Taking care of yourself while you are in the studio or touring on the road is rough and most of the time isn't always on top of a working artist's priority list, but is never too tardy to make changes. I recently attended a Wellness seminar hosted by the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory with special guest speakers Soraya Medina (an RJ/EJ activist) and recording artist 2Mex.

Soraya being a Wellness advocate also happens to be a cancer survivor and has also spoken here 3 years prior. She discusses the habits of eating in America, practicing physical and phrenic health, staying salubrious and eating well (and you're not required to be Vegan). 2Mex has diabetes with a history of unhealthy habits. He used to be extravagantly obese and is now walking with a prosthetic because complications from his disease required that his right leg be amputated below the knee.

I met both Soraya and 2Mex (real name Alejandro Ocana), who were amongst about 2 dozen people attending the seminar titled “Wellness and the Working Artist.” A facebook ad promised that you will “learn how to care of yourself while on tour, recording, plus performing, all while living on a limited budget.”

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. About 26 million Americans retain it, and millions more are in peril of getting it. Like Ocana, the astronomical majority of people with diabetes are Type 2, the variation typically associated with being overweight. Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes, customarily has genetic roots.

The “Wellness and the Working Artist” seminar tantalized participants with the possibility of a life without sickness by practicing physical and noetic health. But, unlike other seminars that promise a pathway to riches but are authentically sales pitches for costly programs, you'd think there's a catch here, what was being offered wasn’t really a breakthrough in human health. It was an impeccable time to milk people out of hundreds of dollars for information about lifestyle changes that can be learned online for free but guess what, the seminar was free and the organization in charge of the event additionally recommended a $10 donation, but the fact that no one was turned away for lack of funds made the experience much more personal.

One person’s chronic disease, you could say, is another’s business opportunity but not Medina, not Ocana, what they do is a labor of love and they genuinely do it for the people.

Full disclosure: As a person who lost a father to Type 1 diabetes, I was as curious as others at the seminar about whether I could liberate myself of disease and prescription meds. I have no need to wear an insulin pump and now take a variety of medicinal marijuana to manage my condition. This was my only shot to jump at a chance to lead a “normal” life.

People can be rid of cancer, people can dispense diabetes, Medina verbalized, by “balancing your body.”

“Don’t let them tell you it’s incurable,” she told the crowd.

A fitness program that consists the “cleansing” of the system, dietary changes, and “high-potency” herbs and alimental supplements.

She pointedly didn’t say during her presentation how much this would cost. But said is typical when you're a working (and often broke) artist and that easy financing is available.

It was a great learning experience. As the seminar was at a close, attendants tucked into free snacks — mainly chips and veggies — I asked people how much they’d be inclined to pay to try to wean themselves from prescription meds. The response; "As much as their broke a** can afford."