Women's Wellness touts good health

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class David Owsianka
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Helping women to learn how to stay healthy is the subject of an upcoming event Thursday in Litchfield Park.

The second annual Women's Wellness Expo is a forum for women to gain awareness of all of the areas needing attention to stay well and healthy.

"Our bottom line is telling people that prevention is worth the time and effort," said Rachel Perkins-Garner, 56th Medical Group health care coordinator. "More people need to take the time and get the basic necessities they need to stay healthy."

The theme for this year's expo is beautiful women inside and out.

"The theme was chosen because everyone's beauty begins on the inside and radiates to the outside," said Marian Budnik, 56th MDG health care coordinator. "We need to take care of ourselves and not be superficial."

The expo will focus on the whole woman, which means attending to the mind, body and soul.

"If you want to be well you have to address all three areas," Perkins-Garner said. "It's not just the physical piece that makes a person healthier. A combined approach including the mental and spiritual aspects will help establish a person's wellness."

Those interested in attending will be able to receive chair massages, aroma therapy, mammograms and Zumba demonstrations, make appointments at women's health clinics on base and throughout Phoenix, and learn about health and nutrition overall.

There will also be two 30-minute discussions in each session on important issues.

During the first session the discussions will be on bone health and heart health.

The second session discussions will be on breast cancer awareness and cervical health.

Dr. Leslie Kirby, 56th Medical Operations Squadron psychologist, will also discuss anxiety and stress.

According to Budnik, women, who are the caregivers of the family, need to take care of themselves first to enable them to take care of their families.

"The message we want women to take away is an old adage, but a true one - 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,'" Perkins-Garner said.

The expo will be held at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. at the Wigwam Resort and Spa. Free child care for children over age 3 is available with a reservation. To register, go to www.fightercountry.org or call (623) 882-2191. For more information, call (623) 856-4964.

(The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the 56th Fighter Wing, the United States Air Force, or the Department of Defense of the external Web site, or the information, products, or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Services/Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sites, the United States Air Force does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of the Web site.)