Community News
Rethink Your Drink

Just because it isn’t soda doesn’t mean it’s not packed full of sugar! These drinks aren’t as healthy as they seem: 1. Fruit Juice – If you’re trying to cut your sugar intake, try adding pieces of fruit into your water for a subtle flavour instead of drinking fruit juice. 2. Energy Drinks – An 8-ounce serving can run you more than 25 grams of sugar. If you need a boost, stick to coffee with a natural sweetener. 3. Tonic Water – Twelve ounces of tonic water adds a whopping 32 grams of sugar to your glass (that’s eight teaspoons). Try soda water instead!

Oils to Improve Athletic Performance

Whatever sport you participate in, trainers recommend using different essential oils, both pre- and post-workout. Before any workout or therapy, use a muscle rub, and then reapply post-workout. A hand massage with essential oil before or after an event can help relieve tension. Pre-workout, some runners like to use peppermint essential oil to clear their airways. Apply four to five drops to the chest five minutes before exercise or an event. Post-workout, place four drops of lemon into 16 ounces of water and drink, then apply lemongrass oil to calves. Also, try Siberian fir, wintergreen, and frankincense essential oils during post-workout for muscle tension.

The Eyes and Ears Connection

As we age, we’re more susceptible to hearing loss and vision changes. According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), you’re at greater risk of social isolation and reduced community participation if you have vision loss. The same goes for hearing loss. Having both a vision and a hearing problem can affect your ability to lip-read, which is detrimental to communicating with co-workers, family, and friends. A decreased ability to socialize is linked to a greater risk of dementia. However, Statistics Canada reports that 90 percent of people with hearing loss can improve communication with a properly fitting hearing aid, counselling, or environmental changes.

Product Review:

Prairie Naturals Red Superfoods. Remember when the green superfood revolution began? We sure do. Prairie Naturals helped establish this vital lifestyle trend of eating more colourful, antioxidant-rich plants. Organic Red Superfoods Blend is the newest member of our colourful superfood family. Made with organic fruits and vegetables, this source of antioxidants mixes easily and tastes great! Adding red fruits and vegetables to your diet can help slow aging, reduce inflammation, detoxify the blood and liver, promote gut health, increase energy, and more! Prairie Naturals Red Superfoods powder makes it easy and convenient to add a variety of fruits and vegetables to your daily diet.

Community Profile: Core Mental Health

At Core Mental Health Support & Education, our focus is on anxiety and depression, as these are the most common mental health issues facing Canadians today. We provide one-on-one and group peer support, as well as education programs for individuals, families, and organizations. Our mission is to support, educate, and encourage Manitobans of all ages to optimize their mental health and well-being; positively impacting employment, education, and relationships in the home and community. We ensure that all individuals who are suffering from mental health concerns will receive timely and effective support in a safe, non-judgmental, and compassionate environment.

A Botox Alternative

Botox is a quick fix that inhibits the muscle movements that cause expression lines. This immobilizes the muscle for esthetic effect, but can sometimes cause the muscle to atrophy. This is beneficial for those who want to achieve a more slimming appearance to their faces, but a great alternative to Botox is microcurrent treatments, which help to lift the face and plump the skin. Microcurrent treatments encourage cell physiology and growth by mirroring the natural current flow of the body. The process is also non-invasive, so no needles are required, helping patients to breathe a sigh of relief.

The State of Wellness

It is very easy to speak of wellness as being in that state where one feels good. While this is one of the main features of it, wellness also includes feeling strong, content, and confident in that quiet knowledge that no matter what happens, you will come out on top… a winner. This is the feeling and confidence that becomes the norm for those who have the experience of being connected in body, mind, and soul to the essence of who they really are.
This state of being is achievable when we integrate the physical body and the emotional body.

Community Profile: Core Mental Health

At Core Mental Health Support & Education, our focus is on anxiety and depression, as these are the most common mental health issues facing Canadians today. We provide one-on-one and group peer support, as well as education programs for individuals, families, and organizations. Our mission is to support, educate, and encourage Manitobans of all ages to optimize their mental health and well-being; positively impacting employment, education, and relationships in the home and community. We ensure that all individuals who are suffering from mental health concerns will receive timely and effective support in a safe, non-judgmental, and compassionate environment.

Meet Your Practitioner

Tracy Sparham is a Registered Social Worker who has over 30 years of experience working in mental health, providing individual and group therapy. She believes that we all have inner strengths that sometimes become hidden when we are feeling depressed or having difficulties. In her self-esteem and codependency groups, she has helped hundreds of people to become more aware of their inner strengths and value, and develop healthy coping and communication skills. Seeing her clients grow to accept and love themselves and feel happy in their relationships is the greatest reward for Tracy.

Using Honey for Health

Honey is one of nature’s precious gifts. It has many medicinal properties and can be used for treating coughs and colds, skin conditions, burns, wounds, and obesity. It is also an excellent tonic and carrier of Ayurvedic medicine. However, honey can aggravate pitta, as it has a heating quality. People who have a tendency to overheat should avoid honey. Always use raw organic honey, preferably from a local source. Honey should never be heated, cooked, or used to sweeten hot beverages. It becomes a slow poison, as heating alters the structure of honey, creating a glue-like substance that gets stuck in the tissues and clogs channels.