Community News
Managing Multiple Medications

When taking medications more than twice a day, the likelihood of forgetting increases. For this reason, it is preferable to use convenience packing / bubble packs to serve as a reminder. This type of packaging can help to space your medications appropriately. Prescription medications can interact with each other, sometimes causing adverse side effects. However, over the counter products such as vitamins or herbal products can also interact with prescription medications – this can potentially change the effectiveness of the drug and cause harm. If you are on prescription drugs, it’s important to have a discussion with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any over the counter products. A pharmacist can also conduct a full medication review with all your prescription and over the counter products and advise you on safe use. If you are on a complex medication regime, a pharmacist is able to help you monitor the effects of your medication.

Ray Hogue, Care At Home Pharmacy
www.careathomepharmacy.ca

Clean Eating: Oven Roasted Chickpeas

Oven-roasted chickpeas are about as simple as it gets — toss with olive oil, your favourite spices, roast and eat! They are nutritious and a great source of protein and fiber!
This recipe makes approx. 2 cups of snacking goodness!

Ingredients:

2 15-oz cans organic chickpeas
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2-4 tsp spices or finely chopped fresh herbs, like chili powder, curry powder, or smoked paprika.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse chickpeas thoroughly, then pat dry with a clean towel. They should feel dry to the touch. Toss chickpeas with olive oil and salt: Spread them out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Stir to make sure the chickpeas are evenly coated. Roast for 20-30 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes. The chickpeas are done when golden and crispy. Toss with the spices and serve warm!

Eilsa Pitamber
www.elisanutrition.com

Book Club: Making a Good Brain Great

by Daniel Amen, MD

When our brains work right, we work right. But the brain is easily injured. A bump on the head, sleep deprivation and poor nutrition can all have long-term consequences leading to problems with attention, mood and even dementia. Dr. Amen shares his exciting insights into protecting, repairing and maintaining our brains with good nutrition, supplements and special exercises. A great read!

Dr. Anke Zimmermann ND,
www.drzimmermann.org

Top 5 Ways Oregano Oil Can Help You

1. Defence Against Harmful Organisms. Oregano oil is known as nature’s most potent defender against unwanted invaders.

2. Strong Antioxidant. Antioxidants fight free radicals and oxidation — the process by which your cells age and wear out. Oregano oil contains high levels of antioxidants to help fight damaging free radicals.

3. Supports Good Health. Taking oregano oil is no guarantee that you’ll never get sick, but when you want to avoid what’s going around, oregano oil can be an extra line of defense and provide support against common, seasonal ailments.

4. Digestive System Support. Oregano oil supports digestion by stimulating the flow of bile to your digestive organs. This can help you get more nutrition out of your food and enjoy a more consistent system.

5. Excellent Nutrition. As an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and E, and zinc, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, copper, and niacin, oregano oil can be helpful in helping you meet your nutritional requirements.

4 Foods You Should Never Eat Again
  1. White flour. The body doesn’t even know how to properly digest this so-called food! Refined white flour has been bleached with chlorine and brominated with bromide, two poisonous chemicals that have been linked to organ damage.
  2. Frozen meals. Most conventionally-prepared meals are loaded with preservatives, hydrogenated oils and other artificial ingredients, not to mention the fact that most frozen meals have been heavily pre-cooked, rendering their nutrient content minimal at best.
  3. Microwaveable popcorn. This processed “food” is one of the unhealthiest foods you can eat. Practically every component of microwaveable popcorn, from the GMO corn kernels to the processed salt and chemicals used to enhance its flavor, is unhealthy and disease-promoting.
  4. Soy-based meat substitutes. Besides the fact that nearly all non-organic soy ingredients are of GM origin, most soy additives are processed using a toxic chemical known as hexane, which is linked to causing birth defects, reproductive problems, and cancer.
Those Cool Drinks of Summer 

Well, spring has sprung and, in typical Winnipeg style, those sweet drinks of summer seem oh so tempting. While refreshing and sweet, there are things you should know if you choose to treat yourself and your family to these treats. They are not good for you! They cause cavities, weight gain and contribute to type 2 diabetes. You would be shocked at how much sugar and how many calories are in these drinks and slushes. In short, enjoy these sweet treats in moderation. Rinse and brush often and remember the health benefits of a tall cool glass of water: Aaaahhh!

Dr. George Cadigan
www.exclusivelydentures.ca

Why Sprout Grains? 

