Community News
Avoiding Recurrent Ankle Sprains

You might often hear that if you sprain your ankle once, you are more likely to injure it again. Every time you sprain your ankle, the ligaments are overstretched and micro tearing of the ligaments might even occur. This disrupts the receptors in the ligaments that send information to your nervous system about ankle positioning. Proprioception, your body’s awareness of joint and limb position in space, is crucial in preventing injuries. With a decrease in proprioception, your nervous system receives less input from your ankle about its position on the ground, particularly when stepping on an unstable surface. The reduced input your nervous system receives about your ankle is what leads to those recurrent sprains. Focusing on exercises that improve balance and stability is key to regaining proprioception. Working on balancing exercises and adding progressions (eyes closed, unstable surfaces) is a great way to prevent recurrent ankle sprains.

Albert Amante, Certified Athletic Therapist, InnovativeMedicalSupplies.com

Fireworks Safety and Dogs

Fireworks can be fun for humans, and with all of the coming summer weekends, they are inevitable. Dogs don’t always hold the same enthusiasm, however. Here are some tips for helping your dog cope with fireworks season. Make sure your dog is wearing identification or has a microchip in case they run away. Keep your dog indoors during the fireworks, as far away as possible from the noise. Place a thick blanket over their kennel to help muffle the sounds. Make sure the kennel is in an area where they will not overheat. Make sure your dog is tired by nighttime when the fireworks begin. Lots of exercise may be necessary during the day. Give your dog something yummy to chew on in their kennel, such as a Kong toy filled with goodies.

Lisa Tustin, Professional Pet Services

Product Spotlight: Garden of Life

In today’s fast-paced world, even with the best intentions, having a nutritious meal is sometimes simply impossible. Instead of settling for a quick fix such as fast food, consider a whole-food nutritional shake. Garden of Life’s RAW All-In-One Nutritional Shake provides a convenient way to achieve optimal nutrition! When it comes to whole-food nutritional shakes, USDA Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified sources are of utmost importance to limit unnecessary exposure to toxic chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, and GMO products. Garden of Life’s RAW All-In-One Nutritional Shake is currently the only plant-based nutritional shake in Canada to have the dual certification. This delicious shake comes packed with 44 superfoods; 20 grams of plant-based, Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified protein; 21 whole-food vitamins and minerals; and less than 1 gram of sugar. It is also Certified Vegan, Certified Gluten Free, Informed-Choice Clean for Sport Certified, and Kosher.

Nathan Zassman, Aviva Health, AvivaHealth.com

Product Spotlight: Pure Anada

Summer is the perfect time to change up your beauty routine! Often, our skin improves as the humidity increases. For that reason, it’s best to keep things simple with a lightweight foundation. Pure Anada Tinted Moisturizer is great for normal to dry skin types. Its nourishing formula includes pomegranate and rosehip oil, and provides a sheer, radiant finish to give you a natural summer glow. If you struggle with oily skin, Pure Anada pressed mineral foundation is best, since it includes oil-absorbing minerals. A cheek colour is always beautiful in summer. Don’t neglect it! With shades named after flowers – Dahlia, Sweet Pea, Lotus, and Zinnia – you are bound to find a Pure Anada blush to love. A touch of sheer lip gloss, like the Pure Anada Berry Bliss Lip shines, will top off your carefree summer look.

Nathan Zassman, Aviva Health, AvivaHealth.com

Family Summer Camp

I Am Events, the not-for-profit organization responsible for the I Am Festival, brings a full weekend experience to families this summer on August 11-13th! I Am Family Camp brings together an impressive group of experts, ranging from family health practitioners, musicians, business leaders, and coaches.  Highlights include Canadian icon Fred Penner, who will open the event with a fireside chat and acoustic performance; Kellie Johnsen, a certified family and youth coach from Hawaii, who will host sessions that include a discovery workshop for family values and an improv workshop on communication; and Winnipeg mindfulness expert, musician, and yoga instructor, Keith Macpherson, who will join the group leading meditation and a youth session on creative expression. If you’re looking for a new way to create connections and memories with your family this summer, register for I Am Family Camp. There is a limit of 50 spots and registration is now open.

I Am Festival, Iamfesitval.net/familycamp

Ride Don’t Hide!

