Community News
Bowenwork: Balancing the Nervous System

What do muscles, organs, bones, and the systems of your body all have in common? They all work with the nervous system. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controls 80% of bodily functions, and it deserves some attention! Many people are in a constant over-stimulated, unbalanced, state of fight or flight, called sympathetic dominance. In this state, the body doesn’t focus on resting and healing. This may be part of the reason why people seem to take much longer these days to get over their illnesses, and their pain seems to “last forever.” Parasympathetic dominance focuses on resting, digesting, relaxing and repairing. In this state, the body is able to heal itself, and reactivate a stalled recovery process. Bowenwork balances the ANS, shifting it from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance with impressive results, even when other therapies haven’t been successful. Balance the nervous system with Bowenwork, and your body does the rest.

Bernadette Kozak-Certified Bowenwork Practitioner, www.WinnipegPainRelief.ca

5 New Year’s Resolutions to Boost Your Health

It’s a new year and a perfect time to start good healthy habits. Here are five tips to drive your immune system into gear so you can live 2017 full of strength and vitality! 1. Exercise. The Canadian Diabetes Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of cardio plus two sessions of resistance training per week. 2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet has been proven to lower one’s risk for heart disease and improve longevity. 3. See your doctor for routine checkups. Screening early for disease can help prevent or lessen problems from the disease. 4. Get vaccinated. This allows your body to fight off infections. Check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to see whether you are up-to-date. 6. Reduce stress. Meditate, do yoga and get plenty of sleep. Make time to pamper yourself!

Care At Home Pharmacy, www.careathomepharmacy.ca

The Best Way to a Persons Heart

This Valentine’s day, you might be thinking the best way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. While this may or may not be true, research shows one of the best ways to optimal mental health is, indeed, through the stomach. What you eat is critical to the health of your entire body including brain health. Many of the nutrients we digest are essential building blocks of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that regulate mood, appetite, sleep, weight and a myriad of other processes that work to keep us functioning properly. Diets containing whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, lean meat, and fatty fish as well as probiotic-rich foods like pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir are associated with better physical and mental health. Omega 3 fatty acid and vitamin supplementation can play an integral role in our mental health, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Always consult your healthcare provider before making lifestyle changes.

Sean Miller, Canadian Mental Health Association, mbwpg.cmha.ca

3 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Are you looking to kick-start your metabolism? Here are a few tips! 1. Build Muscle. Your body always burns calories, even when you’re doing nothing. Your resting metabolic rate is much higher if you have muscle. After a session of strength training, muscles are activated all over your body, raising your average daily metabolic rate. 2. Keep Drinking. Your body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. 3. Power Up With Protein. Your body burns many more calories digesting protein than it does with carbohydrates. As part of a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can boost metabolism at mealtime. Good sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products. Now get ready to become a lean, mean, calorie-burning machine!

www.disabilitytaxcreditwinnipeg.com

Book Club: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō. Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. www.goodreads.com

Home Remedies for a Cough

Did you know that onions can be used to cleanse airways and reduce congestion? Try a poultice of roasted onion to the chest every few hours. They can also be drunk as a warm broth. Cabbage also works well, as it has an extraordinary ability to draw out toxin. Crush the leaves with a rolling pin until the juice starts to appear. Place 3 or 4 leaves over the chest and cover with gauze. You can also drink the juice of a cabbage sweetened with a little bit of honey. Adapted from the book “The New Guide to Remedies” by Paragon Staff

6 Ways to Alkalize Your Body

Did you know that your immunity is based on how alkaline your diet is? Having an overly acidic diet eventually leads to a weakened state, and our bodies become susceptible to disease. Here are six ways to alkalize – and healthify – your body! 1. Drink plenty of water. Drink half your body weight in ounces every day to keep your body systems regulated. For an extra boost in alkalinity – add lemon! 2. Trade coffee for tea. Green tea is highly alkaline. Try jasmine, Sencha or Matcha. 3. Kick that sugar habit. Use stevia, coconut sugar or small amounts of honey in place of sugar. 4. Eat more greens. Vegetables are highly alkaline and oxygen rich. Consume fresh green vegetables often as possible. 5. Move. Exercise to create more oxygen and qi flow in the body and to avoid stagnation. 6. Reduce stress. Meditate as often as possible, practice deep breathing, do yoga, and get plenty of sleep

Meditate Your Stress Away

The stress and tension we normally experience come from our minds, and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress. Just by doing simple breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we can reduce this stress. The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid. Find a comfortable meditation position with our eyes partially closed. The most important thing is to keep your back straight to prevent our mind from becoming sluggish or sleepy. Breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. We should try to concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else. If we practice patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside, and we shall experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Kadampa Meditation Centre, www.meditateinwinnipeg.org

Nutrition for Injury Recovery

The moment we sustain an injury, our body’s inflammatory response kicks in. This inflammation phase of injury lasts between 3-5 days. The first line of defense is to follow the RICES principle during this time period: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Stabilize. For those who want to be proactive, there are certain foods and nutrients you can incorporate into your diet to help reduce inflammation. Some good examples include fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines), oils (olive, fish, flax), avocados, mixed nuts and seeds. Other ingredients that are beneficial include curcumin (from turmeric or curry powder), garlic, bromelain (from pineapple), cocoa, tea, and berries. There are also some foods that you should avoid during this early stage of injury. This includes processed foods, and foods high in saturated or trans fats. These are only a few of the many things you can try to help with inflammation following an injury.

Heath Vermette, CAT(C), www.southsherbook.com

4 Ways to Cope with SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder is more than just what people refer to as the “winter blues.” Those who have it find it difficult to function in daily life. So, what can you if you find yourself experiencing seasonal sadness? Here’s what you should do: 1. Increase sunlight exposure. Exposure to more sunlight (even if it is a scare amount) can help. Consider getting an artificial sunlight lamp for your home. 2. Exercise. Like other mood disorders, exercise can also help you cope by relieving stress, building energy levels, and improving physical well-being. 3. Take a supplement. Using high-quality, broad-spectrum nutritional supplements can help your body have these needed nutrients. Vitamin D3, specifically, has positive effects on mood and seasonal affective disorder. 4. Sleep. Getting enough rest can help reduce stress and can prepare you with the energy you need to get through the day. Get to bed early enough to ensure you receive the rest you need.

Dr. Asim Ashique, Central Chiropractic Centre, www.centralchiro.ca

The Balancing Act

Bowenwork is a very gentle, hands-on form of bodywork. It works holistically via the nervous system to balance, and align the body. Bowenwork uniquely initiates your body’s own innate healing mechanism, and can dramatically help people with their muscle, joint or nerve pain. People with frozen shoulder are amazed when they find their recurring headaches are also gone, and the pain they felt in their back, neck, and their carpal tunnel, have disappeared as well. Treating the body as a whole is imperative in being able to achieve long lasting results. In addition to physical pain relief, Bowenwork can effectively help with cognitive issues as well, such as stress, PTSD, depression, concussion or traumatic brain injury, tinnitus, vertigo, dizziness, energy blockages, and many others. Talk to a Bowenwork practitioner to learn more about balancing your body, and starting your healing journey today.

Bernadette Kozak, WinnipegPainRelief.ca