Community News
Fitting Self-Care into Your Busy Schedule

Self-care is often seen as selfish however, if we do not care for ourselves, we run the danger of losing who we are. We put our children, our family, work and friends ahead of our own needs. Who will they have if you lose YOU? Self-care does not have to be done alone. You can do it along with the other important people in your life. Self-care is more about how you feel when you are doing it rather than what you are doing. If you love to walk, take the children on a walk through the park. Get your friends together for a Mani, Pedi, Appies night for an evening of pampering without the expense of the spa. These are little things that you can do to help stay true to yourself. Loving yourself is the only sure fire way that life’s little ups and downs can be managed in a healthy and productive way.

Jaclyn Younger, RTC, InnerCare Therapeutic Counselling, Inner-Care.com

Like You, Air is Best When It’s Truly Free

Let’s face it, we all have odors we could do without but masking pet odors with the fake scent of “Red Velvet Chocolate Cake” is not how nature intended us to breathe. The air in any household is already being inundated with unhealthy chemicals (VOC’s) off-gassing from glues and building materials that make up your home’s interior. Fortunately, there are healthier alternatives to freshen air. The use of naturally derived charcoals is one solution that will absorb pre-existing chemicals and eliminate odors to leave your space scent-free. The most absorbent of these charcoals come from sustainable bamboo or coconut shells. After a year of deodorization use, they can be mixed into your garden soil to benefit your plant life. Breathing clean air is your right and charcoal is the natural choice to free your air of odors.

Christopher Tio, Owner
Aircoal.com

Pharmacist Makes House Calls

The Pharmacy at Home Program is perfect for people who struggle with managing their medications or have challenges visiting the pharmacy. For no additional charge, a pharmacist will visit you in your own home. The pharmacist will identify all the prescription and non-prescription medication that you are taking, discuss how the medications are best taken and create a medication management plan to address any issues that you may have. The immediate benefits of the Pharmacy at Home Program are improved quality of life, peace of mind for your family members who know that you are in good hands and increased collaboration with community health services. The long term benefits include being able to stay in your own home for a longer period of time, reduced number of hospital visits and admissions and improved quality of life for your caregiver.

Mel & Kristen Azcarraga, Owners/Pharmacists, Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, 4186A Departure Bay Rd, Facebook.com/MS0332

Risk Factors Associated with Gambling

In today’s stress-riddled fast-paced world, with so many people suffering from anxiety and depression, how do you maintain your balance to avoid developing addictions such as gambling? It starts by being aware of risk factors associated with gambling addictions. These include having had a big win early in our gambling history, having had a recent loss or change, such as divorce or death of a loved one or having financial problems. Gambling becomes a concern if you find that you use it to escape from problems or to get relief from anxiety or if it is causes you to ignore your physical and emotional health. If some of the things are making you wonder if you have a problem with gambling, take heart. You have more control over your life than you may realize. In fact, recognizing that you may have a problem is powerful and can be the first step in reaching out for help.

Karen Hlady, Community Engagement & Prevention Service Provider, Gambling Awareness Program, BCResponsibleGambling.ca

Super Charged Oxygen Treats Chronic Pain

Oxygen is the lifeblood of the cellular system; without it there would be no you! Ozone is a supercharged form of oxygen that contains an extra atom; a typical oxygen molecule contains two (O2), while ozone contains three (O3). When treatment is applied, this extra atom breaks off after 20-30 minutes inside the body and does more than just oxygenate cells; these oxygen singlets are free to bind and destroy any viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, molds, yeasts and any abnormal tissue cells it finds in the body. These abnormal cells absolutely hate ozone so disease simply doesn’t stand a chance! Once these abnormal cells are oxidized and eliminated from the body, they are replaced with healthy cells. Ozone therapy in conjunction with injection therapy is used to treat and eliminate chronic pain resulting from nerve injuries, degenerative joints and ligaments.

Dr. Sterling Desmond, Dr. TCM, R.Ac., EvolveWithDesera.com

What is Holistic Nutrition?

Holistic Nutrition is an integrated look at health that incorporates the whole person – body, mind and spirit. It explores how diet, supplements, lifestyle choices, the health of our minds and spirituality all contribute to, or prevent, many diseases and poor health conditions. Holistic nutrition takes a look at all of these components and strives to find a balance amongst them, using evidence-based science and taking into consideration the health of the individual, society and the health of the planet. Natural nutrients have properties that are best described by these words: “live, natural, good quality”. These simple words can serve as a guide to everyone wishing to improve their health.

