It’s that busy time where everyone is trying to use their benefits before the year ends! A great self-care plan for the new year could be to pre-book your massage appointments. It’s amazing how quickly your body can get into a groove and look forward to that regularly booked session, whether it’s every 4-5 weeks or every second month. This can be very preventative, and if you do wind up with an injury, it’s amazing how often it lines up with an upcoming appointment! It can be hard to book last minute at times, so anticipate your body’s needs and take care of yourself! You’re worth it!

Are you suffering from the Winter Blues? The cold, dark and damp days of winter can literally dampen your energy. Acupuncture has been proven to be an effective treatment for depression, without the unwanted side effects. Acupuncture needles move energy throughout the body, releasing endorphins and improving the flow of energy throughout the body, while eliminating blockages and bringing balance to the mind and body. Endorphins counter the symptoms of depression and allow the person to resume a normal life. Do you or somebody you know suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or depression and are looking for a natural way of dealing with it? Don’t hesitate to reach out for help.

Christmas magic is silent. You don’t hear it — you feel it. You know it. You believe it. Kevin Alan Milne

Is the thought of long corridors at the airport or the cruise terminal putting you off from travelling? Travelling with a mobility scooter on a plane may seem daunting to organize, but today you can have the independence and freedom to travel wherever you like. Today’s portable light weight electric mobility scooters make it a breeze to reach your gate or cabin on the ship. Folding mobility scooters are great options as they can easily be brought with you everywhere. When travelling by air, inform the airline that you are travelling with a scooter and provide weight/dimensions and battery type. Don’t forget the charger cord!

The evidence is conflicting about what nutrition strategy works best for weight loss. The best diet for you is the one that you can follow faithfully for a lifetime. You should not feel deprived or hungry, and the plan should be one you can incorporate into your lifestyle. You should also know that some medications can contribute to weight gain. Your pharmacist can help you determine which drugs may be a problem and if there are alternatives. It is worthwhile now to plan ahead before December so you can navigate through the holiday season with minimal damage to your waistline.

Respite care is a type of assistance that allows you to take a break from caregiving. This break can be for a few hours, a few days or even a week. Respite care can be provided by fellow family members, friends, volunteers, contacts through community groups or by a health care provider. Respite care allows you to recharge, reduce your stress and avoid caregiver burnout. It also enables you to spend time with other family members or take a vacation. A break from the caregiver role means that you can return the focus to ensuring your own health and wellness.

Q: How much magnification does one get with +2.00 reading glasses? I can’t find any that actually make things look twice as big.
A: The strength of reading glasses actually corresponds to how far they allow the user to focus on close objects. In general, low powered reading glasses allow the user to focus out a bit further (like when using a computer). Higher powered lenses will entail much closer focusing (e.g. for threading a needle). The necessary strengths vary from person to person.

Massage therapy is undeniably effective at getting people tapped in to their parasympathetic nervous system, which is more commonly called ‘rest and digest’. Unfortunately, many spend most of their days in ‘fight or flight’! When the parasympathetic nervous system is in charge, blood pressure and heart rate lower, breathing is fuller, oxygen and blood make it deeper into the body, tissues repair themselves, organs do their jobs better, and overall, mental health is much more relaxed and content. It’s not hard to understand why being in ‘rest and digest’ is more conducive to recovery, management and being better prepared to handle what life throws at us!

Safety is one of the most important pieces in our overall health and well-being. When we think of being safe, we often think of avoiding physical dangers. However, our complex minds also filter information to promote our emotional and psychological safety. When our brain perceives a threat, it will signal feelings in our bodies to defend against it. Sometimes if we are not paying attention, we miss these signals, leaving us feeling unwell. To help overcome this, the next time you notice feeling scared, try observing the problem, while building awareness for how your body is responding.

Chronic anxiety is unpredictable and overpowering. Did you know that caffeine has been associated with anxiety? Caffeine increases alertness by blocking a brain chemical (adenosine) that makes you feel tired, and overuse can cause anxiety. The essential oils suggested to help with anxiety are Basil, Bergamot, Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, Melissa, Marjoram, and Patchouli. Inhaling a couple of deep breaths of your chosen essential oil will help calm down that feeling of being overwhelmed. Better still is having a diffuser in your home, car or workplace. This will diffuse the essential oils into the air. Now all you have to do is breathe and relax.