Community News
Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Summer is baseball season; in Canada, that means cheering for the Blue Jays. Scientists have found that being a sports fan is good for your emotional, psychological and social health. Benefits range from social connection to measurable increases in muscle nerve activity. In August, the Toronto Blue Jays are playing the Seattle Mariners in Seattle, WA. Why not join a group of Vancouver Island fans to support our Canadian baseball team? Skip the hassle of ferry line-ups and border crossing by taking a tour to the August games in Seattle.

Discreet Hearing Aid Options

There are a variety of discreet hearing aid styles. The Lyric device is the only hearing aid that is 100% invisible. It is placed into the ear canal by a trained hearing care professional, provides 24 hour hearing, and is replaced a few times a year. There is also the invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) and completely-in-the-canal (CIC) custom hearing aid styles that offer minimal visibility. The receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) is the most common style and is worn behind the ear with a small clear tubing that lays flush with the cheek. This style is very discrete from the front and the behind-the-ear component is easily hidden with a person’s hair. Contact your local Hearing Care Professional for more information on different hearing aid styles to fit every lifestyle and budget.

Support for Caregiver Burn Out

If you are a care giver of a loved one, it’s important to also take care of yourself. Signs of burn out are: withdrawal from family and friends; feeling blue, irritable and helpless; changes in sleep patterns; getting sick more often; and feelings of resentment. What can you do to support yourself? Talk to a trusted friend or co-worker; set reasonable goals; be realistic about your loved one’s disease, especially if it is a progressive disease such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. Use respite care services when you need a break or while you are assessing care plan changes.

Benefits of Nano Needling

Nano Needling is an intensive, pain-free transdermal delivery of active ingredients. It is a handheld skin care enhancement device with an array of pyramid-like Nano Pins. Each pin is smaller than a single strand of human hair. When these pins gently touch the skin, they create up to 40,000 invisible Nano channels per minutes. The skin cells then re-arrange themselves to allow nutrition to pass through the skin barrier. This increases the absorption of skin care products and effectively feeds the skin and stimulates collagen production. Nano needling is gentle and safe with instant results and minimal down time.

You Need an Eye Care Professional

Many eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and age-related macular degeneration have no early warning signs. A dilated eye exam is the only way to detect these diseases in their early stages. During the exam, eye drops are used to dilate the pupil to allow more light to enter the eye. This enables an eye care professional to view the back of the eyes and examine them for any signs of damage or disease. Your eye care professional is the only one who can determine if your eyes are healthy and if you are seeing your best.

Benefits of Shiatsu Massage

Shiatsu is a Japanese hands-on therapeutic massage working the meridians and pressure points throughout the body. This non-invasive therapy addresses a wide range of body ailments such as muscle tension, stress, chronic pain and digestive issues. Shiatsu uses a firm steady pressure to release tension allowing the practitioner to probe deeper, stimulating circulation of vital nutrients. The practitioner is trained to recognize patterns of disharmony providing valuable insight and body awareness for the client.

Benefits of Fermented Foods

Eating fermented foods is an excellent way to get much needed probiotics into our bodies. The microflora found in fermented foods creates a protective lining for our intestines. It not only shields us from nasty pathogens like E.coli and C.difficile but also aids in digestion and keeps the microbiome in our intestines healthy and balanced. Examples of fermented foods include, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt and raw cheeses. The yogurt should be plain to ensure healthy bacteria, made from full fat (to absorb the minerals) and from grass fed animals (to ensure healthy omega 3’s CLA).

Loud Music Can Damage Your Hearing

Did you know that music players can produce max volumes of 100 decibels or more? At that level, hearing damage can occur within 15 minutes! A good song or a loud environment can tempt us to turn up the volume on our music players, but listening to music too loudly can cause permanent damage to our hearing over time. In fact, hearing loss is on the rise in teens and young adults due to loud noise exposure. Consider wearing over-the-ear headphones. Over the ear headphone (also known as supra-aural earphones) sit on your ear rather than in them like ear buds and canal phones. These earphones are connected with a band that stretches over your head. Supra-aural earphones don’t send sound vibrations directly into your eardrum. A consistently direct sound vibration hitting your ear drum can damage your hearing over time.

Muscle and Joint Pain?

Muscle and joint pain associated with sprains and strains can be very frustrating when striving to maintain an active lifestyle. Certain essential oils have been approved by Health Canada for use to help with relief of pain associated with sprains, strains and rheumatoid arthritis. Oils such as lavender, marjoram, clove, black pepper, eucalyptus globulus or peppermint, and blends such as Deep Relief and Aromaease are great mixed with a carrier oil such as coconut, and applied directly to the skin to help soothe muscle pain. The essential oils you choose should be pure and not topped up with synthetic additives and preservatives.

Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture

Chinese Medicine is one of the oldest recorded medical systems. Diagnosis comes through detailed questioning of an individual’s history and symptoms, feeling their pulses, observing their tongue and complexion, and palpating their abdomen. Treatment is based on this individualized diagnosis. Acupuncture treatment regulates and balances the flow of Qi, blood and fluids within the network of energetic pathways, called meridians, that connect the surface of the body to the organs and circulatory systems. In health, this flow is abundant and smooth, and we experience wellbeing and health in our body, mind, emotions and spirit.

Add Exercise to Your Lifestyle

Physical activity plays an important role in your health and quality of life by making you feel healthier and stronger. Being active helps to improve your balance, reduce your risk of falls and injuries, and can help you stay independent longer. So take the initiative! It’s never too late to start and you don’t need to go to a gym to add a little exercise to your routine; consult your doctor and ask to learn more about exercises that can be done while sitting in your chair!