Dona Bradley, R.H.N., Manager/CSNN Vancouver Island, csnn.ca/vancouverisland

Planning is Key when Traveling with Mobility Issues

Mobility issues make traveling more challenging but that does not mean you should stop traveling. It may be time to sit down and reassess your travel preferences. Focus on what you want to do and what you can do, then build your trip from there. The key to any successful journey is planning and it is even more important when you have mobility issues. Be sure to start your planning early since many hotels and cruise lines have a limited number of accessible rooms/cabins. A travel agent can help find tours that are suitable for your needs along with fully accessible hotel accommodations and wonderful accessible travel experiences. When you rely on the experience of experts who understand the needs of travelers with mobility issues, you can travel on your terms, at your own pace and have an incredible experience.

Lynne Alexander, CWT Oceanside Travel, www.Oceanside.Travel

Signs of a Great Memory Care Residence

Moving to and living in a new place can be very unsettling for anyone. It is even more so for people with memory loss. Here are some signs of a great residence. The living space should be well designed to feel homey and inviting. The decoration, lighting and outdoor landscaping should be thoughtfully curated to be welcoming and consistent to reduce decision fatigue. People need to be treated as unique individuals with particular needs and tastes. Look for a care plan that provides amenities and activities specifically designed to enhance the well-being of people living with memory loss. Activities should be tailored to individual need and cognitive ability. Residents should be encouraged to enhance their rooms with familiar furnishings to remind them they are home, they are unique, and they are still the person they’ve always been.

Lianne Ketcheson, Nanaimo Memory and Complex Care, NanaimoMemoryCare.com

Let’s Go Ride a Bike!

Do you enjoy riding your bicycle but find that the hills are now a little steeper than you remember? Maybe you have given up riding all together because of knee pain or exercise induced asthma. Would you like to recapture the fun of being a kid on a bike again – able to go anywhere? Electric bikes remove many of the roadblocks and challenges that people face with traditional pedal-powered bikes. It is just like a regular bicycle – only better. You can pedal normally (or not), and get assistance up to that steep hill. Take a fun ride down to the beach or up into the mountains in comfort and watch the hills disappear behind you. Electric bicycles offer the same great benefits as traditional bicycles, including cost efficiency, health benefits and connection to a community.

Ruby Berry, Pedego Electric Bikes
PedegoQualicumBeach.ca

Whole Foods and Phytonutrients

Plants produce phytocompounds which are substances that help them thrive and protect themselves from their environment. Many of these compounds are also beneficial in the human diet, where they are referred to as phytonutrients and can make an important contribution to optimized health. When using whole food concentrates from around the world, the diversity of phytonutrients is as unique as the environments from which they originate. Whole foods deliver a plethora of nutrients including phytonutrients, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy fatty acids – things we need and cannot get from diet alone. Using whole food concentrates enables the beneficial effects of the molecular structure of these phytonutrients to remain intact. Data indicates that Functional Foods may be a novel and comprehensive dietary approach for the management of a number of degenerative diseases. Functional Foods are recognised for their health benefits. Typically sacred plants of the original peoples from around the world are Functional Foods.

Dorothy Spencer, Independent Consultant, Zurvita, Facebook.com/ZealBTheChange

Bowenwork® – The Original Bowen Technique

A Bowen treatment consists of gentle rolling moves with pauses between moves, giving the body time to benefit from each set and process the information. Bowenwork® balances and stimulates; the restorative process begins once the body is no longer in a state of ‘fight or flight’. By releasing muscle tissue tensions patterns, clients often describe a deep state of relaxation, a feeling of peace and calm, as well as a more positive frame of mind less affected by stress, and they make better decisions. The Bowen technique is appropriate for anyone dealing with pain and injuries, from a newborn to an elderly person. It can help athletes and pregnant women, as well as people with disabilities or chronic conditions. This innovative form of bodywork was first developed in Australia by the late Tom Bowen. His work was verified in 1975 by the Victorian Government, revealing that he saw some 13,000 patients every year!

Andrée Boisvert, Bowenwork® Practitioner, ABHolisticHealth.com