What do “going green” and “holistic health” mean for parents trying to attain a healthier lifestyle for their families? These questions and others about emerging trends such as organic nutrition, alternative medicine, bio-identical hormones, the anti-inflammatory diet, acupuncture, herbal remedies, and detoxification will be addressed at a conference scheduled for November 7, 2009 at Frederick Community College.
The Holistic Family Health Conference will be held from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the FCC Conference Center. The cost is $29, including lunch. A limited number of scholarships are available to those with financial need.
The conference will offer a variety of presentations on health-related topics as well as a vendor fair and the opportunity to meet others interested in the field. Sponsors include FCC, the Ausherman Family Foundation, and The Wellness Center at Frederick Memorial Hospital (FMH).
To register, go to www.frederick.edu/holistichealth or call Frederick Community College at 301.846.2431. Area businesses interested in sponsorship or vendor opportunities should contact Tracey McPherson at Tracey@mcphersonassoc.com.
Conference Co-chair Lisa Ausherman said she and several friends were interested in the topic and wanted to know more. They decided to organize the conference as a way to learn and to find out about resources in the Frederick area.
“We wanted to bring together leading experts, so that we and members of the community could hear first-hand how to incorporate holistic health care practices into our lives,” she said.
More than 12 different workshops will be offered by area experts. The vendor fair will allow participants to become acquainted with area practitioners and products related to holistic health care.
Susan Kleinhanzl, also a conference co-chair, said, “We were curious and asking lots of questions like: How do you know what sources of information to trust? Isn’t living more holistically and more organically also more expensive? How do you even get started? We’re hoping this conference will act as a springboard for people wondering how to begin taking a different approach to their health and daily living, or expand knowledge for those who want to take their current practices to the next level.”
Lois Walden, director of the FMH Wellness Center, will open the conference, speaking on the topic Humor:The First Ingredient for Holistic Living.
The following presentations and speakers will be available at the conference. Participants will be able to attend five different sessions.

-All Ears: Diagnosing Illness through Auricular Therapy, Nader Soliman, M.D.
-Hot Flash: Everything You Want To Know About Bio-Identicals & More, Marianne Rothschild, M.D.
-A-Z’s of Energy Healing, Karen Reilly, CMT
- Are Our Children OK? Some Basic Rules of Wellness Through Nutrition & More, Marianne Rothschild, M.D.
-Allergies: Finding the Key to the Cure, Nader Soliman, M.D.
-Do You Detox? What It Is & Why You Should, Donna Acree, N.D.
-At Home Remedy Medicine Chest, Liz Bartlett
-Ask the Experts Panel Discussion, Donna Acree, N.D.; Eugene Casagrande, M.D.; and Marianne Rothschild, M.D.
-Sleeping Through the Night: It's Not Just for Babies Anymore, Linda Potts, DCRC, RN
-Is the Anti-Inflammatory Diet the Holy Grail of Medicine? Eugene Casagrande, M.D.
-Acupuncture 101, H. Edward Strozier, L. Ac, M. Ac
-Restless to Relaxed: Overcoming Stress & Anxiety, Linda Potts, DCRC, RN
-The Greener Home: Cooking, Composting and Cleaning- Basic Remedies for the Home, Grady O’Rear
-Seeds to Weeds: The Basics of Organic Gardening, Rick Hood