Wellnessnews, Author at Wellnessnews

Natural Bug Deterrents

Our skin is our largest organ and it absorbs 60 percent of what we apply to it. That’s right; whatever you are putting on your skin, your body is absorbing it, right into your bloodstream. Don’t rub it with toxic chemicals to protect yourself from bugs. Look for a natural alternative. There are many different options on the market, and using essential oils is one of them. There are many natural alternatives that use essential oils for everything from mosquito spray to lip balm. Essential oils can deter bugs like mosquitoes just as well as their chemicalladen counterparts, but without the use of harmful chemicals! You may have heard about citronella for mosquitos, but did you know several essential oils can also be effective bug repellants? Clove, rosemary, tea tree, eucalyptus, cedarwood, lavender, geranium, and peppermint are also very effective.

Sylvia Provenski, CanadianMoms.ca

Let Stress Melt Away

Perhaps the most well-known effect of floatation is the reduction in stress from pre- to post-float. But don’t just take our word for it. A 2005 meta-analysis (Dierendonck, 2005) confirmed these findings by studying the effects of floatation REST across 27 studies, with a total of 449 participants. The analysis showed that the impact floatation REST had on physiology, well-being, and performance was significant, and in some cases, it was even more effective than other popular stress management techniques. It also found that healthy people who floated regularly experienced greater benefits the longer they kept up the practice. Float on…

Brad, Float.Calm, FloatCalm.com

Relieve Anxiety with Reflexology

Reflexology is a therapy used to relieve tension and promote wellness. In Reflexology, reflex points on the feet, hands, and head are stimulated by acupressure which in turn reflex to corresponding parts of the body thereby helping to restore its natural energy flow. It also, promotes homeostasis, which is the balancing of a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. One of the most common benefits of reflexology therapy is a reduction of stress and anxiety because the hormonal glandular reflex points are activated via acupressure. Additionally, it can help to increase blood flow to the extremities, decrease blood pressure and slow down the heart rate. Reflexology therapy is relaxing and feels soothing and is a natural treatment enhancing well-being in a multifaceted way.

Janice’s Feet First Reflexology

Don’t Be the Water Filter!

Disinfecting our drinking water for more than a century with chlorine ensured it was free of the microorganisms that can cause serious diseases, such as typhoid fever. To this day, chlorine remains the most commonly used drinking water disinfectant. However, chlorine has been shown to promote a generation of free radicals within the body. Drinking tap water has been linked to bladder, breast and bowel cancer; and long-term effects of drinking, bathing, and swimming in chlorinated water has been shown to cause malignant melanoma. According to Dr. Rona, M.D., chlorinated water destroys most of the intestinal flora–friendly bacteria that help not only with the digestion of food, but with the production of vitamins B12 and K. Chlorinated water has been shown to destroy vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids. All of these factors have been shown to result in skin irritations, including eczema, acne, and rashes.

Total Water Cleaners, TotalWaterCleaners.com

MB Hydro Offers Many Ways to Save

Did you know that Manitoba Hydro offers a low-interest loan on solar thermal heat for your pool or hot water tank or infloor system? You can have a loan for up to $7500 this will not cover the whole system but can cover a lot of the cost. This can be paid right on your hydro account monthly, while you enjoy the savings of the solar thermal system. Did you know 1 manifold of 30 tubes can provide up to 7500 BTU of heating during peak hours of sun? Converted to kw is about 7kw’s of energy you are saving per hour when it is running. Solar thermal can dramatically reduce the amount of energy you consume! The Manitoba Green Energy Tax Credit can be applied in the year you purchase your solar thermal you get 10% of the cost back on your income tax.

Lorena Mitchell, President, Evolve Green, EvolveGreen.ca

Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke

Heat exhaustion can occur if the body loses an excess amount of fluid through sweating and does not have it replenished. As your body becomes dehydrated, it begins to overheat and you may start to feel faint, dizzy, and lightheaded. Your body will profusely sweat in an attempt to cool off. It’s essential to find a cool place to rest and replenish fluids when heat exhaustion occurs. When left untreated, heat exhaustion may progress to heat stroke, a life-threatening condition. At this stage, your body temperature rises to a dangerous level and the body may no longer sweat due to extreme dehydration. A person suffering from heat stroke may be in a state of confusion and disorientation. If you suspect someone is experiencing a heat stroke, call 911 immediately, get them out of the heat, and apply cold compresses on the body to lower body temperature quickly.

Albert Amante, Certified Athletic Therapist, InnovativeMedicalSupplies.com

Heard of Keto?

Heard of Keto? The standard North American diet contains excessive amounts of protein and carbohydrates, neither of which is good for your health, because this eventually causes you to develop insulin and leptin resistance. As a result, you gain excess weight, develop inflammation, and become prone to cellular damage. A ketogenic (keto) diet is a dietary approach that focuses on minimal carbohydrates, moderate amounts of protein, and high healthy fat consumption — the three keys to achieving nutritional ketosis. There are many reasons why you should try a ketogenic diet. It can be very beneficial for people suffering from chronic conditions, or for people who would simply like to be healthier than their current state. You’ll be excited to know that a ketogenic diet can help with the following: weight loss, anti-inflammation, lowered risk of cancer, increased muscle mass, lowered insulin levels, and decreased appetite.

