Community News
See Better In Any Light

Every day our vision is affected but light in one way or another. Glare reduces visual acuity and is less aesthetically pleasing. Ultra violet rays assault eyes everywhere, 365 days a year. These UV A and UV B rays are invisible but accelerate eye aging, especially cataracts. Changing light conditions causes visual discomfort, squinting, and dark/ light adaptation stress. If your lenses are dirty or scratched this will increase light scatter and reduce your visual acuity. Poor contrast and indoor blue light in the visual environment cause eye fatigue. Your Optometrist can guide you and recommend protection for these everyday lighting quality concerns. Your solution may be personalized depending on your environment at work and play, to bring light under control.

Dr. Douglas Puttaert, Optometrist, East St. Paul EyeCare, EastStPaulEyeCare.ca

Acupuncture for Sports Injury

Most sports-related injuries occur when a particular part of the body is overused, which leads to a repetitive stress injury. This can lead to injuries such as runner’s knee or tennis elbow. Many athletes rely on acupuncture to treat their injuries and boost their performance – but also to prevent injuries from occurring in the first place. Acupuncture offers many benefits when it comes to pain management, recovery, and prevention, including: 

1. Releasing tight muscles or activating muscles that aren’t firing properly.

2. Boosting healing and recovery of tendons and ligaments.

3. Relieving stress.

4. Improving the immune system.

5. Aiding with sleep.

6. Keeping the pain away. These are all great reasons to use acupuncture to keep you active.

Aysha Nuttall, RAc, Inner Strength Acupuncture and Health, InnerStrengthAcupuncture.ca

The Benefits of Stretching

Stretching can improve your joint range of motion, balance, flexibility and decrease your risk of injury. Here are some tips to help you stretch: Warm up your muscles before stretching with 10 minutes of gentle exercise like walking. Hold a sustained stretch for 10 to 30 seconds and don’t bounce when stretching. Only stretch to the point of mild discomfort. If it hurts, you’re pushing too hard. Breathe normally when stretching and balance your routine by working opposing muscle groups each time you stretch. Remember to check with a health professional before stretching if you have or have had an injury or are unsure how to stretch properly.

Jasdeep Ruprai, Pharmacist, You Drugmart, YouDrugMart.com

Get Things Moving Again!

Chronic constipation is one of the most common digestive complaints, and it can lead to all sorts of problems, including build-up of toxins in the body, sluggish liver function, abdominal discomfort, and brain fog and fatigue. Some ways to restore proper bowel function include: 1. Drinking enough water (8 to 12 cups per day). 2. Getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. 3. Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fibre from fruits, vegetables, and other fibrous foods. 4. Managing daily stress. 5. Taking fibre, probiotic, or specific mineral supplements, as recommended by your doctor.

Kayla MacDonald, RHN, Edible Island Whole Food Market, EdibleIsland.ca

Weight Loss: The Real Truth

Weight loss is something that many of us are considering, so what is a safe weight loss goal? A weight loss goal of 1-2 lbs per week is sustainable and possible. The key word here is sustainable. There are lots of fad diets out there that promise and sometimes even deliver the weight loss levels promised. Weight loss is about changes that you make to both your activity levels as well as your food intake. The real equation for weight loss is the difference between calories in and calories out. It really is as simple as that.

Manitoba Fitness Council, ManitobaFitnessCouncil.ca

Ask The Expert

Q: I can’t get comfortable vision for my computer with my progressive lenses. Do I have to get something different?

A: Yes, if you’re using a computer for long periods of time then you’d likely get a lot of benefit from some glasses focused specifically for your computer work. Standard progressive lenses might not have enough usable areas for the focusing distance of a computer. There are a number of different lens designs for this. Ask about it the next time you get your eyes checked.

Dr. Alex Kennedy, MosaicVisionCare.com

Preventing Seasonal Allergies

Seasonal allergies develop when the body’s immune system overreacts to something in the environment, usually during spring, summer or fall when certain plants pollinate. Did you know that seasonal allergies can be prevented by taking an antihistamine before symptoms start? Antihistamines work better if you start using them daily before you expect to be exposed to the allergen. Many of the newer antihistamines are once a day dosing. If one antihistamine proves to be ineffective, switching to another one may help. All antihistamines can be sedating if taken in higher doses, but the newer antihistamines are generally fine if taken as directed.

Catherine McCann, BScPharm, Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, MedicineShoppePharmacy.ca

TRE® for Tension, Stress and Trauma

Are you suffering from the effects of tension, stress or trauma? TRE® is a series of exercises that assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. TRE® safely activates a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system. When this muscular shaking/vibrating mechanism is activated in a safe and controlled environment, the body is encouraged to return back to a state of balance. It is based on the fundamental idea, backed by recent research, that stress, tension and trauma are both psychological and physical. Sessions are now available in Nanaimo.

Meghan Gorosh, Founder, Elan Wellness, Elan-wellness.com

Arthritis Pain?

Arthritis. Just the word alone brings thoughts of pain and medication. What many people don’t realize is that there are multiple types of arthritis that are generally classified as being either inflammatory or non-inflammatory. Some are due to joint degeneration caused by traumas and normal wear-and-tear through our younger years. Starting early on to care for our joints can minimize or prevent us from getting arthritis. Regular chiropractic care can help ensure correct positioning of the body, reducing wear on hip and knee joints, and can help prevent some injuries from occurring.

Dr. Amber Kenmuir, D.C., Long Lake Chiropractic, MySpine.ca

An Important Discussion

Losing a spouse is a life-altering event that we are never truly prepared for. 

Here are some steps to take now to alleviate some of the stress on the one left behind.

• Have a will to ensure that your estate and affairs will be settled according to your wishes.

• Discuss your final wishes with your spouse.
• Make a list of all your passwords and keep where your spouse can find it.

• Discuss bills, payments and banking details to ensure the surviving spouse can continue to handle everyday tasks. No one likes to think about death so we often neglect to have these important discussions.

Cedar Valley Memorial Gardens, ArborMemorial.ca/en/CedarValley

Diary of Ann Frank

NTG presents the powerful and gritty new adaptation of the Diary of Anne Frank. An impassioned drama about the lives of eight people hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic. It captures the truly claustrophobic realities of their daily existence, their fear, their hope, their laughter and their grief. This is a new adaption for a new generation. Lest we forget. On stage April 24 – May 11.

NanaimoTheatreGroup.ca