Community News
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

Family Summer Camp

I Am Events, the not-for-profit organization responsible for the I Am Festival, brings a full weekend experience to families this summer on August 11-13th! I Am Family Camp brings together an impressive group of experts, ranging from family health practitioners, musicians, business leaders, and coaches.  Highlights include Canadian icon Fred Penner, who will open the event with a fireside chat and acoustic performance; Kellie Johnsen, a certified family and youth coach from Hawaii, who will host sessions that include a discovery workshop for family values and an improv workshop on communication; and Winnipeg mindfulness expert, musician, and yoga instructor, Keith Macpherson, who will join the group leading meditation and a youth session on creative expression. If you’re looking for a new way to create connections and memories with your family this summer, register for I Am Family Camp. There is a limit of 50 spots and registration is now open.

I Am Festival, Iamfesitval.net/familycamp

Ride Don’t Hide!

Spring is finally here and it’s the perfect time to get outside after a long, cold winter! Outdoor exercise is a great way to soak up the sun’s vitamin D, get your blood pumping, and reconnect with your community – all proven ways to boost your mental health. Need some motivation? Think about joining the Ride Don’t Hide movement, a Canada-wide community bike ride to build awareness for mental health. This year’s ride will be held at the Vimy Ridge Park, and its 21 km route will take you and our 300 riders through Winnipeg’s beautiful downtown. Ride Don’t Hide is for riders of all skill levels; it is not a race, but, rather, an opportunity to celebrate mental health and honour the recovery journeys of people who live with mental illness. Join the Ride Don’t Hide movement and celebrate mental health!

For details, visit: www.ridedonthide.com/mb/ride/winnipeg. Sean Miller, mbwpg.cmha.ca

Love Keeps You Healthy

Being in love not only gives you a bounce in your step, but it also has several proven health benefits. When you are in love, your brain produces a hormone, which is its own natural form of amphetamine called dopamine that contributes to feelings of elation, pleasure, optimism, energy, and a sense of well-being. Physical touch, such as hugging, handholding, and lovemaking, releases a hormone called oxytocin, which lowers stress hormones. Studies have demonstrated that people releasing these hormones have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, greater resistance to colds and flus, and decreased stress and depression. It has been documented that happily coupled people also tend to live longer. We have always known eating healthy foods help maintain a healthy body. Now there is no disputing that healthy relationships foster a long and healthy life. Finding your life partner has more benefits than we once realized.

Lianne Tregobov, Intuitive Matchmaker, CamelotIntroductions.com

Clean Eating: Veggie Burgers

1 lg. red onion

1 lg. bell pepper

3 carrots

1 sm. head cauliflower

1 lg. stalk broccoli

1 C almonds, soaked 12-24 hours.

1 C sunflower seeds, soaked 5-6 hours

1/4 C sesame seeds, soaked 5-6 hours

5 cloves garlic

2 T Braggs or to taste

1 t cumin

2 T dried Cilantro or 1-2 C fresh

Blend all ingredients and seasonings in a food processor. Form and put 1/2” thick patties on a teflex sheet and place trays in dehydrator. Dehydrate at 105º for 8-12 hours. Flip burgers after 4 hours and remove teflex sheets, continue to dehydrate for 4-5 hours.

VeganRawFoodRestaurant.com

Pets and Lyme Disease

It’s important to routinely check your animals for ticks, particularly if you live in high-risk areas or have recently visited one. Vets have access to a reliable blood test so if your vet suggests testing for Lyme, it’s a good idea. Dogs can be vaccinated against Lyme disease, but the vaccine is relatively new and somewhat controversial. Common symptoms include arthritis (sudden lameness), pain, fever, lack of appetite, dehydration, inactivity and swollen lymph nodes and joints. Lyme disease in cats is rare, but not unheard-of. Lyme disease is also very common in horses. Some studies show that 50% of horses in high-risk areas will contract Lyme disease over their lifetime. Horses are at a higher risk than other animals because ticks often go unnoticed. It’s difficult to accurately diagnose animals with Lyme disease. Be sure to follow-up with your vet right away if your pet’s condition doesn’t improve.

