Wellness is an active, lifelong process of making decisions to help you live a more balanced and fulfilled life. Healthier, happier people tend to live longer and have higher energy levels. A sense of wellness helps improve mood and can improve depression. A simple thing that can easily be incorporated into our day that will improve wellness is walking! It doesn’t matter if you can only make it halfway down the street. Make a commitment to walk every day and before you know it, you will have made it right around the block. Invest in proper walking shoes and socks for added support and comfort.
Community News
The Power of Touch
Touch may well be one of the most unappreciated of the five senses.
Seniors in particular often miss the simple acts of touch and the many benefits that go along with them. There is the physical benefit but just as important, are the mental and emotional ones. Touch enhances the quality of your life. Research shows that touch triggers the hypothalamus which produces oxytocin. This has a number of different physiological effects including, reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, pain management, improving sleep and promoting relaxation. The human touch can especially benefit those with Alzheimer’s. It can benefit the caregiver as well.
Does Your Jaw Crack?
Ever opened your jaw wide and heard it crack? Do you sometimes feel like when you bite your teeth together that one side touches before the other? These can indicate a misalignment of the jaw. Over time, a jaw misalignment can lead to degeneration of the jaw joint. A jaw misalignment can be due to injury, uneven fillings or crowns, or it can be due to bone misalignment in the neck. The top bone in the neck, called the Atlas or C1, sits right beside the jaw joint, or TMJ. Studies have shown that when the Atlas misaligns, it can affect how the TMJ moves. Studies have also shown that an Atlas adjustment can correct some TMJ issues. Visit a chiropractor to learn more.
Classes for Improved Health
The City of Nanaimo and Island Health have partnered to offer classes to improve your health. Programs are taught by Dr. Derek Poteryko who is a family physician and the Medical Director of Community Health in Nanaimo. Dr. Poteryko is passionate and committed to helping people live healthier and more fulfilling lives. Class topics include “The Skinny on Weight Loss”, “Don’t Worry Be Happy”, “Men’s Health”, “How to Make Nanaimo Health Care Better”, “Quit Smoking for Good” or Advanced Care Planning”. The cost to attend these programs is only $2. Please see page 60 of the Fall and Winter Activity Guide for details, call us at 250.756.5200 or visit our website.
Meet Your Practitioner – Ahmed Omar, R.D.
Ahmed is one of a few denturist in the central Vancouver Island region who brings a full denture service to the comfort of his clients’ homes. Ahmed studied Oral and Dental Medicine at George Brown College and after graduating in 2013, he opened his clinic on Legion street in Chemainus. Tooth loss can cause a host of physical and emotional issues. If you are suffering with missing teeth, Ahmed will take the time to evaluate your condition and recommend the ideal solution for you. Whether you need partial dentures or full dentures, Ahmed Omar will present you with options and help you make the best decision for your mouth.
Explaining Savings Versus Spending To Your Kids
Teaching your kids good money habits is not easy. It is not a one-time tutorial, but instead an ongoing process of setting good examples, explaining money concepts and letting them learn by trial and error. However, it is an important lesson that is often learned from their parents. Teaching them the value of saving versus spending is the first step.
Learning the Value of Saving
As frustrating as it may be to a young child not to get what they want, when they want it, it can also be rewarding. Most children learn the basics of saving through getting an allowance or payment for chores around the house and using that money to buy the things they want. However, many parents easily give in to children who beg and plead for a new toy or treat instead of teaching them the valuable lesson of how to save.
Beyond teaching children how money works, the more important value that parents can impart to their children is the satisfaction that comes from earning rewards. If a child wants a particular toy, explain the cost and what they will need to do to earn that money and how long it will take. Do not give in to children who already understand the concept of credit and asks to have the treat or toy now and promises to do chores later to earn it. This is exactly what you do not want to teach them! Instead, allow them the satisfaction of working hard to save the money they need to purchase the reward. They will appreciate what they buy even more, and learn a valuable lesson.
Here are some financial concepts you can discuss with your children as they grow up. For example, help your children learn to:
Ages 4 to 8:
- understand that people have a limited amount of money to spend
- use money to buy basic goods and services for simple transactions
- divide allowances or other money received among the financial goals of saving, spending and sharing
- understand that there are choices when it comes to money, and that money spent on one thing means that there is less money available for something else.
Ages 9 to 14:
- recognize the difference between needs and wants
- understand the importance of saving a portion (for example, 10 percent) of all money they receive and the value of an emergency fund
- create a savings plan for short-term and long-term financial goals
- identify regular financial commitments families have and know that families use household income to meet those commitments
- create a simple budget for an activity or event.
