BURLINGTON, MA– The 5th Annual Health, Fitness and Wellness Expo, which has become the largest South Asian Health Expo in North America, attracted over 1,000 people. The day-long expo kicked off with a four-hour immersion in Yoga and held parallel tracks and workshops on modern and traditional medicines. (Photos: Rasik Mehta)
About two dozen vendors exhibited their products and services in the Grand Ballroom of Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. The expo was held on Sunday, March 5th.
“We had people from all over New England,” said Upendra Mishra, producer of the Expo and the publisher of IndUS Business Journal and INDIA New England News, the co-organizers of the show. The expo was sponsored by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Lahey Health and INE MultiMedia, Inc. Mishra said over 1,000 people attended the expo.
The Indian Medical Association of New England, one of the oldest organizations of the physicians of Indian origin in the United States, provide free health screening that included blood pressure and Body Mass Index, or BMI, among other health issues. Dr. Neela Gandhi, a well-known dentist, and her team provided free dental and oral cancer screening at the Expo.
Here is a brief summary of what happened at Expo:
The Therapeutic Yoga Immersion:
A four-hour (from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm) therapeutic yoga immersion workshop. It was led by four instructors: Amita Chopra, Bindy Johnson, Meaghan James, Pankaj Patel, and Jay Gupta. The session covered Therapeutic Yoga, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahar, Dharana and Dhyan practices.
Diet, Food Choice and Lifestyle
Registered dietician Sangeeta Pradhan talked about best Indian diet to control and manage diabetes. Sneh Jaisingh, a certified clinical nutritionist and a freelance health and lifestyle coach, spoke about food, health and lifestyle. The session was moderated by Dr. Deepa Jhaveri.
Hand, Knee and Shoulder Disorders
Dr. Dinesh Patel and Dr. Chaitanya Mudgal spoke about Hand, knee and shoulder disorders and treatment. The session was moderated by Anu Chitrapu.
Prevention and Treatment of Heart Disease
Dr. Steve K. Singh, MD, Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Brigham and Women’s Hospital talked about prevention and treatment of heart disease. Dr. Singh specializes in cardiac and thoracic surgery. The panel was moderated by heart specialist Dr. Meena Sundaram, MD.
Women’s Health: Is the 40 New 20? Pregnancy and Aging
Speakers in this panel included Dr. Manasa Patna and Dr. Tara Singh of Cambridge Health Alliance. Moderator was Dr. Arshiya Seth.
Keynote: Inviting Good Health & Lasting Happiness
Dr. Sanjiv Chopra, MD, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, thinker, best-selling author and motivational speaker, made the keynote address on good health and inviting lasting happiness into life. The session was moderated by Dr. Manju Sheth, president of INE MultiMedia.
Diabetes and Its Prevention
The area’s three specialists, Dr. Om Ganda, Dr. Samir Malkani and Dr. Neelima Singh, took a look at diabetes from various perspective.
Introduction to Tai Chi Paradigm
Reknowned martial artist and instructor Calvin Chin introduced his ‘modern approach to an antiquated way’, Tai Chi Paradigm, a program designed to prevent age related degeneration and focuses on the goal of maintaining a quality of life through proper integrative movement conditioning. He cover ed relevant and important topics in health at any age, including mindfulness of movement, how to adapt exercise routines for any age, and how to unify the body through integrative movement.
Gut Health: Emerging Facts and Traditional Insights
Gut health has been linked to diseases ranging from obesity to autoimmune diseases to hormonal imbalances. Beth Marik, Suraja Menon Roychowdhury and Pratibha Shah, holistic professionals from the fields of Ayurveda, acupuncture, yoga and meditation presented key information and useful takeaways for the wellness of gut.
BollyX Exercise
Inspired by the global phenomenon of Bollywood films, Swasti Bhargava, Priti Shokeen and Nishtha Saxena brought the unique music and dance style to a total body workout for cardio fitness.
Meditation: From Esoteric Practice to Mainstream Phenomenon
Long-time meditation practitioners Angela Babuschak, Ram Chelakara, Jeff Schneider, Dr. Kavi Wagholikar, Ajay Jaisingh and Dhanashree Ramachandran discussed the many facets of meditation, including the physical benefits of meditation, the role of meditation in the medical faculty and what research shows us about the effects of regular practice.