Community News
New Community Partnership

We are excited to announce a community partnership with Volunteer Cowichan (VC) in Cowichan Valley. Together, we will help residents find and link to local health and wellness resources, support and services. For 44+ years, VC has been a leader in community promoting, mobilizing and celebrating volunteers. They have many programs that support older adults and youth. You can find more about VC in this newsletter, on their website and on the WellnessHub Vancouver Island. While you are on the Hub, don’t forget to enter this month’s contest for a chance to win 2 x 10 Flex Pass tickets to the Nanaimo NigthOwls Baseball Club games.

May is a Great Time to Clean

May is a great time to spring clean your home and spruce up your exercise and eating habits. We welcome you to check out the Wellness Hub, our local, online Health and Wellness resource. The Wellness Hub features hundreds of health tips and articles on a variety of health and wellness topics along with a directory of hundreds of local businesses and practitioners offering services and products. It is easy to search, access and share information. While you are checking out the Wellness Hub, don’t forget to enter the May Contest for a chance to win Baseball Tickets.

Boost Well-being with Fresh Air & Exercise

One of the best things about living on Vancouver Island is having nature right in our backyard. With summer just around the corner, it is a great time to take advantage of everything our island has to offer. Whether it is just a walk around the block or a hike up a mountain, the fresh air and exercise boost our well-being. So lace up your shoes and wear VoxxLife socks with HPT for enhanced balance and stability. Additional benefits include; enhanced pain relief and management, especially PDN pain and improved mobility.

There Are NO Bad Foods

Contrary to popular opinion, there are no truly “bad” foods. There are indeed foods that are better and worse when it comes to nutrition, but food, even cake, has no “morality”. We tell ourselves that these “junk foods” are “bad”, yet we often celebrate milestones in life with them. Weddings, birthdays, getting into college, or even retiring come with a cake that is shared with friends, family and colleagues. Although cake might not be the most nutritious form of calories, it can still be enjoyed in a balanced diet where nutrients come from other sources throughout the day.

Get Help Wherever You Are!

Now that the world is opening up, you may be heading out on longer adventures or travelling again. Wherever you go, you will want to feel secure knowing that help is available! Whether in your home, walking in the park or on a road trip, there are devices available that give you 24/7 access to help. These on-the-go devices can send an alert when you press a button, sense when you fall, and provide direct, two-way communication with a 24/7 Response Center. They are designed to help locate the user in a variety of situations – home or away, indoors and out.

Take Time to Smell the Flowers!

How often do you take time to just BE? This is what the phrase ‘stop and smell the flowers’ means. It is taking time out of your busy, complicated life to sit, relax, connect with nature and do nothing. Remember you are a human BEing! It is time to stop thinking that taking time for yourself is selfish. Taking time for yourself will make you happier, more productive and better able to support your loved ones. A Certified Body/Emotion Code Practitioner can help you release any unprocessed negative (trapped) emotions to allow YOU to take time for YOU.

Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

There have been studies that prove that the answer is YES. The Mayo Clinic published a study that showed that laughing is a great form of stress relief. Aside from improving your mood, laughter strengthens the immune system and diminishes pain. It protects your body from the damaging effects of stress by decreasing stress hormones and improving relaxation. It also releases good-feeling endorphins. If this wasn’t enough, a Norwegian study has shown that those with a good sense of humour outlived those who did not, especially when battling a disease such as cancer. So bring on those belly laughs!

Rebalance, Reset & Relax

The human body is amazing. It can be rebalanced and reset on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. A therapy session in The Harmonic Egg, a uniquely engineered bio resonance chamber, activates the body’s repair mechanism to promote profound relaxation. With the fusion of advanced technology and ancient wisdom, it uses the vibrational energies of sacred geometry, light, colour and sound. These frequencies vibrate to create a 360 degree amplified resonance experience that returns the body to homeostasis. Each energy therapy session is individually tailored and is precisely controlled, consistent, and repeatable. It is completely non-invasive and 100% safe.

Stay Healthy While Travelling

Long-distance travel, either by air or land, can lead to a small risk of blood clots. If you have cancer, had recent surgery, abnormal blood clotting disorders or obesity you should be assessed by a healthcare practitioner before travelling. Tips to prevent blood clots during flights that every traveller can benefit from include; *Maintain adequate hydration as it also encourages mobilization, *Contract the calf muscles regularly or get up every 1-2 hours, *Wear below-knee graduated compression stockings, and *Choose an aisle seat when possible as it is proven to encourage mobilization. Talk to your pharmacist about ways to stay healthy while travelling.

Meditation for Mental Wellness

The benefits of sitting quietly and going within are profound. The deep state of rest produced by meditation triggers the brain to release neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. These chemicals play many roles related to well-being, including increasing feelings of happiness, decreasing feelings of pain, and reducing the side effects of stress. Studies have found that meditation and mindfulness can decrease symptoms related to depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mood-related disorders, without side-effects that might be experienced while taking medications. Meditation can play an important role in maintaining and improving your mental health and well-being safely and effectively.

Acupuncture for Menopause Symptoms

Menopause can cause a number of uncomfortable emotional and physical symptoms, including hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and mood changes. Some women may not want to or can’t use hormone replacement therapy, which is a common treatment for menopause symptoms. Recent studies in both Denmark and the United States suggest that acupuncture may help with symptoms of menopause. Women who received acupuncture sessions during the studies reported less severe and less frequent day and night sweats, general sweating, sleep problems, emotional and physical symptoms, and skin and hair problems compared to women who did not have acupuncture sessions during the studies.