Community News
Benefits of Cassiolamine

This multi-flavonoid compound helps in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and in the reduction of high blood pressure. Cassiolamine helps to maintain healthy blood vessels by reducing the adhesion (stickiness) of blood platelets, which promotes healthy blood flow. This important ingredient also serves as an anti-oxidant, which helps to maintain a healthy heart and improved immune system. What this natural legume based extract is mostly known for is its powerful lipase-inhibiting features, which results in the prevention of fat absorption and an effective carbohydrate blocker.

Brett & Andrea Griffin, Valentus Canada
www.weightlosscoffeehub.com

Crooked Head, Crooked Posture

Have you ever wondered what “sets” your balance and posture? Your mind needs to take in information from the environment to know what’s going on around you, and the body uses your senses as a way to take in information. Your eyes play a major role in balance and posture as they give you feedback on direction and where the horizon is. Your inner ear has special canals that detect movement which is a major contributor to balance and posture. What your feet feel on the ground is very important. Also, information from your muscles brings in a lot of data related to position. The most important muscles for this are located along the spine and particularly in the upper neck. To correct those postural issues we need to get the head positioned straight.

Dr. Matthew Kittleson, UC Life
www.uclife.ca

What is Presbyopia?

Presbyopia is a condition of the eye, where one loses their ability to focus on nearby objects. It is an age-related problem that typically begins in early 40’s where the crystalline lens within the eye gradually loses the ability to flex, which makes the eye unable to focus light on to the retina. Early signs of Presbyopia include holding objects further away in order to see them, eye fatigue, and headaches. Eyeglasses are the most common way of treating Presbyopia, but they’re not the only option! Today there are many manufacturers of multifocal contacts, which give us the ability to see near and far, that are comfortable enough to help cope with dry eyes. Laser corrective surgery is another great option, where a procedure called Laser Blended Vision is used to achieve vision in all areas and not just distance. To find out which options are right for you, talk to your optometrist.

Dr. Nicholas Catchuk
www.iris.ca

Struggling to Get Pregnant?

Not getting pregnant when you are ready to become a parent can be discouraging, frustrating, and very upsetting. Infertility or suspected infertility is often a terrible shock, bringing lots of self-doubt. You may wonder, “What does this mean for me?”, “what did I do wrong?”, or “where do we go from here?” Wanting a baby when your body isn’t cooperating can be confusing and distressing. Counselling can help you figure out a path forward. Counsellors are trained to provide warm and non-judgemental support, whether you want to acknowledge feelings of loss and anger, reduce your stress and anxiety, develop a strategy to move ahead, or help you maintain your relationship. In counselling, you can explore your feelings safely, learn to avoid shame and blame, learn decision-making tools, and decide who to tell (and how!). Find your calm resilience.

Mary Munro, MA, RCC
www.marymunro.ca

Immediate Dentures

When complete extractions of your remaining teeth become unavoidable, an immediate denture is a solution. This process will help you avoid the embarrassment of being without teeth. Your denturist will initiate the procedure before the teeth are extracted. An impression is made of your existing teeth prior to the extraction surgery and is as working models for the construction of your new dentures. From your models the denturist is able to copy and construct a denture, duplicating your original teeth with improvements to your appearance, if you so wish. At your extraction appointment, your immediate dentures are inserted avoiding the embarrassment of having no teeth during your healing period. The new dentures will however have to be relined after the healing process and this is not included in the price of the immediate dentures. Your denturist will advise you of the procedure that best meets your specific needs.

