Community News
Why Sprout Grains? 

Sprouting is a process that germinates grains, seeds or legumes. This process makes them more easily digestible and produces additional vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin B and Carotene. Another benefit of sprouting is the resulting decrease in phytic acid. Phytic acid is an enzyme inhibitor, which means that it blocks the absorption of vitamins and minerals and can also cause poor digestion and an unhealthy gut. This may explain why many people feel bloated, gassy or intolerant of beans and grains. Some people who believe that they are gluten intolerant actually do quite well with properly sprouted grains. Some have even linked phytic acid and improperly prepared grains to the rise in tooth decay. If you do eat grains, it’s best to soak or sprout them first. The way that you sprout any grain, seed or legume is the same, only the amount of time you sprout it changes.

Rick Drury
www.scoopandsave.com

Massage Therapy for Stress 

Stress relief is one of the first benefits that come to mind when thinking of massage therapy. It’s also a key component for anyone trying to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Clinical studies show that even a single 1 ½-hour session can significantly lower your heart rate, cortisol levels and insulin levels — all of which explain why massage therapy and stress relief go hand-in-hand.

Taking care of your body should be at the top of your priorities. By adding therapeutic massage to your routine now, you’ll feel, look and simply be healthier far into the future. In fact, stress relief alone can improve your vitality and state of mind. In addition to stress relief, ongoing massage therapy can reduce pain, increase energy levels and improve overall physical and mental performance.

Julie Sagnes, RMT
www.authenticwellnessonline.com

Caregiver Pharmacy Support

It can be difficult to be a caregiver and manage multiple or complex medications for a loved one. It is important to ensure medications are taken appropriately to help maintain good health. A visiting pharmacist provides personal support with regular medication delivery and home consultations. The pharmacist reviews a client’s prescription drugs and over the counter medications to advise if there are any drug interactions and makes adjustments as necessary. This level of support can reduce emergency room visits and hospital stays and results in a strong, trusting relationship between clients, caregivers and pharmacists. The visiting pharmacist also provides seamless care for hospital discharge patients and works closely with other health care professionals to deliver a high level of care to the client. Care is tailored to specific individual needs such as assisting with blood pressure readings, adding medications to convenient packaging and making changes in a timely manner.

Care At Home Pharmacy
www.careathomepharmacy.ca

L-Carnitine & Chromium

L-Carnitine with Chromium is a blend of two nutrients that play important roles in the metabolism of fat. L-Carnitine is required for the breakdown of fats into energy, while chromium supports healthy glucose metabolism. Its main function is to help insulin carry sugar into muscle cells where it is stored as energy. A lack of chromium could cause fluctuating blood-sugar levels which trigger sugar cravings. As a carbohydrate dependent society, increasing the amount of L-Carnitine & Chromium in our diet in our formula’s proportions will assist the body’s ability to manage its carbohydrate cravings and, in turn, assist with a successful weight management protocol.

Valentus – The Healthiest Coffee in the World

Roma Stefanowich
www.easygo.valentustour.com

Putting a Windfall to Good Use

A financial windfall like a tax return is always exciting to receive, since usually, more money means more possibilities, and ideally, less stress. But how should you really put that extra cash to good use? Though saving or investing all of the money might seem like the most responsible thing to do – because what is more prudent than saving? – first consider how much interest you are paying each month on any debts you may be carrying. That interest will quickly cancel out any of the financial benefit you may reap from putting your new wad of cash into a savings account or investment.

So, what should you do instead?

You could look at your windfall as a great opportunity to pay down your high-interest debt. Credit card debt, or payday loans, are generally the best target for some of these financial resources, especially since those interest rates are generally over 6-8% and usually even higher than that. Even just paying off the cards with the smallest balance first can feel like progress and keep you motivated. Once you’ve paid off a card with a small balance, cut it up, cancel the account and that’s one less problem to deal with.  Starting small also means that once your small debts are taken care of, you’ve already freed up some funds for tackling your larger credit card debts next.

Though it may be tempting to use your entire windfall to pay down as much debt as you can, you might also consider keeping some of those funds in reserve for emergencies like an unforeseen but essential purchase (especially if you own a home, a vehicle, or both!) Though it may seem easy to throw future emergency purchases on a credit card (since you just paid it down with part of the windfall, right?) future-you will be glad you have that emergency fund, especially since it means avoiding even more credit-card interest.

Say you’ve used the windfall to pay down some of your debt while keeping some of the funds in reserve.  That’s great! Now that you can breathe a bit easier, why not make a plan to stay that way?  Luckily, there are a number of steps you can take to manage future debt by adjusting your habits going forward, such as:

Setting reachable goals for your monthly payments. The more you can pay off monthly, the better, but paying even $5 more than the minimum amount is a great start.

Being mindful of putting future purchases on your cards. Pay with cash or debit as much as possible, and think of a purchase made without the looming risk of credit card interest as a way to also buy yourself peace of mind.

Looking at your budget to see where you might be able to trim expenses. Track your spending to see where you can distinguish between needs and wants, or figure out more cost-effective alternatives for every day necessities (like your lunch or morning brew – a bag of healthy snacks from your fridge and a thermos of coffee brought from home will go a long way, savings-wise!)

If this all seems overwhelming, or if you aren’t sure how best to go about paying down debt and figuring out a budget that works for you, you can always seek professional advice. Call the experts at LCTaylor to learn about all your all your options. We can help you put that financial windfall to good use, so you can really enjoy the long-term benefits of that extra cash.

LCTaylor Licensed Insolvency Trustees
www.lctaylor.com

An ORAC Score? 

