Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event Recap ~ Presenters

I hope everyone has had a great week and enjoying what, at least in North Carolina, is some gorgeous weather.  I wrote just a quick recap earlier this week about the Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event from this past Saturday, but said I would go into more depth throughout the next few days/weeks.  So today I wanted to touch on the Presentations.

To begin with, wow, the diverse topics were such that I think everyone probably would have been able to find something of interest.  To view all of the presenters please check out Charlotte NC Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event site.  This year I was intrigued by many of the presentation topics, but in my endeavor to see all the vendors I chose three to attend. 

The three I attended were:

1) Jenna Drew who spoke about "Natural Solutions for Digestive Wellness with Essential Oils."

I absolutely loved this presentation.  It was engaging, entertaining and very relatable.  At one point, I was thinking okay, did they talk to my mom about my symptoms?  I also enjoyed that she had some hand on examples to try with the oils.  I never imagined how refreshing the scent of peppermint oil warmed on my hands would be, or how it could help with headaches, etc.

I am not a spur of the moment shopper, but since I had been researching essential oils for a little bit, heard stories about the health benefits and really related to Jenna and her mother (and their own stories) my mom and I signed up!  I was beyond excited to get the oils this week and started using them immediately!  So far I have used Lavender at bedtime, Peppermint (not going to lie the trick that Jenna used in her presentation has been repeated by my mom and me several times because it is so neat and effective!), Slim and Sassy and DigestZen.  I am enjoying them all, but I am LOVING DigestZen.  As I am literally just starting them for the first time this week, I do not feel able to truly speak to my opinion of them, but I will keep y'all informed!!

2) Dr. Nick Conley who spoke about "Change the way you well" - how to balance alternative care with traditional medicine and why your health depends on the way you practice wellness.'

picture from the Healing Arts Club LLC

Dr. Nick had a booth at the beginning of the vent for the Healing Arts Club, LLC.  It is an organization based on the premise of finding licensed individuals who fit a variety of health care/ wellness needs and streamlining the search for them, if they are qualified, correctly trained, etc.  From there it works, "to make the healing arts more affordable and more readily available so that you can focus on becoming a better you. The Healing Arts Club has pre-negotiated lower rates with participating practitioners so that you can maximize your health and savings." (taken from the Healing Arts Club, LLC website) His presentation helped explain the purpose of his company, but also the idea behind it.  "During his professional training, he noticed a growing curiosity in the healing arts amongst his patients and decided to investigate it himself. He found it difficult to find information and qualified providers for his own healthcare. He found that his patients had the same questions. " (taken from the Healing Arts Club, LLC website)

picture from Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event

3)Carol Kicinski who spoke on the topic of “How to go and stay gluten free, tips, tricks and tools.”

I first attended this Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness event two years ago when my doctor first started discussing some potential solutions to a lot of my symptoms.  Carol was so gracious at the magazine's table and talked to my mom and me about all of our questions, "what if" scenarios, etc.  This year was no different.  We stopped by the magazine's table to renew my subscription to Simply Gluten Free and found again that they were beyond helpful, gracious and humorous!  

Her presentation was quite enjoyable and educational.  I would liken it to talking to a friend over coffee because she was extremely relatable and approachable by telling us about her experiences and tips.  Some were about herself, family, doctor visits and conversations, encounters with friends or loved ones who do not quite embrace or understand the gluten free need we face daily, etc.  While there was a great deal of laughter there were plenty of strong tips and take-aways as well.  I have always felt bad about showing up with my own meals or meal option to a friend or family members, but hearing her discuss this and seeing how people in the audience were nodding really confirmed that it was okay..aka..not just my parents or sister saying it would not be rude.  The best thing, for me, was hearing the emphasis on staying gluten free and not doing it until the symptoms stop, going back to gluten food, getting sick, etc.  I must admit I do still stumble with this idea occasionally because I will be feeling great and then see pizza or mac & cheese...oh those two..haha..so this presentation was enjoyable and very relevant to where I am on my journey of gluten and other allergy free living!

Did you attend?  What presentations were you able to take part in?  Let me know!