Source – CanLyme.com

Heed the Gut-Brain Connection

More and more evidence is showing that your gut health has an enormous effect on your brain, your body’s immune system, and hormonal secretion. Food sensitivities can cause ill effects beyond the physical symptoms of inflammation, allergies, and asthma. Anxiety, depression, irritability, and mood swings can also appear, because they create imbalances in key chemicals in the brain. Dietary changes that include probiotics, fermented foods, and natural fats help your microbiome and gut-brain signaling. Stress and cortisol equip you with energy to attend to tasks at hand; however, excess or chronic stress has a negative effect on brain chemistry, causing thyroid dysfunction and/ or adrenal fatigue, which leads to compromised mental and physical health. Know that Brainwave Optimization brings relaxation to the master regulator of the nervous system – the brain – so it can help your gut. In a “both-and” world, it’s all connected.

Joanne Couture, RMFT, RSW, La Loba Services, LalobaTraumaRelease.com

Product Review: Organo Gold

Organo Gold is a leading coffee product enriched with 100 Percent Certified Organic Ganoderma Lucidum Red Mushrooms. Ganoderma Lucidum promotes health and wellness by increasing antioxidant levels, combat harmful free radicals and boosting the immune system. Ganoderma has been known for centuries for alkalizing and oxygenating the body to establish the foundation for a lifetime of good health, removing the basis for osteoporosis, arthritis, adultonset diabetes, heart disease, and many other degenerative conditions including cancer. Ganoderma is a super herb which rapidly oxygenates your body and automatically adjusts your Ph to a healthy balance at the cellular level. Experience the benefits of Ganoderma with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee. Connoisseurs will appreciate the robust, smooth flavor. Awaken your senses and enrich your day with a classic cup of coffee that’s as flavorful as it is invigorating.

DrinkOrgano.ca

Calm the Mind & the Body Will Follow

When was the last time you did something for the first time? Have you ever let your own apprehension stop you from trying something new? Some of the most amazing things wait for us on the other side of our comfort zone. As we get older, our comfort zones tend to get in the way and start to stunt our growth. With age comes wisdom and our belief is that these walls we build are movable. Expanding them to include new experiences adds long lasting value to our lives. Floating is one such experience for many people. Any trepidation of stepping into a floatation tank soon passes when you find yourself in a very comfortable warm environment, weightless with nothing but peace and quiet surrounding you. The mental and physical relief this environment provides allows for a full system reset and those once-tall-walls begin to crumble under their own weight. Calm the mind, and the body will follow.

Brad Dauk, FloatCalm.com

Love Connection

In today’s fast-paced society finding love can be a difficult task. Technology often replaces human to human contact, and actual socialization has decreased. Many people have resorted to the Internet in attempts to find love. Virtual dating can be a very daunting task with terribly mixed results. There are wonderful, quality, single people, of all ages in Manitoba who are at a loss as to where find love. A Matchmaker is often the answer. Matchmaking is an age-old profession that historically has brought love into peoples’ lives for centuries. An experienced Matchmaker hand picks and presents individuals who have been screened and are suited to their clients often resulting in long lasting love. Placing your heart in the hands of a good Matchmaker should lead to an amazing love connection with someone who is right for you.

Lianne Tregobov, Camelot Introductions, camelotintroductions.com

Vipassana Meditation

Research has shown that meditation can expand the brain, and help people avert stress and disease. One way to achieve this is through Vipassana meditation, a technique that emphasizes mindfulness, with the goal of seeing things as they “really are.” An ancient meditative technique from India, Vipassana was taken up by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) just over 2,500 years ago. Vipassana meditation is the practice of freedom. It is an honest and direct practice: the moment-to-moment investigation of the mind-body process through calm, open, and precise awareness. Learning to observe our experience from a place of spacious stillness enables us to relate to life with a balance of wisdom and compassion. This experience fosters clarity and penetrating insight into the nature of who we are, as well as increased peace in our daily lives.

Brett Scott, Disability Tax Credit, DisabilityTaxCreditWinnipeg.com