For those interested in skiing or snowboarding, eye protection can make a great thoughtful gift! Consider protection from ultraviolet rays, glare, and wind. Special filters and anti-glare coatings in a wraparound design with specific venting to prevent fogging are all great options. Cross country skiers, outdoor family leisure activities and dedicated outdoor walkers can choose from a variety of brand names and styles. Some even have interchangeable lenses designed for different altitudes, terrain, and light conditions to protect the cornea, intraocular lens and retina. In many cases, prescription lenses are available. Check with your Optometrist for that special Christmas eyewear gift!
Community News
Exercise for SAD
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.
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.
Home Remedy for Denture Pain
Sometimes dentures can cause pain or discomfort, especially if your dentures are old or ill-fitting. Did you know that cloves are an excellent remedy for oral pain? Eugenol, the main ingredient in cloves has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Thus, it works as a pain reliever and helps disinfect your mouth. Grind a few cloves to get ½ teaspoon of powder. Mix a few drops of olive oil into the ground cloves. Apply it onto your sore gum. Wait 5 minutes, and then rinse with warm water. Repeat 2 times per day until gum feels better.
Heal Your Mind, Body & Soul
Reiki Energy Therapy is a holistic, light touch Japanese stress reduction, relaxation and healing technique that treats the whole person – mind, body, and soul. Negative thoughts, emotions or experiences can get stuck in our body, potentially causing emotional or mental distress which may manifest in the physical as disease. Reiki benefits the physiological and emotional well-being of a person by reducing stress, fear, anxiety, and depression. Reiki clears energetic blockages in the chakras (energy centres) of our body. It stimulates the parasympathetic nerves in the autonomic nervous system helping the body to relax and activating the body’s own natural healing processes.
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.
