Community News
Reiki Really Works

Reiki is an energy healing treatment that works holistically; on the whole body, mind and spirit. Natural healing vibrations are transmitted through the hands of a Reiki practitioner to the body of the recipient. Reiki treatment can relieve stress and pain, induce relaxation, release emotional blockages, accelerate natural healing, balance subtle energies, and support other medical modalities, including traditional therapies. Reputable medical facilities are now offering patients alternative healing programs such as Reiki, and are analyzing the benefits and submitting them for review and compilation. Look at your options on how you can learn Reiki to experience personal healing and also to help others.

Importance of Regular Eye Exams

Many of us take our vision for granted. We assume that if we can see fine then we do not need an eye exam. Periodic eye and vision examinations performed by an optometrist are an important part of caring for your eyes, vision, and overall health since many eye and vision problems have no obvious signs or symptoms. Obvious signs that it is time for an eye exam include; difficulties seeing in the distance or up close, unexplained headaches or trouble reading at any distance. Early diagnosis and treatment of eye and vision problems can help prevent vision loss.

Profile: Westshore Dental Centre

Taking care of their patients’ teeth for life is important at the Westshore Dental Centre. The dental practice is devoted to restoring and enhancing the natural beauty of your smile. They offer a broad range of services, including: *Routine family dental care, *Cosmetic dentistry, *Zoom!®/Sapphire™ bleaching, *One-appointment Crowns. For the comfort of their patients, they offer oral or IV sedation and a TV on the ceiling. Understanding that some patients may feel uneasy about their dental visits, the entire team is dedicated to providing excellent, personalized care and service to make your visits as comfortable and pleasant as possible.

New Health and Wellness Resource

Today, more than ever, people are searching for local health and wellness resources. We are proud to bring Wellnessnews Choices for Healthy Living® to the Westshore. This is the sixth edition on Vancouver Island. To us, Healthy Living means making positive choices and taking ownership and action to improve and enrich our lives in all key areas; physical, mental and spiritual. In order to achieve Healthy Living, we need information about positive health practices and a guide to the resources available to us. Wellnessnews Choices for Healthy Living® is proud to present a One-Stop Resource where our community can find local health and wellness information. Our Wellness Hub enables people on Vancouver Island to easily find and support local businesses, read health tips and find out what is happening in the community.

Exercise Helps Depression, Anxiety & Stress

During these times we must take care of our emotional health. Strength training provides similar improvements in depression as anti-depressant medications. Currently, it is not known if this is because people feel better when they are stronger or if strength training produces a helpful biochemical change to the brain. It is most likely a combination of the two. Strength training helps to ease stress and anxiety by reducing stress, it helps sharpen brain-power and increasing self-esteem. Lifting your mood can help relieve depression, boost your energy level helping you cope better with whatever comes your way in the run of a day.

Brain Teasers

.1 I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I? 2. I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old. What am I? 3. What can you hold in your right hand, but never in your left hand? 4. What has to be broken before you can use it? 5. What did the doctor say to the patient when he finished removing his appendix?

Book Club

“Choosing Hope: One Woman. Three Cancers,” is the story of how Munira Premji battled three advanced cancers: Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Stage 3 multiple myeloma, and Stage 3 breast cancer. Written as a series of anecdotes from a blog the author started shortly after her first diagnosis, it tells an inspirational story about resilience, courage, and hope in the face of overwhelming odds. Choosing Hope captures the psychological, physical, and emotional trauma of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. It is easy to read and will have special appeal to recently diagnosed cancer patients, survivors and their families, to caregivers, and to many others facing health challenges.

Clean Eating Recipe

Butternut Squash Soup. Ingredients: 15 ml olive oil. 1 onion. 1 butternut squash. 2 celery stalks. 2 garlic cloves. 1 potato. 2 ml pepper. 1, 5 L vegetable broth. 250 ml cooking cream. Directions: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté onions for 4 minutes. Add squash, celery, garlic, potato, and pepper. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. In a blender, puree mixture into a smooth soup. Return soup to the saucepan and add cream. Reheat over low heat before serving. Stir in 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated ginger and 1 tsp (5 mL) hot pepper flakes for a warm, spicy kick.

Words to Live By

“How do we nurture the soul? By revering our own life. By learning to love it all, not only the joys and the victories, but also the pain and the struggles.”- Nathaniel Branden

Words to Live By

“Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.” -Theodore Roosevelt

Dreaming of a Post-COVID Vacation? Tips and Trends for Travelling with Hearing Loss.

Everyone is eagerly awaiting the chance to start travelling again as the possibility is looking brighter each week. A post-COVID vacation could come with stress for the average person, let alone someone who is deaf or hard of hearing.

People who deal with hearing loss have very different travel experiences than those with normal hearing whether its pre or post-COVID. It’s usually extremely stressful, agitating and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be.

So many destinations are becoming more inclusive to provide better accommodations for people with hearing loss so they can have a much more positive experience in their travels.

Australia provides an “Experience Australia in 8D Audio” video series that gives listeners the illusion of sound all around them in each particular scene. It provides people with hearing loss a vivid and immersive listening experience that is normally very uncommon for this community.

Other popular destinations with excellent opportunities for the hearing community are New York City, Disney World, cruises, Cairns and France. They all provide specialized tours, accommodations and services for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Here are a few tips in preparation for your trip:

Plan in advance
If you have a framework of what your travels will look like and set up accommodations, reservations, tours etc. to best suit your hearing loss, you can avoid dealing with communication issues during your trip.

Make the most of technology
Download relevant apps such as Maps, translation, transit and more. Any apps that can assist you during your travels can be extremely helpful.

Advocate for yourself
Don’t be afraid to tell people you have a hearing loss. Since hearing aids can be so discreet, most people wouldn’t know you are wearing one. Once people are aware, they can take steps to communicate with you effectively.

Pack extra supplies
Bring extra packs of batteries, cleaning supplies, cases and other important supplies to ensure that if a battery dies or a tube gets clogged, you can manage this on the go.

Before leaving contact your local NexGen Hearing clinic to order extra supplies.