Spring is in the air! Along with all the lovely tree, grass and weed pollens! Allergies are incredibly common in our pets, especially here on the coast, and can be divided into four known categories; Contact, Flea, Food and Inhalant. When discussing inhalant allergies, we can’t forget mold or mildew, and of course our favourite tiny cosmopolitan pyroglyphid, the dust mite! Unfortunately, the clinical signs of all allergic reactions are commonly shared, and in cases tend to overlap, but each type can manifest its own unique characteristics. The most common type of allergy in our region, next to flea contact dermatitis, is the inhalant type, also called ‘atopy’. For reasons obvious to the seasonally suffering human, allergies are just as misery-inducing in our pets. Itchy, raw and irritated skin, watering eyes, nasal discharge, and congestion make up but a few symptoms that should inspire a visit to your veterinarian.

A Pet Lovers Warehouse, www.apetlovers.com

Access Bars – A simple body process that is changing the world. There are two things that will change anything in your life; choice, and Access Bars. The Access Bars are the very core and foundation of Access Consciousness. It can be the starting point of a great adventure and it can be something you add to your life that will assist you in creating a greater ease with everything. Access Bars has assisted thousands of people to change many aspects of their body and their life including sleep, health and weight, money, love making and relationships, anxiety, stress, and so much more. During a Bars session a practitioner lightly touches 32 points on your head over the course of an hour to an hour and a half. Touching the bars allows for the electromagnetic charge that holds thoughts, feelings, and emotions in place to dissipate, allowing you to perceive your life, body and relationships with more clarity and ease.

Wendy Omilanow, Access Consciousness Bars®

Indigestion can be caused by a number of factors, including our external environment such as being exposed to cold or damp conditions; our diet, emotional upset, overwork and a constitutional or genetic weakness that can make a person prone to digestive disorders. These factors can over time weaken the stomach and disrupt the digestive system’s normal functions. Acupuncture can be very effective in helping to resolve the symptoms of indigestion. Treatment can help the stomach to better digest food and move it through the digestive tract so that the stomach and other digestive processes are functioning properly again. It can also help to relieve pain, nausea, and bloating that often accompany this type of digestive condition. Indeed, like many digestive disorders, acupuncture is an excellent option for resolving indigestion and getting you back to your regular self.

Dr. Li Lin, Brandon Acupuncture Chinese Massage & Herbal Centre, www.brandon-acupuncture.com

Improved resilience and a deep sense of empowerment are two of the main benefits of cultivating a growth mindset. Possessing a growth mindset means that one doesn’t worry about not having a specific skill or knowledge set because through effort and repetition, they can be developed and obstacles can be overcome. Failure is accepted as part of the process, and collaboration is welcomed. Having a fixed mindset, on the other hand, causes over-identification with one’s intelligence or talent, leading to a preoccupation with being recognized for these gifts. Praise, rather than personal satisfaction from a job well done becomes the desired goal, and threats to one’s identity, such as criticism or comparison, can lead to a fear of failure and a lack of motivation. If you are looking to create positive change, start by reflecting on your mindset. It holds the key to your success.

Brent Tocher, chooseauthenticity.ca

Your mind is a very powerful thing, and most of us take it for granted. What if you could change your thoughts? What if you can be, do and choose to be anything? We’ve learned very early in life that judging ourselves is the “right” thing to do. We have learned that things are either good or bad, right or wrong, black or white. All of these are judgments that limit our possibilities. It is time for something different! It is time to have kindness towards ourselves that we always hoped someone else would have towards us. If you are not willing to be that kindness for you, you can’t receive it from others. Choose consciousness and create the true you.

Kori Gordon, Finding You

The profession of Physiotherapy or Physical Therapy has a number of specialized areas of practice. Orthopaedic Manual Therapy is one such specialized area. The International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT), which represents groups of Manipulative Physical Therapists around the world, defines this area as the management of nerves, muscles, and bones of the body, i.e. neuro-musculoskeletal conditions, using specific treatment approaches which include manual or manipulative techniques and therapeutic exercises. Scientific and clinical evidence and detailed physical examination of patients are used to arrive at a diagnosis and to develop a management plan to restore and improve the movement and function of these individuals. Orthopaedic manual therapists, in addition to their physiotherapy/physical therapy degree, also have extensive post-graduate education and training in this specialized area and have attained internationally recognized qualifications in manipulative therapy.

Paula Moreira, www.physio4u.net