Community News
Caregiver Pharmacy Support

It can be difficult to be a caregiver and manage multiple or complex medications for a loved one. It is important to ensure medications are taken appropriately to help maintain good health. A visiting pharmacist provides personal support with regular medication delivery and home consultations. The pharmacist reviews a client’s prescription drugs and over the counter medications to advise if there are any drug interactions, and makes adjustments as necessary. This level of support can reduce emergency room visits and hospital stays, and results in strong, trusting relationships between clients, caregivers, and pharmacists. The visiting pharmacist also provides seamless care for hospital discharge patients and works closely with other health professionals to deliver a high level of care to the client. Care is tailored to specific individual needs such as assisting with blood pressure readings, adding medications as needed to adherence packaging, and making changes in an efficient manner.

Teresa Giesbrecht
CareAtHomePharmacy.ca

Tune-Up Your Brain!

Your brain is the engine that drives you – so it’s important to keep it well-tuned. Fat – or lipid – consumption is essential for the healthy growth, development, and function of your brain. In fact, 60% of your brain’s dry weight is fat. Several types of plant and animal fats are used for brain-building material, though one lipid reigns supreme: omega-3 fatty acids derived from salmon, sardines, krill oil, and plant-based Ahiflower oil. There are many benefits of omega-3: it increases cognitive functioning and decreases symptoms of depression, anxiety and aggression. It is also shown to be a protective factor against cognitive decline and dementia in older adults; and it is an essential component of a healthy diet for pregnant women, leading to better health outcomes in newborns. Consider adding omega-3s to your diet as an evidence-based way to tune-up your brain for optimal mental health.

Sean Miller, CMHA Manitoba and Winnipeg

mbwpg.cmha.ca

Book Club: Why Can’t I get Better?

Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease by Dr. Richard Horowitz. Looks at pain, fatigue, memory and concentration problems, sleep disorders, and much more. Lyme disease and its related conditions are incredibly complicated. You can take the questionnaire yourself, and start doing your own detective work with this book as your guide.

LymeDisease.org

Financial Wellness Tips

Pay bills on time and balance your chequebook each month. Know what you currently have to spend so you know what you can afford to spend. • Stop buying on impulse. Instead of using a credit card, save money for something you want. • Always pay more than your minimum balance on credit cards. Get rid of them as soon as possible. You will save money on interest and have more to save for the future. • Always include some savings in your budget. Too many of us are unable to identify our needs after retirement and don’t save. This results in financial difficulty during our declining years. • Find out what you don’t know about finances—and learn it. There is plenty of available information on financial management. • Be careful with the media pull for spending and don’t be drawn into the hype. Be a savvy shopper and saver to avoid overspending and debt.

Brian Denysuik, President & CEO, Creditaid.ca

Floating to Aid Learning

The benefits of floatation therapy are numerous. Perhaps the most universally appealing is floating’s inclination to enhance creativity, learning, and memory. These days, it’s practically common knowledge that taking a break can boost our creativity and problem solving. It’s not just anecdotal: research backs up these kinds of experiences. In a study at Texas A&M University, Dr. Thomas Taylor selected 40 well-matched subjects and split them into two groups. Both groups underwent a series of learning sessions using audiotapes. One group listened to the tapes while sitting on sofas in quiet, darkened rooms. The other group listened while floating in floatation cabins. The groups were tested on three levels of performance: basic memorization, the ability to understand a concept, and synthesis thinking. Results showed that floaters did much better than the control group did! Floating is the ultimate “recharge mode” for your brain!

Fluid Float, FluidFloat.com

Mary’s Story

“I don’t know who I am anymore, where I fit in, I just feel lost. I used to love my job, now I just feel detached. I can’t shut out thinking about my job after hours. Boundaries have become blurred, I’m having trouble sleeping, and I don’t feel safe anymore. Things I thought I dealt with in my own childhood are coming back. I am having a hard time watching the news or movies…I am an emotional wreck.” By becoming aware of the changes in her feelings and recognizing the signs of stress, and with help, Mary was able to engage in emotional self-care (counselling and balancing life), identify cognitive changes by paying attention to her thinking and knowing she is not alone, engage in healthy behaviours (boundaries and taking time off), and find ways to stay spiritually connected.

