Community News
Health Benefits of Weight Loss

Research shows that if you lose at least 10% of your unhealthy body weight, the chances of your general health improving are enormous. Weight loss may improve survival in those who have an obesity related illness, especially Type 2 Diabetes. Even losing just 10% of your body weigh can decrease your blood sugar levels and can also prevent your chances of becoming diabetic, if weight loss is sustained. Weight loss helps all of your vital organs function properly, making what you once thought as a simple body process, such as breathing, a lot easier to do. People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea can experience improved sleeping patterns and less daytime sleepiness. You can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, dementia, and more, just by losing 10%.

SuccessWeightLoss.ca

Ask The Expert

Q: Why are most spectacle lenses plastic now? Isn’t glass better?

A: Actually, plastic has some real advantages over glass. First off, plastic lenses are lighter. Plastic lenses are also less likely to shatter than glass and this makes them perfect for children and to use during sports and other physical activity. They are much safer; in fact the CSA removed certification for glass safety lenses in 1987. Optically, plastic lenses can be more easily coated and shaped to enhance the vision in many lens designs, especially progressives. Also, photochromic plastic lenses (transitions) function and look better than their photogrey glass counterparts. Plastic lenses are also better at shielding your eyes against harmful UV rays.

Dr. Alex Kennedy, Mosaic Vision Care, MosaicVisionCare.com

Psoriatic Arthritis: Supplemental Treatment

Approximately 14% of psoriasis sufferers (a chronic skin condition that causes red patches on the body) will develop psoriatic arthritis, a form of inflammatory arthritis. The symptoms of psoriatic arthritis range from mild involvement of the fingers and toes to burning, stiffness and pain in the lower spine and sacrum. When the joints of the toes and ankles are involved deformity may occur which results in pain when weight bearing and discomfort wearing footwear. Custom insoles (orthotics) and extra-depth footwear may offer improved foot comfort by relieving high-pressure areas on the soles of the feet and toes. In some cases, orthotics can be designed to correct joint alignment to reduce ligament strain. As well, there are shoe modifications that are available to improve shoe comfort or ease walking stress. Ask your doctor for a referral and make an appointment with a Pedorthist to see how orthotics and footwear can relieve your foot pain.

B.D. Mitchell Prosthetics and Orthotics, MitchellPandO.com

Massage Therapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

CTS is described as compression to the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel being the space between the carpal (wrist) bones and the transverse carpal ligament which lies beneath the skin on the inside of your wrist. The medial nerve shares this space with the tendons of the muscles that flex your wrist and fingers. Symptoms include numbness and tingling and/or a burning sensation in the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and half of the palm on the thumb side, and a loss of dexterity in that hand. Causes of CTS include injury with swelling of the wrist, overuse of the forearm muscles, and position of the wrist while sleeping. Massage therapy can be a great non-invasive way to treat CTS. Your massage therapist will help you to discover the reason for your CTS, provide appropriate hands-on treatment, provide you with instructions for self-care, and refer you to another practitioner if necessary.

Randi Noyes RMT, CourtenayMassageTherapy.com

Back Pain Recommendations

American College of Physicians List Acupuncture as Top Treatment for Back Pain

The American College of Physicians (ACP) released a new set of recommendations for people with acute and subacute back pain. If you have back pain you may want to avoid medication and move more, get acupuncture, massage, or manual therapy. We also recommend Egoscue, Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) and QiGong. The ACP review lots of research looking at different over-the-counter medication all the way up to opioids. What they found was that medication didn’t really help. What we are seeing is that as research develops our job is to figure out which works best for the person sitting in front of us. For patients with chronic back pain – The ACP recommends initially no drug therapy but exercise, multidisciplinary rehabilitation with acupuncture, yoga, tai chi, and motor control exercise, contrast relaxation exercise, progress relaxation, biofeedback, low-level laser, cognitive behavior and manual therapy. Now, this is exactly what we have recommended for the past 25 years… Exercise, Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, mindful stress reduction, Qigong, Osteopathic manual therapy plus Regenerative Injection Therapy.