Ages 15 to 18:
- understand the pros and cons of different payment options such as cash, debit cards and credit cards
- understand different kinds of basic investments (GICs, stocks, bonds and mutual funds)
- understand the time-value of money (for example, past, present and future worth of money) and opportunity costs
- understand the concept of “living within your means” and why it is important.
Financial lessons are better learned earlier than later, when credit scores can haunt them for years to come. Give your children the tools to learn the value of saving versus spending from the very beginning, to prepare them to be independent and financially responsible.
Brian Denysuik is a local credit counsellor and registered insolvency counsellor at Creditaid who has been in the financial services industry for over 35 years.
Live a Clutter-Free Life!
What is clutter? The accumulation of things you bought at some point which no longer serve their original purpose and have now become a burden that fills up space in your home that you could find a better use for.
Clutter is the superfluous, the surplus, the non useful. At best it can turn into the disposable, the garbage, at worst it can turn into a nightmare you cannot sort out.
How does that translate into more general terms in your reality? What could you define as ‘clutter’ in your emotional, social, personal or work life? What burdens you that you could do without? What weighs you down? What keeps you from moving forward? What gets in your way? What causes you confusion?
How could you simplify your life at every level? From wardrobe, to home items, to belongings, to relationships, way of thinking and philosophy of life?
How could you reach the very core of what is meaningful for you to be happy and content?
One strategy I find useful is to strip down things to their basic core, by asking ‘why’ for everything you think you need in your life. Be that a pair of shoes, or a relationship, the main concept is the same: to dig down deep enough until you are left with the very essence. Quite often we may discover that the reason for which we thought we wanted or needed something is quite different or even irrelevant to the actual thing. Usually it is related to deeper needs of feeling happy, connected, feeling loved, secure, content, at peace.
Another strategy is to ask yourself: ‘Can I do without this?’ Whatever that ‘this’ may be and see what you are left with. An exercise in minimalism if you like or simply seeing how much you can ‘lighten’ your space and/or life.
It is amazing how delightful of a feeling of freedom one may experience after ‘decluttering’ one’s life and space. Realizing how little we really need to feel content and how connecting to our deeper and more essential needs may render all the ‘clutter’ superfluous.
It is mind blowing how much ‘clutter’ we carry with us in the form of negative emotions, our past experiences, unresolved inner conflicts, lack of self-esteem and self-acceptance. How many of our beliefs and values may be actually obsolete or outdated and no longer serve us.
Yet we carry all that weight all that ‘clutter’ with us into our present, every day, without realizing how it is weighing us down, making us feel exhausted, tired, fed up. How this ‘clutter’ keeps us from having access to the energy of the present moment, from moving forward, feeling inspired and being creative.
Clutter of any form keeps us stuck. Stuck in our space, stuck in our lives. Burdened by superfluous, unnecessary weight, unnecessary struggle. Yet for some strange reason we get attached to it. Attached to our ‘stuff’, attached to our pain or anger, attached to our fears. We are basically attached to the security of the ‘known’ of our comfort zone and have difficulty moving past it into the uncertainty and discomfort of the unknown and its possible risks or gifts.
So why do you need what you think you need? What can you do without? What is it your soul really needs to be happy and content?
Narrowing it down to the basic core needs and wants, will set you free to enjoy the present moment lighter than ever, more present than you ever thought possible and full of energy to embrace the new.
Who Thinks About Suicide?
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. It is estimated that 5% of the Canadian population has thoughts of suicide at some time. Loss of people we love, relationships, jobs, and money are all reasons to want to escape a problem that seems insurmountable. We are wired to solve our problems and, for most of us, we naturally reach out, talk to someone, and together find solutions other than death. I urge you to become aware of the commonness of thinking about suicide and seriously LISTEN to someone who is talking about suicide.
How common is it to think about suicide? About a plan to stop your life; to die and leave all of this? Do you suddenly find yourself thinking about suicide and wonder how you got there? Well, you’re not alone. Many people report they think about suicide and possible plans. It is estimated that 5% of the Canadian population has thoughts of suicide at one time or another (ASIST -Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Centre of BC). Does that mean we’re all depressed? Or doing such a bad job of managing of our lives that we need to escape?
No. We are certainly not all depressed and most people with depression do not die by suicide or think about it all the time….and no, most of us may have one or two things in our lives we are struggling with, but our life overall is normal and acceptable. Thinking about suicide may start with thinking of a way to escape difficulty, sorrow, shame or guilt. Loss of people we love, relationships, jobs and money are all possible reasons to want to escape the feeling and the problem. We are wired to find solutions to our problems and for most of we naturally reach out, talk to someone, and together we have the ability to find solutions other than death. Some people, however, do not have someone that will listen to them when they mention their thoughts of suicide as a way to end the problem.
