There are three (3) key elements of health freedom:
Financial: The ability to pay for your healthcare
Legal: Having your health preferences available as options for care
While it would be easy to debate which of these keys is the most important, it is also easy to see that access is the most critical. If you are looking for acupuncture, you need to find an acupuncturist that you can get to. If you are looking for a chiropractor, you want one that is close enough to drive to.
Who do we turn to when we feel unheard or overlooked? Are there other options available to us? When should we consider seeking a second opinion, and how do we go about it? These are just a few questions that patients grapple with as they seek medical care. It can be daunting to entrust our well-being to healthcare professionals, especially when their recommendations may not align with our health philosophies or instincts.
One unique and increasingly popular approach to mental health is taking time on the path of a labyrinth.
Labyrinths have been around for more than 4,000 years and are a wonderful way to reduce stress through a mind-body exercise. By combining walking and contemplation, your mind and body sync differently and you release some stress.
Have you considered all the ways that the world has changed since March of 2020 and some of the good that has resulted from those early, crazy days?
Now, on the other side, it is easier to see the benefits of change. More is available from the comfort of home -- No parking hassles! No traffic! The ability to meet with people from all over the world!
Even better, one of the changes to come out of these past few years is that MORE people are looking for holistic approaches to health and wellness, MORE people are open and looking for members like you, who offer products and services for overall wellness and with no negative side effects.
The four (4) types of requests we receive:
What does the IRS say?
Section 213 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) medical expenses to be paid or reimbursed under a Health Savings Account (HSA), Health Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Archer Medical Savings Account (Archer MSA), or Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HAS). The Code generally allows a deduction for expenses paid during the taxable year for medical care if certain requirements are met. Expenses for medical care under section 213 of the Code also are eligible to be paid or reimbursed under an HSA, FSA, Archer MSA, or HRA. However, if any amount is paid or reimbursed under an HSA, FSA, Archer MSA, or HRA, a taxpayer cannot also deduct the amount as a medical expense on the taxpayer's federal income tax return.
*The original version of this recipe is from my oh-so-charming ex. Some of his notes are included for your entertainment (and mine).
Answers to questions you might have about Acupuncture, from cost to training to efficacy.
Massage therapy is a physical touch technique that involves manipulating the soft tissues of the body. Massage therapy is often used to help manage a health condition, reduce stress or enhance wellness. Massage has been practiced in most cultures, both Eastern and Western, throughout human history, and was one of the earliest tools that people used to try to relieve pain. 
There is an overwhelming amount of research showing that stress is a major factor contributing to chronic disease these days.
Traditional Chinese medicine has evolved over thousands of years. Professional practitioners use herbal products and a variety of psychological and physical approaches, which may include acupuncture, tai chi, cupping, gua sha, and other techniques.
The placebo effect is a positive health outcome resulting from a person’s anticipation that a particular technique or therapy will help.
This year, cancer hit too close to home... again.
A consumer called in the other day... As a Chamber of Commerce, this happens when people are looking for a particular type of wellness provider or someone who offers a specific product or service. With our "holistic" designation, we attract consumers looking for acupuncturists, chiropractors, hypnotherapists, nutrition and lifestyle coaches, craniosacral therapists, yoga instructors, reiki masters, meditation and mindfulness teachers, and a multitude of other specialties that are recognized as integrative, functional, complementary or alternative medicine.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised about this diagnosis. It's one my mother received about 20 years ago when she was my age now. At the beginning of 2022, a lump was found and tested. Since then, I've had one surgery and am looking at one more.
Studies are now finding that engaging with art increases blood flow to your brain by as much as 10%.
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?
People are often asking me how health and money are related... They feel confused by how we’ve connected “holistic” to a chamber ofcommerce. This is such a long list that it’s easy to spiral down a rabbit hole. Still, the beginning is fairly simple.
how important it is. The question is, how often do you choose to take care of yourself?
particularly with 5G. We live in a sea of EMFs, Smart Meters, Cell towers, Cell phones, Satellites, Laptops, Microwaves all pulsing EMFs constantly through our body. So, what does that mean for your health?
#IVEGOTANOILFORTHAT is quite literally my favorite hashtag. Why? Because in all the years I have been using Essential Oils, I keep finding new uses for high quality therapeutic oils. From supporting our Immune System, to helping process Emotions, to allowing a restful night’s sleep, and everything in between.
The Holistic Chamber of Commerce has been looking for a holistic-friendly solution for alleviating the costs of healthcare for many years. While, as yet, there’s no perfect solution, we’ve found an attractively-priced product that has the potential to significantly reduce total healthcare costs for those who use holistic services and elect to become members of one of these programs.
Paul Cholak, a long-standing member of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce, is a healthcare advisor to MPB.Health and a licensed agent. Working through Paul, we’re able to offer MPowering Benefits Health programs that combine medical cost sharing to mitigate and control the cost of large medical expenses with virtual care (an enhanced version of telehealth); prescription cost management; a QR life code and personal medical records vault; and personalized concierge services.
Different programs are available for individuals who are employees and want to purchase individual programs; and to employers who want to establish group plans, individual proprietors, and 1099 contractors.
If your health wasn’t important before, it’s a BIG deal now! Hospitals don’t want you. Everywhere you go, including the grocery store, is risky.
We all experience stress and anxiety on occasion (some of us more than others), but there are situations in our life that can raise our stress levels, in such as a divorce, death of a loved one, challenges at work or a job loss, unexpected health diagnoses or simply doing too much and trying to be superhuman day in day out. Often, we might turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with our emotions, such as drinking, smoking, avoiding exercise, overworking or overeating unhealthy comfort foods or sugary treats. During this global COVID-19 condition where our everyday lives are disrupted, we can also feel a sense of ongoing anxiety from the unknowingness of what the future holds for ourselves and our loved ones. While we can recognize lives aren’t always predictable, we can still take our health and wellness into our own hands and a few simple steps to manage our mindset to get through times of uncertainty, overwhelming stress and anxiety.
Shared with permission from Karen Sachs of 