Revive Wellness Center — Establishment and health at 867 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut.

Seeking naturopathic therapies for my elderly parents, I approached Revive Wellness Center. Since I could not get through to a live person by phone, I sent them an email detailing my parents’ serious health conditions, asking what therapies they could offer. I also asked if they provide free phone consultation for prospective patients — since otherwise, I would find it impossible to persuade my mother to break away from medical doctors and try a naturopathic healer. I never received a response to my email; I sent it a second time, to make sure they got it…still no response.

My mother, who lives near the Revive Wellness clinic, tried to go there one day, only to find it closed, with no sign indicating the reason. That happened to be the day of Rosh Hashanah; perhaps people have no need for healthcare on religious holidays? The clinic’s spotty schedule — they’re closed Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus they’re off for lunch between 1:00 and 2:00 PM on the four days they’re open — gives the impression that their practitioners do healthcare as a hobby, rather than as a full-time profession.

Since I’m especially interesting in naturopathic therapy for Lyme disease — a devastating and vastly under-diagnosed illness — I searched for information on Lyme disease on the Revive Wellness Center website. But when I clicked on “Lyme disease,” that took me to a blank page reading, “Coming soon”! Since Connecticut lies in the epicenter of the Lyme epidemic, any competent health clinic there needs to be in the forefront of diagnosis and treatment for Lyme disease.