September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. I urge you to become aware of the commonness of thinking about suicide and seriously listen to someone that is hinting or talking about suicide, ending it all, or not having a choice. We absolutely cannot make someone suicide by asking them if they are thinking about killing themselves. Think about yourself. If you have had thoughts of suicide, it started long before someone asked about it. It was your idea – not theirs. Let’s try to prevent a suicide by LISTENING to someone’s story, and trying to find a solution other than death.
Barbara Gilmore is a registered counsellor in Victoria BC region that discusses suicide in your life. Why did someone die? Why do I want to die?
Help available in BC:
• 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) – 24 hours a day
• Online Crisis Chat – CrisisCentreChat.ca
B. Gilmore Clinical Counselling, BGilmoreCounselling.com
The Law of Reciprocity
Volunteering your time, giving your money generously, or offering your energy and talents to help others doesn’t just make the world better—it puts you in the flow of receiving more of what you give out back to yourself.
I know…your thinking …”That’s pretty selfish!” It’s a proven fact that the act of giving boosts your happiness, health, and sense of well-being. And when you give generously, the law of reciprocity bring you more!
When we give or serve, we set spiritual forces in motion and we’ll experience the results. Usually we receive in ways more amazing than our limited thinking and beliefs may allow. Holding back limits the results. Develop a trust for this law, work with it in your life. Be generous, and life blesses you with more in every part of life. Then you can express even more.
Here are seven scientific benefits of giving generously:
- HELPING OTHERS CAN HELP YOU LIVE LONGER.
Give to people and places that encourages self-empowerment. Volunteering improves your ability to manage stress and avoid disease as well as reduce depression and increase your “joie de vivre”—when performed on a regular basis. Volunteering reduces loneliness and enhances your social life—and these improvements significantly affect your long-term health.
- PHILANTHROPY IS CONTAGIOUS.
When you perform a good deed, it causes a chain reaction of other altruistic acts. People are more likely to be generous after observing you do the same. This effect ripples throughout the community, inspiring others to make a difference too.
- HELPING OTHERS MAKES YOU HAPPY.
Did you know that people who described themselves as “very happy” volunteered at least 5.8 hours per month? This sense of well-being is a great reward. Giving back can give you a mental boost too.
- HELPING OTHERS HELPS WITH CHRONIC PAIN.
In one study, people who suffered from chronic pain worked as volunteers. As a result, they experienced a reduction in their own symptoms.
- HELPING OTHERS LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE.
If you’re at risk for heart problems, your doctor has probably told you to change your diet or reduce the hours at a stressful job. However, consider adding: a regular volunteer schedule to your routine. Research shows that older individuals who volunteered for at least 200 hours a year decreased hypertension by an amazing 40 percent.
- HELPING OTHERS PROMOTES POSITIVE BEHAVIORS IN TEENS.
According to sociologists, teenagers who volunteer have better grades and self-image. An empowered positive self-image is the cornerstone of a great life! Giving of their time talents and resources also builds tremendous life skills.
- HELPING OTHERS GIVES YOU A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND SATISFACTION.
Looking for more meaning in your day-to-day existence? Studies show that giving of your time, talent and resources enhances your overall sense of purpose and identity—particularly if you are in “retirement or experiencing “the empty nest syndrome.” Giving to places and situations that encourage self-empowerment can help your life and definitely help our community too.
Give generously because you deserve the best life can offer. It must begin with you. It is an inside job…and all else will flood into your life in overflowing ways!
Rev Anne Ahokangas
Welcome to Wellnessnews
We are proud to launch the Cowichan Valley edition of the Wellnessnews; our third edition on Central Vancouver Island! To us, Healthy Living means making positive choices and taking ownership and action to improve and enrich our lives in all key areas; physical, mental and spiritual. In order to achieve Healthy Living, we need information about positive health practices and a guide to the resources available to us. Wellnessnews Choices for Healthy Living® strives to be the resource that showcases local health practitioners and businesses that can help the people in our communities achieve their goal of health and wellness.
Teresa Ostman and Isabella Ostman
Publishers Wellnessnews Central Vancouver Island
Wellnessnews.ca
1.888.284.3235
Fight Illness and Disease with Ionized Water
Oxidative stress is the build-up of free radicals inside the cells of our body. This is normal; most of it comes from food digestion. Our body naturally produces enzymes to clean up those free radicals and keeps us relatively healthy, especially when we’re younger. As we age, we have higher levels of oxidative stress, more than what our bodies can handle. This is what leads to illness and disease. Consuming great tasting ionized water can help. It is a powerful antioxidant that lowers oxidative stress in our cells. Ionized water makes cells healthy.
Nick Romanovsky, Best H2O, Facebook.com/Eauionizer
