Many cat owners feel a bit guilty about keeping their cats inside and worry they are depriving them of their natural instincts. If this is you, take comfort in knowing that since cats have been domesticated, it is not essential that they experience the great outdoors to have a healthy life. After all, their wonderful owners provide their food, water, and sleeping quarters! They no longer have to hunt for their supper nor a warm place to curl up for the night. If you allow your cat to experience the outdoors without restrictions, it can be very easy for it to pick up a disease, be exposed to poisonous substances, or get injured by a predator or a vehicle. Playing regularly with your cat and providing it with entertaining toys can easily satisfy your cat’s stalking instinct, keep it stimulated, and provide the exercise it needs to stay purr-fectly healthy and happy!

happypaws.ca

The upcoming holiday season may promote excessive spending.

The best way to cope with a materialistic time of year is not to

fall prey to pressure from the retail world. At the end of the day,

as long as there is Christmas, there will be gift-giving. How

much money should you plan to set aside for this season? Many

financial planners recommend spending no more than 1.5% of

your annual income on holiday spending. For example, if your

annual household income is $50,000 you should spend $750 or

less on holiday gifts, travel, and entertainment. After you set

a budget, aim to pay cash for your purchases, buy local, find

sales, and avoid applying for department store credit cards that

can put you further into debt. Remember what’s most important.

The holidays are a time for making memories and spending

time with family. Give yourself a break and remember the

true meaning of the holidays!

Colleen Craig, CPA CA, CIRP,cecraig.com

We all have a private story about who we are. Shame researcher Brene Brown talks about not feeling good enough. She finds she gets caught in moments where she reacts badly because she feels bad about herself – is this familiar? Self-esteem is our story about self. Some lucky people don’t doubt themselves. But others tend to think things like “am I okay?”, or “what is wrong with me?”. We really aren’t sure we’re okay, sometimes. When our self-esteem story is low, we have self-doubt, maybe we blame ourselves, and maybe we aren’t confident in our relationships or at work. You may want to learn to handle bullies, or just to assert yourself. Or maybe you want to be okay with your body image. Counselling can be a safe place to share these feelings, find new ways to appreciate yourself, and rediscover your confidence.

Mary Munro, www.marymunro.ca

A migraine headache can make even the simplest of tasks difficult to accomplish. There’s never a good time to have one. Migraines seem to be unique for almost each person who experiences them, making this a difficult condition to treat and diagnose properly. As a result, many medical doctors will merely prescribe something to help with the pain and recommend keeping a journal to identify and avoid potential triggers. One new treatment being offered involves surgically implanting a nerve stimulator in the head. This device sends out electrical impulses that are supposed to stop pain signals. While some have reported fewer migraines after the procedure, the 8,000 people who have initially received this treatment are now walking around with an implanted device and still suffer from occasional migraines. Would you rather seek out a natural and non-invasive solution?

Dr. Matthew Kittleson, uclife.ca

In [email protected], Melinda Beck cites research indicating that the medial prefrontal cortex may serve as a hub where music, memory, and emotions meet. In her article called, A Key for Unlocking Memories, she mentions decades of studies which have demonstrated that music can help premature infants gain weight, autistic children communicate, stroke patients regain speech and mobility, surgical patients control chronic pain. In the same article, Dr. Tomaino, executive director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function says “…listening to music goes beyond the entertainment value by helping to stimulate seemingly lost memories and even help restore some lost function… By engaging very basic mechanisms of emotions and listening, music is stimulating dormant areas of the brain that haven’t been accessible due to degenerative disease.” In the hands of a qualified music therapist, music is the tool used to stimulate improved function in many areas and work with clients towards assessed goals.

Nejama Ferstman, www.shirimysong.ca

Bio-resonance health scans are used for assessments and restoration of the energy field for the physical and emotional body. The ETA-Scan identifies the sources of interfering energetics such as electro-smog, parasites, virus’s, bacterial infections, allergies, pollutants or food sensitivities. Before and after images of graphs and symbols are read with the practitioner so the distinctive wave patterns of the condition are evident. You may want to have an ETA-Scan done before and after cranial sacral therapy, a cleanse, or lymphatic drainage treatment to see what improvements are made or which remedy or therapeutic modality is the most optimal for that specific condition. Are parasites vanquished, or are the kidneys functioning better after the tonic? Did the liver flush give the desired result? Was blood circulation in the brain improved after cranial sacral therapy? The ETA-Scan is a time saver and a money saver in the over- all picture of health!
Laurie Pryce, www.biodynamicbody.ca

Susan had physical limitations due to Cerebral Palsy. Our first meeting at school, I saw a young child bent over her own lap, able to hold her head up just enough to meet my eyes for a brief moment. We sang our alphabet, chanted our numbers, and drummed and hummed. It did not take long for muscles in Susan’s back, neck, and abdomen to respond. Singing requires sound which requires breath to produce the sound. Joining in a song requires timing, synchronization with others, and more breath. Clapping, tapping and spontaneously moving to the beat calls on muscle groups in several parts of the body to respond. Soon Susan was looking up, looking outwards, and reaching outwards. Susan is now in her twenties, living independently from her parents. She sings beautifully, has an infectious laugh and enjoys the company of good friends. She continues to enjoy the many benefits of Music Therapy.
Nejama Ferstman, www.shirimysong.ca