Community News
Summer: Caring for #1

Summer is in full swing! It’s a time to relax, have fun, enjoy life, and take care of you. Sounds great, right? Except…maybe you have difficulty doing this because you are feeling exhausted, stressed, or overwhelmed. Maybe you feel selfish taking the time to make your happiness a priority. Self-care is healthy. Self-care is necessary. Taking good care of you provides a good role model for others. Having fun and enjoying yourself is infectious and when you are happy, the people around you are more relaxed and happy too. Counselling provides an opportunity to talk about concerns and can help you learn better self-care in times of stress or difficulty. Isn’t it time for you to relax, have fun, and enjoy life?

Tracy Sparham, BSW, RSW, Sparham Counselling Services, SheaTreeWellness.com

Plan a Stress-Free Vacation

Planning your holiday is meant to be fun and exciting. The lure of the convenience of the internet can quickly turn to confusion, indecisiveness, and anxiety. Travel agents are here to save you time and don’t cost a penny. Think of a travel agent as your tour guide, who will lead you to the perfect vacation. No matter how much you prepare, sometimes unexpected things happen while you are on vacation. When you book with a travel agent, they are with you every step of the way to ensure a stressfree, enjoyable time, which is what a holiday is meant to be.

Holly Sproule, SouthBeachTravel.ca

Trouble Focusing at School?

Is your child having trouble focusing? Before labeling him or her with a learning problem, consider that over two-thirds of our brain is based on sensing or input, and one-third on execution. If we have trouble focusing or concentrating, it is simply because the pathways between the sensory and execution network areas are not clear. After Brainwave Optimization (BWO), where brainwaves are balanced and harmonized, children achieve, laugh, and enjoy life more completely and engage in a healthier social life. Frequently, BWO providers see kids labeled as “disabled” become top performers in their school. Our surveys demonstrate that more than 85 percent of all children who experience BWO meet or exceed their goals. Here’s what one father shared after his son’s experience with BWO: “He doesn’t stutter as much and he is not panicking when it comes to exams. He is really doing well!”

Joanne Couture, LaLobaTraumaRelease.com

Ayurvedic Recommendations for Summer

According to Ayurveda, summer is pitta season. The most striking characteristics of summer – the intense heat, the long days of bright sun, and the transformative nature of the season – are directly in line with pitta, which is fiery and intense. Your primary focus through the summer months should be to keep pitta dosha balanced by staying cool, reducing the intensity with relaxation, and grounding your energy. During the summer, our bodies naturally crave light foods and small meals that are easy to digest. Sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes pacify pitta. Iced drinks are best avoided, as they disturb the digestive fire and create toxins in the body. Try to avoid extremely spicy foods. Keep in mind that raw vegetables (as in salads) will be better digested if they are eaten at lunch, rather than at dinner. Cultivate a cool and calm internal environment this summer by following these Ayurvedic recommendations.

Purnima Chaudhari, AyuRevive Ayurveda, AyureviveAyurveda.com

Benefits of Ganban-Yoku Treatment

Our regular Ganban-yoku session is done on beautiful stone beds. Clients can choose their own comfortably heated bed from three different types. The session involves lying on the bed for about 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Once the body is heated, clients step out to the lounge for some water to hydrate and cool down for a few minutes. From there, the steps are repeated until the session time is up. The treatment will gently warm the entire body from the core, burning about 200 to 300 calories, while increasing metabolism and blood circulation. The session will leave the body feeling like you just went jogging instead of lying down. The stones release far infrared rays naturally and can reduce joint pain, as the heat will penetrate deep into the muscle tissues. Heat can also reach deep into the intestines to improve the digestive system, leading to detoxification.