Sprouting is a process that germinates grains, seeds or legumes. This process makes them more easily digestible and produces additional vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin B and Carotene. Another benefit of sprouting is the resulting decrease in phytic acid. Phytic acid is an enzyme inhibitor, which means that it blocks the absorption of vitamins and minerals and can also cause poor digestion and an unhealthy gut. This may explain why many people feel bloated, gassy or intolerant of beans and grains. Some people who believe that they are gluten intolerant actually do quite well with properly sprouted grains. Some have even linked phytic acid and improperly prepared grains to the rise in tooth decay. If you do eat grains, it’s best to soak or sprout them first. The way that you sprout any grain, seed or legume is the same, only the amount of time you sprout it changes.

Rick Drury
www.scoopandsave.com

Massage Therapy for Stress 

Stress relief is one of the first benefits that come to mind when thinking of massage therapy. It’s also a key component for anyone trying to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Clinical studies show that even a single 1 ½-hour session can significantly lower your heart rate, cortisol levels and insulin levels — all of which explain why massage therapy and stress relief go hand-in-hand.

Taking care of your body should be at the top of your priorities. By adding therapeutic massage to your routine now, you’ll feel, look and simply be healthier far into the future. In fact, stress relief alone can improve your vitality and state of mind. In addition to stress relief, ongoing massage therapy can reduce pain, increase energy levels and improve overall physical and mental performance.

Julie Sagnes, RMT
www.authenticwellnessonline.com

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 a strong, trusting relationship between clients, caregivers and pharmacists. The visiting pharmacist also provides seamless care for hospital discharge patients and works closely with other health care 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 to convenient packaging and making changes in a timely manner.

Care At Home Pharmacy
www.careathomepharmacy.ca

L-Carnitine & Chromium

L-Carnitine with Chromium is a blend of two nutrients that play important roles in the metabolism of fat. L-Carnitine is required for the breakdown of fats into energy, while chromium supports healthy glucose metabolism. Its main function is to help insulin carry sugar into muscle cells where it is stored as energy. A lack of chromium could cause fluctuating blood-sugar levels which trigger sugar cravings. As a carbohydrate dependent society, increasing the amount of L-Carnitine & Chromium in our diet in our formula’s proportions will assist the body’s ability to manage its carbohydrate cravings and, in turn, assist with a successful weight management protocol.

Valentus – The Healthiest Coffee in the World

Roma Stefanowich
www.easygo.valentustour.com

Putting a Windfall to Good Use

A financial windfall like a tax return is always exciting to receive, since usually, more money means more possibilities, and ideally, less stress. But how should you really put that extra cash to good use? Though saving or investing all of the money might seem like the most responsible thing to do – because what is more prudent than saving? – first consider how much interest you are paying each month on any debts you may be carrying. That interest will quickly cancel out any of the financial benefit you may reap from putting your new wad of cash into a savings account or investment.

So, what should you do instead?

You could look at your windfall as a great opportunity to pay down your high-interest debt. Credit card debt, or payday loans, are generally the best target for some of these financial resources, especially since those interest rates are generally over 6-8% and usually even higher than that. Even just paying off the cards with the smallest balance first can feel like progress and keep you motivated. Once you’ve paid off a card with a small balance, cut it up, cancel the account and that’s one less problem to deal with.  Starting small also means that once your small debts are taken care of, you’ve already freed up some funds for tackling your larger credit card debts next.

Though it may be tempting to use your entire windfall to pay down as much debt as you can, you might also consider keeping some of those funds in reserve for emergencies like an unforeseen but essential purchase (especially if you own a home, a vehicle, or both!) Though it may seem easy to throw future emergency purchases on a credit card (since you just paid it down with part of the windfall, right?) future-you will be glad you have that emergency fund, especially since it means avoiding even more credit-card interest.

Say you’ve used the windfall to pay down some of your debt while keeping some of the funds in reserve.  That’s great! Now that you can breathe a bit easier, why not make a plan to stay that way?  Luckily, there are a number of steps you can take to manage future debt by adjusting your habits going forward, such as:

Setting reachable goals for your monthly payments. The more you can pay off monthly, the better, but paying even $5 more than the minimum amount is a great start.

Being mindful of putting future purchases on your cards. Pay with cash or debit as much as possible, and think of a purchase made without the looming risk of credit card interest as a way to also buy yourself peace of mind.

Looking at your budget to see where you might be able to trim expenses. Track your spending to see where you can distinguish between needs and wants, or figure out more cost-effective alternatives for every day necessities (like your lunch or morning brew – a bag of healthy snacks from your fridge and a thermos of coffee brought from home will go a long way, savings-wise!)

If this all seems overwhelming, or if you aren’t sure how best to go about paying down debt and figuring out a budget that works for you, you can always seek professional advice. Call the experts at LCTaylor to learn about all your all your options. We can help you put that financial windfall to good use, so you can really enjoy the long-term benefits of that extra cash.

LCTaylor Licensed Insolvency Trustees
www.lctaylor.com