Community News
Welcome to Summer

Summer has arrived! This is a great time to enjoy the outdoors and take in a baseball game or two. Check out the Wellness Hub, your local, online Health and Wellness resource for information that can help you make the most out of summer. It features hundreds of health tips and articles along with a directory of local businesses and practitioners offering services and products. Our health and wellness resources also include our printed newsletters, the “Wellness Wednesday” radio show and our Expos. Check out the Hub for more information and to enter our July contest.

A Key to Better Blood Flow

Nitric oxide (NO) is a crucial molecule for many processes in the body. It is particularly important for blood vessel and brain health. NO promotes a widening of blood vessels which increases blood flow, lowering blood pressure. Research has also shown NO to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. To naturally increase NO, simply start humming. When we hum on the exhale of a breath, vibrations are generated in the sinuses which dramatically increases NO levels. Other options include eating more leafy greens such as Arugula and beets. Even though supplements are also available; nature provides the best way to get your nitric oxide.

Natural Pain Relief

Do you know that lack of stability and balance accounts for a large portion of foot, leg and back pain issues? Today, wellness consumers want products to enhance their quality of life and are asking for natural, safe solutions for more energy, pain relief and enhanced mobility. VoxxLife socks and insoles with HPT optimize the user’s stability and balance at the nervous system level and provide relief from aches and pains with drug-free proven technology. Voxx Human Performance Technology (HPT) is based on 45 Years of research in Neuromuscular Science, Chiropractic Neurology and Reflexology.

Acknowledge Disappointment

We had cool, wet weather out here on the island this spring, which was in contrast to the expectation. This can lead many people to start to focus on regrets and lost possibilities of what “could have been”. The challenge with focusing on what “could have been” is that it never can be, so starts a negative thought pattern of rumination. One way to avoid constant and repetitive thoughts about what could have been is to shift the regret into disappointment instead. When we acknowledge the disappointment, we can focus our attention on what we will do instead.

Benefits of Pilates

Pilates corrects your posture, addresses muscle imbalances, and mobilizes your joints. Pilates helps you manage pain, recover after an accident or rehab an injury. It can be adapted for any ability, fitness level, size or medical condition. Complement your Pilates with cardio, like running, boxing, swimming, or biking. Pilates is for injury rehab, not weight loss. Adding in other exercise, especially cardio, can help make your heart stronger and improve your endurance. Cross-training makes your Pilates practice stronger. Pilates can help people with arthritis, vertigo, migraines, knee injuries, brain trauma, ADHD, Erb’s palsy, Graves’ disease, dyslexia, clinical depression and diabetes.

Use Mobility Aids Correctly

Learning to use a mobility aid after a fall or injury is very important for maintaining independence, ability to enjoy leisure tasks and to perform household tasks. In order to prevent re-injury, the mobility device must be used correctly and have appropriate adjustments for posture, seating and gait. Once an assistive device is prescribed to a patient, we can make adjustments and corrections to the fit and then prescribe exercise based on the client’s mobility goals. Goals may include navigating stairs, curbs or opening doorways. An exercise prescription, in conjunction with a prescribed assistive device, produces much greater mobility progression.

5 Steps to Stay Cool in Extreme Heat

Summer temperatures are increasing and extreme heat events are occurring. Keep yourself safe with these tips. 1. Reduce Sunlight – Keep windows and blinds closed all day 2. Use Appliances Less – reduce indoor heat generation and cook outdoors, or eat cold meals and avoid doing laundry 3. Cooling options – install a small air conditioner or heat pump 4. Increase Air Flow – install a ceiling fan and set it to rotate counter-clockwise. Place a floor fan near a window at night 5. Relocate to a cooler environment – use a digital thermometer to accurately measure indoor temperate, 31 degrees or higher, means it is time to relocate * fans and other measures may not be enough to reduce core body temperature.

Digitalize or Print? The Modern Question

As I age and read hints about what to keep and what should go, I cringe every time I read “Digitalize your photos; get rid of/destroy photo albums.” Not me. Here’s my rationale. Paper, in one form or another, has been around for at least five millennia; tablets and memory stick for less than 40 years. How long before something else takes its place and makes them obsolete? Browsing through my albums brings back many happy memories of childhood, family and community events. No way will my albums go; my children are already discussing who should get them!

Aronia Berry Smoothie Recipe

Looking for a quick, nutritious and tasty breakfast or snack? Try this delicious Aronia Berry Smoothie! Brimming with anti-oxidants, the Aronia berry is a powerhouse for health. This smoothie tastes delightful and takes only a minute to whip up. Your body will love it! INGREDIENTS: *1 cup frozen Aronia berries from Berry Up!, *1 banana, *1 cup plain yogurt, *½ cup apple juice, *½ cup crushed ice, *½ cup soy milk or almond milk. INSTRUCTIONS: Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high for 1 minute. Enjoy!

Do I Have Hearing Loss?

Unlike vision loss where people tend to promptly seek assistance by wearing glasses, hearing loss tends to be ignored, become rationalized by age or is blamed on others for not speaking clearly enough.

Hearing loss is common for many people throughout Canada. According to the Stats Canada Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS), 6% of adults over the age of 55 report limitations as a result of hearing loss and this number increases to nearly 36% of adults aged 75 and older. In total, this works out to roughly 966,000 Canadians who are willing to report awareness of hearing loss (and that’s not considering those who are possibly in denial).

Many people are simply unaware of the signs and symptoms of hearing loss, the benefits of early detection and intervention, and what resources are available. In order to reduce the likelihood of a hearing loss going undetected, being ignored, and left untreated, here is what you can watch for:

Is there a problem?: The most common signs of hearing loss are needing repetition, turning the volume up on the television, difficulty hearing on the telephone, difficulty hearing clearly, difficulty hearing in background noise, and failing to hear common household sounds like the doorbell. Schedule a hearing test: Annual hearing testing is recommended for adults over the age of 55, even if they do not suspect a hearing loss. Hearing test results are medical records and, as such, are kept on file for 7 years. These results can be used as a baseline to compare with any future hearing evaluations. The best thing is that hearing testing is complimentary and does not require a referral from your family doctor or ENT specialist. Investigate available resources: While hearing aids are often recommended to treat hearing loss, there are other helpful devices that you may not have considered. For example, amplified telephones boost the volume of incoming calls and can often be adjusted for tone and customized for your hearing loss. TV devices amplified alarm clocks and alerting systems for doorbells and smoke detectors are also available.

If you believe that your parents, grandparents, or friends are suffering from a hearing loss (see hearing loss and parents for more), the best thing you can do for them is to speak up and, if necessary, help them choose a hearing care provider to work with them on their individual needs. For more information on hearing loss and available resources, or to take a free online hearing test, visit www.mainlandhearing.com.

Contributed by Dr. Susan Marynewich, Au.D., RAUD, RHIP

Keep Living Your Best Life

A good retirement residence is not just a convenient place to live, it’s an environment in which you can pursue your passions, thrive and continue living with purpose. It may be daunting to think about moving into a retirement home, but have you considered how your life might improve by making this change? Meet a new network of friends, build new relationships, and take part in activities you once enjoyed, or commit to learning something new! Leave the worrying behind when it comes to home maintenance, meal preparation and your own safety – and have us do it for you!