Worrying is an understandable response to life stress – we get anxious that things won’t work out, and so we start thinking about the situation. We can be trying to solve things, or to prevent bad events from happening; or we find it hard to stop rehearsing terrible stories in our heads! Worrying can become a troublesome habit. Other signs of anxiety include poor sleep, having trouble with concentration, being extra jumpy or watchful, or getting easily upset. Anxiety can also show up as physical discomfort or even panic. Exercise can help. But sometimes we need to talk to someone, to feel heard and to get a new, non-judgemental perspective on things. A counsellor can provide a safe place to figure it out – whether you need calming techniques, to change your habits of mind, or to get help making other changes in your life.

Mary Munro MA, MC
www.marymunro.ca

Over your life so far have you become an optimized version of your own self?  Optimization is used to describe beneficial developments in technology but what “body bugs” have you optimized lately? Most of us can boast intellectual and spiritual optimization however, in many cases the physical body becomes neglected, less optimized than it was as an earlier/younger version. Some bugs just never get “fixed”!  Without optimization they leave permanent degeneration leading to arthritis, poor performance or chronic pain. The Feldenkrais Method of movement education when used is an incredible tool for learning and optimizing your physical body. By using this method you can learn to move with awareness and intention that will benefit and enhance how your body functions for a lifetime. For chronic shoulder issues check out this simple shoulder optimization lesson by Roxanne Derkson RMT, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner www.vivitherapy.com/blog (March 2016)

Spring is here and so are the drastic changes in weather.  Rain, followed by sun, clouds and lots of wind, sometimes all in the same day!

We’ve all got that uncle that predicts weather based on his knee pain, but at UC Life Chiropractic Centre we’re hearing from people that can tell a weather change is coming due to the pressure changes felt inside their sinuses and head.  Headaches and migraines are often the result of these changes and in some folks a debilitating pain can come on and last for days.

The reason?  As environmental barometric pressure changes (increases or decreases), so too does the internal pressure inside your head.  For most of us, we have a buffer zone that allows for this pressure change to occur relatively unnoticed, but for some, there just doesn’t seem to be room inside the head to handle even the smallest bit of change.

In these frustrating situations, we’re often dealing with a physical obstruction to the natural flow of fluids in and out of the head and the openings that allow for these fluids to pass.  The most important area is located at the top of the neck at the junction between the head and the neck.  If structurally misaligned in this area it just makes it harder to keep our bodies in a comfortable zone.

Does this sound like you or someone you know?  Let’s check and see if we can help you see life!

Dr. Matthew Kittleson , UC Life Chiropractic

www.uclife.ca

Have you ever tried to change a little bit, be patient with your progress, watch, see, feel, how small changes grow into bigger ones as you learn, absorb your changes and improved self.  Try quitting a bad habit or modifying an unhealthy one. By making small changes we move in the direction of bigger change, without the stress, conflict or higher risk of failure, pressure that big change requires. A healthy body builder needs years to transform their physique through steady workouts and nutrition. A vegan might not go off dairy or eggs right away but transition as they feel more in control and knowledgeable about food choices.  Treating yourself to professional massage if you are not used to it can really elevate self awareness, speed recovery, helping you focus on other healthy choices. Our biggest loser mentality discredits smaller efforts and how they lead to inspired and bigger changes. Remember the tortoise and the hare?

Roxanne Derkson RMT GCFP, www.vivitherapy.com

Spring is in the air, time for renewing your life. Let go of what you don’t need and bring in what you do need. Take a break from the TV to be more creative, have dinner by candlelight or just sit quietly to meditate and listen. Go outside and spend more time in nature. Take a hike, plant a garden, or work in a community garden. Create a balanced fitness program or modify the one you are already following that will support your healthy body/mind happiness. Start a ritual. The ritual surrounding matcha is ancient, precise and beautiful. The use of an earthen bowl to hold the fresh green tea, and the wooden scoop and wooden whisk to froth it up, is very significant from a 5 element perspective, and lends the energy of wood (growth, determination, and upward mobility) to your drink. Spring is about renewal, matcha is about renewal. Take your moment.

Tiffanie and Kip Home, www.justmatcha.com

Diet and nutrition play an important role in the overall health of the eyes, and may help prevent Macular Degeneration and Dry Eye Syndrome. Omega-3’s, which can be found naturally through fish, flaxseed and walnuts, are one the most popular supplements to take today, and for good reason. Omega-3’s help in an anti-inflammatory role, which supports good heart health. Studies have also shown it may help in Dry Eye Syndrome. Things to consider in purchasing omega-3’s are purity, potency (EPA and DHA) and freshness. Vitamin A, C, E have benefits such as protecting the cornea, preventing dry eyes, night blindness and cataracts, while Lutein and Zeaxanthin help protect the eyes against harmful blue light. Today we have a supplement, AREDS 2, which combines all of these together along with omega-3 and zinc, to help protect the eyes against Macular Degeneration. Ask your optometrist about AREDS 2 supplements and if it’s right for you.

Dr. Nicholas Catchuk, www.iris.ca

According to the Government of Canada (One-Tonne Challenge) a gasoline powered lawn mower emits about 48 kilograms (106 lbs) of greenhouse gas in one season. Gas-powered lawn mowers are very inefficient, which means that despite their small size they produce a lot of air pollution. In fact, running an older gasoline-powered lawn mower for one hour can produce as much air pollution as driving a new car 550 kilometers. Source: Ministry of the Environment-Canada. A conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in an hour as 40 late model cars for an hour. Source: EPA statistics for Replacing Gas Power Lawn Mowers Assuming that a typical car travels 18,000 km per year, 33 gasoline lawn mowers would produce as much pollution a car produces all year. The 56 million gasoline-powered lawn mowers generate as much pollution as 1.7 million cars. Traditional landscaping gasoline engines create Ozone, O3, a colourless, odourless gas at ambient concentrations which is a major component of smog.

Richard Larkin, www.cleanairyardcare.ca