lifestyles and helping prevent and even reverse disease through a more personalized, whole-body approach.”
That desire drove Laney to found Roots Wellness Center in January of 2023. The business, which is located on the outskirts of Gulfport, focuses on the underlying cause of disease — providing customized care that involves the mind, body and spirit.
“I thought I would do a little functional medicine virtually and have a couple patients per week here and there,” Laney says, “and now we have a brick-and-mortar business nestled on a farm to promote true rest and healing.”
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WELLNESS
Laney’s passion for prevention also led her to launch Lil Shrimps Swim Academy in 2013 to teach children vital water survival skills. During her years in the trenches of the emergency department, she saw how often — and how quickly — tragic situations can arise.
“I’ve trained six instructors through the years who have impacted children’s lives,” Laney says, “and collectively we just continue to make a dent in one of the worst and most preventable causes of childhood deaths.”
Now, that same commitment extends to Roots, which takes a holistic approach to wellness.
“We address your mind with our (licensed clinical social workers), your spirit with our Christian counselors and your body with our acupuncturist or massage therapist,” Laney says. “Our family nurse practitioner and pediatrician are the first stop to serve your medical needs.”
ALL-NATURAL HEALING
During their visit to Roots, guests can expect to receive the same type of services they would from a typical primary care physician or a specialist. The difference: Their treatment plan will include lifestyle changes, including supplements. They also will receive education in key areas like nutrition, sleep and stress management.
Private clientele can take advantage of a red-light sauna, cold plunge, an indoor pool and IV therapy. Roots also offers a selection of supplements and hand-made tinctures, and during the colder months, products like elderberry cough syrup and flu bombs surge in popularity.
“There is nothing more amazing than using things that grew here on earth to show that your body can heal fully without chemicals,” Laney says.
LOVE, DEDICATION AND PASSION
Many clients are families with children facing unexplained illnesses, as well as adults who are, as Laney puts it, “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” The center’s setting, she adds, is therapeutic in itself.
“Everyone questioned why we would build the center in the country, and honestly, it’s such a niche item that we knew if we built it, they would come,” Laney says. “And we didn’t want to be in unbelievable debt while serving people. One of the biggest parts of our mission is teaching financial and time freedom for true healing.”
Looking back, Laney is most proud that she had the support of her family — including her husband, Greg — as she grew her business. At its heart, Roots is a labor of love — a place where faith, science and nature intersect to restore people to wellness.
“We have poured everything into the success of (this business),” Laney says. “I hope our love, dedication and passion shine more than anything.”