Ardmore Health Expo to promote healthy lifestyle choices - Shawnee News Star

Ardmore Health Expo to promote healthy lifestyle choices - Shawnee News Star

By Drew Butler / drew.butler@ardmoreite.com

Saturday

Sep 7, 2019 at 10:00 AM

The entire community is invited to the Ardmore Convention Center from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. this Sunday to attend the Ardmore Health Expo. The expo is completely free, offering health screenings, special lectures and tips on how to live a healthier life.
Diana Fleming, nutritionist at Full Plate Living, said the event is sponsored by the Ardmore Seventh Day Adventist Church along with several other local organizations.
“This is the first time we’ve promoted a health expo like this and we’ve joined up with a lot of community sponsors which we’re really excited about,” Fleming said. “Mercy Hospital is going to be there doing blood glucose testing and blood pressure checks. The Air Evac team is also going to be there, and they said they’re actually going to land their helicopter on the lawn.”
Several local sponsors will also be on site providing information about their various programs and services. There will also be stations set up offering information about specific health issues such as the dangers of excessive drinking and tobacco use.
Attendees will also be able to get a personalized “health age appraisal” based on information such as their height, weight, chronological age and other lifestyle factors.
“If you’re 50 and your health age comes up as 65, it’s a little sobering,” Fleming said. “But the great thing is the output from this program gives you suggestions for areas to work on and how to lower your health age.”
The expo also provides an opportunity to hear special lectures on specific topics. Dr. Joel Sabanga, a pulmonologist with Mercy Clinic, will give two presentations. At 3 p.m. he’ll be discussing Alzheimer’s prevention, and at 5 p.m. he’ll be discussing how lifestyle changes can help reverse diabetes.
“Even the Alzheimer’s Association is talking about how Alzheimer’s is possibly preventable in many cases, and that’s really exciting,” Fleming said. “And Dr. Sabangan is going to talk about how certain lifestyle factors greatly reduce your risk of getting diabetes.”
At 4 p.m. Fleming, who describes herself as a “recovered sugar addict” will be giving a speech on breaking the sugar addiction.
Fleming said guests are encouraged to ask questions and find new ways to improve their health.
“We’re here to serve everyone who comes and try to help them an any way that we possibly can,” Fleming said. “We just hope this event benefits them and encourages them to live healthier lives.”