Look to your feet for relief. When not experiencing foot pain, few people think about their feet when their hips or knees hurt. They may be told it is arthritis or cartilage damage and do not consider how the alignment of their feet and ankles may be contributing to their discomfort. As we age, many people become more sedentary and see an increase in body weight. The arches of the feet can become flatter over time due to excess pressure from above and weakness developing underneath. As arches flatten, they fall inwards too. This causes the leg to rotate inwards. This rotation puts the knees and hips out of alignment. Depending on the amount of arch collapse, the foot may require a significant amount of correction to ease the hip or knee pain. Deep-cupped corrective foot orthotics have been found to work wonders at alleviating pain in joints further up the body.

Diane Calder, BSc KIN, CPed(C), Pedorthist
B.D Mitchell Prosthetics and Orthotics
MitchellPandO.com

Once you have decided to move or de-clutter your home, the next decision involves sorting through your belongings and determining where they go. This is an important step for you to take in the moving process. The joy of uncovering a precious item and sharing its history with your family is a tie that binds you together. After the sorting, many people feel more ready for the move. They have made the decisions rather than burdening their family with them, and their families appreciate not being left with a house of Mom’s and Dad’s stuff to sort through. The biggest regret of people who had to move suddenly was that they never got to say goodbye to their home or belongings, rich with memories. If they could give you a few words of advice, they would tell you to rightsize on your terms!

Marian Remenda, Professional Organizer, Rightsize Your Home
right-sizeyourhome.com

Funded by United Ways across BC, bc211 is here to help transform lives. In British Columbia, the 211 information and referral service is operated by the 211 British Columbia Services Society, a charitable non-profit organization funded by United Ways and contracts with various partners. Every hour of every day, people need help finding services for themselves or their loved ones. From finding a homeless shelter, to securing daycare for a child, to home care supports for an aging parent. With bc211, accessing help is now only a phone call away.

Ivanna Law, Communications & Marketing Officer
United Way Central and North Vancouver Island
bc211.ca

Muscle and joint pain associated with sprains and strains can be very frustrating indeed, especially when striving to maintain an active lifestyle. Certain essential oils from specific companies have been approved by Health Canada as Natural Health Products (NHP’s) for use to help with relief of pain associated with sprains, strains and rheumatoid arthritis.

Essential oils can be used one at a time or combined into blends. They can be mixed with a carrier oil and massaged directly onto muscles and joints, or mixed with Epsom or other salts (Himalayan, or Dead Sea) and added to a warm bath. They can be diffused, or added to a poultice and placed on affected area. You can even benefit from smelling them directly out of the bottle!

The list of oils approved for use on muscle and joint pain include the following: Angelica, Black Pepper, Cedarwood, Celery Seed, Citronella, Clary Sage, Clove, Cypress, Eucalyptus Globulus, Fennel, Ginger, Helichrysum, Laurus Nobilis, Lavender, lemongrass, Lime, Marjoram, Nutmed, Peppermint, Pine, Rosemary, Sage, Vetiver, and the blends Deep Relief and Aromaease. With a list this long it could be a challenge to know which one is the best option, but the amazing thing about essential oils is that their individual chemical compositions provide different effects. Some oils have a calming, relaxing effect, while others can be energizing, refreshing, or uplifting. 

Knowing a little bit about each oil can help you chose the best option. If, for example, you are looking for something to add to a bath to help relieve muscle pain, as well as relax you before bed, oils with calming properties are best. Some examples would be Marjoram, lavender, helichrysum, Angelica, Clary Sage or Laurus Nobilis. If you are looking for joint pain relief prior to heading out for a walk or other exercise, opting for more uplifting and energizing oils like Rosemary, Pine, Eucalyptus Globulus, Lemongrass, Black Pepper or Peppermint might be a better suit. Premade blends are a fantastic option, as they take the guess work out of what to combine! Deep Relief and Aromaease are two examples of blends specifically formulated to help relieve muscle and joint pain. You can simply add a roller ball onto the end of the bottle and roll them directly onto the areas that need it!

Recipes:

Pre-event Sports Rub:

2 Tbsp coconut oil, 3 drops each: Peppermint, Lime, Black Pepper. Combine together and rub on calves, legs, shoulders and chest prior to your workout.

Post-event massage oil:

2 Tbsp oil (fractioned coconut, olive, apricot kernel, avocado), 3 drops each: Eucalyptus Globulus, Marjoram, and Pine. Massage into tired achy muscles or add to bath water and soak.

Ankle Sprain Wrap:

To a cool wet cloth, add 2 drops each Helichrysum, Lavender and Lemongrass. Wrap around ankle and rest with ankle supported for 10 minutes. (can be used on knee, wrist or hand as well.)

