Jamie Davidson has spent her life dedicated to helping people stay healthy naturally, and acknowledges that people go through changes as they age.
Rather than bemoan and stress over the aging process, Davidson said people — especially women — should celebrate the different phases in their lives as each phase becomes an opportunity to know and better appreciate their health and their bodies.
As a weight management coach, Davidson has been helping people (including herself) make the right food choices to stay healthy. she said she’s had a lot of experience with making decisions for a healthier lifestyle.
It’s great to have choices in life, she said, so Davidson and her colleagues — innovative health practitioners — formed the East Bay Health and Wholeness Collaborative, a group of local health professionals dedicated to treat and help people heal mentally, physically and emotionally — the natural way.
“We want to support people during trying times,” said Davidson, a Walnut Creek resident. “When you have difficult times, there’s a way to grow through that.”
She and her group will hold a series of affordable workshops, “Healthy Options for Women in Midlife,” beginning this month in Lafayette, with additional classes through Lafayette and Orinda recreation programs in the spring.
The East Bay Health and Wholeness Collaborative not only got together to support, help and refer clients to each other — practitioners themselves, women who have gone through most of the issues to be discussed in the workshops. they hope to provide real-life experiences most women can relate to, Davidson said.
“This is info that’s not readily available in traditional medicine,” she said. “People are confused. There’s so much information out there now. How do you know that’s what you personally need? they don’t know who to trust. they don’t have anyone who will look at them as a whole being.”
Davidson and local nutrition consultant Ilah Jarvis will discuss weight loss and food sensitivity issues on Jan. 19 in Lafayette and May 18 in Orinda. their talk will focus on taking a personalized approach to adopting healthy eating habits that will aid in maintaining a healthy weight and choosing foods that won’t compromise your health, she said.
Sarah Ferguson, a medical doctor who practices in Lafayette, and Nancy Nachtwey, an acupuncturist, plan to talk on Jan. 26 in Lafayette and May 4 in Orinda about hormonal balance and present treatment options for long-term care for perimenopause and menopause.
“My patients appreciate the integrative medicine approach which takes into account the whole person: body, mind and spirit,” said Ferguson, a doctor who uses acupuncture on her patients for relieving the symptoms of hormonal imbalance. “We work together to blend the best of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative, to address their concerns.”
Cynthia Leslie-Boles, an Orinda life coach and Susan Chritton, a Lafayette career coach, will present ways women can empower and redefine themselves and their personal and professional goals during midlife on Feb. 2 in Lafayette and May 25 in Orinda.
The “Healthy Options for Women in Midlife” series, with an additional class taught by Concord massage therapist Jade Luczynski and Walnut Creek acupuncturist Rose Tan-Knight, will be offered through Lafayette Recreation in April. Participants have the option to take one or all the classes in a series, Davidson said.
The workshops provide women with natural options and treatments as a complement or alternative to traditional medical care. Additionally, during tough, economic times it’s helpful to provide information in this series of affordable workshops, she said.
“People don’t usually seek out alternative care or help at all, unless they need it,” Davidson said. “As we get older, our health becomes more important.”
Once people find an alternative way of taking care of themselves, for example, a healthy eating plan, they’re likely to stick with it once they know they have options. the way to do that is to find out what else is out there besides the traditional methods, she said.
“If something traditional doesn’t work for people, I really want them to see if these classes will help them get treatment and provide more insight to make themselves happier.”