Community News
Book Club: The Highly Sensitive Person 

How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, by Elaine N. Aron.

Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams? Are you “too shy” or “too sensitive” according to others? Do noise and confusion quickly overwhelm you? Discover how to embrace your sensitivities in this international best-selling book.

www.hsperson.com 

Managing Medications

Seniors represent 12% of the Canadian population and account for 28 – 40% of all prescriptions. By 2036, the population of seniors will reach a staggering 9.8 million. It is estimated that approximately 50% of Canadians are not taking their prescriptions as prescribed. The barriers to adherence are varied – education, side effects, forgetfulness or limited access to transportation. One major barrier is the cost of medication. Whatever the cause, non-compliance can often result in a patient having to visit the emergency room or even a hospital stay. The estimated annual cost of medication non-adherence to the Canadian health care system is between $7 and $9 billion. Care At Home Pharmacy helps people manage their medications by providing a personalized service based on the concept of the visiting pharmacist. As well, a budget is set up for clients to help manage the costs. Call us for your in-home consultation.

Care At Home Pharmacy
www.careathomepharmacy.ca

Dragons’ Den Success

About a month ago, we received an email from one of the producers of CBC’s hit show Dragons’ Den. They were doing a new spin off show called NexGenDen focusing on hot Canadian startups. They had somehow heard of us and wanted us to come on the show! It was an amazing experience. We were in a group of 18 other startups pitching our proposal to the Dragons. Before going on, they told us there would only be a 50% chance that we would make it to air. One by one people came in and out of the den. Some crying, some obviously trying to maintain their excitement.  When it was your turn, you only got one take. We were asking for $100,000 for 2% of our company ($5 million valuation). Search PopRx on YouTube to see how we did!

Dr. Ali Esmail, PopRx
www.poprx.ca

Clean Eating: Pumpkin Chia Bars

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cup rolled oats
½ cup honey
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup chia seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, add pumpkin, honey and vanilla extract.
Mix until combined.
Fold oats and chia seeds into batter, mix until incorporated.
Press evenly into baking dish.
Bake for 20-30 minutes.
Let cool and cut into 8 bars and store in air tight container.

www.savynaturalista.com

Creative Ways to Pay off Debt

If your debts are beginning to pile up, now is the time to develop a personal debt reduction plan. Budgeting and putting credit cards away for a while are all important parts of a good debt reduction plan, and they are easy to implement. But if you are like most of us, finding the cash to reduce credit card and other debt can be a little more difficult. If you need to pay off debt, consider some of these creative ways to bring down your balances:

Bump up your income. One of the easiest ways to increase your bank balance is to get a second job. However, before you start hunting for the perfect part-time job, check your day job’s moonlighting or second job policy. You should also ensure that you are having the appropriate amount of income tax deducted to reflect the new total income.

Another way to increase your current income is to increase your hours. If you have a part-time job, you may be able to up your availability and qualify for more hours. Full-timers can volunteer for additional projects.

A second job can also be conducted from home. Mary Kay, Avon, and many food, jewelry, or home care product companies offer opportunities to make money while setting your own goals and schedule. If you enjoy talking about these special interest items with friends and neighbours, you may be able to make a significant contribution to your debt reduction piggy bank.

Be a small-scale Entrepreneur. You can add to your income by marketing your skills, or by providing a service that others need. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of starting your own business. Small scale business opportunities don’t require a huge bank account or expensive advertising budgets.

The simplest way to start earning extra income is to provide a service to others that you already provide for yourself. Are you the only stay-at-home parent on the block? Consider offering after-school day care or specialty care for infants or sick kids. Do you have the loveliest yard in your neighbourhood? Providing your services as a garden design and care consultant or a lawn care provider can add enough money to make a significant reduction in your debt load. Animal lovers can offer in-home day or vacation care, or walk neighbourhood dogs.

Other suggestions of services to offer include:

  • Residential painting
  • House cleaning
  • Home organizing
  • Auto detailing

Advertise your services through word of mouth, flyers, Kijiji or your neighbourhood Facebook page.

Create your own job. If you’re tech-savvy, using a computer, tablet, or smart phone is probably second nature to you, but for many they are confusing and difficult to use. If you know your way around emerging technology, you can help others make the best use of their tech appliances. Repairing electronic devices or assisting in setup are just two services that you can provide. Programmers, graphic artists, and photo editors also have special skills that are very marketable.

With a little creativity, your special skills can be a valuable tool in your plan to pay off your debt.

