The health fair is hosted by Natural Connections, a Michigan based nonprofit organization focused on connecting holistic practitioners and providers with one another and the greater community.

“It’s the premiere event in the Upper Peninsula that brings holistic practitioners and providers under one building so people can sample and check out what we have in the area for this kind of care,” said Natural Connections board member, Mary Alice Silverthorn.

Health fair attendees could receive massages, chiropractic treatment or pick up various tinctures, salves, foods and herbs, all of which are meant to promote a well body, mind and soul

Businesses such as North Shore Naturopathic and Acupuncture, Northwoods Flora, Marquette Nutrition, Seeds & Spores Family Farm, Park Chiropractic, and more were in attendance at this year’s fair.

Owner of MQT Nutrition Jenna Neaves stands at her booth at the health fair selling smoothies, protein powders and more. The Holistic Health fair brought various naturopaths, chiropractors and other holistic health care providers and practitioners together under one roof. (Journal photos by Trinity Carey)

“Holistic medicine is working with the body’s own innate intelligence to heal itself truly,” Silverthorn said.

This means stepping away from the modern practice of symptom management and focusing on one’s whole being including a person’s emotional, physical, spiritual and mental state, Silverthorn added.

A series of presentations took place during the health fair each focusing on a different aspect of holistic wellness such as Self Care; Nourishing Mind and Body, Aromatherapy Freedom, Opening Your Soul Seed, Finding Balance When You’re Stressed and A Shamanic Journey.

Upon moving to the Upper Peninsula, Silverthorn was surprised at the amount of holistic care offered in the area. She believes more and more people are becoming interested in holistic wellness as an alternative form of care and that one day Marquette may just be a destination for wellness.

“People are getting to the point where they do want treatment that treats the whole body,” Silverthorn said. “We are starting to hear a lot about disease starts with anxiety, emotional stress, etc., so when you go to a holistic practitioner they are focusing on everything, so let’s address diet, or let’s address how you hold your body …”

Jake Lemerand, massage and cupping therapist for Sage & Spry, massages an attendee of the 20th annual Holistic Health Fair held at the Masonic Center on Saturday.

Perhaps the most important and intriguing aspect of holistic care is the relationship between practitioner and client, she added.

“I think a lot of people are going to holistic health care to get to that personal care because it’s just as important, the relationship between practitioner and client, as is the healing modality,” Silverthorn said. “You spend a lot of time in intake whether it be with a practitioner, massage therapist or naturopath or chiropractor. You sit down and you spend time and you tell them your story really and that often isn’t the case in conventional medicine.”

While there are benefits to seeking holistic care over conventional medicine, there is a place for both, as they are complementary forms of care, she added. Implementing holistic health care into one’s life can act as a preventative measure by promoting overall wellness and reducing the need for conventional medicine.

“How nice is it to prevent things naturally than to get down to the point where it’s a lot harder work to get there,” she added.

Silverthorn encouraged others to begin experimenting with different forms of holistic care, because it’s empowering to take your wellness into your own hands and Marquette is the perfect welcoming and heart centered community to explore it in, she said.

For information on additional holistic health events and local holistic providers, visit naturalconnectionsmarquette.com.