Most people have “floaters” – small pieces of tissue inside their eyes that can be seen against white snow or plain backgrounds. These floaters move with eye movements but remain otherwise stable throughout life. However, a sudden onset of new or increased floaters particularly accompanied by flashes of light are a cause for concern. Be sure to visit your eye care professional as soon as possible for a dilated fundus exam to rule out a retinal detachment!
Community News
How Many Times Do You Chew Your Food?
Do you ever count how many times you chew your food before you swallow? If no, try it! Eating slowly is a massive part of a healthy diet even if the food you are eating isn’t classified as “healthy”. Why? Chewing allows your teeth and saliva to begin digestion so you can use the nutrients from the food to fuel your body. Eating slowly also helps to ease bloating and digestive problems, increases enjoyment, and helps you to avoid overeating. If you currently take 3-5 chews aim for 8-10 and build your way up to 20-30 overtime. Happy slow eating!
What is in Your Skin Care Product?
Today we want to know what’s inside our skin care products and there is a huge demand for safe, natural beauty products. The term organic refers to something that was produced without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, GMOs, sewage, ionizing radiation, as well as antibiotics and growth hormones. Natural means something that originally “existed in” or was “derived from” nature. When looking for skin care chose those made from natural organic ingredients and are free from Parabens, Phthalates, Sulfates, PEG compounds, Petrochemicals & Mineral Oils, Ethoxylated Ingredients, as well as Synthetic Fragrances & Colors.
Unequal Leg Length?
The majority of the population has one leg that is longer than the other. This inequality results in uneven stress on the body and contributes to lower back, hip, and knee pain, as well as aggravation of arthritic hips and knees. While some cases of leg length discrepancy are due to actual differences in leg bone length, many cases are due to an imbalance in the muscle tension of the hip and leg. This imbalance is due to habitual movement patterns, emotional stress, and other repetitive activities of life. Gentle Somatic Body Movement Classes retrain the nervous system to relax these chronically tight muscles and reduce pain.
Recognizing Caregiver Stress
As the Canadian senior population grows, unpaid caregiving becomes more widespread than ever before. Over 4.5 million Canadians play a role in caring for a family member and caregiver stress and burnout is a significant issue. Caregivers need to be honest about how much care they can realistically provide. While most caregivers want to be present 24/7, this is impossible while juggling other family and career responsibilities. Today’s caregivers deserve respect and gratitude. Whether motivated by love, duty or simply a selfless desire to help others, they play an invaluable role in the care of our senior population.
Am I a Candidate for Dental Implants?
Today’s bone grafting procedures can overcome most physical factors including insufficient or poor quality bone. Existing dental conditions such as gum disease do not prevent the placement of dental implants but may modify when and how they are placed. Your age is not a major consideration as long as you are in good general health but some medical conditions do exist that may prevent you from being a good candidate for dental implants. As our general life expectancy is increasing, you still have many potential years of healthy eating ahead of you. Your dentist can help determine if indeed you are a candidate for dental implants.
Selective Hearing or Something More?
Think you’d notice if you have impaired hearing? Those with hearing loss are often the last ones to recognize it. Unless the impairment occurs through sudden physical or medical-related trauma, hearing loss generally occurs slowly over time. This gradual change presents itself as people mumbling, unclear voices, or difficulty hearing through background noise. Friends and family are usually the first to notice when they aren’t being heard, or when they are consistently asked to repeat themselves. You may be tempted to brush it off as selective hearing, but if those close to you have said they suspect you have a hearing loss, it’s time to get your hearing checked.
Make Your Home Safer
Things you can do to make your home safer and reduce the risk of falling:
Remove tripping hazards like clutter, small throw rugs • Keep items you use the most easily accessible • Improve lighting to ensure you can see your path when walking, especially at night • Install grab bars in the bathroom and ensure your home has handrails on all staircases • Wear non-slip shoes both inside and outside of the house • Get a Home Safety Assessment if you are at risk of falling; an Occupational Therapist can help to advise you on making your home safer.
Mamma Mia! – The Musical
On a Greek island paradise, where the sun always shines, the audience is propelled into this beautiful and funny tale of love, friendship, and identity. Mamma Mia! resonates with almost everyone. There are so many themes and situations packed into this musical that people from all walks of life can relate to: identity, the generation gap, the loss of a parent, a mother-daughter relationship and romance to name a few. The performance leaves you singing and dancing to iconic ABBA hits. Mamma Mia! is the musical sensation you won’t want to miss! Tickets available now, on stage May 24 – August 31.
Platinum Health Assessment
Determining the underlying root cause of health issues is the key to treatment. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a measure of Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) balance and strength and consequently your systematic health and resilience. ANS controls internal body processes such as blood pressure, heart and breathing rates, body temperature, digestion, and metabolism. A Nutri-Energetic Systems (NES) scan identifies blockages in the body’s energetic structure and field which serves as a master control system for all physiological function. By combining HRV with the NES Bioenergy scan, it is possible to find and see changes in the body on the energetic level and in the underlying structure. This helps to determine where to focus on in the healing and rebalancing approach.
Meet the Practitioner – Robert Fortunat R.D.
Robert Fortunat, Registered Denturist, has been a Denturist for 29 years in the Cowichan Valley. Duncan Dental (1992) Ltd. is a small family run business that has been in Duncan for 66 years, and Robert is the third owner since 1953. Robert performs all clinical and laboratory services personally and offers a complete range of denture services from full or partial dentures to dentures on implants, relines and more. Call him to learn more about the options available to you. Robert is committed to customer service, and his goal is to give you a functional, natural looking smile.
