Holistic Fair brings good energy to Hot Springs

It's all the rage in other parts of the country but in South Dakota... its only starting to grow in popularity.

Debra Johnston, energy therapy healer says, "Holistic care covers the entire gamut of the human condition, mental, physical, emotional, spiritual..."

Hot Springs was a hot spot for healing energy today in the southern hills.

Colleen Ragan, acupuncturist says, "There's so many different practitioners, there's so many different people who do different ways of dealing with health issues and it's just exciting the energy here is really solid people here are having a good time it's been busy all day and people are getting exposed to something new."

The annual Holistic Health Fair brought healers in all different fields together to help promote their work and answer questions about this mysterious practice.

Johnston says, " All these other modalities acupuncture, and Reiki, and laying on of hands, have been here for eons, from the very beginning and people have survived using those modalities for centuries."

The bases of holistic care comes from energy generated by the earth.

Sherri Martz, energy worker says, "Everything in the world is energy and we always pick up energy if you going to someplace and you get this bad feeling that's energy it's negative energy we collect energy in our bodies and Reiki is releasing that."

One energy worker says that her knowledge in holistic care started from her own health issues.

Martz says, "I healed myself of gastroparesis in 3 weeks from doing Reiki on myself and if I can do this for me, I can do it for other people and other people can learn to do it for themselves as well."

And some claim that this type of care has worked wonders on various health issues.

Johnston says, "It's very good for stress and pain. A lot of chronic pain clients get a lot of good results from it, depression, anxiety, and preoperative, and postoperative."

Ragan says, "It's a complicated medicine but there but it's wonderful because you actually can help people with headaches and chronic pain stomach distress."

But some people say there are several misconceptions surrounding health concepts not based in western medicine.

Martz says, "People think it's Voodoo and Voodoo could be used for good or could be used for bad but here everybody here wants to help you to be better."

Ragan says, "One of the first reasons that it's not used more is that people aren't familiar with it it's not our culture and so we as a profession and as a medicine her always helping to educate people about how it actually can work."

And not only does this help boost spirits for many people --

Martz says, "It makes me feel good just to help other people and I've always wanted to help other people in any way I can and this is this is my niche and I can do that."