SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is mainly attributed to the reduction in sunlight hours in winter and is your body’s reaction to the changes in season. With SAD you might feel sluggish or moody, have a loss of appetite, and even lose interest in activities you normally love. One way to combat these feelings and the wintertime blues is to get your body moving! Exercise, even light exercise, has been shown to improve mood and energy through increased blood flow and the release of certain endorphins, as well as improve sleep and alertness, and reduce anxiety and stress.
Community News
Product Review: Colflex® by Innotech™
ColFlex® Super Oregano Oil Spray is a great-tasting 4-in-1 oral spray containing essential oils of oregano, thyme, and spearmint oil in an extra virgin olive oil base, sweetened with stevia and fortified with vitamin D3. Spray orally to help relieve coughs, sore throat, travelling challenges, that “under the weather feeling” and for general oral hygiene and fresher breath. Lab tests show that ColFlex inhibited the growth of bacteria such as S. aureus and S. pneumonia after 27 minutes and inhibited the growth of E. coli and S. typhi after 9 minutes. Ask for Colflex® at your local Health Food Store.
Clean Eating: Simple Vegan Eggnog
Ingredients: 1 15-ounce can coconut milk (400 ml), 1/2 cup raw cashews, 1/4 cup water, 3 tbsp maple syrup, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. Directions: Soak the cashews overnight or for at least 1 hour. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve the eggnog chilled, so keep it in the fridge for at least 1 or 2 hours. Enjoy the Holiday Season!
Health Book Club:
The Art of Choosing You. By Robin Chant. Where does this judgment lead us? It leads us to the polarity of right and wrong, of good and bad. We are in constant battle in our minds as we focus on this polarity. Would you like to let that habit go and choose allowance instead? What does it feel like to connect to you? How do you know if you are connected to your soul? Is it time to find out?
Words to Live By
Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie
Essential Oil of the Month
Eucalyptus: 100% Pure Joy Naturals essential oil is a go-to remedy for colds and the flu. Eucalyptus essential oil can be used to calm a cough in several ways. A person may want to try: adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil to 1 ounce of carrier oil and rubbing the mixture onto the chest and throat or diluting eucalyptus oil in boiling water and inhaling the steam. It is also a wonderful treatment for sore muscles, a key ingredient in nontoxic household cleaners and much more. Botanical Name: Eucalyptus radiata. Plant Part: Woods and Leaves. Origin: Australia.
Smart in Everything but Reading
When you have a bright child who doesn’t achieve to his or her potential we often affectionately call them underachievers, because we know they are capable of achieving so much more. Over the years, I have found that bright underachievers often have vision problems which make reading difficult. It may surprise you to learn that many of the children who have vision problems interfering with learning actually have 20/20 eyesight (with or without glasses). A Developmental Vision Evaluation is needed to determine if a vision problem is interfering with reading.
Healing with Reflexology
There are reflex points on your feet that relate to specific organs and glands in the body. Through the application of pressure on these reflexes using specific hand and finger techniques, reflexology therapy can relieve tension, improve blood circulation, and support the body’s efforts to function optimally. The benefits of reflexology include its ability to stimulate nerve function, increase energy, boost circulation, induce a deep state of relaxation and eliminate toxins from the body. Your feet will love the pampering and you may feel calm and a sense of well-being.
Stay Limber and Pain Free
85% of our population will have an episode of disabling back pain at some point! Sedentary and sitting lifestyles are significant factors that reflect our busy lifestyles, commuting to work, driving kids around, sitting at a desk, etc. We’re meant to move; prolonged positions of any kind can be aggravating. Simple tips are to stretch in the morning before getting out of bed, use pillows between your knees while you sleep, get up and move at least once per hour. Both passive and active treatments are very important for back health such as physiotherapy, massage therapy, and exercise.
Laser Therapy to Quit Smoking
The first hurdle in quitting smoking is to get through the nicotine withdrawal phase, which people often dread. Our laser treatments significantly reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms, so people generally sail through this phase with greater ease. We apply a painless beam of cold laser therapy to specific acupuncture points on the ears, face, hands and feet. On a chemical level, cravings are a desire for endorphins and dopamine that used to be released by smoking. Laser acupuncture lets the body release those chemicals naturally, eliminating the physical need to smoke immediately.
Stress Management Coaching
Stress and anxiety can impact us in many ways, emotionally, mentally, and physically. High-performing individuals often find themselves having trouble sleeping, experiencing high blood pressure, or becoming easily distracted. You may be feeling fatigued, depressed and not like the energetic and ambitious person you used to be. If this sounds like you, you might be overwhelmed by stressors that stem from your career or other areas of your life. If you are feeling overwhelmed and under major pressure, a stress management consultant can help you take back control, offering personalized support and coaching to control your triggers and manage how you react to stress.
