It was an evening of inspiration and information at the PS3 (Positive Strength, Support and Synergy) Health Expo held recently at the Ashburton Library in Ashburton.
The event aimed to raise awareness and provided an insight into various topics related to health and well-being. Experts were invited to share and promote sustainable, healthy lifestyle strategies with a focus on trends and technologies in their respective fields.
“We wanted to hold an expo where people could learn how to live a balanced life as well as gain tips from experts that could be incorporated straight away in their lives resulting in an immediate impact on their quality of life,” said Poonam Mehra from PS3.
PS3 is a not-for-profit, community organisation that was created in 2009 by Poonam Mehra, Shalini Valecha, Sumita Verma and Suman Chaudhary. This mainly volunteer-run organisation is supported by a small grant provided by the Boroondara Council.
The main aim of PS3 is to facilitate events related to issues that affect women and families. Their objective is to learn by sharing knowledge and skills with each other and the wider community.
The keynote speaker for PS3’s recent health Expo was Dr Ranjit Rao, surgeon, author and speaker who delivered an educational and valuable session on health and wellness. Dr Rao emphasised the importance of choices that we could make towards a more fulfilling and vibrant life incorporating yoga and meditation.
Specialists in fields like physiotherapy (Anita Bir), reflexology (Claudia Bullock), dentistry (Radhika Singh) and occupational therapy (Smrity Bagga) delivered some engaging and informative presentations.
Discussions ranged from topics such as continence in women’s musculoskeletal sports and bladder control exercises, to the benefits of relaxing massages through reflexology. A brief overview was also provided on reaching ones potential, health wise, through Occupational Therapy.
The audience also heard about healing techniques from a reiki healer, Komal Desai, and about generic brand substitution from pharmacist Saachi Chaudhary.
There was much to absorb in one evening session, however, the audience seemed happy to sit through the talks, as they were interactive and relevant.
The evening presented an opportunity to involve young professionals by encouraging them to speak about their work and in the process share their knowledge with the community.
“Kudos to PS3 ladies for organising this health expo,” said one of the participants. “We are generally so busy trying to make a living that we sometimes ignore the most essential requirement of a good life; our health. These events are a timely reminder of the importance of a balanced lifestyle and they motivate and inspire us to make improvements towards optimal health.”