Community News
Rhythm From the Inside Out

We often think of music as song or melody, but what if there was no beat?  I don’t have the answer but I do have some ideas on the subject. Digestion (peristalsis), blood pumping through our veins (heart) and the breath of life (lungs) are just a few of the functional rhythms inside us that we rely upon to live. These were part of the symphony of sounds and motion that surrounded us as we formed inside of our own mothers. Is it a wonder, then, that humans have an intrinsic relationship with rhythm? We are always feeling the beat. Our bodies even anticipate the beat. When we are unwell, we sometimes say that we are feeling a bit ‘off’, ‘out of sorts’, ‘out of it’… It is a bit like losing one’s rhythm. We know when we have found it again. We feel more ‘in the groove’. Music therapy can be helpful in re-discovering that intrinsic rhythm when retrieving it seems a struggle.

Shiri Music Therapy, www.shirimusictherapy.ca

Being Mindful with Matcha 

Being mindful. With the New Year out of the way and those pesky resolutions a thing of the past, we can now focus on what’s important.  But wasn’t that what the resolution was about?  Whether it was to lose those extra 10 lbs, or run 5km a day, the underlying consideration was being more mindful of those things you undertake in a day and adopting a change with purpose.  Matcha, with its amazing combination of caffeine and L-Theanine, helps us to be more mindful. In fact, it can be argued that being mindful is also the reason matcha exists. Rooted in the Japanese Tea Ceremony, itself an elegant exercise in mindfulness, matcha is, in effect, the physical manifestation of mindfulness.  Thus, drinking a perfectly made matcha creates within us a state of mindfulness, allowing us to focus and stay alert, while the act of creating matcha encourages mindfulness.  Enjoy matcha throughout your day and let it help you achieve your goals through mindfulness.

Tiffanie & Kip Home, www.justmatcha.com

Coconut Oil  –  Myths and Legends

Coconut oil in its virgin state is a highly saturated fat, which has given it a bad reputation by nutritionists and doctors. However, there are a few significant differences to other saturated fats. As a medium chain fatty acid, it is processed through the liver as an immediate source of energy. It is anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal and provides protection for the heart, brain and immune system. Highly nutritive, it is one of the few foods that contains lauric acid (like mothers milk). BUT… It is important to note that coconut oil is a “drying” oil. Use it topically as a wonderful night oil for acne (it helps to kill surface bacteria and dry up and heal acne lesions), to help recover from infections, as an oil-pulling oil in the mouth (removes harmful bacteria), or as a lovely oil to put on the hair before blow-drying (it leaves the hair shiny without making it greasy). However, don’t rely on pure coconut oil as a skin moisturizer, hair conditioner or as toothpaste. It doesn’t hold moisture in the skin and hair (actually the opposite), or strengthen the teeth. After oil pulling make sure you brush with a demineralizing toothpaste to remove the coconut oil that is coating your teeth.

Karen Van Dyck, www.naturesfirstbeautybar.com

A Double Whammy to Your Heart 

Noise Pollution is a contamination of the quality of the sound in the air. (Gasoline powered leaf blowers, construction sites) Air Pollution is a contamination of the physical and chemical properties of the air. (Exhaust from buses/planes, gasoline powered lawn mowers) Both types of pollution is a disruption of the normal, homeostatic quality of the environment and detrimental to the quality of life. Because of this connection, some have tried to dismiss studies linking air pollution to increased heart risks, blaming it on the noise in the area instead – and vice versa. Now new research has settled this point of contention, as it looked at air pollution and noise pollution simultaneously and found that each form of pollution was independently associated with heart risks, or hardening of the arteries. Both are believed to increase your cardiovascular disease risk including by causing an imbalance in your autonomic nervous system.

Richard Larkin, www.cleanairyardcare.ca

Immediate Full Dentures

When complete extractions of your remaining teeth becomes unavoidable, an immediate denture is a solution. This process will help you avoid the embarrassment of being without teeth. Your denturist will initiate the procedure before the teeth are extracted. An impression is made of your existing teeth prior to the extraction surgery and is used as working model for the construction of your new dentures. From your models the denturist is able to copy and construct a denture, duplicating your original teeth with improvements to your appearance, if you so wish. At your extraction appointment, your immediate dentures are inserted avoiding the embarrassment of having no teeth during your healing period. The new dentures will however have to be relined after the healing process and this is not included in the price of the immediate dentures. Your denturist will advise you of the procedure that best meets your specific needs.

