Maintaining a routine means having a set schedule each and every day. Routines allow one to know what is planned and what to expect. Establishing routines is extremely important for the elderly.  Seniors living in their homes can be assisted by care professionals who understand the benefits routines provide to individuals who want to age in place.  A daily routine offers a level of stability that elderly individuals often enjoy, as it allows them to settle into a schedule that they understand. Many seniors do not like surprises, and having a routine allows them to anticipate and plan for what the day holds. By setting a schedule, loved ones can also be assured their elderly family and friends are comfortable with anticipated events. Changing a routine can be met with resistance, which may cause stress to seniors. To reduce the chances of causing a degree of anxiety, elder care professionals recommend setting a routine and maintaining it.

Lance Pace
www.ophco.com

Q: Is it just me or is the print getting smaller on labels?

A: It’s mostly you, but some of the labelling for medicines and food ingredients is actually getting smaller as printing technology improves with materials and machinery. Health Canada has guidelines for font size and type for pharmaceutical labelling, but it’s not a strict system. If you’re having some recent profound difficulty focusing at near distances, then you should get it checked just to ensure that it’s not a more serious issue than just needing reading glasses!

Dr. Alex Kennedy,
www.mosaicvisioncare.com

A.Vogel Natural Allergy Homeopathic Remedy. For the treatment of sneezing, itchy nose and burning eyes. A. Vogel Natural Allergy Remedy not only lowers the allergic reaction but also relieves symptoms. Allergies were almost never heard of 50 years ago but they are now one of the most frequent health problems. Respiratory allergies, hay fever, allergic asthma, food allergies and urticaria are only some of the names given to this disease, now of epidemic proportions in our society. Many therapists blame environmental pollution, others blame chemical and devitalized food, others blame antibiotics, and others blame vaccines. Be that as it may, the current medical answer to an allergy is not satisfactory: antihistaminic and other allergy drugs bring a temporary relief but no treatment. The real question is: “If it is possible to acquire an allergy, shouldn’t it be possible to get rid of it?”

Jeanie Bruneau, Certified Professional Cancer Coach, Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner

Spring is in the air! Along with all the lovely tree, grass and weed pollens! Allergies are incredibly common in our pets, especially here on the coast, and can be divided into 4 known categories; Contact, Flea, Food and Inhalant. When discussing inhalant allergies, we can’t forget mold or mildew, and of course our favourite tiny cosmopolitan pyroglyphid, the dust mite! Unfortunately, the clinical signs of all allergic reactions are commonly shared, and in cases tend to overlap, but each type can manifest its own unique characteristics. The most common type of allergy in our region, next to flea contact dermatitis, is the inhalant type, also called ‘atopy’. For reasons obvious to the seasonally suffering human, allergies are just as misery inducing in our pets. Itchy, raw and irritated skin, watering eyes, nasal discharge and congestion make up but a few symptoms that should inspire a visit to your veterinarian.”

Ken Seaman, Dr. of Veterinary Medicine
www.puntledgevet.ca

Stress in the body can come from a variety of causes- including mechanical (poor posture), emotional (conflicts, loss), or trauma (MVA, fall). All of these stressors can cause the same reaction in our bodies- pain. Pain can often result in a cycle which looks like this: pain initiates reflex muscle contraction in nearby muscles- the contracting muscles become ischemic (reduced blood supply) leading to spasm and more pain. The pain cycle will continue unless something intervenes to stop it. Enter massage. According to Melzack and Wall’s Gate Control Theory, non-painful sensory input closes “gates” to the spinal cord so the painful stimulus cannot travel to the central nervous system, thereby interrupting the pain cycle. Simply put, when you bump your elbow and immediately begin to rub the area, you are activating sensory nerve fibers that are faster at sending messages to your brain than the fibers that transmit pain.

www.courtenaymassagetherapy.com

Do you suffer from headaches or earaches? Do you have a stiff neck and upper back? What about on-going stomach issues, anxiety or depression? Dissimilar as all these issues might sound, the root cause may be your temporomandibular joint, or TMJ. Known as “the hidden imposter” for the way it mimics other syndromes, TMJ disorder is not only very common, it’s also often misdiagnosed. The TMJ is the hinge where the jawbone connects to the skull. Factors that can cause TMJ issues include misalignment of the jaw or teeth; physical trauma, such as whiplash or dental work; degenerative diseases; or, most commonly, tension resulting in teeth clenching or grinding. While actual joint pain may or may not occur, typically symptoms manifest elsewhere in the body and include migraines, earaches or tinnitus (ringing in the ears), hip and pelvic pain and muscle soreness in the upper body. Because of these diverse symptoms, correct diagnosis is often overlooked while treatment doesn’t address the underlying problem.

Dr. Brigitte Tetrault
www.courtenayhealing.ca

Spring is a season that is filled with excitement and anticipation.  Nevertheless, spring can also bring with it added stress.  The thought of warmer weather can cause us to worry about the extra pounds we gained over winter becoming visible.  Or, we might stress at the thought of added hours of yard work to our already-busy schedule.  If you notice yourself beginning to worry about this transition from winter dormancy, give yourself a gentle nudge back into the present moment. On the drive to work in the morning, look for signs of new life on the trees and reflect on the vitality of nature.  Whatever your personal situation, purposefully take a second to reflect on the present moment and challenge your consciousness to reflect on one thing that is wonderful or amazing.  You will find that you can powerfully change your state of mind in an instance and free yourself to capture the beauty of the season.

Terri Czegledi, MA, MFT
www.comoxvalleycounselling.ca