We all want to live our best life. But sometimes life presses down on us and we can’t seem to find our way out. This can sneak up on us – maybe a bad boss reminds us of something in our childhood. Or maybe a breakup leaves us feeling vulnerable, coping in unhelpful ways. It can even be unclear where this feeling comes from. How do you act confidently towards your goals? How do you be kind to yourself when you’re stuck? What do you do with old feelings that come up? Counselling is a safe, neutral place to feel better about yourself, and explore what’s next for you.
Community News
Staying Social as a Senior
As we get older, health conditions, mobility limitations or a lack of energy can keep us from being as socially active as we once were. A diminishing social life might happen gradually as close friends experience the same conditions and family members grow busy. We may not even notice how long it has been since we last spent time with a friend! Isolation has many physical and emotional health risks. Especially if you live by yourself, staying socially active is critical to enjoying a healthy lifestyle. Volunteer at a local organization, join a senior living community or find a group that focuses on similar interests (e.g., knitting, water aerobics, cooking). Get back to living your best life!
Eye Care for Teens
Teens are still developing so it’s very important that they receive proper eye care to ensure the best possible vision heading into adulthood. Unfortunately, many don’t. The behavioural problems experienced by “troubled” teens may sometimes be due to undiagnosed vision issues that aren’t identified during the school years. Teens should have proper vision testing to catch potential issues such as astigmatism, convergence insufficiency, and poor tracking that may cause more problems as they get older. As well as making sure that they have a balanced diet and are getting exercise, encourage your teens to wear sunglasses with UV protection and to protect their eyes when playing sports or using tools and equipment.
Medical Benefits of Wool
Do you know about the natural healing benefits of wool? There are many reasons why it is called “the miracle fiber”. Wool is a comforting and warm material used for many products such as footwear, blankets and clothing. Its natural healing properties are of great medical benefit to patients in home care and hospitals. Wool promotes healing by reducing pain and swelling. It provides cushioning and reduces pressure while regulating body temperature and drawing moisture away from the body. Laying on wool increases comfort, releases stress and promotes relaxation and restorative sleep. See Videos and more information on the website.
Are You Always in ‘Fight or Flight’ Mode?
Massage therapy is undeniably effective at getting people tapped in to their parasympathetic nervous system, which is more commonly called ‘rest and digest’. Unfortunately, many spend most of their days in ‘fight or flight’! When the parasympathetic nervous system is in charge, blood pressure and heart rate lower, breathing is fuller, oxygen and blood make it deeper into the body, tissues repair themselves, organs do their jobs better, and overall, mental health is much more relaxed and content. It’s not hard to understand why being in ‘rest and digest’ is more conducive to recovery, management and being better prepared to handle what life throws at us!
Promoting Safety
Safety is one of the most important pieces in our overall health and well-being. When we think of being safe, we often think of avoiding physical dangers. However, our complex minds also filter information to promote our emotional and psychological safety. When our brain perceives a threat, it will signal feelings in our bodies to defend against it. Sometimes if we are not paying attention, we miss these signals, leaving us feeling unwell. To help overcome this, the next time you notice feeling scared, try observing the problem, while building awareness for how your body is responding.
Aromatherapy for Anxiety
Chronic anxiety is unpredictable and overpowering. Did you know that caffeine has been associated with anxiety? Caffeine increases alertness by blocking a brain chemical (adenosine) that makes you feel tired, and overuse can cause anxiety. The essential oils suggested to help with anxiety are Basil, Bergamot, Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, Melissa, Marjoram, and Patchouli. Inhaling a couple of deep breaths of your chosen essential oil will help calm down that feeling of being overwhelmed. Better still is having a diffuser in your home, car or workplace. This will diffuse the essential oils into the air. Now all you have to do is breathe and relax.
Time to Reflect and Take Stock
Fall is my favourite time of year, I know many of you feel the same way. It’s a season both of reflection and of action, as the change of season often brings a change of activities. It’s also a time of ‘getting back to business’ for many and a good time to turn ones attention to financial planning matters. Given the state of global affairs, it would also be a good time to do a detailed review of your investments. This year has (until recently) seen spectacular returns across many asset classes, what comes next is never certain.
Growing Up Can Be a Pain
Does your child complain of achiness in their legs at night? Pain in the upper or lower legs or behind the knees can occur during periods of rapid growth in kids, usually between the ages of 3-5 or 8-12. Recent studies have found a high incidence of these ‘growing pains’ in children with flat feet. As your child’s body weight increases with the rapid growth, their foot arches may not be strong enough to maintain that extra weight. Correcting the arches with custom foot orthotics can help ease some of the muscle soreness. When combined with warm massage, increased fluid intake, stretching, and ensuring that stable, supportive footwear is worn throughout the day, you can greatly ease your child’s discomfort.
Eliminate Pain & Regenerate Joints
To eliminate the pain of any form of musculo-skeletal injury and to regenerate any joint, especially with osteo-arthritic elements; acupuncture and Prolozone injection therapy are my treatment protocols. Each component of Prolozone therapy has a specific biological purpose. Procaine acts to re-establish cellular membrane potentials. Anti-inflammatory agents decrease edema and swelling. The inclusion of vitamins and minerals provides necessary substrates of oxygen utilization that in damaged tissues are often deficient. And finally, oxygen utilization is directly stimulated by ozone. In many cases Prolozone actually corrects the pathology of the disorder, there is a 75% chance for the chronic pain sufferer to
becoming permanently pain free.
Easy Travel with a Portable Electric Scooter
Is the thought of long corridors at the airport or the cruise terminal putting you off from travelling? Travelling with a mobility scooter on a plane may seem daunting to organize, but today you can have the independence and freedom to travel wherever you like. Today’s portable light weight electric mobility scooters make it a breeze to reach your gate or cabin on the ship. Folding mobility scooters are great options as they can easily be brought with you everywhere. When travelling by air, inform the airline that you are travelling with a scooter and provide weight/dimensions and battery type. Don’t forget the charger cord!
