Community News
A Place for Seniors to Connect with other Seniors

The National Seniors Council of Canada recognizes that social isolation and loneliness are health risks in our aging population.  The Seniors Connect Centre in Nanaimo is a place for adults aged 55 years or older that promotes independence, personal enrichment and an enhanced quality of life through social engagement.  Programs and activities focusing on social inclusion, health and wellness are provided free of charge. The wheelchair accessible centre is located at 150B Wallace Street and has a wheelchair accessible bathroom.  The Seniors Connect Centre also offers outreach services, access to information and referrals to connect seniors with other programs and services in the community that may be of particular interest to those experiencing social isolation.

Seniors Connect Centre
NanaimoSeniorsConnect.ca

Hip or knee pain?

Look to your feet for relief. When not experiencing foot pain, few people think about their feet when their hips or knees hurt. They may be told it is arthritis or cartilage damage and do not consider how the alignment of their feet and ankles may be contributing to their discomfort. As we age, many people become more sedentary and see an increase in body weight. The arches of the feet can become flatter over time due to excess pressure from above and weakness developing underneath. As arches flatten, they fall inwards too. This causes the leg to rotate inwards. This rotation puts the knees and hips out of alignment. Depending on the amount of arch collapse, the foot may require a significant amount of correction to ease the hip or knee pain. Deep-cupped corrective foot orthotics have been found to work wonders at alleviating pain in joints further up the body.

Diane Calder, BSc KIN, CPed(C), Pedorthist
B.D Mitchell Prosthetics and Orthotics
MitchellPandO.com

Rightsize on Your Terms

Once you have decided to move or de-clutter your home, the next decision involves sorting through your belongings and determining where they go. This is an important step for you to take in the moving process. The joy of uncovering a precious item and sharing its history with your family is a tie that binds you together. After the sorting, many people feel more ready for the move. They have made the decisions rather than burdening their family with them, and their families appreciate not being left with a house of Mom’s and Dad’s stuff to sort through. The biggest regret of people who had to move suddenly was that they never got to say goodbye to their home or belongings, rich with memories. If they could give you a few words of advice, they would tell you to rightsize on your terms!

Marian Remenda, Professional Organizer, Rightsize Your Home
right-sizeyourhome.com

bc211 Help Line

Funded by United Ways across BC, bc211 is here to help transform lives. In British Columbia, the 211 information and referral service is operated by the 211 British Columbia Services Society, a charitable non-profit organization funded by United Ways and contracts with various partners. Every hour of every day, people need help finding services for themselves or their loved ones. From finding a homeless shelter, to securing daycare for a child, to home care supports for an aging parent. With bc211, accessing help is now only a phone call away.

Ivanna Law, Communications & Marketing Officer
United Way Central and North Vancouver Island
bc211.ca

Suffering with Muscle and Joint Pain?

Muscle and joint pain associated with sprains and strains can be very frustrating indeed, especially when striving to maintain an active lifestyle. Certain essential oils from specific companies have been approved by Health Canada as Natural Health Products (NHP’s) for use to help with relief of pain associated with sprains, strains and rheumatoid arthritis.

Essential oils can be used one at a time or combined into blends. They can be mixed with a carrier oil and massaged directly onto muscles and joints, or mixed with Epsom or other salts (Himalayan, or Dead Sea) and added to a warm bath. They can be diffused, or added to a poultice and placed on affected area. You can even benefit from smelling them directly out of the bottle!

The list of oils approved for use on muscle and joint pain include the following: Angelica, Black Pepper, Cedarwood, Celery Seed, Citronella, Clary Sage, Clove, Cypress, Eucalyptus Globulus, Fennel, Ginger, Helichrysum, Laurus Nobilis, Lavender, lemongrass, Lime, Marjoram, Nutmed, Peppermint, Pine, Rosemary, Sage, Vetiver, and the blends Deep Relief and Aromaease. With a list this long it could be a challenge to know which one is the best option, but the amazing thing about essential oils is that their individual chemical compositions provide different effects. Some oils have a calming, relaxing effect, while others can be energizing, refreshing, or uplifting. 

Knowing a little bit about each oil can help you chose the best option. If, for example, you are looking for something to add to a bath to help relieve muscle pain, as well as relax you before bed, oils with calming properties are best. Some examples would be Marjoram, lavender, helichrysum, Angelica, Clary Sage or Laurus Nobilis. If you are looking for joint pain relief prior to heading out for a walk or other exercise, opting for more uplifting and energizing oils like Rosemary, Pine, Eucalyptus Globulus, Lemongrass, Black Pepper or Peppermint might be a better suit. Premade blends are a fantastic option, as they take the guess work out of what to combine! Deep Relief and Aromaease are two examples of blends specifically formulated to help relieve muscle and joint pain. You can simply add a roller ball onto the end of the bottle and roll them directly onto the areas that need it!

Recipes:

Pre-event Sports Rub:

2 Tbsp coconut oil, 3 drops each: Peppermint, Lime, Black Pepper. Combine together and rub on calves, legs, shoulders and chest prior to your workout.

Post-event massage oil:

2 Tbsp oil (fractioned coconut, olive, apricot kernel, avocado), 3 drops each: Eucalyptus Globulus, Marjoram, and Pine. Massage into tired achy muscles or add to bath water and soak.

Ankle Sprain Wrap:

To a cool wet cloth, add 2 drops each Helichrysum, Lavender and Lemongrass. Wrap around ankle and rest with ankle supported for 10 minutes. (can be used on knee, wrist or hand as well.)

