Health and Wellness

Holistic-Friendly Healthcare Programs

Our Partnership 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, who is 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 MPHealth’s 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.

Your Health and the Local Hospital

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.

First, let’s consider the fact that hospitals are turning people away. They are overflowing AND don’t want the risk of having you get infected with something worse than what you already have. My mother went in for a heart procedure and was sent home the very next day (thankfully, she is healthy enough to recover quickly). I know of someone else who went in with a stroke and was turned away without being treated.

It is now your responsibility to stay healthy and avoid the current pandemic as well as any other health-related problems. What are you to do?

In other words, how do you stay healthy, even during these stressful times where we’ve all been handed a series of uncomfortable circumstances?

6 Steps to Stay Healthy During Times of Stress

Posted by Beth Romanski & Camille Leon

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.

Save Money on Your Taxes!

Did you know that certain holistic health expenses can be deducted from your taxes? IRS Publication 502 lists these allowable expenses*. They include:

Essential Oils & You

Posted by Camille Leon

Theoretically, we all know that each person’s body has different health and wellness responses and preferences. At the same time, we often want to know what has worked for others in hopes that it will also work for us...

Essential oils are no different. What works for you may or may not work for me, and vice versa.

Just like penicillin works for some people while others are allergic to it.

Still, it helps to know what works for others. Often, that knowledge can help us find a solution that will work for you. Here is a short list of uses of essential oils that help relieve specific concerns.

Creating Your Bridge

Posted by Camille Leon

In health and business, there is always a bridge from where we are to where we are going, whether that is where we are headed given your current trajectory or where we want to be going when focused on our goals. Where is your bridge taking you?

Stress and the Mind-Body Connection

Are negative thoughts weighing you down?

Specialists like Charles Lightwalker know that, at the office, stress can decrease productivity because worry wastes time better spent taking care of the task at hand.

Stress is also one of the key factors in many chronic conditions, including diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Some heart attacks have such a strong Mind-Body connection that there is a term for it: Broken Heart Syndrome.

I Hate Needles

It’s odd that I’m so in love with acupuncture as a healing and wellness technique… After all, I hate needles.

As a child, I had allergies and asthma and shots were part of my regular routine. Ugh!

Now, acupuncture is one of my favorite techniques for relieving stress, reducing pain and maintaining overall health.

The “needles” are more like fine filaments and a skilled acupuncturist can prepare you for your session with a minimum of discomfort.

Among the oldest healing practices in the world, acupuncture is one of several traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) techniques. Other specialties, such as herbs, qi gong and tai chi, are included under the umbrella of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

My Love Affair with... Dairy

Like many, I had new year’s goals (yes, resolutions) that kick in on 1/1 of any year. It’s a social ritual all around the world.

This year, my list includes health-related goals: get fit, starting with weight loss. Then, maintain.

What about you? What are your goals and resolutions for 2018? Are you on your way or stuck from the get-go?

It’s easy, we tell ourselves. If so-and-so can do it, I can, too.

Holistic Health Care IS Tax-Deductible

Did you know that certain holistic health expenses can be deducted from your taxes? IRS Publication 502 lists these allowable expenses*. They include:

Acupuncturists
Body Scans
Chiropractors
Christian Science Practitioners
Osteopaths
Psychologists
Stop Smoking Programs
Weight Loss Programs

Got Pain? Want Opioids?

When you see articles about opioids in Inc. Magazine and on the front page of the L.A. Times, you know it’s an epidemic that is impacting lives and businesses all over. According to the November 2017 deaths quadrupled from 2011-2015. The November 8, 2017 L.A. Times article quantifies this to an average of 91 deaths per day. Almost 2 million Americans are addicted to opiates and narcotic painkillers, both illegal and prescription.

Health Freedom

Most people would agree that there are 3 key elements of health freedom

Financial: The ability to pay for your healthcare
Legal: Having your health preferences approved as options for care
Access: Being able to find your preferred product/service

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 breast thermographer, especially for the first time, but the closest one you can find is in another state, it will cost more to get there and take more time. How do you find one that is close to where you live or work?

Wellness in the Workplace

In this modern era, staying healthy is key to success. When we get sick, it impacts our ability to work with others and our energy for working at today's fast pace.

Smart companies are engaging in wellness conversations to support their employees and organizations like LinktoEXPERT (LtE) and the Holistic Chamber of Commerce (HCC) are collaborating to support their efforts.

LtE and the HCC connect executives and entrepreneurs who want to make the world a better place to live, work and play. These collaborations create powerful ripple effects in communities throughout North America.

Holistic Health Care

What is holistic health care and how can it help you?

There was a time when holistic health care was mostly seen as referring to Chiropractic and Acupuncture. Back then, some people were aware of Hypnotherapy and Colon Hydrotherapy as additional options.

Today, there are hundreds of holistic health techniques available and we have started a glossary at the Holistic Chamber of Commerce website to help people like you find the solution that best fits your needs.

Heartbreak, Healing & Hope

It's easy to forget. I want to forget. I remember because there are still so many people living with heartbreak and it's not the romantic kind.

