You are not alone, we have all had that experience of arriving somewhere in our vehicle and thinking “I don’t even remember driving here…” Or realizing our thoughts are on what to make for dinner instead of what your friend or boss is talking to you about. Sound familiar? Sometimes working on autopilot can leave us feeling empty. Here are some tips to combat these feelings: #1. Intentionally pause, and remember where you are. #2. Focus on your breath. #3. Be aware. #4. Gently guide your attention back to where you want it. These tips are great ways to ditch the autopilot setting and live with intention!
Community News
Kombucha’s Natural Vitamins and Minerals
Kombucha is known for its ability to help aid in digestion, stimulate metabolism, and decrease infections, and studies have shown that along with probiotics and antioxidants, kombucha also offers a variety of vitamins and minerals. One study conducted in the Republic of Macedonia in 2001 looked at the mineral and water-soluble vitamins in kombucha that was made with 0.7% sucrose and 5 g/L of black tea. The researchers found that the kombucha contained vitamins B1, B6, B12, and C, along with minerals like zinc, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, and cobalt, all of which contribute to better health.
Getting Seniors Online
About 71% of seniors are online every day. Of those who are online, their main reason is to stay connected with family and friends. Whether it’s joining forums or sharing photos and stories with loved ones, social media and email allow seniors with limited mobility the opportunity to interact with others. If you’re interested in getting online but don’t know where to start, community centres and local senior groups often have programs to teach seniors about the internet and how to participate in online communities. It is important as we age to continue to stay socially connected to friends and loved ones.
Wildfire Smoke Inhalation
The effects of wildfire smoke inhalation can manifest weeks and/or months after our skies have cleared in the form of chronic colds, flu, and upper respiratory infections. Inhalation ozonide therapy is good for any acute upper respiratory infection. Both asthmatics and patients with chronic lung disease can use it. Ozone gas is bubbled through olive oil to the inhaler, which turns it into ozonides molecules that are completely safe to inhale. The ozonides can last for weeks in the human body and have an incredible regenerative effect on our cells and organs, helping to control and eliminate infections, increasing the delivery of oxygen to cells, and stimulating cells to generate more energy.
Be Still…with Reiki!
Reiki is a gentle but powerful energy healing technique used for relaxation, stress reduction and balance that can promote healing on many levels. It is typically given by ‘laying on of hands’ as you lie on a massage table fully clothed. This higher frequency, positive energy flows through the hands of the practitioner into your energy field releasing ‘energy blockages’ by lifting and transforming lower frequency energies such as worry, fear, anger and anxiety. The deep relaxation experienced with Reiki can have many beneficial effects including more calm/stillness to the body & mind, better sleep, reduced stress & pain and reduction of overwhelm and anxiety.
Ask Your Pharmacist
What is the best diet strategy for weight loss? The answer depends on your weight loss goals. Unfortunately, the evidence is conflicting about what strategies work best. At the end of the day, the best diet for you is the one that you can faithfully follow for a lifetime to help you to reach your optimal weight and allows you to not feel hungry or deprived. Medications can also contribute to weight gain, so have a pharmacist review your medications to ensure a medication is not contributing to unwanted weight.
Ask The Expert
Q: I want to do some tricky hikes this summer. My partner and I plan to do some scrambles and I really need my reading glasses to see the maps. Is getting progressives worth it for this?
A: Your optometrist or optician can take a look at your prescription and records to see if it would work for you. I often tell my patients that progressive bifocals are built for convenience, so that you don’t have to keep switching between reading glasses and far distance glasses. Some newer designs of progressives are made for comfortable vision in difficult situations like steep stairs or uneven terrain, and they’re easier to get used to than ever. As a bonus, full-time glasses can not only enhance your vision, but also protect your eyes from ultraviolet light and become darker in bright conditions if you so wish.
Conversations with a Tree
Jane Warren Campbell, in her book “Conversations with a Tree”, states that, “Love is the unconditional appreciation for all life, it is the acceptance of who you are and the allowing of others to be who they are. Love is the foundation to happiness. If you do not truly love yourself, deep inside, you will not create the life you dream of.”
Trees have a bounty of love for all and are worth having a conversation with. Seek out a tree, hug it, talk to it, lay your back and head against its trunk, and you will receive love, wisdom, and healing.
Food as Medicine for Inflammation
In holistic healthcare, inflammation is often recognized as a root cause for many chronic and acute conditions. The four major signs of inflammation include redness, heat, swelling, and pain. For management of chronic inflammation symptoms, using food as medicine can be very effective. The first step is to minimize foods in the diet that promote inflammation, which include any type of sugar (including honey and high-sugar fruits), grains, and processed vegetable oils like canola oil and peanut oil. The next step is to focus the diet on high quality, nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, high quality animal protein, turmeric, and healthy fats.
Healthy Buildings and Wiring
Magnetic and electric fields of energy that occur as a result of electrical wiring errors is a known stressor of our immune systems. Our bodies are controlled by exquisitely small currents and voltages. These natural currents of energy are easily disrupted by the very large induced currents in our bodies that are a result of unnatural, manmade electricity. Humans have evolved and remained healthy as a result of welcoming natural radiations from the sun. Manmade energy, because it is so different from natural radiations, is not helpful for the function of our cells. Unfortunately, our bodies cannot identify bad electromagnetic energy and they welcome this energy into the cells, which may result in illness.
What You Don’t Hear
When someone has moderate hearing loss they will hear relatively well if you are talking to them face to face in a quiet environment but will not hear well if you are walking away from them, in a different room, or if noise is present. People with hearing loss may be unaware of the extent of it: that’s where loved ones come in. Family members who have grown frustrated with them not being able to hear are the ones to prompt them to get a hearing test. Encourage them to have their hearing tested, you will be doing them and yourself a big favour in the long run.
