Take back your health: The 2018 Holistic Columbus Expo connects vendors and speakers to people who believe natural and noninvasive practices should be the first approach to health
Hippocrates of Kos, the classical Greek physician and “Father of Medicine,” is often credited with the famous refrain, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” but scholars do not know who actually first set down the words in writing. Hippocrates was not a lone figure in the wilderness of early medicine; instead, he was the progenitor of an entire school of medical thinking and practice, an extensive and systematic approach to health that resonates to this very day. Whoever formulated the famous call to base one’s health in diet, the wisdom is preserved because it holds true.
The 2018 Holistic Columbus Expo is an outgrowth of this ancient, unassailable wisdom. Some 70 vendors will provide visitors with a wealth of holistic, natural and noninvasive options. Wellness advocates of all stripes—including medical doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists, osteopaths, food consultants and aromatherapists—will be available at the Columbus, Ga. Convention and Trade Center’s North Hall on Aug. 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., to help those new to healthy living get started and to introduce those already on their journey with new practices and options.
The Expo is the brainchild of Tamara Edwards, who developed the idea of a local event after visiting similar conferences all across the US. “I wanted our town to get exposed to healing practices that were not conventional,” Tamara explains. Drawing from her experiences at Mind, Body and Soul Conferences, which are organized by Yoga Journal and the Omega Institute, Tamara reached out to local and regional experts to organize an event that could bring those lessons learned in places as wide-ranging as New York and San Francisco to Columbus.
The response was immense. In the Expo’s first year, 2016, nearly 50 vendors and 3,000 individuals attended the Expo, soaking up and sharing the expertise and wisdom pulled from our own local communities. Of the 60 participating vendors from 2017, almost all are eager to return for this year’s Expo, which is expected to be the most avidly-attended Expo yet. This year-on-year growth, the Expo’s increasing ability to bring together so many vendors, speakers and attendees, is a powerful testament to the established popularity of holistic healing in our area.
No wonder, then, that so many excellent local businesses are proud to sponsor the Expo, including Callaway Blue, The Loft, MaBella’s Italian Steakhouse, Bloomers Lawn & Garden and MercyMed of Columbus. All Expo attendees will receive tickets for drawings for prizes provided by sponsors, including a paddle board from Outside World and a bicycle from Ride On Bikes. Guests will also have the opportunity to hear from expert and insightful speakers at two panel discussions: Conscious Aging and Mental Health, an Honest Discussion. May McDaniel and Jerry Farber, both of whom have been featured in past issues of this magazine, will contribute to the panel on Conscious Aging, sharing their stories of growing old with tenacity.
New to this year’s Expo is the Friday night banquet, also at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center from 6 to 8 p.m.. Speakers include Dale Jackson, a father and business owner, who will share how and and his family have worked hard to provide their beautiful son, who has autism, with a natural wellness plan that includes CBDs; Dr. William Setzer, Professor Emeritus in the Chemistry Department on the University of Alabama, Huntsville, will be on hand to discuss the research behind why essential oils work. For entertainment, don’t miss Jerry Farber, who will bring his unique blend of hip piano fitness and warm-blooded humor, as well as a few friends.
This year’s Holistic Columbus Expo is the perfect opportunity to begin or reinvigorate your commitment to taking charge of your own health while enjoying entertainment—including kickboxing and yoga demonstrations—all under one roof.