Does your child complain of achiness in both legs at night? Pain in the upper or lower legs or behind the knees can occur during periods of rapid growth in kids, usually between the ages of 3-5 or 8-12. Recent studies have found a high incidence of these ‘growing pains’ in children with flat feet. As your child’s body weight increases with the rapid growth, their foot arches may not be strong enough to maintain that extra weight. The arches may flatten under the strain. If this happens the muscles of the calves and legs have to work harder. Correcting the arches with either off-the-shelf or custom foot orthotics can help ease some of the muscle soreness. When combined with warm massage, increased fluid intake, stretching, and ensuring that stable, supportive footwear is worn throughout the day, you can greatly ease your child’s discomfort.

Diane Calder BScKIN, Pedorthist, MitchellPandO.com

There is an exciting new business in the Comox Valley! Scavenger Hunt Adventure Tours is all about solving clues, searching for hidden items, exploring under-appreciated places, as well as getting people outdoors for fun and healthy recreation. Activities range from single day themed scavenger hunts to private parties, corporate events and multi-day getaways. Mother and son team, Jackie West and Tyler Meggitt combine their talents and draw upon their respective career and life experiences to deliver a diverse selection of staged and themed adventure tours that put a new spin on the well-known Scavenger Hunt. Jackie looks forward to working alongside her youngest son Tyler as they get creative together to deliver some fresh fun and games to locals and visitors alike. From day tours promoting awareness of local businesses and landmarks to week long road trips, there is plenty of fun and adventure in store for you.

Jackie West, scavenger-hunt-adventure-tours.ca

Spring is here, and as nature’s colours begin to reveal themselves once again, many people are cleaning up their homes as well as their body’s lymphatic systems. Lemon essential oil is inexpensive, and it’s a great natural alternative for cleansing and energizing yourself and your house. Lemon essential oil is superb for helping throw off any lingering coughs or colds. It can also be used to cleanse the skin and remove grease after automotive or household repairs. If you’re looking for a safe and effective way to remove sticky price tag residue…try a drop of Lemon essential oil. And you can forget those nasty aerosol cans and plug-in “air fresheners”…just add some Lemon essential oil to a spray bottle and mist the air throughout your home. The essential oil molecules will stay airborne for several hours and give your living space a clean, fresh scent that naturally uplifts your mood!

Nelson Meggitt, OptimumWellnessFactor.ca

The same intelligence that grew you in embryo is still present within your body, with an innate drive towards health. It expresses as rhythmic motions in the fibres, fluids, and energy fields of your living anatomy. How can you tap into this? A Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist (RCST®) gently holding your fully clothed body can help you tune in! This facilitates a natural slowing down. In response, tissues rehydrate and soften, fibres lengthen, and pulls dissipate to allow spontaneous realignment. This letting go of old holding patterns, and natural dropping into deeper states of relaxation, brings a sense of expansion: in breath, mind, and the physical body – while the nervous system totally slows down. Organs, glands, vascular, lymphatic, digestive, and other systems function more optimally, supporting essential flow of biochemical and neurological information. In this state, your health is expressing more fully, and most symptoms, including chronic pain, can dramatically lessen – and eventually dissipate.

Christina Nienaber-Roberts, MSc, NHPC, RCST®, CYT, CourtenayMassageTherapy.com

You may not have heard of Frankincense being referred to as “The King of Essential Oils,” but perhaps you can guess which one is called “The Queen.” If you said Lavender, you are correct! Lavender Angustifolia is commonly called English Lavender or True Lavender and has also been dubbed as The Universal Oil. Well known and loved for its calming effects, it may also provide symptomatic relief of burns, acne, boils, minor skin irritations, and cuts. It may also reduce the appearance of skin imperfections. Use in cooking to soften citrus flavors and add a flavorful twist to marinades, baked goods, and desserts. Add a few drops to a spray bottle with water to mist pillows, bedding, your linen closet or mattress. Rub a few drops on bottoms of feet, temples or add to bath water as part of your nightly routine.

Nelson Meggitt, OptimumWellnessFactor.ca

Research shows that if you lose at least 10% of your unhealthy body weight, the chances of your general health improving are enormous. Weight loss may improve survival in those who have an obesity related illness, especially Type 2 Diabetes. Even losing just 10% of your body weigh can decrease your blood sugar levels and can also prevent your chances of becoming diabetic, if weight loss is sustained. Weight loss helps all of your vital organs function properly, making what you once thought as a simple body process, such as breathing, a lot easier to do. People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea can experience improved sleeping patterns and less daytime sleepiness. You can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, dementia, and more, just by losing 10%.

SuccessWeightLoss.ca

Q: Why are most spectacle lenses plastic now? Isn’t glass better?

A: Actually, plastic has some real advantages over glass. First off, plastic lenses are lighter. Plastic lenses are also less likely to shatter than glass and this makes them perfect for children and to use during sports and other physical activity. They are much safer; in fact the CSA removed certification for glass safety lenses in 1987. Optically, plastic lenses can be more easily coated and shaped to enhance the vision in many lens designs, especially progressives. Also, photochromic plastic lenses (transitions) function and look better than their photogrey glass counterparts. Plastic lenses are also better at shielding your eyes against harmful UV rays.

Dr. Alex Kennedy, Mosaic Vision Care, MosaicVisionCare.com

Approximately 14% of psoriasis sufferers (a chronic skin condition that causes red patches on the body) will develop psoriatic arthritis, a form of inflammatory arthritis. The symptoms of psoriatic arthritis range from mild involvement of the fingers and toes to burning, stiffness and pain in the lower spine and sacrum. When the joints of the toes and ankles are involved deformity may occur which results in pain when weight bearing and discomfort wearing footwear. Custom insoles (orthotics) and extra-depth footwear may offer improved foot comfort by relieving high-pressure areas on the soles of the feet and toes. In some cases, orthotics can be designed to correct joint alignment to reduce ligament strain. As well, there are shoe modifications that are available to improve shoe comfort or ease walking stress. Ask your doctor for a referral and make an appointment with a Pedorthist to see how orthotics and footwear can relieve your foot pain.

B.D. Mitchell Prosthetics and Orthotics, MitchellPandO.com

CTS is described as compression to the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel being the space between the carpal (wrist) bones and the transverse carpal ligament which lies beneath the skin on the inside of your wrist. The medial nerve shares this space with the tendons of the muscles that flex your wrist and fingers. Symptoms include numbness and tingling and/or a burning sensation in the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and half of the palm on the thumb side, and a loss of dexterity in that hand. Causes of CTS include injury with swelling of the wrist, overuse of the forearm muscles, and position of the wrist while sleeping. Massage therapy can be a great non-invasive way to treat CTS. Your massage therapist will help you to discover the reason for your CTS, provide appropriate hands-on treatment, provide you with instructions for self-care, and refer you to another practitioner if necessary.

Randi Noyes RMT, CourtenayMassageTherapy.com