Having natural options for muscle and joint pain provides peace of mind, just be sure the essential oils you choose are not topped up with synthetic additives and preservatives. Look for high quality oils from reputable suppliers. Reputable suppliers back the purity of their essential oils with a guarantee. They scrutinize every step of the process, from seed selection, to cultivation, gentle distillation and rigorous testing to be certain that the oils they bottle are the purest possible, nothing added, nothing removed.

Disclaimer: Author is not a doctor. Any oils discussed are specific to Young Living Essential Oils, and the information is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please speak with your doctor or health care professional before starting to use essential oils, and learn how to use them safely. Please do your research before choosing any essential oil.

Denise Mackinnon, Independent Distributor for Young Living Essential Oils.
Distributor number 2122587
Dee.YLOils@gmail.com

Website: https://www.facebook.com/SimpleHealthIdeas/ 

Also known as a weekly farm box program,  CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) are an excellent way for you to become better connected to a local farm. Your produce will never be fresher than when it’s harvested and directly received by you, with minimal transportation. This allows your food to maintain its high nutrient content. CSA’s help farmers to plan their seasons; to know how many people he/she will be growing for therefore help define crop production; and make important early investments in infrastructure and maintenance. When buying a share of a farm’s crop you can expect the varieties of produce to be seasonally oriented, the way people throughout history have always eaten. Becoming a member is easy and rewarding. Simply purchase a share from the farmer, and as the growing season begins come down to the farm or pick up location each week to receive your bountiful basket of fresh farm goods.

Brian Prince, Farmer
princeacrescsa.com

The origins of acupuncture are lost in antiquity. It has survived at least 3000 years as a major healing technique now used in Modern Chinese Traditional Medicine and is respected as an effective alternative treatment modality by Western Medical authorities and Health Insurance Providers. Acupuncture is widely used to treat all types of pain, to prevent, diagnose and treat disease and to improve general health. For those averse to even the thought of needles, other techniques such as cold lasers or moxibustion may be employed. These are less invasive and do not puncture the skin. The goal of acupuncture is to promote and restore the balance of energy, which flows throughout the body. Hundreds of clinical studies on the benefits of acupuncture show that it successfully treats conditions ranging from musculoskeletal problems (back pain, neck pain frozen shoulder ) to nausea, migraine  headache,  anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, insomnia, and certain forms of infertility.

Elaine Murphy, Reg. Acupuncturist, MA, RAc

Reconnective Healing® is a unique interaction between our body’s energy field and a spectrum of energy, light and information.  It provides access to create change and improves all aspects of a person’s life – health, career, relationships and abundance. People looking for a natural way to regain health are turning to Reconnective Healing® to relieve stress, depression, anxiety, sleep problems and all kinds of chronic pain and physical problems. There have been many scientific studies on Reconnective Healing® showing that it restructures damaged DNA, is twice as effective as physical therapy in restoring range of motion in frozen shoulder, and that it supports peak athletic performance! The many benefits include: more energy, better brain function, balanced emotions, improved memory and better sleep. Over the last ten years, thousands of people all over the world have discovered the amazing benefits of Reconnective Healing®.

Anna Christine Doehring, RHFP, RCP
Energy All Around Therapies

Energy-All-Around.com

Muscle and joint pain associated with sprains and strains can be very frustrating indeed, especially when striving to maintain an active lifestyle. Some essential oils from certain companies have been approved by Health Canada as Natural Health Products (NHP’s) for use to help with relief of pain associated with sprains, strains and rheumatoid arthritis. Oils such as lavender, marjoram, clove, black pepper, eucalyptus globulus or peppermint, and blends such as Deep Relief and Aromaease are great mixed with a carrier oil (such as coconut), and applied directly to the skin to help soothe muscle pain. Oils can also be added to a bath (mixed with Epsom salts or a carrier oil before adding to water). Having natural options for muscle and joint pain provides peace of mind, just be sure the essential oils you choose are not topped up with synthetic additives and preservatives.

Denise MacKinnon
Young Living Independent Distributor 2122587

facebook.com/simplehealthideas

Each year, an alarming number of people over the age of 65 experience a fall. Research has shown that as many as one in four older people fall every year.  Fortunately these falls can often be prevented. Some of the things you can do to prevent a fall include: talk to your doctor about your risk of falling and how to prevent falls, review your list of medicines with your pharmacist to determine if any of these cause dizziness, do strength and balance exercises such as Tai Chi and make your home safer with grab bars and removing items that can cause you to trip.  Sometimes, regardless of how careful you are, a fall will occur. When it does, it is prudent to have a safety device that allows you to signal for help or one that detects that a fall has occurred and will summon assistance.

Joan Ryan
Nanaimo Lifeline

nanaimolifeline.ca