Ever feel daunted by the sheer volume of health and wellness treatments out there? You are not alone.
A growing frustration with conventional care is leading more people to explore alternative and Eastern medical practices. Yet it can be overwhelming when it comes to understanding all of the choices.
What if one had access to a restorative bodywork session, a mini-yoga workout, a healthy snack and a talk with a hypnotherapist or sleep expert, all under one roof? These are just a few of the resources attendees can access at the Santa Cruz Wellness Expo, a Sept. 20 event showcasing 40-plus local fitness, coaching, nutrition, and wellness professionals at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH).
Hosted by the MAH and local media outlets (including Good Times and Growing Up in Santa Cruz), the inaugural expo will showcase dozens of nutrition, holistic health, fitness and self-care advocates through free talks, demos, product samples and more than 40 giveaways, says expo organizer Elizabeth Borelli, founder of Mindful Mediterranean Workshops and Events. “There is a variety of different modalities to experience, including massage, Breema, Reiki and bio-tuning,” Borelli says. The event is expected to take over the entire first floor of the museum, lobby and garden room.
Helping People Thrive
Blue Zone Waters will be handing out samples of hydrogen-rich “structured living water,” a Kangen ionized and alkalized water. “Expos are great because they’re not there to buy, they are there to learn,” says Alayna Nathe, owner of Blue Zone Waters. Nathe invites attendees to learn more about the health benefits of molecular hydrogen water and the scientific principles behind water ionization systems. “I’ll be bringing lots of handouts and flyers to talk about the water specifically.”
“Kangen water is a Japanese word that means specifically returned to origin,” Nathe explains. “Kangen water has a high mineral content, contains molecular hydrogen, is anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory.”
What’s the one thing she wishes more people knew about her business? “Not all water is created equal or treated equal,” Nathe says. “Nor does our body respond the same way to all water.” Celebrating its second anniversary (which fell on Labor Day), Blue Zone provides quarterly water classes and free water in exchange for education. Blue Zone Waters is located at 3617-B Portola Dr. in Pleasure Point.
Alisha Slaughter will be on hand to talk about Alchemy Holistic Mind Body Health, an online and in-person nutrition and movement resource providing a range of services, including yoga classes, health coaching and natural solutions to issues such as mental health, digestive problems and hormonal issues. “I’m really excited about helping people look at nutrition and movement that is going to be best for their bodies to feel vibrant and energetic,” she says. “My passion is 35 and older women.”
Health coaching can help people get to the root cause of their health issues, Slaughter explains. “I don’t think that people get a lot of support in the traditional medical system to get to the root,” she said. “I try to be as much as possible a one-stop shop to deal with chronic health issues and just uplevel their approach to life.”
In addition to tackling digestive issues, mood issues and hormonal health, she recently added nervous system support and somatic guidance to her practice. “Your nervous system can’t be activated all the time,” Slaughter said. “We need strategies to switch into that rest and digest mode.”
Slaughter says the “first 50 or so” guests will receive free hats from her “Self Love Club,” and visitors can try their luck in a drawing for a $275 credit for services.
Fitness facilities—including GOAT, Breath & Oneness Yoga and Santa Cruz CORE Fitness + Rehab—have demos in store for Expo guests. UCSC alum Jaimi Jansen started Santa Cruz CORE as a personal training facility 16 years ago, when she was 26, and now has locations in Santa Cruz and Watsonville. “It started as a personal training facility and grew into a medical clinic,” she says. The business recently added ketamine therapy, platelet-rich plasma therapy and stem cell therapy.
“We are going to have an acupuncturist there, a chiropractor and massage therapist,” Jansen says of her plans for the Expo. “They are going to offer chiropractic evaluations and a mini treatment. We could do a brief injury assessment.”
For those looking to try a more alternative treatment, Jansen will provide ear seeds, a treatment that triggers acupuncture points to work on different meridians of the body. “On the ear, there are a lot of different organs you can treat,” Jansen says. “I found that with strength training and functional movement, it really helped.”
“It’s all about nonsurgical ways to heal your body and live your best life,” Jansen says. “We pride ourselves on getting people better faster. We try to be on the cutting edge of ways to inspire longevity and keep people injury free so they can live an optimal life.”
Additional participants in the Santa Cruz Wellness Expo include Harbor Health Center, Rejuvenate Medispa & Wellness, Amanda Edward Alchemy BeWell IV, Breath & Oneness Yoga Studio, Carrie Asuncion of Keys to Empowerment, holistic gut health specialist Cordelia Sidijaya, Don Nathe of Intuitive Healing Touch, Dr. Alexandra Johnson of Breema Bodywork, Dr. Mayra Sanjuan of Florecer Wellness, Eat for the Earth, Elizabeth Borelli of Mindful Mediterranean Diet & Lifestyle, Empowering Hands Therapeutic Massage, mindset coach Ilana Ingber, spiritual wellness coach Jason Hottel, Maaliea Wilbur of Therapyworks, Dr. Marylou Romo, Neumi Skin, Merry Alanis Quantum Health, Buteyko educator Michelle Dixon, The Essential Canning Cookbook author Molly Bravo, Nurture Women’s Health and Fertility, Rabia Barkins of Unstuck Coaching, Rise Collective gym and studio, Rita Rivera Healing, breathwork teacher Sam Kabert, Reiki master Sam Renfroe, Santa Cruz Ayurveda, Sleep Sovereign, SoulCare Studios, Stacy Pan Hypnotherapy, The Healthy Way Weight and Lifestyle Solutions, Tierra Owen, The Hearth and Ledger, Wild Beauty Cosmetics, GOAT Santa Cruz, Loving Hands Infant Massage, Far West Fungi, Amelia Yeager of Looking Good Feeling Good.
Santa Cruz Wellness Expo happens 1–4pm on Sept. 20 at MAH, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. Free, but register in advance at elizabethborelli.com/scwellnessexpo.