Kent Roberts RD, www.burnsidedentureclinic.com

Book Club: Impossible Cure

Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, by Dr. Amy Lanski. Amy Lanski, a NASA scientist, watched in disbelief as homeopathy did the impossible – cure her son, Max, of autism. As a result, she changed careers and became a highly regarded homeopath and wrote this best-selling book on the subject.

Dr. Anke Zimmermann, ND, www.drzimmermann.org

The Water Element 

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, excess of any type depletes the energy of the water element, the deepest energy stores in our bodies. Adrenal fatigue, so common in western cultures, is a good example of this. Our stress-filled lifestyles tend to override the natural rhythms of life and seriously diminish our energy resources. Winter is the peak season of the water element, so it’s the optimal time to observe, nurture, cultivate, and balance this energy within ourselves. Here are a few simple ways to maximize your winter health, and restore balance to your water element: Consume warm, nourishing, whole foods and liquids. Maintain regular sleep patterns. Limit your intake of caffeine, sugar, alcohol. Conserve your energy, and avoid running on empty. Create some quiet, contemplative space. “Let the waters settle and you will see the moon and the stars mirrored in your own being”. ~ Rumi.

Katrina W. Chappell, RN, Registered Acupuncturist

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction 

Have you heard of Meibomian Gland Dysfuntion? We all have glands located along the inner margin of our eyelids, which secrete a component called Meibum, which is an oily component of the tear film that helps keep tears from evaporating too quickly. MGD happens when the glands become blocked, leaving them unable to secrete. Some people are asymptomatic, but others may have dryness, burning, tearing, redness of the eyes and eyelids, blurriness and styes. One of the most important ways we can treat MGD is with heat. Warm compresses can be done daily, for about 15 minutes a day, using a wash cloth and warm water or a Bruder Mask which retains heat longer, followed by digital massage. Newer technology is evolving to help treat MGD. LipiFlow is a device used in office which can have a much longer lasting effect. Other treatment options include the use of lipid based artificial tears, and Omega-3 supplements. For more information see your Optometrist.

Dr. Nicholas Catchuk, IRIS Optometrist, www.iris.ca

Autism and Homeopathy

“Owen’s eye contact has gone from one second to several minutes at times! I’m actually almost a bit uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze now.” Not only that, but he learned to use the word ‘no’ and was trying to say other words, all major improvements after only eight weeks of treatment with CEASE Therapy, a new integrated treatment method for autism which is based on homeopathy.

 

Owen, an adorable three-and-a-half-year-old boy, was born healthy and strong but started to show changes in his health after intensive IV and oral antibiotic therapy at only nine weeks old. He was never vaccinated. Signs of regression were noted by 16 months, preceded by more antibiotics. He began toe-walking, started banging his head on the floor when angry and lost the eight to ten words he already had one by one until he couldn’t even say ‘uh-oh’ anymore. A sadly familiar story to many parents of children diagnosed with autism.

 

According to recent US CDC statistics, 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys are now being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder compared to 1 in 1000 only 20 years ago. Autism rates are increasing by 17% a year and nobody seems to know why.

 

Conventional treatments for autism include behavioural therapy which is helpful but expensive, time-consuming and not curative. Diet changes and biomedical therapies have become popular and are clearly helping many children, but these protocols can also be costly and difficult to follow and are therefore out of reach for many parents. In addition they do not address the deeper causes of autism. A number of medications are also being tried with temporary success, including antifungals and antivirals.

 

Owen had already been on a gluten, casein and soy-free diet from 24 months old which helped him to sleep through the night and reduced hyperactive behaviour. He had been given numerous supplements as well as courses of Fluconazole, Nystatin and Valacyclovir which helped temporarily.

 

He had also had intensive ABA therapy for the past five months. “The eye contact is something we’ve been targeting with ABA since November of 2012 for 12 hours a week”, the mother reported. “He was expected to look for at least “1-Mississippi” each time we called his name.”

 

His success rate with this was about 30% until about the beginning of April when it suddenly jumped to 80%, for several seconds at a time, where it has remained.

 

“Recently he has been turning almost every time we call and on several occasions has sustained eye contact for over a minute.”

