Community News
What is Botox®?

BOTOX® is one of the most common, non-surgical cosmetic treatments on the market. By injecting the neuromodulator into targeted areas, nerve signals to the muscles can be blocked preventing movement and contracting that leads to static wrinkles. BOTOX® can be used both as a preventive measure to reduce dynamic wrinkles and a solution to temporarily diminish static fine lines and wrinkles.  BOTOX® treatments are quick and effective; they usually take only a matter of minutes. It can treat frown lines, wrinkles, crow’s feet as well as excessive sweating and chronic migraine headaches.

Elegance Sculpting, EleganceSculpting.ca

Chew Your Food!

Proper digestion is important to our overall health but we forget that digestion starts in the mouth with proper chewing. Nutritional experts say that each mouthful of food should be chewed forty times.  If we do not chew our food properly, it passes through our digestive system in a chunk that essentially rots as it passes through our digestive system. Patients with dentures have 90% less chewing force. They tend to list “digestive problems” as health concerns and often need medications for these issues. Dental implants bite with a force similar to that of natural teeth and may resolve these issues.

Vancouver Island Implant Centre, VancouverIslandImplantCentre.com

Keeping Seniors Healthy at Home

Did you know that falls are the leading cause of senior hospitalization in Canada? Or that more than 1 in 3 seniors suffer from malnutrition and 1 in 10 seniors suffer depression? An in-home nursing service dedicated to quality and continuity of care can help. Look for individualized care-plans for nursing and companionship services to suit your needs. With a little intervention and extra help, it is possible to keep seniors safe and happy in their own homes.

Comfort Keepers®, Parksville, ComfortKeepers.ca

Effects of Concussions on Vision

When someone has a head injury, they typically have vision problems that can be temporary or permanent. When a vision problem is causing or contributing to a problem with reading, balance, or movement, the recovery process will move slowly until the vision component is treated. Some symptoms might disappear after a while, such as eye pain or headaches, and yet other symptoms may remain, such as blurred or double vision, or vice versa. If you suspect that a concussion has caused vision problems resulting in difficulty coping with daily activities, see a developmental optometrist for a visual evaluation.

Anderson Family Vision Care, AndersonVisionCare.ca

Here’s Something to Think About

Our brain shrinks as we age. Interestingly enough, recent studies have shown that brain shrinkage occurs faster in hearing impaired individuals. This happens because a lack of hearing stimuli doesn’t affect just the ears. It also affects parts of the brain that deal with speech and sound. Parts of the brain that stop receiving sound stimuli shrink at a rapid rate and can lead to early onset cognitive impairment like dementia and Alzheimer’s. If you have concerns about your hearing, don’t wait. Get your hearing tested today. The sooner you return auditory stimulation to these parts of your brain’s hearing system, the better.

Lana Cuddeford, Nanaimo, HearingLife, HearingLife.ca

Black Seed Oil

Black seed (Nigella sativa) is the new preferred therapeutic oil prized for its immune-boosting and antibacterial benefits to reduce respiratory, viral, and digestive ailments. Studies show that this versatile oil can regulate the immune system, balance blood sugar, and has anti-cancer activity (Butt et al, 2010). Even though it’s known for its medicinal power, it can be used in food and as a digestive. Look for a cold-pressed black seed oil on its own, and for a synergistic blend, use oregano oil and black seed oil together. Look for a combination with vitamins A and D added to give your immune system the best tools to beat the bugs!

Cassie Irwin, Enerex.ca

One Change at a Time

Fitness is a life long journey. It can’t be earned in one workout, gained by eating well for one week, or through one eight hour sleep. The long-term benefits only come to those who stick with the plan, adapt as life changes, and most importantly enjoy the ride. We call this building healthy habits. Imagine if you ate one apple a day and did 20-30 minutes of varied physical activity 3 days per week. Over one year that would be 365 apples and 78 hours of physical activity accumulated through your habits. Focus on making only one change every 2-4 weeks and watch your life change.

Tyler Buck, Nutrition Coach, Trainer, BoundlessFitnessandNutrition.ca

Mother’s Day Garden Tour

Looking for something special to do for Mothers’ Day?  On Sunday May 12th, take a self-guided tour of seven spectacular gardens in the Cowichan Valley.  It is the 25th Anniversary of the Cowichan Family Life Association Garden Tour Fundraiser.  There will be two master gardeners on hand at each garden to answer your questions and garden expert Helen Chestnut will be at the Tea Garden. Tickets are $25 each and include refreshments at the Tea Garden. The Tea Garden also features accomplished local Artists and musicians. See website for a list of ticket outlets.

Tina Short, CowichanFamilyLife.org/garden-tour-fund-raiser

To keep you smiling, your dentures need care. 

• Every day – Rinse your mouth and dentures after every meal. Clean your dentures by soaking them in a cleanser that kills bacteria.
• Once a year – Visit your Denturist to check your overall oral tissue health and condition of the dentures

• Every 2 years – Have your dentures relined to keep them fitting properly.  Your gums are constantly changing and your Denturist can reline or rebase the denture to compensate for the change.

• Every 5 to 8 years – replace your dentures to keep the fit and function of your dentures working optimally, while taking care of your oral health.

Robert Fortunat, Denturist & Certified BPS Master, Duncan Dental (1992) Ltd., DuncanDentures.ca

3-D Healing for Optimum Health

The human body has many parts; the physical, energetic and the spiritual body, the peripheral and the central nervous system, the right and the left side of the brain and Chakras. All of the parts are guided and operated approximately 5% within YOUR Conscious and 95% within Your Subconscious MIND. All these parts of YOU are essential to YOUR health! Thoughts, emotions and energies vibrate inside of you constantly. Using a 3-D Healing Approach, we are able to open the gates and unblock stored negative emotions so their ripple effect can be removed and REAL healing can take place.

Naturally Healthy Clinic, NaturallyHealthyClinic.ca

Contact Lenses That Reduce Glare

Do you wish your contact lenses could block UV rays AND turn dark when outdoors to reduce glare due to sunlight? Acuvue Oasys with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology are now available! These contact lenses contain a filter that senses the amount of light entering the eye and automatically darkens or lightens to maximize comfort. Ask us about this exciting new option!

Dr. Karen McClinchey, Optometrist, IRIS Duncan, iris.ca