Community News
Do You Feel Lonely?

If so, you are not alone in that feeling. Even though we are connected through the worldwide web and various other social mediums, almost one-quarter of Canadians will describe themselves as ‘lonely’. Chronic feelings of loneliness can eventually lead to mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.  People would rather openly speak about having other ailments than confess to feeling alone. We could be surrounded by people and still feel lonely due to not feeling understood or heard by family and friends. So, what do we do if we are feeling this way? 1. Write down why you think you are lonely. Journaling helps shed light on what is going on inside. 2. Bring new people into your life through joining a group or even an online community. 3. Volunteer in your local community. Helping others raises self-esteem. There is additional support through professional talk therapy.

Patty Parsons, Counselling Therapist, ParsonsTherapy.com

Why Switch Your Coffee?

Did you know that caffeine in traditional coffee actually INCREASES your stress hormones? The stress response elicits cortisol and increases insulin. Habituation to caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity, making it difficult for your cells to respond appropriately to blood sugar. High blood sugar levels lead to arterial deterioration and increased risk of mortality related to cardiovascular disease. Addiction is often an issue with coffee drinkers and makes it difficult to rely on the body’s natural source of energy. Make the switch to a better coffee! Organo Gold is a leading coffee product enriched with 100% Certified Organic Ganoderma Lucidum Red Mushrooms. Ganoderma Lucidum promotes health and wellness by increasing antioxidant levels, combating harmful free radicals, boosting the immune system, and regulating your blood sugar. Treat your body well and experience the benefits of Ganoderma with a hot cup of freshly brewed Organo Gold coffee.

Organo Gold, DrinkOrgano.ca

Financial Wellness Tips

Pay bills on time and balance your chequebook each month. Know what you currently have to spend so you know what you can afford to spend. • Stop buying on impulse. Instead of using a credit card, save money for something you want. • Always pay more than your minimum balance on credit cards. Get rid of them as soon as possible. You will save money on interest and have more to save for the future. • Always include some savings in your budget. Too many of us are unable to identify our needs after retirement and don’t save. This results in financial difficulty during our declining years. • Find out what you don’t know about finances—and learn it. There is plenty of available information on financial management. • Be careful with the media pull for spending and don’t be drawn into the hype. Be a savvy shopper and saver to avoid overspending and debt.

Brian Denysuik, President & CEO, Creditaid.ca

Self-Love for Powerful Healing

Do you have times when you feel stressed, anxious, and sad, and can’t sleep at night? Is it because you can’t stop thinking about what you could have or should have done differently? Do you compare yourself to others and conclude, “I can never get it right” or “He/she is smarter, more attractive, more interesting, better than me?” If this sounds familiar, you may have low self-esteem. A Self-Love & Acceptance Group can teach you how to think more positively about yourself. Love for oneself alleviates uncertainty, self-doubt, depression, anxiety, pain, and trauma. Counselling provides an opportunity to talk about your concerns in a safe, confidential environment. Learn to love and accept yourself, sleep better, and feel more calm and happy!

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

Manitoba Business Spotlight

Supporting Manitoba business has never been this easy. The community is always looking for food products to help them maintain and improve their health, as well as support local businesses. Local Meats and Frozen Treats is one place where you can find a wide variety of healthy local food, such as allnatural meats (beef, bison, elk, lamb, sausages, and burgers); Cornell Creme ice cream; Crampton’s Market pickles and salsa; Crampton’s Manitoba Maid jam, jelly, and marmalade; Gorp Energy Bars; Graham’s Groves pies; Heritage Lane Farms free-range roasting chickens; John Russell Honey; Minnie’s Handmade Ethnic Treats (perogies and cabbage rolls). Nature’s Farm eggs and pasta; Bothwell Cheese; Notre Dame Creamery butter; Spenst Brothers pork, sausages, pizza, and meat pies; St. Pierre Bakery tourtierre, pizza, bread, and baked goods; Townsend Farms pasture-raised heritage pork; and various BBQ sauces, oats, wild rice, quinoa, sauces, relishes, etc.

Grandpa Ken, Local Meats & Frozen Treats

Floating to Aid Learning

The benefits of floatation therapy are numerous. Perhaps the most universally appealing is floating’s inclination to enhance creativity, learning, and memory. These days, it’s practically common knowledge that taking a break can boost our creativity and problem solving. It’s not just anecdotal: research backs up these kinds of experiences. In a study at Texas A&M University, Dr. Thomas Taylor selected 40 well-matched subjects and split them into two groups. Both groups underwent a series of learning sessions using audiotapes. One group listened to the tapes while sitting on sofas in quiet, darkened rooms. The other group listened while floating in floatation cabins. The groups were tested on three levels of performance: basic memorization, the ability to understand a concept, and synthesis thinking. Results showed that floaters did much better than the control group did! Floating is the ultimate “recharge mode” for your brain!

