Advice on living healthy fills a day at book and music fest

We continue to seek health, prosperity and freedom from suffering for ourselves, our loved ones and the world around us. How can we best overcome the myriad obstacles to achieving sustainable health through balance, ranging from the stress encountered in our workaday lives to unproductive lifestyle patterns to poor relationship choices? Are you ready for another boost of inspiration? Is it time to hit the reset button? Again this year, the Hawaii Book and Music Festival, with support from Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA), will be offering a full-day track, Wellness in Hawaii. Throughout the day prominent authors, athletes, community leaders, meditators, politicians, health providers, academicians and insurers will offer insights and guidance in a series of seven panels. Below is an overview:

>> 10 a.m., Blue Zone Project Hawaii: Presentation of an ongoing pilot community health program introduced by HMSA in Windward Oahu, based on the longevity factors found common to a half-dozen communities around the world, identified by National Geographic and popularized by Dan Buettner in his New York Times bestselling book, “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who Live Longest.”

>> 11 a.m., Health Through Mindfulness: How far can the mind go toward preventing and resolving medical illness? What is the natural relationship between the body and the mind and is there really a difference? How can we get started with mindfulness for self-care that is enjoyable, doable and effective?

>> Noon: Integrative Medicine: Whether dealing with obesity, diabetes, chronic pain, heart disease or cancer, how can a team-based approach to health care achieve better results? Learn how a dedicated group of providers works to bring together the best of modern medicine and traditional healing arts with cultural sensitivity and a whole patient emphasis.

>> 1 p.m., Conscious Dying: Death is inevitable but the time of our death is truly unpredictable. Life is like a soap bubble — it can burst at any time. How can we as patients, providers and caretakers prepare for the inevitable while minimizing the experience of pain, fear and suffering to enable a conscious passing?

>> 2 p.m., Opiate Hawaii: Residents of the islands suffer from an unprecedented and worsening epidemic of prescription drug abuse, diversion and opiate overdose. Why did it get so bad and how do we solve it? What efforts are underway on the part of the physicians, legislators and community groups?

>> 3 p.m., Transforming the War on Cancer: Learn how novel breakthroughs are revolutionizing cancer treatment toward a more individualized approach. Listen to the director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and Hawaii-based specialists talk about how much is changing both in the lab and in the community.

>> 4 p.m., Trumpcare vs Obamacare: However imperfect, Obamacare now covers 20 million more Americans. Still, the current presidential administration and much of Congress intends to repeal and replace it. What are the chances of this coming to pass and how might Hawaii be insulated from negative impacts?

The Hawaii Book and Music Festival draws as many as 30,000 participants each year. Check out the Living Well in Hawaii track as an opportunity for healing in paradise.