Dr. Michael Armentano says an important part of his job is educating others about naturopathic care, his discipline that focuses on supporting the body's natural healing ability.
"When I see a patient, I am generally, as a naturopath, trying to figure out what is blocking their vital force," Armentano says, adding that life energy can be called different things, such as chi or prana, depending on the healing tradition. "I am looking for what is blocking life's energy from doing its job of creating balance."
Naturopaths use ancient and modern healing practices as they work with a patient to assess environmental and lifestyle changes that can help improve ailments and create a healthier future. For example, a patient's blood work may be analyzed even as kinesiology, a system of analyzing muscle response, is employed to determine hypersensitivities.
On Saturday, Armentano and other area holistic practitioners will be looking to educate even more people during a free expo sponsored by Greenwich Associates for Well-Being at the YWCA Greenwich. It will run from noon to 4:30 p.m. and is open to all ages.
"We'd like to introduce people to different holistic modalities that exist," says Kim Kat Kristoff, the group's founder and director. A licensed integrative massage therapist and certified Reiki master, she has a private practice and serves clients at Greenwich Yoga and the YWCA Greenwich.
Kristoff launched the network in 2004. She says it has
grown steadily from about a dozen independent practitioners to nearly 300 members. There are more than 100 professionals in the group's online directory.
Kristoff, a Greenwich native, has been on a long journey of her own to learn more about holistic care. As a child, she suffered through asthma and allergies and the side effects of her medication.
"That was my motivation to seek out alternative ways of healing," she says. "My experience with holistic medicine has been identifying the cause and finding balance and harmony. A lot of it is experiential ... it is about what works for you and what doesn't."
For some, their journey might lead them to alternatives to surgery and prescribed medicine. Others might employ a mix of conventional and alternative care.
"It is really about empowering people ... to make good choices," Kristoff says, adding that there are many simple ways people can use what they learn and employ in their own lives, such as reflexology, therapeutic massage and lifestyle changes. "The whole premise of holistic healing is that is it good for you, good for others and good for the Earth."
During the expo, practitioners are scheduled to explain and demonstrate some of their specialties, such as energy healing, bee venom therapy, thermal imaging and others.
"A big part of holistic well-being is involved with the subconscious," she adds. "You have to be aware of how you treat the environment and how that affects you."
Keynote speaker Dr. Henri Roca, medical director of the Greenwich Hospital Center for Integrative Medicine, intends to talk about the role of the environment on a person's health, in particular the body's ability to cope with environmental toxins, including heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic.
Rather than focusing on "fear and overconcern," he says he plans to take a "reasoned and balanced approach," delving into such issues as acute high-level exposure versus chronic, low-level exposure.
Roca and others say by identifying environmental issues, residents will have a better sense of care options and the steps to take to detoxify their bodies and surroundings.
If people don't know where to start, they might want to catch some of the speakers at the expo, Kristoff says.
Armentano, whose practice is in Old Greenwich, will speak about allergies and hypersensitivities. It is one of several panel discussions that focus on whole body health for all ages. Other topics include the effect of electromagnetic fields, craniosacrial therapy, environmental risks associated with disease and others.
Green living lectures will cover how to create a more organic, sustainable and healthier environment. There also will be children's activities.
Armentano says the body is under a lot of stress to detoxify.
"We live in a toxic world," he says, citing substances such as pesticides, chemicals and others. "But there is no reason to panic. It's about doing whatever you can do to lighten the load."
-- Staff Writer Christina Hennessy can be reached at christina.hennessy@scni.com or 964-2241.
If you go The Greenwich Associates for Well-Being is hosting a free expo Saturday to provide information about holistic healing practices, as well as how to create a healthier, less toxic environment. The event, runnng from noon to 4:30 p.m. at YWCA Greenwich, 259 E. Putnam Ave., will include lectures, panel discussions and demonstrations, in addition to resource material and activities for children. Visit www.gafwb.com or call 550-0193. To see more of The Stamford Advocate, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stamfordadvocate.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Stamford Advocate, Conn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, The Stamford Advocate, Conn.