Spring is finally here and it’s the perfect time to get outside after a long, cold winter! Outdoor exercise is a great way to soak up the sun’s vitamin D, get your blood pumping, and reconnect with your community – all proven ways to boost your mental health. Need some motivation? Think about joining the Ride Don’t Hide movement, a Canada-wide community bike ride to build awareness for mental health. This year’s ride will be held at the Vimy Ridge Park, and its 21 km route will take you and our 300 riders through Winnipeg’s beautiful downtown. Ride Don’t Hide is for riders of all skill levels; it is not a race, but, rather, an opportunity to celebrate mental health and honour the recovery journeys of people who live with mental illness. Join the Ride Don’t Hide movement and celebrate mental health!

For details, visit: www.ridedonthide.com/mb/ride/winnipeg. Sean Miller, mbwpg.cmha.ca

Love Keeps You Healthy

Being in love not only gives you a bounce in your step, but it also has several proven health benefits. When you are in love, your brain produces a hormone, which is its own natural form of amphetamine called dopamine that contributes to feelings of elation, pleasure, optimism, energy, and a sense of well-being. Physical touch, such as hugging, handholding, and lovemaking, releases a hormone called oxytocin, which lowers stress hormones. Studies have demonstrated that people releasing these hormones have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, greater resistance to colds and flus, and decreased stress and depression. It has been documented that happily coupled people also tend to live longer. We have always known eating healthy foods help maintain a healthy body. Now there is no disputing that healthy relationships foster a long and healthy life. Finding your life partner has more benefits than we once realized.

Lianne Tregobov, Intuitive Matchmaker, CamelotIntroductions.com

Clean Eating: Veggie Burgers

1 lg. red onion

1 lg. bell pepper

3 carrots

1 sm. head cauliflower

1 lg. stalk broccoli

1 C almonds, soaked 12-24 hours.

1 C sunflower seeds, soaked 5-6 hours

1/4 C sesame seeds, soaked 5-6 hours

5 cloves garlic

2 T Braggs or to taste

1 t cumin

2 T dried Cilantro or 1-2 C fresh

Blend all ingredients and seasonings in a food processor. Form and put 1/2” thick patties on a teflex sheet and place trays in dehydrator. Dehydrate at 105º for 8-12 hours. Flip burgers after 4 hours and remove teflex sheets, continue to dehydrate for 4-5 hours.

VeganRawFoodRestaurant.com

What is the difference between Religion and Spirituality?

Many may confuse Spirituality for Religion. Some even think of it as a sect or a cult, but this is because of their lack of knowledge and their fear of being manipulated.

Upon further study you come to understand what spirituality actually is. It is our nature and is nothing mysterious or supernatural nor in any way connected to a sect or cult of any kind.

Religion requires conforming – Spirituality is freedom Religion tells you to follow an ideology and obey certain rules or you’ll be punished otherwise. Spirituality is an ”inside job” and “what feels right for you”. You are free to be what you truly are without having to conform to anything that doesn’t resonate as right with you. Spirituality leads to an awareness that we are all one. It is all up to you to choose what you’ll honor, and choose to believe.

Religion tells you what to think– Spirituality teaches you how to discover the Truth yourself.

Religion tells you what to believe and what is right. Spirituality lets you discover it by yourself and understand it in your own unique way. It encourages discovering your own inner power. It encourages faith and trust in your own truth through the Spirit within.

Religion creates separation – Spirituality unites Globally, there are many religions and they all claim to have the right story. Spirituality sees the nuggets of truth in all of them. The truth is same for everyone despite our differences. It focuses on the divine message they share and not on the differences.

Religion creates dependency – Spirituality creates self-empowerment Religion requires adherence and compliance to be happy. Spirituality shows you happiness is an inside job. Happiness is always found deep in ourselves and only we are responsible for it. We are always spiritual beings not just while attending some events or buildings. Divinity is in us and we are always worthy.

Religion speaks of punishment – Spirituality understands cause and effect Religion says that if we don’t obey certain rules there is punishment in the afterlife…Hell and damnation. Spirituality teaches that every action has a reaction/consequence. The punishment from our actions is not a geographical location like Hell but a consequence of our actions in our daily lives.

Religion says follow me – Spirituality encourages following your own inner wisdom, the Spirit within The foundation of many religions is to make you follow their rules and dogma. Spirituality encourages self-discovery and proving Spirit exists for yourself.

Every religion has something true in it. Spirituality encourages discovering the Truth for yourself.

“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.” Albert Einstein.

