TORONTO — In the health care industry, today’s buzzword is “empowerment.” This means giving people a sense of control and informing them of the choices they have for managing their health.
One of those choices is holistic medicine, which is in the spotlight at the Holistic World Expo, March 14 to 16, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The event features guest speakers and about 200 exhibitors offering items ranging from nutritional supplements and organic baby-care products to chips that claim to block harmful radiation from cellphones and reduce the risk of getting cancer. There are also yoga, homeopathic medicine, biofeedback and massage therapy demonstrations.
“This event is for people who are already living a healthy lifestyle and for those who have heard about wellness and are looking for ways to change their life,” says Yvette Murray, the show’s producer.
“We don’t see ourselves as ‘New Age’ tree huggers… Our aim is to provide knowledge for people who want to know more about empowering themselves. There’s something for everyone here.”
Statistics show that more people are embracing holistic medicine and looking to create a holistic lifestyle. According to a 2004 study by the Pew Internet Project, about six million people log onto the Internet every day to search health-related websites.
According to the study, 51 per cent sought information dealing with nutrition, vitamins and supplements (up from 44 per cent in 2002), while 23 per cent looked for data on experimental treatments and experimental medications (up from 18 per cent).
According to the American Holistic Health Association, a holistic lifestyle encourages people to balance and integrate their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual sides; establish respectful, co-operative relationships with others and the environment; make wellness-oriented lifestyle choices; and actively participate in their health decisions and healing process.
Murray says strengthening the mind-body-spirit connection is the key to good health. “Once you start taking better care of yourself, you feel lighter and more open to the mental flow of life. When you feel better, you have a more positive attitude. And people who become more joyful quite often become more consciously aware of a higher power. After all, spirituality is part of the healing process.”
One of the Holistic World Expo’s featured presenters is author and motivational speaker Bijan Anjomi, 64, left. Born in Iran, Anjomi came to the United States when he was 19 years old to study engineering. He went on to create his company, Effortless Prosperity, drawing on his Jewish background and knowledge of philosophy and world religions.
According to the company’s website, www. effortlessprosperity.com, its aim is “to assist in opening people’s hearts to joy, peace and a life of Effortless Prosperity.” The company sells books and CDs, and Anjomi gives workshops worldwide. He has recently spoken about health, spirituality and empowerment in India, China and Japan.
Anjomi says that he has not been sick for a day in the past 18 years. “I stay healthy through clean living. I have no desire to smoke, drink or do drugs. I meditate a lot and stay connected to spirit. And I constantly choose to experience joy and peace, and avoid dark emotions.”
At the expo, Anjomi will give two lectures: “Effortless Money – What is the Energy of Money?” and “Fantastic Relationships – No Matter What!”
“Both of my talks are about recognizing the opportunities for happiness around you,” he says. “
If you believe you can have money or be loved, then you will attract money and love into your life. If you don’t believe it, you will not attract these things you desire. However, if you’re unhappy with who or where you are, then you have the power to change your life.”
Presenters and vendors at the expo include Body and Hair Direct and Premier Spa Boutique, which import organic skin-care products from Israel; Leda Health Innovations, which imports and manufactures natural skin-care products for pregnant women and babies; Advantage Health Matters, which offers a line of organic nutritional supplements; BioPro Technology, whose products aim to block harmful radiation emissions from wireless electronic products; and Just For Me Music, which sells educational yet fun music for children.
“The songs on my CDs talk about things like food groups, the alphabet and safety issues,” says Mark Alexander, the executive producer of Just For Me Music. “What makes the CDs unique are each one is personalized with a child’s name, therefore he or she will pay more attention to the information in the song.”
And how do children’s music CDs fit in at a holistic health show? “Music and spirituality go hand in hand,” Alexander says. “Every religion prays with music. Plus, children have a love of music. Songs touch the spirit of everyone.”
For more information about the Holistic World Expo, call 416-966-2626 or visit www.holisticworld.org.