By Mike Caputo
Last weekend, Dr. Eric Feintuch made the process easier for local residents.
Feintuch, with the help of Dr. Gail Bialostok of Bialostok Chiropractic, covered all aspects of health and fitness at the first annual Five Towns Health and Fitness Day on Sunday at Cedarhurst Park. Visitors had the opportunity to learn the basics of martial arts, get a relaxing massage, eat healthy foods, obtain a physical assessment and learn about mental, physical and spiritual wellness.
"I wanted to reach out to the community for people to take better stock of their lives and understand how they can make better and healthy choices," said Feintuch. He added that he hoped to "give the community the ability to see a different perspective on how to stay healthy and live well."
A number of doctors from the area appeared at the event, offering consultation and advice, which Dr. Michael Wakins seemed most impressed with. "The nicest thing for the community is to meet doctors in the area," said Wakins, who has been working with Feintuch on a project to improve the safety of firefighters. Wakins and Feintuch plan to eventually implement their ideas in the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department.
After an opening performance from the Brandeis School choir, Rabbi Shneur Wolowik kicked off the day's series of lectures. Wolowik, director of Chabad of the Five Towns, explained the connections between spiritual and physical health. Following Wolowik was Dr. Linda Sapadin, a renowned mental health expert and a columnist for the Nassau Herald, who offered health tips for those in the audience.
The Nassau Herald co-sponsored the event, along with The Jewish Star, PrimeTime Guide, the Cedarhurst Business Improvement District, Bialostok and 1-800-Get Well.
According to Feintuch, the martial arts demonstrations were most popular with the attendees. During Pa Kua master Eli Chaikin's demonstration of tai chi, most audience members joined in the exercises.
Linda Sofio, an Oceanside resident who came to Cedarhurst to support Feintuch's event, was not in the least surprised by the packed schedule. "There are so many different things, but this is the way he thinks," Sofio said of Feintuch. "It just puts you on the right path."
Sofio is one of many area residents who have been helped by Feintuch, who is well-known in the Five Towns and the surrounding communities. She said that his work has saved many lives, including her husband's. She first encountered Feintuch when her husband was being treated in a hospital for a serious illness. According to Sofio, the hospital claimed to not have the resources to treat her husband's illness.
That's when Feintuch sprang into action, Sofio said. Not only did he help her find the proper treatment for her husband, but he continues to follow up and stay in touch with the couple to this day.
"You just need to not give up that easily - you need to find another way to try to find out the solution to your problems," said Feintuch. "If someone said, 'Well, you're going to have to live with it,' that doesn't mean it's true. That's why I like bringing all of these people together."
Feintuch said he would not be satisfied until people engage in programs like this one on a more consistent basis. "If we want to stay well, we have to be active year-round," Feintuch said.
He said he plans to institute similar programs during the winter months at schools and campsites in the Five Towns.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
