The seventh annual Siouxland Holistic Health Expo was held in February; the goal of the event was to highlight the best of complimentary modern medicine providers in Siouxland while also bringing in modalities and healing techniques not locally available. According to event founder Drew Moss, “First and foremost, we want to highlight what is available right here in Siouxland, and we want to explore different ways to take care of your mind, body, and spirit together.”

The event is typically held in January each year as it tends to be a time when individuals are starting new beginnings, making resolutions, or starting new habits to change their lives. With a primary goal of education, Moss explained some common misconceptions. “Sometimes people interpret holistic to mean the dark side of medicine. But it is really about thinking of healing with mind, body, and spirit simultaneously. It is about bettering our community and taking care of ourselves in a unique way that is meaningful for each individual.” Moss clarified holistic healing is not anti-religious. Some practices very much align with religious teaching related to spiritual focus, while others may not. “At the expo, you will see people engaged in positive and loving expressions about healing the whole human,” explained Moss.

Dr. Juan Munoz, the owner of Inside-Out Chiropractic, has been a long-time sponsor of the event. Munoz said, “There are a lot of ways that people are looking to experience health. This event incorporates a lot of different things to address our complex humanity. The vendors are all passionate about the way they heal people. We sponsor every year because it is an event that I want to keep around.”

Munoz said this event aligns with the purpose of his clinic because they are not a pain-based office. “We are more interested in corrective changes in a person’s spine, and we want to make changes to address the aches and pains that bring someone in, to begin with, but then when they feel better, we also focus on how to stay healthy. We are working with several expectant moms right now, and they are prepared for healthy births because they have continued to receive care for alignment and positioning.”

Munoz said he wants to help people take their health into their hands. We tend to be passive and let things happen to us. But if we are active and take health into our hands, we can minimize the use of medications. Focusing on holistic attention is much more than reacting to things via medication.

Another sponsor of the event is Amy Hoffman, an intuitive artist, and medium. Hoffman began painting while going through a physical illness and experiencing an emotional breakup. “I realized I had a dream of being an artist, and the only thing holding me back was fear,” Hoffman explains, “So I decided just to pick up the paintbrush and do it. I started to teach myself how to paint, and in that process, it began to open myself to other things in life. I learned to trust myself and tap into my intuition and that what I was putting on the canvas was guiding me in my daily life.” 

Hoffman now teaches others how they can use painting as a way to meditate, find themselves and dig a little deeper into who and what they are on the human and soul level. “The point is the freedom to open the pain and just play with it,” she said. She conducted workshops to guide individuals in the process of discovery through painting at the expo.

Hoffman is also an evidential medium. She describes this as “the ability to connect with spirits or loved ones who have passed over. I can feel their presence and they impress images in my mind, feelings in my body and they communicate with me and then my job is to communicate that to you.”  Hoffman said the messages are often beautiful reassurances of safety, and continued life in another place.

Explaining why she participates in the Holistic Health Expo Hoffman said, “The expo is a great opportunity for like-minded people to come together. For those who haven’t heard of something, to engage with practitioners and learn about what they do. And then even experience what they do. We (holistic providers) have a different perspective on the world from mainstream, but we are normal human beings with kids, schedules, etc. I want to make what we do mainstream.”

Moss reiterated that message, “The expo is a roomful of people who are passionate about total healing and wellness.” Munoz added “I want to see people be empowered and educated to be able to make the best choices for themselves. There is so much research and examples to show what works. And there are things that don’t work, and we’ll talk about that too. If you are skeptical of chiropractic care, I would love to talk to you.”

Healing, wellness and taking care of mind, body and spirit is the business of several local professionals. If you missed the Siouxland Holistic Health Expo 2022, you can learn more about local providers and plan to attend next year’s event by visiting http://www.siouxlandholisticexpo.com/