 

This dramatic change was noted after only two weeks on Polyantibioticum, a homeopathic remedy made from several antibiotics. He has steadily improved since then, in fact, within another months he made eye contact 100% of the time. And all this for only a few dollars for a homeopathic remedy compared to $40,000+ in ABA.

 

 

I first learned about Polyantibioticum through reading ‘Autism – Beyond Despair’, Dr. Tinus Smit’s book on his system of CEASE Therapy. Dr. Smits was a Dutch homeopath and medical doctor who practiced homeopathy for over 30 years and treated more than 300 children with autism.

 

Dr. Smits observed that children who developed physical problems after vaccinations or antibiotics often also improved mentally and emotionally when they were treated with homeopathic remedies made from the offending substances. He found that treatment was gentler and more effective if a few supplements, such as vitamin C and fish oil were used in addition. He called the integrated system he developed ‘CEASE Therapy’

 

CEASE stands for ‘Complete Elimination of Autism Spectrum Expression’. Not only does it offer effective treatment for these conditions, it helps to identify the causative factors, a radical discovery.

 

Over time he applied this discovery to children with many different problems. Responses to the correct remedies are dramatically obvious, often creating an aggravation followed by improvement. Dr. Smits found that numerous substances could contribute to autism, including antibiotics, other medications, vaccines, plastics and environmental toxins as well as emotional traumas. Most children have been affected by multiple factors, that’s why they are all different and no single cause for autism has been discovered.

 

Flash back to July 26, 2011. The phone rang at 8 am. I picked up the receiver and was greeted by bloodcurdling screams. Suddenly I was wide awake.

 

“Hi, it’s Sue, Adam’s mother. We gave him his first dose of Pediacel 30 CH yesterday and he woke up at 6 am screaming like this. He is inconsolable. What should we do?”

 

“I’m sorry, Sue, I’m afraid he’ll have to scream it out.”

 

He had an aggravation, a clear sign that the remedy was working. Fortunately, Adam’s mother was already familiar with homeopathy. He screamed for a total of five hours straight but a week later I received an update: “In the last week we have noticed that he has been more active mentally. He is using hand signals now. He is starting to make more sounds, like “beh” and he hasn’t done that for the last several months. He is screeching less.”

 

Adam’s family had delayed vaccinating him until he was over a year old, but then the doctor decided to catch up and ‘gave him everything all at once’. After that he stopped babbling and became withdrawn. He was never diagnosed as autistic, but rather as suffering from a language disorder. Adam recovered beautifully within about six months between CEASE Therapy to clear any vaccine damage and speech therapy. Fortunately we were able to treat him immediately, otherwise he might have deteriorated more.

 

CEASE Therapy not only helps children with autism, but virtually all children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental or behavioural disorders. I have used it successfully on children with PDD-NOS, ADD/ADHD, sensory processing disorders, language disorders, learning disabilities, anxiety and aggression. All of these conditions are on the rise with as many as one in five children diagnosed now.

 

CEASE Therapy offer real hope for these disabling conditions. It is effective, affordable and addresses the root causes of these disorders, offering hope for the prevention of these conditions for generations to come.

 

Dr. Anke Zimmermann, ND, www.drzimmermann.org

What is Effleurage?

I would love for the word “Effleurage” to become a household name. Effleurage is a French word for a Swedish massage technique. This technique includes beautiful long and short strokes that can be applied to almost anywhere on the body. This stroke is easy to learn and is the first to be taught in many massage therapy programs. This sensual stroke is used to spread warm oil on the skin, increase nourishing blood flow to muscles and connective tissue. Applied lightly it will flush out toxins and accelerate lymph and venous circulation. Applied slowly it will induce relaxation and sleep. People can enjoy effleurage at any age. Check out massage basics and other learn to massage videos for free on youtube/uservivitherapy and try some effleurage this Family Day or Valentines.

Roxanne Derkson, www.vivitherapy.com

Clean Eating: Quinoa “Breaded” Chicken Strips 

Ingredients: (Use organic products)

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
⅔ cup flour
1 tsp sea salt + ¼ tsp pepper
3 eggs + 2 Tbsp water
2 cups cooked quinoa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a baking sheet with Coconut Oil or Butter. In a small bowl whisk flour, salt, and pepper. In a second bowl whisk eggs and water. Place quinoa in a third bowl. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, then eggs, and lastly in the quinoa being sure to coat well.  Bake for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked. Serve with your favorite healthy dipping sauces!