Pocca Poca Spa, PoccaPocaSpa.com

Let Stress Melt Away

Perhaps the most well-known effect of floatation is the reduction in stress from pre- to post-float. But don’t just take our word for it. A 2005 meta-analysis (Dierendonck, 2005) confirmed these findings by studying the effects of floatation REST across 27 studies, with a total of 449 participants. The analysis showed that the impact floatation REST had on physiology, well-being, and performance was significant, and in some cases, it was even more effective than other popular stress management techniques. It also found that healthy people who floated regularly experienced greater benefits the longer they kept up the practice. Float on…

Brad, Float.Calm, FloatCalm.com

Benefits of Kinesiology Taping

Kinesiology Taping, or KT taping, is becoming more popular in the sports world, as well as for the general population. The tape has an ability to stretch to 120-140% of its original length. The weight and thickness of the tape is the same as your epidermis, or top skin layer, and so mimics the physical qualities of skin. The glue is heat-activated, so it lasts for 3-5 days, even with showering or swimming. Depending on your therapist’s application technique, there are a number of potential benefits that can be achieved with KT taping, including the following: reduced muscle fatigue, muscle facilitation, reduced/delayed onset muscle soreness, pain inhibition, enhanced healing such as decreased oedema, and improved lymphatic drainage and blood flow. Depending on your injury, you may be a candidate for KT taping.

Susanne Robson, BMR(PT), BPE, Prairie Trail Physiotherapy, PrairieTrailPhysio.ca

How You Affect Others

In a world full of billions of people, it is easy to believe the only way to initiate change is to take extreme action. Yes, there are times when that is absolutely necessary, and yet each of us has the ability to change the world in our own small way every day. Everything we do affects people in our lives and in return ripples outwards. The impact we can have in our world – our smile, a compliment, a thoughtful gesture, our attitude, the power of our words, our willingness to show up – can touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with. Believing in your ability to spread goodness by your thoughts and actions is like throwing pebbles into calm waters…their impact is greater than you can ever imagine. Why not become a part of a tidal wave of loving kindness!

D’Arcy Bruning-Haid,D’Arcy Bruning-Haid

New Treatment for Inflammation

Near Infrared Light Therapy is a new treatment for inflammation, wounds that don’t heal, and soft tissue injuries. People with arthritis, carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, sports injuries, and even diabetic skin ulcers are experiencing incredible pain relief and healing with this technology. Different from standard laser therapy, this Health Canada licensed medical device can penetrate the skin 3-4 cm deep, stimulating healing at the cellular level. In doing so, it increases circulation, oxygenation, and tissue perfusion. These combined effects result in decreased inflammation and muscular pain, and increased wound healing, even for chronic conditions that do not respond well to other types of treatment. Near Infrared Tissue Stimulation, now available in Manitoba, is being used in Ontario to treat arthritis, shoulder injuries, back pain, tendonitis, knee pain, chronic foot wounds, and fungal infections. Improve your health and get some relief today with N.I.R. Therapy.

Centre for Alternative Healing, AltHealing.ca

Disarming Narcissistic Behaviour

We can’t control someone else’s behaviour. We don’t have the right or the power. We have to work at changing our own programming, because we often get upset when someone has a perception of us that we are uncomfortable with. We then tend to challenge that person’s perception of us. A narcissistic person loves this. It is their sign that they have you where they want you. Something amazing happens when you accept that others are allowed to have their own faulty perception of you. Here are some key phrases to experiment with: “I am sorry you feel that way.” “I can accept your faulty perception of me.” “I have no right to control how you see me.” “I guess I have to accept how you feel.” “Your anger is not my responsibility.” Take back your power!

Rev Anne Ahokangas, Centre for Spiritual Living, CSLWinnipeg.org

Why a Senior Care Practitioner?

A Senior Care Practitioner is a medical professional, medication expert and patient advocate with experience and advanced training of how aging and medications affect older people. Senior Care Practitioners solve age, medical and medication related problems of the older individuals and he/she advocates for patients at their physician and other health care professionals to pursue desired outcomes. They help patients and their families understand the best ways to manage existing health conditions and visits patients in the privacy and comfort of their homes. They refer to other health professionals, government or private assistance programs that may aid in improving functionality and quality of life when relevant. Independence and optimal functionality of older loved ones helps families thrive!

Alevtina (Alia) Tuhari, ReliableHomeCare.ca