The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) unit, or “ORAC score” is a method of measuring the power of antioxidants of different foods and supplements. It is believed that foods higher on the ORAC scale will more effectively neutralize free radicals, and assist in angi-aging. A powerful antioxidant with a high ORAC score will slow the oxidative processes and free radical damage that can contribute to age-related degeneration and disease. Look for products with a High Daily ORAC score.   Antioxidant benefits can easily be reversed by any toxic products or pesticides present in the product so always choose a product which is 100% Organic and Chemical Free.

Angel Balichowski
www.theorganicmommy.com

12 Key Benefits of Reiki 

A Reiki session can induce an extremely comfortable and calming state of being, which can bring alteration in the recipient’s consciousness and raise their vibration. 1. It balances the body, mind and spirit and brings it back into wholeness. 2. Reiki complements Eastern and Western medicine and everyone can benefit from it. 3. It allows the recipient to connect with their own innate ability to heal. 4. Promotes pain relief of all types. 5. Reiki relaxes muscles, relieves tension, increases energy, reduces stress and provides mental clarity. 6. It assists in finding the root of an invisible disease, promotes sleep, clears toxins and relaxes the mind. 7. Balances the chakras/energies. 8. Encourages emotional release and promotes well-being. 9. Assists in unlocking suppressed feelings and soothes emotional distress. 10. Is a wonderful healing modality for pregnant women and babies. 11. Promotes a peaceful, tranquil and positive outlook, while strengthening spiritual connections. 12. Enhances self-love, connection with the truest self, and guides one towards their soul purpose.

Brie Henderson

www.briehenderson.com

How Much Caffeine Does Matcha Have? 

Matcha contains roughly 25mg of caffeine, which is approximately one-third the caffeine of a cup of brewed coffee. It is easily tolerated by many people for whom coffee makes them jittery and anxious! The caffeine in Matcha works in a synergistic manner with all the other great stuff it contains, including hefty quantities of phytonutrients, antioxidants, and amino acids. This special combination of ingredients produces an unusual effect: An uncanny ability to focus and be productive over an extended period of time. Because the caffeine molecules in Matcha bind to larger and more stable molecules, the caffeine is released over time, instead of all at once, into the bloodstream. In contrast to coffee, this timed-release mechanism tends to inhibit any sudden insulin increases, so there is no “crash” associated with quick drops in blood sugar that so many coffee drinkers feel an hour or so after drinking a cup.

Tiffanie & Kip Home
www.justmatcha.com

3 Essentials For Youthful Skin 

As we age our skin changes. It doesn’t hold moisture like it used to; it becomes chronically dry. One reason for this is that the enzyme that converts linoleic acid into moisture-holding gamma linoleic acid (omega 3) begins to slow down. When we are young our skin turns over robustly; old skin cells slough off and new fresh skin cells take their place. As we age, this process also slows, and layers of dead skin cells seemingly glue together, making our skin appear thick and dull forming wrinkles much more easily than young skin. Turn to nature for powerful solutions! Use a natural day cream that contains GLA oils like evening primrose, borage or black currant seed, a moisture rich gentle exfoliating paste, and a healthy dose of antioxidants inside and outside. Antioxidants include vitamins, minerals, herbs and essential oils. Health is beauty!

Karen VanDyck
www.naturesfirstbeautybar.com

Breaking the Pattern of Social Isolation

An elderly relative, adjusting to the loss of living independently and the death of her sibling, quietly admitted “I’m all alone now.” Despite living a highly engaged life – maintaining an extensive social network, living in the same city for over 50 years, and cultivating relationships within a close faith community, her sense of loneliness was palpable. Her experience is neither unexpected – particularly for someone who has outlived many of her peers, or sadly, unique. During a counselling session, a client stated “I feel invisible. I disappear into my room and only leave when I have to.” The sentiment was similar, although this client, at fourteen, appeared to be highly connected through social media. Social isolation is not the same as choosing to spend time alone, and it can have negative impacts on mental and physical wellness. An empathetic counsellor can offer practical support to break a pattern of social isolation.

Sophia Sorensen, BBA, MA, RCC
www.sorensenproctor.com

Lymphatic Drainage 

The proper functioning of the lymphatic system is critical to our body’s ability to detoxify and regenerate tissues, filter out toxins and foreign substances, recover crucial substances that have escaped from the blood, and maintain a healthy immune system. It’s a complex system comprised primarily of vessels and lymph nodes working in cooperation to accomplish these tasks.

Unlike the circulatory system, which uses the pumping of the heart to circulate its blood flow, lymph vessels rely upon hundreds of tiny muscular units contracting throughout the body to propel the lymph. These contractions enable the lymph vessels to transport numerous substances (i.e., proteins, toxins, hormones, fatty acids, immune cells) to the lymph nodes, which can then eliminate the waste. The action of these muscular units can be hindered or stopped, however, due to fatigue, stress, emotional shock, cold temperatures, infections, lack of physical activity, age, chemicals or food additives. When the lymph circulation stagnates, fluids, proteins, cells and toxins accumulate and cellular functioning is significantly comprised. This opens the way to many physical ailments and hastens the aging process.

Lymphatic drainage is a hands-on technique designed to activate and cleanse this human fluid system. It’s origins can be traced to two traditions in particular: the published research of Frederic Millard, a Canadian osteopathic physician (1922) and Emil Vodder, a Danish massage practitioner and doctor of philosophy (1932). Over the years, methods based on the discoveries of these two pioneers have been honed, refined and explained. Today, lymphatic drainage techniques are employed as standard scientific practice throughout Europe and are gaining greater recognition and use within the American health care community.

Laurie Pryce
www.biodynamicbody.ca