Fertility can be a sensitive issue, and is an often misunderstood one. Did you know that in women, fertility starts to decline at around 29 years of age and speeds up its decline around 35? In men this happens around 40 as sperm count and motility of the sperms starts its decline. Also, fertility challenges are 1/3 female, 1/3 male and 1/3 the couple? Studies show that a female with a male partner with an age gap of 5 years or greater takes longer to conceive. Workplace stress and environmental exposures are big factors in treating fertility and need to be assessed from both the female and male’s perspective. Your weight also plays a significant role. Most fertility clinics will not accept anyone into an IVF program if they have a BMI of under 19 or over 30. Reflexology is a proven effective method for correcting Fertility challenges and can effectively address both male and female fertility issues.

Gloria Laing – Registered Canadian Reflexology Therapist

www.gloriasreflexology.ca

From an Ayurvedic perspective, tongue scraping should be performed on a daily basis. This ancient practice helps to stimulate the internal organs through energetic connections with the rest of the body, improve digestion by increasing your sense of taste, and cleanse the body by removing Ama and bacteria from your oral cavity. In addition, it increases clarity of the mind by reducing heaviness and Ama from the head. Ama refers to any accumulation of toxic residue in the mind-body. When your physical and emotional bodies are balanced, it allows you to expand your spiritual awakening as well. Tongue scraping should be done with a gold, silver, brass or stainless steel scrapers. Never use your toothbrush as this accumulates bacteria and you would be injecting bacteria instead of removing it.

Carole Tetreault, Calder Healing House, www.prairiewellnessretreat.com

Animals reflect the emotions of people close to them and the environment in which they live. Emotions such as fear, anxiety, worry or depression can lead to disease as they deplete the physical body of its natural vitality. Negative energies have electrical patterns that can leave animals feeling anxious, out of balance, or ill. In contrast, the positive electrical patterns of Flower Essences help animals to improve their health and emotional well-being. They do this by replicating the positive electrical patterns of the Flower Essences in their own electrical systems. Flowers hold a specific electrical pattern indicating their evolutionary challenges of adaptation, natural selection, health, and radiant self-expression. Flower essences can be put in water, food, or sprayed to mist their fur or bedding. By using the appropriate essences to balance emotional attitudes, subtle changes occur that bring renewed energy forward.

Rositha Jeanson, Balance and Harmony, www.rositha.ca

July 24th is International Self-Care Day. The date symbolizes that the benefits of self-care are experienced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In other words, the benefits of self-care are life-long and do not just relate to a single day. International Self-Care related activities have been focused on community involvement programs, physical examination programs, public lectures, expert advice, sponsored public walks, occupational health, pharmacy manager training, research on self-care habits and behaviour, and the media. Learn your body– Speak to your doctor and engage in health screening to identify your physical and mental condition. It’s time for you to give yourself a little self-love!

Yvonne Harder, Eastman Safety Training Centre, www.eastmansafety.ca

Carpal Tunnel happens when the median nerve in the wrist swells causing tingling, weakness, and numbness in your hand. This nerve runs alongside tendons and ligaments in your forearm into your hand through a small space in your wrist called the carpal tunnel. The swelling of this nerve occurs over time due to repetitive movements. Once diagnosed, depending on the severity, your Doctor may suggest surgery. In this surgery, the tunnel which this nerve passes through gets cut, allowing free movement of the median nerve. This surgery may or may not take care of the symptoms, but definitely does not address the cause. An alternative to surgery is massage therapy. An RMT can treat this as well, often allowing the individual to push back surgery or even eliminate the need for it at all! Next time you hear someone talking about this surgery, feel free to tell them to check in with their RMT and see what they can do for them!

Theadora Juenke, RMT, Rejuvenate Massage Therapy, www.facebook.com/Rejuvenate-Massage-Therapy

Although public water suppliers work hard to provide clean water, many contaminants remain when that water reaches your glass. Some of these contaminants can cause bad taste and odor, and though they are not harmful to most, they are certainly unpleasant. Reverse osmosis is a water purifying process that removes foreign substances, such as organic chemicals, chlorine, pesticides, and herbicides. The process forces water through specialized membranes to remove impurities and minerals, therefore purifying the water and removing any unpleasant odor and taste. Reports by Medline Plus inform that cancer patients benefit from reverse osmosis water during and after cancer treatments. This is due to the reduced levels of acidity and the greater level of purification when compared to both distilled and spring water. Low acidity means that your body can process the water better and faster while also using less energy. Your body can then focus on keeping you healthy.

Marcel Mulaire, Delo Water

Summer is here and that means more time outdoors. Yay! Whether it’s golf, running, or gardening that makes you happy, summer is a time when many step away from their yoga practice. We may think of yoga as something that is confined to a class setting but its benefits go well beyond. A regular yoga practice can go a long way towards every day health and the strength, stamina, and flexibility which help us participate in other activities. Moving our bodies through a variety of poses keeps us mobile and can balance out the over-use or repetitive movements often associated with other activities. Being present in our practice also teaches body and breath awareness, which can help with focus in other sports, and the wisdom to know when our body has had enough of something. So, keep yoga as a part of your regular exercise routine and spring into summer!

Susan Turner, Yoga Connections
www.yogaconnections.ca

Reflexology is a therapy that uses the stimulation of reflexes on the feet or hands which are related to different parts of the body. Manipulating these points encourages these parts of the body to rebalance. RLD is given via the feet reflex points and targets the body’s lymphatic system to restore drainage of lymphatic fluid. RLD is a technique used by complementary healthcare professionals to provide relief from symptoms of secondary lymphedema. Lymphedema can often follow treatment for breast cancer, which wreaks havoc on the lymph vessels and lymph nodes. RLD mimics the effects of simple manual lymph drainage techniques which alleviate the swelling, pain and stiffness associated with lymphedema. Early indications suggest that RLD may be useful with many other conditions, including fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory auto-immune disorders, pregnancy and premenstrual fluid retention.

Balance and Harmony, Rositha Jeanson
www.rositha.ca