LC Taylor Trustees in Bankruptcy

www.lctaylor.com

Prevent Sports Injuries

Now is the time of year where many athletes will start their fall/winter sport. This often involves changing from summer to winter sports. However, did you know most injuries occur in the first and last third of a season? This is often due to the change of muscle requirements being used for each sport or sometimes the movement patterns involved. Going from baseball to hockey requires a significant increase in the use of your hip flexors – the muscles that bring your knees to your chest. This is a common “early season” injury for hockey players. Doing proper warm ups, stretches and slowly progressing the volume of skating may help in preventing these types of injuries. Also check your overall hip mobility; if you can lift your leg 10 degrees off the floor while on your stomach and at least 70 degrees when on your back, that’s a good sign that you have sufficient movement about the hip.

Jason Moniz, South Sherbrook Therapy
www.southsherbrook.com

Sugar and Cola

The WHO recommends not more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day. 12 oz can of coca cola contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. This high amount of high density corn syrup in addition to refined salts and caffeine contribute to diabetes, hypertension and obesity. People who drink 2 or more sugary beverages per day are 26% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Shortly after consuming 12 oz can of coca cola blood sugar levels spike. Caffeine increases blood pressure and stimulates the reward system in the brain in a similar way as heroin. The diuretic effect of caffeine results in loss of water and electrolytes and then comes the sugar crash; the person becomes irritable and sleepy and often reaches for another can. Nutrition therapy can do for your sugar control that no medication can.

Mathilda Prinsloo B Pharm CGP CDE.
Diabetes Care & Wellness
www.seniorcarepractice.com

New Business Showcase

It is often very difficult and overwhelming to effectively manage multiple medications. This can lead to improper use of medications, which can result in extra doctor visits, emergency room visits and hospital stays. The high cost of prescription medication is a major concern for many patients; therefore we prepare a customized monthly budget for each of our clients. This, along with our visiting pharmacist service, will give you and your care-givers peace of mind. Our ultimate goal is to ensure all medications are taken as prescribed and that you have a full understanding of each medication including its interactions and side-effects. As well, we want to ensure that cost does not become a stress factor and/or road-block. Better Health & Wellness may be achieved through medication management; talk to our pharmacist to arrange a home visit.

www.careathomepharmacy.ca

Heal with Reiki

Despite your best efforts to get your life going, do you sometimes feel stuck and can’t move forward? Would you like to feel clarity and be confident moving forward to your dreams? Reiki healing techniques can help remove blocks so that you can step into your power. How does this work? All we see, touch, hear, feel, and think is made up of energy. Our feelings and sensations are stored in the cells of the body much like information is stored in the hard drive of your computer. Negative or traumatic experiences can become “stuck” in the body and disturb the flow of vital life force at a cellular level. The energy blockages limit our experience in our life. With Reiki we clear the blockages, the suppressed charge of energy dissipates and your energy field is re-balanced.

www.martinahealthcoach.com

What are Consumer Proposals?

Financial concerns can greatly impact our physical health. Most people have debt – mortgage, car loan, credit card. In some cases debt becomes overwhelming and requires professional help. There are several solutions, including consumer proposals. A consumer proposal is debt relief that settles unsecured debts (credit cards, personal loans, tax debts) for less than you owe. It’s a legal agreement between you and your creditors, prepared by a bankruptcy trustee. You and the trustee decide what you can afford and the trustee presents the proposal to your creditors. If they accept, you make one monthly payment to your trustee instead of your creditors until the settled debt is paid off. If you’re looking for a solution to your debt, a consumer proposal may be a good option. To find out if a consumer proposal is right for you, make an appointment with a certified bankruptcy trustee for a free consultation.

www.lctaylor.com

Smartphones and Health

Smartphones are incredibly powerful devices. Increasingly we rely on them to run our life. One of the latest trends is toward mobile health or mhealth. Many applications have been designed to help you live healthier and manage your chronic illnesses. Here are some our favorites: Misfit wearables is a great low price entry to fitness trackers starting at $25. Askthedoctor.com will get your health questions answered in a jiffy, and glooko.com has an amazing platform for people dealing with diabetes. One of the biggest issues faced by patients today surrounds management of medications. 55% of Canadians above 45-65 are on at least one prescription medication. Using a smartphone to manage and track your meds has been proven to improve adherence, keeping patients healthy. If you are on multiple medications this may be the best and quickest thing you can do for your health today.

www.poprx.ca