Dr.Ross Ralph Dr.TCM, RAc. DOMP, Advance Neurofunctional Sports Performance Specialist
Courtenay Healing Centre
www.courtenayhealing.ca

Reducing Stress with Access Consciousness BARS

With the growing number of people experiencing stress and anxiety, it may be time to start investigating other healing modalities. As the Bars gain popularity, more and more people are looking for tools that work to create the changes they are asking for. Access BARS does that with ease and speed. Whether it’s sports performance, test anxiety, or daily stress, people have reported amazing changes in their life when they add Access BARS. The BARS is gentle and non-evasive and focuses on 32 points on the head which, when gently touched, trigger an electro-magnetic release of both physical and mental blockages. Each point on the head relates to an area of your life such as money, control, creativity, healing, sexuality, healing and communication. It works on the physical, mental, and emotional — on every level, and helps people to get rid of stress, sleep better, focus, and function with ease.

Wendy Omilanow

Relief with Reiki

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of healing and self-improvement. Reiki Healing is used for treating physical ailments, speeding recovery from injuries and illnesses, reducing pain and swelling, aiding weight loss, treating insomnia, to name just a few. Reiki has the ability to quickly produce a state of deep relaxation, similar to meditation, which allows the body to return to its natural state of balance and heal itself if necessary. There is no risk involved in this type of alternative energy therapy. It works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery. A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit. Reiki has had positive effects on all forms of illness and harmful conditions.

Kori Gordon, Finding You – Body. Mind. Soul.

Joint Preservation

Joint Preservation A large percentage of the aches and pains physiotherapists treat can be attributed to aging joints. Over time, as we get older, our joints wear down and lose their shock-absorbing capabilities. Thankfully, things can be done to slow down the joint-aging process. Maintaining joint health is more essential now than ever since people are living longer. Here are a few tips to help preserve your joints: Strengthening. Muscles stabilize joints and work as shock absorbers to prevent unnecessary joint stress. Manage your weight. Maintaining a healthy weight decreases the pressure on joints. Exercise wisely. If your joints have already begun to ache, avoid high-impact activities, especially jumping. Low-impact activities such as biking, tai-chi, and swimming are a few alternatives. Seek treatment. If joint pain has begun, early intervention lessens the risk of it becoming chronic. See your physiotherapist for advice on tailoring an activity program suited for you.

Doug Treloar, Physiotherapist, PhysioFirstClinic.ca

To Ice or Not To Ice

The use of cryotherapy or icing in the management of acute injuries has been widely promoted, accepted and practiced. It is even part of the old, easy formula: RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) coined by Dr. Gabe Mirkin in the 1970s. The reduction of pain, swelling and improved function or return to participation have been promised through the use of this modality. However, clinical studies regarding its effectiveness are inconclusive and inconsistent at best. Although some studies indicate that icing may be effective in reducing pain, in some cases, excessive cooling may be damaging to tissues and may hasten a return to participation. Elevation, support, and controlled movements of affected area may prove more beneficial. But, if significant pain, swelling, bruising and the inability to move or weight bear persist, it is advisable to seek medical attention to rule serious pathology.

Paula Moreira, Physio4u.net

Life is Not Always Fair

If you are waiting for life to be fair and compensate you for the energies and time you’ve put into it, expecting the outcomes you had hoped to receive…you might be waiting a long time! In my experience life doesn’t tend to work that way and a paradigm shift might be required. What life does offer is an incredible myriad of gifts in the form of extraordinary people and experiences with opportunities presented to grow you in ways you would have never signed up for willingly! The choice is up to you if you choose to stay a victim or take in these new experiences. Living life fully is about loving. It’s about learning and living the fine art of embracing what comes your way with gratitude and appreciation instead of wishing you can be or have something different than what is.

D’Arcy Bruning-Haid, Souls-Journey.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