Having natural options for muscle and joint pain provides peace of mind, just be sure the essential oils you choose are not topped up with synthetic additives and preservatives. Look for high quality oils from reputable suppliers. Reputable suppliers back the purity of their essential oils with a guarantee. They scrutinize every step of the process, from seed selection, to cultivation, gentle distillation and rigorous testing to be certain that the oils they bottle are the purest possible, nothing added, nothing removed.

Disclaimer: Author is not a doctor. Any oils discussed are specific to Young Living Essential Oils, and the information is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please speak with your doctor or health care professional before starting to use essential oils, and learn how to use them safely. Please do your research before choosing any essential oil.

 

Denise Mackinnon, Independent Distributor for Young Living Essential Oils.
Distributor number 2122587
[email protected]

Website: https://www.facebook.com/SimpleHealthIdeas/ 

Is There Mold in Your Laundry?

Have you ever stepped out of the shower, grabbed a freshly cleaned towel only to be overwhelmed by a stale odor that just doesn’t smell fresh? That odor you’re smelling in your towels and washing machine? It’s mold. Fabrics can sour if you leave them wet in the washing machine. Add to that, a buildup of fabric softener can cause towels to be horribly smelly. Fabric softener doesn’t allow the fibers to rinse cleanly, and that detergent and softener build up. Your skin is exceptionally permeable; it quickly absorbs outside substances directly into the bloodstream. Additionally, any time you smell this moldy odor, you’re also breathing it in. Mold toxicity can lead to a host of health issues. Don’t ignore the signs of an unhealthy laundry routine. There is an easy way to treat washing machine and laundry mold so that it’s eliminated for good. Detergents and hot water will not treat the problem, but pureWash Pro does, every time you wash.

Kevin Shale, Low Environmental Impact Technologies, www.leit.ca

Spring Clean Your Spending Habits

March brings the promise of Spring. A season of awakening, trees budding, flowers starting to bloom and definitely a lightness and brightness to our days. As well, thoughts of spring cleaning and getting everything aired out. Sometimes our budgets can also benefit from a good ‘cleaning’. Has your income or expenses changed with the new year? Are there new goals on the horizon that you need to be setting money aside for? Have you slipped back into old habits of spending? Taking time to review the numbers enables us to make sure they are realistic. It arms us with figures that are closer to fact than fiction. You can also review how you keep track of your spending, if perhaps there is an app or computer program that would be helpful, they are just a few clicks away on the internet.

Doris Minervini, www.abakhan.com

Natural Product Review

Avena Original Herb Cocktail Colon Cleanse and whole body detox. With an estimated 98% of all disease originating in the colon, our best line of defense against disease is through the regular and daily elimination of harmful toxins. Some symptoms of a toxic colon: headaches, gas, low back pain, foul breath, body odor, constipation, diarrhea, weight challenges, weakened immunity, lack of energy, depression, mood swings, psoriasis, and eczema. Avena’s Herb Cocktail works in 3 stages inside the bowel to promote complete restoration. Forming into a gel, it absorbs undigested foods and toxins from your entire body trapping and eliminating them. It effectively breaks down impacted waste on intestinal walls, even mucoid plaque. Using the natural pressure of the gel, it encourages and exercises peristaltic action, helping to restore the healthy movement of your intestines. 100% Natural Ingredients. Many have eliminated their health challenges through colon cleansing.

Louis Hoolaeff HR HC ACS, www.leadingedgehealth.org

Worrying About Things You Can’t Control?

Worrying is an understandable response to life stress – we get anxious that things won’t work out, and so we start thinking about the situation. We can be trying to solve things, or to prevent bad events from happening; or we find it hard to stop rehearsing terrible stories in our heads! Worrying can become a troublesome habit. Other signs of anxiety include poor sleep, having trouble with concentration, being extra jumpy or watchful, or getting easily upset. Anxiety can also show up as physical discomfort or even panic. Exercise can help. But sometimes we need to talk to someone, to feel heard and to get a new, non-judgmental perspective on things. A counsellor can provide a safe place to figure it out – whether you need calming techniques, to change your habits of mind, or to get help making other changes in your life.

Mary Munro MA, MC, www.marymunro.ca

The Scale of Suggestibility

Hypnotherapy is a different experience for each individual because we have varying degrees of suggestibility. We all fall somewhere between 1 to 100 on the suggestibility scale. Those who score between 1 to 49 on the scale are emotional or indirect suggestibles. The traits of an indirect suggestible are that they think first and act later, more likely to be introverts, speak literally, understand inferentially, can be analytical, and respond to inferred suggestions while in hypnosis. On the other end of the scale are physical or direct suggestibles whose score is between 50 to 100. The traits of a direct suggestible are that they act first and think later, more likely to be extroverts, speak inferentially, understands literally, and responds to direct suggestions while in hypnosis (perfect stage hypnosis volunteers). Visit my website and fill out the Communications Assessment and I will reply with your score.

Scott Metcalf CHt, RCCH. A Beautiful Mind Hypnotherapy, www.abeautifulmindhypnotherapy.com

Ringing In The Ears

Do you hear noise in your ears that other people can’t hear? Annoying sounds, like ringing, buzzing, whistling, whooshing or hissing? If so, you are not alone. Over 3 million Canadians suffer from tinnitus – a condition characterized by sounds that originate from within, rather than from without, your ears. Tinnitus takes on many forms: The most common “gardenvariety” type produces soft-to-loud ringing, humming or rushing-water sounds. Tonal Tinnitus causes a constant chiming sound, like a musical note played over and over again. Pulsatile Tinnitus produces sound that pulsates in time with ones heartbeat. Mixed Tinnitus causes multiple noises to be heard simultaneously. Objective Tinnitus is extremely rare, and produces noise heard not only by the affected individual, but by others as well!

Jeff Germain, www.islandbeltone.com