Rev Anne Ahokangas

Centre for Spiritual living Winnipeg

Nature First

Learn how to create your own natural First Aid Kit using Essential Oils. Not everyone wants to reach for harsh chemicals or medicated creams when faced with a mild “boo boo”, so as an alternative, I’ll show you my favourite essential oils to have on-hand to help ease minor mishaps.

There are six common essential oils (EOs) that every natural first aid kit should contain Lavender, Tea Tree, Chamomile, Rosemary, Peppermint and Eucalyptus.

Lavender: Lavender is probably the most popular EO and there is good reason why. In fact, if you could have only one essential oil in your arsenal, this would be it! Lavender is great for treating minor cuts and scrapes, as it is known to have anti-bacterial properties. It also encourages healing, can prevent scarring of cuts and burns and it can relieve minor pain and itching (which is great for pesky bug bites). However, beyond that, Lavender is also known for its calming properties, perfect for not only soothing “boo boos” but also soothing your soul!

Tea Tree or Melaleuca is one of the strongest and safest natural antiseptics known and is often used to prevent and treat infection. It is a helpful essential oil for cold sores, rashes and scrapes. We have often heard of Tea Tree used for acne because of its anti-bacterial properties. Not only is it anti-bacterial but also anti-fungal, so is also used to treat fungal infection such as athlete’s foot.

Camomile essential oil has natural anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain reliever) properties. It is also valuable as it is one of the few essential oils gentle enough to safely use on children. Great for treating bumps, bruises, and sprains. Keep in mind that there are several different kinds of Chamomile essential oil. However, only two of them, German Chamomile and Roman Chamomile possess the healing properties useful for your essential oil first aid kit.

Rosemary is a good all-purpose EO. It contains similar properties as those mentioned above by relieving aches & pains, being anti-bacterial, and soothing minor cuts/scrapes. But Rosemary is also useful for relieving digestive discomfort. Another useful property that Rosemary has is that it is a mild stimulant, which can come in handy when needing to boost alertness.

Peppermint is another EO that can also boost alertness, but that is not its only benefit. In addition to this Peppermint is great for relieving nausea, motion sickness or indigestion. Furthermore, applying it your scalp, or at the back of your neck can help relieve irritating headaches. Because of its cooling sensation, Peppermint is also often used to cool the skin if sunburned and can even help reduce body temperature.

Eucalyptus is a great EO to have around for coughs & colds and to help sooth respiratory issues. It is often found in cough drops for this reason. In addition, Eucalyptus makes a great insect repellent to keep those stinging/biting bugs away!

The common applications of essential oils are: topically (directly on the skin using a carrier oil), via inhalation (drop oil into palm of your hand, then cup your hand around nose to breathe in), or by diffusion (using a room diffuser).

As with any type of herb or natural medicine, make sure that you are purchasing the best quality essential oil on the market. Lower quality oils may state that they are 100% pure, but that does not necessarily mean they are 100% pure essential oils. They may contain fillers! I like to use oils from companies that use third party testers to ensure the quality. A few companies out there do this type of testing.

Now that you know a handful of good oils to keep on hand for an emergency, you need to know how to use them properly. Essential oils are very potent and powerful– start low and go slow and dilute with carrier oils. In most cases, using 1-2 drops at a time is adequate and using more may waste product. Proper usage is indicated on each Essential Oil label. It’s very important to follow label instructions

 

To learn more about how to use essential oils or to see what my favourite oils are, go to my website CanadianMoms.ca or contact me at [email protected]

Benefits of Tuina Massage

Tuina massage therapy makes use of rhythmic compression techniques in different energy channels of the body to establish a harmonious flow of Qi (bio-energy). Tuina uses various hand techniques in combination with acupressure and other manipulation methods. In Tuina massage, that often focuses on the deeper layer muscle and connective tissues. This massage removes the blockages and keeps the energy moving through the meridians, as well as through the muscles and joints. The best part about it is that it relaxes as well as energizes. Tuina is a very effective therapy for stiff neck, sore back, arthritis, sciatica, and muscle aches and spasms. It also helps with stress-related disorders like insomnia, indigestion, and headaches. It can be used to address both internal illness and muscular injuries. If you’re suffering from a physical ailment or looking for an alternative, holistic approach to overall wellness, Tuina massage may be an effective option.

Dr. Li Lin, Brandon Acupuncture Chinese Medicine & Herbal Centre, Brandon-Acupuncture.com