Some things can't be fixed with just another pill.

Children are growing up in homes where domestic abuse, child abuse, bullying and even isolation are part of the daily dynamic. Their hearts and wills are broken before they are even teenagers. They grow up to become adults with anger and other unresolved emotional issues.

If they grow up at all.

New Research: Parkinson's Disease & Laughter Yoga

According to a new study published in EXPLORE May/June 2016, Vol. 12, No. 3, by Debra Swedberg DeCaro, MSW, and Jodi L. Constantine Brown, Ph.D., MSW, "laughter improves physical and psychological health-related outcomes across diseases and populations. Research related to psychological outcomes is prevalent with studies showing that laughter helps with stress, mood, memory, interpersonal relationships, psychological well-being, and quality of life."

By stimulating the amygdala, laughter may be helpful for adults with Parkinson's Disease (PD) because deficits involving functions regulated by the amygdala have been implicated in PD symptoms. Laughter can create an increase in dopamine production, and thus an increase in positive mood in adults with PD, as evidenced by anecdotal accounts and new research. Laughter Yoga (LY) may be a viable intervention for adults because of these connections which impact "stress, mood, memory, interpersonal relationships, psychological well-being, and quality of life."

It's Never Too Late (aka You Can Start Today)

Moving your body is essential to staying healthy and feeling good. You may think it is too late for you, but it’s not. It’s never too late to start exercising; you just need to move!

Whether you feel as if you're too old or too overweight, it doesn't matter...

Exercise does so much good for both your body and your brain. And you know that old expression “If you don’t use it, you lose it”, well, it’s true!

To start exercising you don’t have to begin by running a marathon, you just need to move. Here are 3 easy ways to get started:

Freedom of Choice

Generally speaking, we have a lot of freedom here in the U.S. and Canada. We are free to say what we want, travel where when we want, eat and drink what we want... Well, mostly anyway.

After all, there was that raid on a raw foods co-op in Venice Beach (CA) a few years ago.

At the same time, when people don't know what their options are, or how to access those options because they are off the beaten path or too far away, then how free are they to make any choice other than the status quo?

Is Holistic & Natural Health Care Affordable?

As the Founder and Executive Director of The Holistic Chamber of Commerce, this is one of the most

frequently asked questions that I hear…

“Can I afford natural and holistic health care?” Sadly, some people aren’t even asking this question… They’re assuming they can’t.

The truth is that these types of preventative health and wellness solutions will often SAVE you money!

Getting Started

Well, that’s all well and good for you, Camille… But I’m not into that kind of stuff. Really? You’re not? You actually are looking forward to the inevitable if you stay stuck in your current health habits? Do I need to tell you what the obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer statistics are?

There are many ways to “get on board” with the whole health movement, and get your friends and family involved as well. It's easier and more fun when people come along with you!

You know it's good for you... What are you waiting for? Try these ideas on and see what fits best.

The Super Seven

So what are the super seven complementary and integrative health and wellness techniques? Sometimes known as ‘holistic,’ these techniques often work hand-in-hand with Western allopathic methods for healing illness and recovering from injuries. Other times, they are used on their own as a means of preventing illness in the first place.

Holistic Healing Helps

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by “information overload?” OMG, I do! From home to the office are the traffic lights and the digital billboards cluttering the view; I’ll get home later to see if the DVR did its job. That’ll be good, since my GPS sent me on a wild goose chase today when “she” was recalibrating. My cell phone call (hands-free, of course) was interrupted by a few too many texts and tweets.

Have you ever... Colon Hydrotherapy?

OMG! I can’t believe I did it! I mean, my only previous exposure to colon hydrotherapy, usually referred to as ‘colonics,’ is the Sarah Jessica Parker scene in LA Story, a movie from 1991. Her character is young and perky and yet she emerges even younger and perkier.

Several motivators finally got me in the door to try this controversial technique.

Benjamin Franklin & Me

What do I have in common with Benjamin Franklin? I never would’ve guessed this one… He was also a proponent of sound therapy!

Benjamin Franklin, recognized and respected for many prominent activities and inventions, is lesser known as the inventor of the glass 'armonica.’ Not to be confused with the harmonica, Franklin’s armonica is now more commonly known as the bowl organ and is related to ‘singing bowls’ used by sound therapists.

Why I Choose Holistic Solutions

About 20 years ago, I became interested in a holistic approach to healthcare… when I was diagnosed with osteo-arthritis and told by my medical doctor that there was nothing that could be done for me-- that I would be in a wheelchair by the time I was 55. Well, I’ll be 60 years old this year and am still going strong, walking my dogs every day and very active.

Did you know... Sesame Seeds?

Did you know that sesame seeds have been shown to help with Vascular and Respiratory Health as well as Rheumatoid Arthritis? The science behind the suggestion: Because of the amount of manganese and copper in sesame seeds, they are a good source of nutrition for these health concerns and others.