Patty Parsons, RSW, CCC, ParsonsTherapy.com

Eastern Teachings for Healing

You cannot do a meditation. In meditation, the “I” is dissolved back into its almighty source. Love. The truth is that the “I” is never separate from love, but the mind is often too busy for the realization of this highest order. In Tantra, there are seven main energy centres in the body called chakras. Traditional eastern technologies such as asana (yoga postures) and mantra (sacred sound repetition) help to distribute the energy evenly between these seven sacred centres and their associated nerves. This relaxes, settles the mind, and reveals to you the silent ecstasy of who you truly are. Easternstyle yoga classes are fully available in Winnipeg, and could very well be the gateway into the transformational experience of healing that the cells in your body have been longing for.

Karma Yoga, KarmaYogaWinnipeg.com

How to Navigate Life

In a small village, the ritual bath was on top of a steep hill. In the winter, ice and snow made it slippery. People took a longer route around the mountain, rather than try to climb it. An elder, however, would walk straight up. The people thought this quite incredible. One day, some doubters decided to discredit the elder. They were more athletic. If he could do it, they could. So, they followed him as he climbed easily. But after climbing halfway, they fell and were badly injured. One doubter asked the elder, “What is your secret? How do you do it?” The elder replied, “When you walk with Source, you don’t fall.” There are times we are on a slippery slope. The Source within is guiding and supporting. You have this power within you. Rev.

Anne Ahokangas, Centre for Spiritual Living Winnipeg, cslwinnipeg.org

Stress and Hair Loss

Hair loss isn’t really a condition itself, but rather a symptom of a condition. Stress and anxiety can manifest in so many different ways. Stress can cause many conditions that lead to hair loss. These include Alopecia Areata – the sudden loss of large clumps of hair in areas around your scalp; Telogen Effluvium – a condition where more hairs than normal prepare to fall out; and Trichotillomania – a habitual condition caused by emotional stress and anxiety, where the person pulls out hairs without realizing it. Temporary hair loss can also be the result of physical stress caused by abrupt weight loss, high fever, nutritional deficiencies, surgery, and illnesses such as thyroid disease and anemia. Other common causes of temporary hair loss are related to fluctuations in hormones caused by pregnancy, menopause, and use of oral contraceptives. See your doctor if you notice any significant hair loss.

Evelyn’s Wigs, Evelynswigs.com

Posture Makes Perfect!

Our posture during a variety of activities of daily living can contribute to neck and upper back pain. Whether we are at a computer desk, driving, or sitting in front of the television, our posture can deteriorate if we aren’t trying to help it. Being aware of your posture can also help prevent pain from happening in the first place. Certain muscles will weaken while being strained, and others will tighten up as they stay in a shortened position. The right combination of exercises and stretches can help promote proper posture, and ultimately decrease pain and injury. Stretches to help loosen your pectorals and sternocleidomastoid muscles are extremely beneficial. These help keep the chest open, and head up. You should then try a row exercise to help strengthen the rhomboids, and reinforce the shoulders to stay back, and for the back to stay upright.

Heath Vermette, CAT(C), Southsherbrook.com

Relaxation: What’s That?

How often do we hear this? “The only time I relax is with a drink in my hand. My brain does not know how to slow down.” Diagnosed with anxiety, a recent client found counselling and group work to be highly stressful. “I’m always scared of what others will say or think!” She was always so tired that she barely had energy to complete daily tasks; yet, when she went to bed, she couldn’t sleep. Brainwave Optimization helped her feel relaxed for the first time in her life. By attending to her brain frequencies, she wasn’t stuck in fight-flight anymore. She was able to keep her food down and digest better. Her sleep came more easily without meds. She was calmer around others and felt less intimidated by them. She could hardly believe she could get to that point without having to try and figure out what was “wrong” with her.

Joanne Couture, RMFT, RSW, LaLobaTraumaRelease.com