New Couples and Money

You’ve just moved in with your current love or maybe you’ve just got engaged. This is a happy, exciting time in your life. The two of you may have discussed where to go on a honeymoon, whether or not to have children, how many or where your dream house will be. But have you had a conversation with each other with regard to your finances? Everything listed above costs money and both of you need to be honest with each other regarding your finances in order to have those things.

As you begin a new, permanent relationship, it is time to set your financial goals as a couple and to be honest about your money values.

Here are things you need to discuss.

How are you going to manage your day to day expenses? Some couples close their individual accounts and open a joint bank account. All their money gets deposited and withdrawn by either person from this bank account. It sounds like the most convenient way to handle expenses but for some it can cause problems. Who is depositing the money and who is withdrawing the money? And for what reason? This strategy works the best for couples who both manage their money well. So before you decide how you are going to handle your banking, it would be wise to write up a monthly budget then decide who will be responsible for paying for what. Some couples maintain separate banking for their entire relationship. Each is responsible for paying some of the joint bills. For example, one pays for the groceries and the other pays the rent. Some couples use a hybrid of both methods in which each maintain a separate bank account and pay their own individual expenses but both deposit a set amount to a joint bank account and joint expenses are paid from it. But how much should each contribute to the joint bank account? Some couples each deposit the same amount of money, for example, $2000 per month. Other couples each contribute a percentage of their income. Once you have come to an agreement, talk about what will happen if one spouse’s income is reduced because of, a job loss, reduced hours or maternity leave?

What is your net worth? This is a list of your current assets and liabilities. An asset is an item that you could sell and receive money for. For most of us this means real estate, cash in our bank accounts, RRSP’s and vehicles. Liabilities are your debts. Ideally your assets should be higher than your liabilities. If so, you have a positive net worth. As you get older your net worth should increase. How do each of your net worth statements compare? Are you both in agreement concerning your net worth goals? This is important because your net worth can determine when you will be able to buy that dream home, afford to have children or when you can retire.

What are your short and long term goals? This is important to establish early in a relationship because you may discover you have radically different financial goals. If one of you is happy to rent forever and basically spend every dime on travelling or entertainment, but the other spouse wants to save up for a house and early retirement – the relationship will be challenged. You need to be honest with yourself and each other as to what is important to you and where you see yourself financially in 5, 10 or 20 years. If your goals differ, determine if you are both willing to compromise. Staying in a committed relationship is hard work and can be stressful. When your goals and dreams are aligned you can look forward to long term happiness and peace in the household.

Brian Denysuik is a local credit counsellor and registered insolvency counsellor at Creditaid who has been in the financial services industry for over 35 years.

The Dangers of Stress

Stress, also known as worrying and anxiety, causes or contributes to 85% of all your illnesses. Stress leads to heart attacks, diabetes, high blood pressure, headaches, cancer, depression – basically anything. Today, more than any other time in history, we live in a stressful environment. Your brain cannot tell the difference between whether you are being attacked by a bear or just worrying over something that is not a physical danger. Once stressed, you enter into survival mode and your body produces cortisol for the fight or flight, and your metabolism and body functions change to preserve energy. This makes it very difficult to lose weight. Stress also makes it difficult to think clearly, as you become focused on the problem and not on the solution, which causes a revolving thought pattern. How healthy would we be if we could just learn to control stress or eliminate it altogether?

Sherry Wilkinson, WinnipegHypnotherapy.com

Ditch the Fast Food

Is your weekday schedule so busy that stops at fast food joints are necessary? Having trouble sticking to a healthy diet? You might want to give meal prep a try! Make healthy food quickly and easily. Plan the meals for the week after getting everyone’s input. Shop accordingly. Pick one day a week as a cooking day. On cooking day, get out all the ingredients required. Elicit the help of your spouse and kids assembling, peeling, chopping, etc. Assemble, cook, and store in meal-size portions. Make double batches. Don’t like leftovers? No problem! Freeze half for a future week. Cook up a big batch of rice or quinoa, a savoury sauce, and chop veggies for a quick stir fry (add protein-rich canned beans, cashews, tofu, or sesame seeds later). Planning ahead can make homemade weekday meals faster than takeout.

Darlene Porter, Know Thyself as Soul Foundation (nonprofit group offering free meditation) KnowThyselfAsSoul.org

Summer Needs Aloe Vera!

Aloe Vera is well known for its healing properties when it comes to sunburns, but that is only the beginning. Our aloe vera is organically grown and is quickly absorbed into your skin – it penetrates as far as 7 layers into the dermis to assist your body in healing itself from the inside out. Use our 100% stabilized aloe vera gelly to sooth any burn or heat rash, speed up the healing of skin abrasions, calm the itch of bug bites, and many more other applications. Aloe vera is an absolute musthave for any first aid kit. Contact Kim to find out more about this amazing product and what it can do for you and your loved ones.

Kim Krooden, AloeLifestyle.ca