The Gap between Talking & Walking

Each January seems to bring new resolutions for most of us. Are you ready to keep them this year? That is, keep them past the first week (or month) of 2011? The best way to do that is to beat the gap between talking your talk and walking your walk!

Now that we’re half-way through the year, it’s time to consider…

According to Jerold Mitchell at WPS Payroll, “There’s not just a gap between talking and walking. There’s a chasm as big as the Grand Canyon.”

Written to educate, inform and inspire those seeking more holistic and eco-friendly ways of staying healthy, wealthy and wise!

Holistic-Friendly Healthcare Programs

Your Health and the Local Hospital

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.

It is now your responsibility to stay healthy and avoid the current pandemic as well as any other health-related problems. What are you to do?

In other words, how do you stay healthy, even during these stressful times where we’ve all been handed a series of uncomfortable circumstances?

6 Steps to Stay Healthy During Times of Stress

Posted by Beth Romanski & Camille Leon

Save Money on Your Taxes!

Did you know that certain holistic health expenses can be deducted from your taxes? IRS Publication 502 lists these allowable expenses*. They include:

Essential Oils & You

Posted by Camille Leon

Essential oils are no different. What works for you may or may not work for me, and vice versa.

Just like penicillin works for some people while others are allergic to it.

Creating Your Bridge

Posted by Camille Leon

Stress and the Mind-Body Connection

Are negative thoughts weighing you down?

Specialists like Charles Lightwalker know that, at the office, stress can decrease productivity because worry wastes time better spent taking care of the task at hand.

I Hate Needles

It’s odd that I’m so in love with acupuncture as a healing and wellness technique… After all, I hate needles.

As a child, I had allergies and asthma and shots were part of my regular routine. Ugh!

Now, acupuncture is one of my favorite techniques for relieving stress, reducing pain and maintaining overall health.

The “needles” are more like fine filaments and a skilled acupuncturist can prepare you for your session with a minimum of discomfort.

My Love Affair with... Dairy

Like many, I had new year’s goals (yes, resolutions) that kick in on 1/1 of any year. It’s a social ritual all around the world.

This year, my list includes health-related goals: get fit, starting with weight loss. Then, maintain.

What about you? What are your goals and resolutions for 2018? Are you on your way or stuck from the get-go?

It’s easy, we tell ourselves. If so-and-so can do it, I can, too.

Holistic Health Care IS Tax-Deductible

Did you know that certain holistic health expenses can be deducted from your taxes? IRS Publication 502 lists these allowable expenses*. They include:

Acupuncturists
Body Scans
Chiropractors
Christian Science Practitioners
Osteopaths
Psychologists
Stop Smoking Programs
Weight Loss Programs

Got Pain? Want Opioids?

Health Freedom

Most people would agree that there are 3 key elements of health freedom

Financial: The ability to pay for your healthcare
Legal: Having your health preferences approved as options for care
Access: Being able to find your preferred product/service

Wellness in the Workplace

In this modern era, staying healthy is key to success. When we get sick, it impacts our ability to work with others and our energy for working at today's fast pace.

Holistic Health Care

What is holistic health care and how can it help you?

Heartbreak, Healing & Hope

It's easy to forget. I want to forget. I remember because there are still so many people living with heartbreak and it's not the romantic kind.

Some things can't be fixed with just another pill.

If they grow up at all.

New Research: Parkinson's Disease & Laughter Yoga

It's Never Too Late (aka You Can Start Today)

Moving your body is essential to staying healthy and feeling good. You may think it is too late for you, but it’s not. It’s never too late to start exercising; you just need to move!

Whether you feel as if you're too old or too overweight, it doesn't matter...

Exercise does so much good for both your body and your brain. And you know that old expression “If you don’t use it, you lose it”, well, it’s true!

To start exercising you don’t have to begin by running a marathon, you just need to move. Here are 3 easy ways to get started:

Freedom of Choice

Generally speaking, we have a lot of freedom here in the U.S. and Canada. We are free to say what we want, travel where when we want, eat and drink what we want... Well, mostly anyway.

After all, there was that raid on a raw foods co-op in Venice Beach (CA) a few years ago.

Is Holistic & Natural Health Care Affordable?

As the Founder and Executive Director of The Holistic Chamber of Commerce, this is one of the most

Getting Started

There are many ways to “get on board” with the whole health movement, and get your friends and family involved as well. It's easier and more fun when people come along with you!

You know it's good for you... What are you waiting for? Try these ideas on and see what fits best.

The Super Seven

Holistic Healing Helps

Have you ever... Colon Hydrotherapy?

Several motivators finally got me in the door to try this controversial technique.

Benjamin Franklin & Me

What do I have in common with Benjamin Franklin? I never would’ve guessed this one… He was also a proponent of sound therapy!

Why I Choose Holistic Solutions

Did you know... Sesame Seeds?

The Gap between Talking & Walking

Now that we’re half-way through the year, it’s time to consider…

According to Jerold Mitchell at WPS Payroll, “There’s not just a gap between talking and walking. There’s a chasm as big as the Grand Canyon.”