‘My vision is to help as many people as I can’

Anthony Cerabino is passionate about helping people stay well and feel their best. Born and raised in Bay Shore, Cerabino now owns Healthcare Wellness Center on West Main Street in the town.

The 1,600-square-foot center is a place for people to go to get the “highest quality of holistic, alternative health care possible, utilizing the ancient techniques of acupuncture and massage therapy.”

Originally trained as a professional musician, Cerabino, 61, attended North Texas State University and was on the faculty for a few years after graduating. By his early 30s, he had gotten a bit frustrated by the music business and was looking for another career. Someone mentioned massage therapy to him because of his skilled hands due to drumming, so he decided to learn more.

In 1995, Cerabino graduated from the New York College of Holistic Health Research with a diploma in massage. He still performed and worked as a musician until around 2005, when his vision to open up his own place began. In 2005, he also graduated from the New York College of Health Professions with a Master’s of Science in acupuncture.

In 2006, Cerabino opened his business. Over the years, the vision of his business has grown to include many other types of healing such as herbal medicine, cupping, acupressure and reflexology.

“People usually come to us when they’ve tried everything else and they’re just lost for help,” Cerabino said of Healthcare Wellness Center. “One of the things that I’ve developed through the years is I’m very good at taking somebody who has a very complicated case. They have 20 different things, and I can whittle it down to ‘hey, there’s three problems that are creating all of your other symptoms here.’

Cerabino noted that he treats all ages, from babies to an 89-year-old patient, for a variety of health issues including migraines, chronic pain, infertility, allergies and insomnia. He is especially proud of the fact that his business takes any insurance that accepts acupuncture, which he said is key to many people being able to utilize his services. In addition, Cerabino said that he is proud of his ability to “outsource,” or knowing when to refer patients to the many other practitioners or doctors he has connections with.

Cerabino said he is currently seeing quite a few patients who are experiencing “long-haul” COVID symptoms such as loss of taste or smell. During the brunt of the pandemic, the business could only see two patients per hour and adhered to strict health and safety guidelines. Today, Cerabino and his 10 staff members are able to fully use their large working space to better help others. Everybody at the location knows each other and is like one big family, Cerabino said, with none of the practitioners wearing fussy white coats. His favorite part of the job is simple, yet wonderful: he loves watching people get well, and get well without medication.

“My vision is to help as many people as I can,” Cerabino said.