Community News
Black Seed Oil

Black seed (Nigella sativa) is the new preferred therapeutic oil prized for its immune-boosting and antibacterial benefits to reduce respiratory, viral, and digestive ailments. This oil has been used medicinally in Middle Eastern cultures for millennia. Anecdotally, it’s been said to “cure everything except for death!” And the research is starting to back that up. Studies show that this versatile oil can regulate the immune system, benefit blood sugar, and has anti-cancer activity (Butt et al, 2010). Even though it’s known for its medicinal power, it can be used in cooking and food preparation. Look for a cold-pressed black seed oil and for a synergistic blend, use oregano oil and black seed oil together. Look for a combination with vitamins A and D added to give your immune system the best tools to beat the bugs!

Cassie Irwin
Enerex.ca

Meet an Intuitive Matchmaker

As a matchmaker with over 23 years of experience, I have facilitated thousands of matches that originated from a strong feeling. I am gifted with very keen intuition and have learned not to question it. Often, I meet a client and know exactly who their match is. I have told people by phone, prior to meeting them, that I suspect I know who their ideal match is. Sure enough, that hunch ends up being the start of a forever relationship. A year ago, a man walked into my office and I immediately knew who his match was. I contacted her and encouraged her to give him a call. She did, and it was one of the best choices she has made. I was just a guest at their wedding. Their connection is spectacular, their love is deep, and their respect for one another is tremendous.

Lianne Tregobov, Intuitive Matchmaker, CamelotIntroductions.com

Considering a Pet Sitter?

If you’re a pet owner who travels, arranging for care for your pets while you’re away can feel like an overwhelming decision. It’s important to look for caregivers who will not only provide for basic needs like food and water, but also companionship, reassurance, and playtime while you’re away. If you can find someone to come to your home, your pet gets to stay in his familiar surroundings, which is less stressful than taking him to a new location! When finding a pet sitter, it’s also important that you’re both on the same page about what’s expected and the fees involved for things like the number and length of visits per day, grooming and walking, accident cleanup, and taking the pet to a vet in case of emergency. You and your pet should feel comfortable about the care arrangements, so you (and your pet) can enjoy your vacation without worry!

Lisa Tustin, Professional Pet Services

Clean Eating: Grilled Corn and Avocado Succotash

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
S&P
2 tbsp. lime juice
4 ears corn
½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper
¼ inch diced
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 avocado, chopped into ½ inch cubes
¼ c. fresh basil leaves

Directions:

While steaks are cooking, shuck corn, toss in vegetable oil and let cook on other side of grill. Once you have nice grill marks on corn, take off and slice kernels off with sharp knife. Mix with rest of ingredients, and serve.

Prairie Box, PrairieBox.com

Journaling Relieves Caregiver Anxiety

If you’re a caregiver for a senior loved one, have you considered journaling as a way to relieve caregiver anxiety? Experts recommend journaling as a way to sort out your feelings and count your blessings when life gets crazy. In fact, regular journaling may even improve your health. Writing down your worries may strengthen your immune cells, giving you a better chance of fighting off infections and staying healthy. Journaling may help you fulfill your most important roles with a positive outlook and plenty of energy. It helps to: 1. Reduce the intensity of stress and anger by writing these feelings down. 2. Solve problems through creativity and intuition. 3. Recognize productive (and unproductive) patterns in your life. 4. Track your progress and growth for increased confidence. 5. Sort out your feelings. Journaling gives you a “safe space” to share your thoughts and feelings without worrying about being judged or feeling guilty.

Alevtina (Alia) Tuhari, Reliable Home Care Agency, ReliableHomeCare.ca

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 strong, trusting relationships between clients, caregivers, and pharmacists. The visiting pharmacist also provides seamless care for hospital discharge patients and works closely with other health 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 as needed to adherence packaging, and making changes in an efficient manner.

