HANCOCK - The mood was calming and the aura welcoming at the Wellness Symposium Friday afternoon.
From noon to 5 p.m., members of the community were invited to the free Wellness Symposium at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock to learn about living healthy and fulfilling lives. Throughout the symposium, guest speakers talked about harmful toxins, the benefits of quitting smoking, reflexology, nutrition and liver disease, the power of becoming healthy and fit and practicing acupuncture as a pain management strategy.
"You are what you eat," Dr. Janice Griffen said during her presentation, "Nutrition in the Role of Liver Disease."
"The food supply is poisoned."
Griffen also talked about the dangers of consuming amounts of high-fructose corn syrup and the impact fatty foods and snacks - the largest industry in the world - has on the human body.
Terry Smythe, fitness director for Aspirus Keweenaw, talked about getting fit and healthy during her presentation.
"It used to be all about the playgrounds," Smythe said. "The drive-thru is used too much (today) and it has become all about convenience. Convenience is killing us."
Smythe talked about how food portion sizes in the United States are getting bigger and how exercise is becoming a thing of the past, as only 5 percent of kids were obese in 1980 and nowadays, 32 percent of kids are reported to be obese.
"Let the first pushup be the one away from the table," she said. "The body is the only machine that breaks down when you do not use it."
Vendors were placed throughout the large room and welcomed patrons to try products, learn about developing a healthy lifestyle and take advantage of free demonstrations.
For part of the afternoon, Geri Hawley, an instructor at Finlandia University, and Jill Scharfenberg, a student at Finlandia, offered massages for free or a donation.
Using techniques taught at the school, the women provided soothing massages aimed to target deep tissues.
"It's to help promote blood flow circulation, to help loosen muscles, relax tight muscles," Hawley said. "Different things we can do affect different parts of the body."
The demonstration was also good practice for the students, she said.
In another section of the room, Hairsmiths Salon offered free mini-manicures and eyebrow waxing and Naomi Haycock from Serenity Massage and Wellness offered foot reflexology and ionic detox nearby.
"There are points in your feet that correspond with parts of your body," Haycock said while performing a session.
Haycock said foot reflexology can help those with neck and back pains among others.
"This is actually very relaxing," Reba Andrews, of Hancock, said.
Andrews was kicked up in the chair as Haycock worked with her feet at the Wellness Symposium.
"Now what's that working?" she asked Haycock, who was walking her thumb near her toes.
"That affects your eyes and ears," Haycock responded.
Aside from demonstrations, some vendors brought along products - from food to skin care - aimed to improve wellness and support healthy lifestyles.
Jessica Gostlin, an independent consultant and regional vice president for Arbonne International pure Swiss skin care had a table set up displaying dozens of products that boast healthy living by eliminating toxins in the products.
"The products are based on botanicals," she said. "We have everything from diaper cream to cosmetics to colon cleanse."
The ingredients in Arbonne are not based on chemicals, unlike some products which mix about 250 chemicals just to create a fragrance, Gostlin said.
Also supporting wellness, Gostlin provides a service called Pantry Raid, where she is available to come into homes and address how to make healthier choices regarding food and other home products.
"Basically what I do is I come in, and I help people by opening their fridge and cupboards and tell them what to stay away from," she said.
By reading food labels, she can educate on healthier choices before taking the consultation to a grocery store to show how to shop healthy without going broke.
Denise Draves, certified mastectomy fitter, and Gail Ongie, from Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital were onsite to represent Elegant Solutions Boutique and provide bra and mastectomy fitting services.
The women handed out information about the importance of well-fitting bras and delicately answered questions and concerns about mastectomy solutions.
"Our goal is to make a woman feel whole again," Draves said.
The majority of women in the United States wear the wrong bra size, Draves said.
About 50 percent of women more than likely don't wear the appropriate bra size. Information about comfy bra straps and self-breast exams were also available at the booth.
Fitting is also available at Elegant Solutions Boutique in Laurium, Draves said.
Debbie Karstu, Finlandia University assistant professor of nursing, had a display dedicated to Nikken, products aimed to support healthy living and Arnie Kinnunen, community outreach coordinator for Portage Health, was providing bone mineral density screenings.
By getting a screening, the individual can find out if they are low, intermediate or high risk for bone fractures.
"We do an ultrasound of their heel bone which gives us a good indication of their overall bone density," he said.
Kinnunen also had information about making lifestyle changes concerning bone density and how to change the outcome.
Part of the symposium was also dedicated to emotional health as well. Larry and Carol Evers were stationed at a display of the local affiliate of the National Alliance of Mental Illness.
NAMI Michigan is part of the national organization "dedicated to the eradication of mental illness and to the improvement of the quality of life of those whose lives are affected by these diseases," according to Larry Evers.
"When someone gets diagnosed with a mental illness, sometimes the family won't understand," Larry said. "The purpose of our group is to get the help that they need and we provide education for families."
The group doesn't provide financial needs and meets at The Institute on Sharon Avenue.
Stacey Kukkonen can be reached at skukkonen@mininggazette. com.