Kent Roberts RD
www.burnsidedentureclinic.com

How to Choose a Safe Sunscreen

Summer at last! Days get longer and temps get hotter! While we all love the sun, it’s time to be mindful of the damage it could do. When choosing a sunscreen, go for the “broad spectrum” protection. Sunscreens with this label protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Make sure your sunscreen has a sun protection factor of 30 or higher. The SPF number is the level of protection the sunscreen provides against harmful rays. Higher SPF numbers do mean more protection, but the higher you go, the smaller the difference becomes. For example, a bottle labeled SPF 85 has no better protection than a bottle of SPF 50. Always be wary of dangerous ingredients in your sunscreen. These include parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, and sodium laurel sulphates. Retinyl palminate, a form of vitamin A, has been linked to skin tumours and lesions on sun-exposed skin. Also, use creams not sprays or powders, as creams offer more sun protection without the nanoparticles.

Clean Eating: Vanilla Chia Breakfast Pudding

Ingredients:
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or raw honey
Seasonal fruit for topping, Almonds or other nuts for topping.

Directions:
Combine almond milk, chia seeds, vanilla and sweetener in a bowl. Mix well until combined and the mixture begins to thicken. Store covered in the refrigerator overnight or for at least an hour (the longer the better)! Stir well before serving and add a bit of water to the pudding if it becomes too thick. Top with fresh fruit and nuts of your choice. (Yields 2 servings)

Book Club: Aim True by Kathryn Budig

Love Your Body, Eat Without Fear, Nourish Your Spirit, Discover True Balance! Yogi and motivational speaker Kathryn Budig is known for her ability to encourage others to set their intentions and goals, no matter how lofty, and work toward them while staying true to themselves. Whether your goal is to love who you are right now, reshape the way you view food, develop a meditation practice, or discover new ways to embrace the great balancing act that is life, this holistic approach to yoga, diet, and mindfulness has something for you. Filled with vibrant photographs and whimsical illustrations, this guide is as beautiful as it is life-changing. Available at a book store near you!

www.kathrynbudig.com

You Deserve A Mobile Spa

Let the spa come to you! Imagine your very own mobile spa service. You deserve to be pampered in the comfort of your own home. Bask in the luxury of a day just for YOU and treat yourself to a complete make-over! At the end of the day, you can emerge with your hair coloured & styled, glowing skin from an organic Sea Flora facial and impeccable nails after a professional manicure and pedicure. Therapeutic treatments are available for those who suffer with disabilities or problems with their feet, back, neck, shoulders and face. No travel, no spectators, no parking. Be Queen for the day with a nice relaxing spa just for you – because you deserve it.

Dianne Duquette, Fully Licensed Esthetician & CMT

Technology’s Role in Wellness

Technology is developing at a mind-blowing pace, but we always have a choice about how we wish to engage with technology. We can ‘unplug’ when we need to re-generate and get back in touch with our natural selves, or we can use technology to streamline our lives and focus on the important things like family and health. We can also engage technology to enhance our health and well-being. This pertains to age-old ‘natural’ technologies such as meditation, yoga and mindfulness, as well as to emerging frequency-based technologies like neurofeedback. We are lucky to live in an age where we can choose how to target specific aspects of our physical and emotional health. Unplugging when we need to and engaging in both time-honored and cutting-edge technology can do wonders for our physical, mental and spiritual health and happiness.

Dr. Chris Hammer, PhD

www.valentusclinics.com

Balancing Space & Alignment

Balancing space in the joints between the bones of the limbs and between the vertebra of the spinal column happens during a Biodynamic treatment because the practitioner understands the shapes of every bone in the body and how they function together in movement. There is a particular rhythm that occurs between each bone shape when it’s unhampered by injury or stress. The practitioner seeks coherence in these rhythms of the bones and the relative movement of the bones to all other motilities (internal rhythms) of the body as a whole. By studying the coherence of the movements of our developmental movement patterns, the practitioner knows the feeling of how these rhythms were formed and how they produce an even distribution of work/effort/energy. By listening for the dynamics of movement the practitioner waits for this intelligence to get re-established if it’s been disturbed. Therefore, alignment really has to do with optimal efficiency for movement so that there’s both stability and freedom of motion.

Laurie Pryce, Biodynamic Body

www.biodynamicbody.ca