Teresa Giesbrecht
CareAtHomePharmacy.ca

Tune-Up Your Brain!

Your brain is the engine that drives you – so it’s important to keep it well-tuned. Fat – or lipid – consumption is essential for the healthy growth, development, and function of your brain. In fact, 60% of your brain’s dry weight is fat. Several types of plant and animal fats are used for brain-building material, though one lipid reigns supreme: omega-3 fatty acids derived from salmon, sardines, krill oil, and plant-based Ahiflower oil. There are many benefits of omega-3: it increases cognitive functioning and decreases symptoms of depression, anxiety and aggression. It is also shown to be a protective factor against cognitive decline and dementia in older adults; and it is an essential component of a healthy diet for pregnant women, leading to better health outcomes in newborns. Consider adding omega-3s to your diet as an evidence-based way to tune-up your brain for optimal mental health.

Sean Miller, CMHA Manitoba and Winnipeg

mbwpg.cmha.ca

Book Club: Why Can’t I get Better?

Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease by Dr. Richard Horowitz. Looks at pain, fatigue, memory and concentration problems, sleep disorders, and much more. Lyme disease and its related conditions are incredibly complicated. You can take the questionnaire yourself, and start doing your own detective work with this book as your guide.

LymeDisease.org

Self-Love for Powerful Healing

Do you have times when you feel stressed, anxious, and sad, and can’t sleep at night? Is it because you can’t stop thinking about what you could have or should have done differently? Do you compare yourself to others and conclude, “I can never get it right” or “He/she is smarter, more attractive, more interesting, better than me?” If this sounds familiar, you may have low self-esteem. A Self-Love & Acceptance Group can teach you how to think more positively about yourself. Love for oneself alleviates uncertainty, self-doubt, depression, anxiety, pain, and trauma. Counselling provides an opportunity to talk about your concerns in a safe, confidential environment. Learn to love and accept yourself, sleep better, and feel more calm and happy!

Tracy Sparham, BSW, RSW, Sparham Counselling Service, SheaTreeWellness.com

Manitoba Business Spotlight

Supporting Manitoba business has never been this easy. The community is always looking for food products to help them maintain and improve their health, as well as support local businesses. Local Meats and Frozen Treats is one place where you can find a wide variety of healthy local food, such as allnatural meats (beef, bison, elk, lamb, sausages, and burgers); Cornell Creme ice cream; Crampton’s Market pickles and salsa; Crampton’s Manitoba Maid jam, jelly, and marmalade; Gorp Energy Bars; Graham’s Groves pies; Heritage Lane Farms free-range roasting chickens; John Russell Honey; Minnie’s Handmade Ethnic Treats (perogies and cabbage rolls). Nature’s Farm eggs and pasta; Bothwell Cheese; Notre Dame Creamery butter; Spenst Brothers pork, sausages, pizza, and meat pies; St. Pierre Bakery tourtierre, pizza, bread, and baked goods; Townsend Farms pasture-raised heritage pork; and various BBQ sauces, oats, wild rice, quinoa, sauces, relishes, etc.

Grandpa Ken, Local Meats & Frozen Treats

Floating to Aid Learning

The benefits of floatation therapy are numerous. Perhaps the most universally appealing is floating’s inclination to enhance creativity, learning, and memory. These days, it’s practically common knowledge that taking a break can boost our creativity and problem solving. It’s not just anecdotal: research backs up these kinds of experiences. In a study at Texas A&M University, Dr. Thomas Taylor selected 40 well-matched subjects and split them into two groups. Both groups underwent a series of learning sessions using audiotapes. One group listened to the tapes while sitting on sofas in quiet, darkened rooms. The other group listened while floating in floatation cabins. The groups were tested on three levels of performance: basic memorization, the ability to understand a concept, and synthesis thinking. Results showed that floaters did much better than the control group did! Floating is the ultimate “recharge mode” for your brain!

Fluid Float, FluidFloat.com