Fluid Float, FluidFloat.com

Allergy Relief with NAET®

NAET® was discovered by Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad in November of 1983. Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques, also known as NAET, are non-invasive, drugfree, natural solutions to alleviate allergies of all types using a blend of selective energy balancing, testing, and treatment procedures. The variety of techniques applied includes acupuncture/acupressure, chiropractic, nutritional, and kinesiological disciplines of medicine. We know that many symptoms, such as headaches, backache, joint pain, indigestion, or cough, are often triggered by food and environmental sensitivities. If left untreated, these reactions might eventually cause illness. This therapy often alleviates adverse reactions to eggs, milk, peanuts, penicillin, aspirin, mushrooms, shellfish, latex, grass, ragweed, and flowers. In addition, people who suffer from allergens such as perfume, animal dander, animal epithelial, makeup, chemicals, cigarette smoke, pathogens, heat, cold, and other environmental substances also find relief. Reference: www.naet.com.

Dr. Maria Sabrina DiBernardo, Village Chiropractic Centre

Do You Feel Lonely?

If so, you are not alone in that feeling. Even though we are connected through the worldwide web and various other social mediums, almost one-quarter of Canadians will describe themselves as ‘lonely’. Chronic feelings of loneliness can eventually lead to mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.  People would rather openly speak about having other ailments than confess to feeling alone. We could be surrounded by people and still feel lonely due to not feeling understood or heard by family and friends. So, what do we do if we are feeling this way? 1. Write down why you think you are lonely. Journaling helps shed light on what is going on inside. 2. Bring new people into your life through joining a group or even an online community. 3. Volunteer in your local community. Helping others raises self-esteem. There is additional support through professional talk therapy.

Patty Parsons, Counselling Therapist, ParsonsTherapy.com

Hearing Loss and Depression

Research continues to prove a strong connection between hearing loss and depression. The two are referred to as invisible conditions, as you cannot see their effects at first glance. Because of this, their effects can often go unacknowledged, unrecognized, and untreated. Hearing loss affects one’s ability to communicate, which can cause stress, fatigue, social isolation, and, in turn, depression. Along with depression, clients with untreated hearing loss are known to experience anxiety, relationship problems, low self-esteem, stress, and other negative emotions. However, hearing aids have been found to help combat these issues. A study by the National Council on the Aging (NCOA) found that those with untreated hearing loss were more likely to report depression, anxiety, and paranoia, and they were less likely to participate in organized social activities compared to those who wear hearing aids. Source: www.audiology.org/publicationsresources/document-library/untreated-hearing-loss-linkeddepression-social-isolation.

Lisa Reid Audiology, LisaReid.ca

Mary’s Story

“I don’t know who I am anymore, where I fit in, I just feel lost. I used to love my job, now I just feel detached. I can’t shut out thinking about my job after hours. Boundaries have become blurred, I’m having trouble sleeping, and I don’t feel safe anymore. Things I thought I dealt with in my own childhood are coming back. I am having a hard time watching the news or movies…I am an emotional wreck.” By becoming aware of the changes in her feelings and recognizing the signs of stress, and with help, Mary was able to engage in emotional self-care (counselling and balancing life), identify cognitive changes by paying attention to her thinking and knowing she is not alone, engage in healthy behaviours (boundaries and taking time off), and find ways to stay spiritually connected.

Patty Parsons, RSW, CCC, ParsonsTherapy.com

Eastern Teachings for Healing

You cannot do a meditation. In meditation, the “I” is dissolved back into its almighty source. Love. The truth is that the “I” is never separate from love, but the mind is often too busy for the realization of this highest order. In Tantra, there are seven main energy centres in the body called chakras. Traditional eastern technologies such as asana (yoga postures) and mantra (sacred sound repetition) help to distribute the energy evenly between these seven sacred centres and their associated nerves. This relaxes, settles the mind, and reveals to you the silent ecstasy of who you truly are. Easternstyle yoga classes are fully available in Winnipeg, and could very well be the gateway into the transformational experience of healing that the cells in your body have been longing for.

Karma Yoga, KarmaYogaWinnipeg.com