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Integrative healthcare expert to speak on 'Power of Self Care' March 29

Free Holistic Health Fair to be held at Cape Henlopen High School
January 23, 2014

The 19th Annual Holistic Health Fair will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, March 29, at Cape Henlopen High School to expand the community’s knowledge of natural healthy foods, local integrative healthcare practitioners, green businesses, and sustainable healthcare practices. Admission is free; families and children are welcome, and food donations are invited at the door.

Keynote speaker Dr. Nancy Gahles, DC, CCH, is an internationally recognized expert in integrative healthcare, currently serves as an at large member for leadership of The Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium and has lectured extensively throughout the United States.

The consortium advocates for an integrative healthcare system with equal access to the full range of health-oriented, person-centered, regulated healthcare professionals. Integrated healthcare gives people access to all the forms of healthcare that are safe and well-regulated in this country, including conventional medicine (which includes integrative medicine as an emerging discipline), allied health professions (such as nursing, physical therapy, social work, psychology, etc.), traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic, therapeutic massage, naturopathic medicine, holistic nursing, direct-entry midwifery, and whole foods nutrition.

A comprehensive, integrated healthcare system will also be a strong voice for healthy environmental and agricultural policies, since what people eat, breathe and drink has such powerful and well-documented effects on their health.

At 1 p.m., in her lecture “The Power of Self-Care,” Gahles will discuss several issues regarding integrative health and the attendees' opportunity to become effective agents of change for their own health. First, she will discuss how current healthcare reform affects the integrative healthcare community. Part of the Affordable Care Act states that insurance companies shall not discriminate against any state-licensed health provider, and Gahles will discuss what that means for long-established disciplines, like acupuncture, Chinese medicine, naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, and midwifery.

Secondly, Gahles will educate the audience about their ability to be in charge of their own healthcare. She will explain how the power of self-care can enable each person to create his or her own wellness portfolio.

The fair also offers a full day’s schedule of lectures, workshops and demonstrations provided by local experts and practitioners. The gymnasium will also be full of exhibitors sharing information and services. The Kids Zone is hosted by Camp Arrowhead, whose counselors will be on hand to offer a full day’s program for children of all ages, with crafts, demonstrations and hands-on activities.

The fair also features a Food Court where attendees are invited to let local, award-winning chefs from Nage Restaurant, Hobos Restaurant and The Birch Tree Café demonstrate delicious, fresh and healthy foods.

Registration for exhibitors and vendors is currently underway and remains open until March 15. Registration forms are available at www.edendelmarva.org. For more information, contact Patty Burkentine at the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce at 302-227-2233, Ext. 15 or email HHF@edendelmarva.org.

Cape Henlopen High School is at 1250 Kings Highway in Lewes. General admission and parking are free. The fair is hosted by the Delmarva Community Wellnet Foundation, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to demonstrating economic solutions for environmental challenges. The Event Sponsor is Discover Bank, and an Education Sponsor is Quakertown Wellness Center.

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