Community News
Ask Your Vet

Susan from St. Vital asks: “Why does my dog drag his butt across the floor”?

Veterinarian Dr. Zheng answers: “There are several reasons why your dog may be “scooting” as it is commonly known:

  1. Anal Sac Issues; sometimes these sacs become abscessed, blocked, or inflamed and ways to remedy can include; expressing the sacs, giving antibiotics to treat an infection, increasing dietary fiber, lancing or flushing the sacs.
  2. Worms; Tapeworms are another, though less common, reason dogs may start scooting, Tapeworms are easy to treat with a dose of oral or injectable medication from your veterinarian.
  3. Rectal Prolapse; a rectal prolapse can happen to your dog after severe diarrhea or from straining with constipation. Treatment for rectal prolapse varies.

If your dog is scooting or persistently licking at the anal area, or in any way appears to be uncomfortable, you should talk to your vet. Treatment is often quick and easy and can make your dog and you a lot happier!”

Animal Hospital of Manitoba

animalhospofmb.com

Giving Back: Mary Jane’s Cooking School

Mary Jane’s Cooking School, a not-for profit organization and registered charity was founded over 20 years ago, by a group of women concerned about the loss of basic life skills, and an over reliance on commercial foods. Recognizing food as the foundation to physical and mental health, the organization was created to reinforce the values of nutritional home-cooking and to re-educate people in the slow and simple art of cooking whole foods.

The origins of the school began with volunteer drop-in cooking classes in the inner city. A pioneer in the field of whole food education, Mary Jane’s Cooking School is a resource for non-corporate nutrition information and offers a wide range of classes. Some examples are: Cooking for diabetes, Vegetarian/Vegan Cooking, Bread Making and Soup Making. Environmental information is interwoven in the classes.

Volunteer services for technical support and help in preparing for classes and cleanup would be appreciated.

maryjanescookingschool.org

Book Club: Super Brain

By Deepak Chopra, MD & Rudy Tanzi, MD.

Learn the Super Brain dietary supplement – Ayurvedic Brain Support. Unleashing the Explosive Power of your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-being. A manual for relating to the brain in a revolutionary new way, Super Brain shows you how to use your brain as a gateway for achieving health, happiness, and spiritual growth.

Super Brain explains by combining cutting-edge research and spiritual insights, demolishing the five most widespread myths about the brain that limit your potential, and then showing you methods to:

  • Use your brain instead of letting it use you
  • Create the ideal lifestyle for a healthy brain
  • Reduce the risks of aging
  • Promote happiness and well-being through the mind-body connection
  • Access the enlightened brain, the gateway to freedom and bliss
  • Overcome the most common challenges, such as memory loss, depression, anxiety, and obesity

The brain is not just the greatest gift that Nature has given us. It’s the gateway to an unlimited future that you can begin to live today.

deepakchopra.com

Early Winter Masala

A masala is any combination of spices blended and ground together.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Roast the cumin, caraway and yellow mustard seed to a small pan and roast till the mustard seeds start to pop. Turn the heat off then add the spice powders to the blend. Put the blend into your mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind the mixture. *Does not have to be ground into a fine powder.

Use on steamed vegetables, in stir fries, any soup or stew, in rice for added flavours or on popcorn! So yummy! Enjoy!

Kalee Mund is an Ayurvedic Counsellor, who teaches Ayurvedic Cooking Classes and other Ayurvedic Workshops.

kalee.mund@gmail.com

kaleemund.com

Ever Wanted To Be a Hero?

My dad is 65 years old and on peritoneal dialysis. He was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in his mid 50’s, a genetic disease that attacks both kidneys until kidney failure. When you reach kidney failure, dialysis can only buy you so much time before your only option is to find a kidney donor. Unfortunately his chance of getting a deceased donor kidney is so low that a living donor is our only hope. No one in our family is capable of donating, either because we have been diagnosed with the disease ourselves or our health leaves us incapable of donating. We are now looking for a volunteer living kidney donor outside of our family. My dad needs a hero now so that he can be around to watch his five grandsons grow up.

For more information please visit our website at:  www.ralphskidneyquest.com

Health Spotlight: Yoga Hikes

Yoga Hikes connect you to health, nature and community. They take place year-round in different locations throughout Winnipeg and surrounding areas, such as The Forks, Kildonan Park, Silver Springs Park in Birds Hill and more.You will be guided on a hike through city streets and parks and practice yoga at scenic stops along the way.

These 1 hour (3 km) outdoor yoga classes are suitable for all levels.
No yoga mats needed – just dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes.

Your teacher will share interesting facts about Winnipeg and surrounding areas while leading you through yoga poses. Practice Eagle before a big Manitoba sky!

Visit us for our weekly schedule, for locations, and to sign up for Yoga Hikes!

Poor Posture Got You Down?

Do you sit at a desk all day and a couch all night?

Our sedentary lifestyle contributes to poor posture, and in turn causes back aches and other ailments, but you can work on it with a few easy tips. During the day try to walk and sit tall and keep chin tucked. If seated for more than 20 minutes, stand and roll shoulders 5-10 times.

There are also corrective exercises you can try at home. Using a door jam, stand tall with shoul­ders down and back. Place forearms on the door jam, elbows should be bent close to 90 degrees, and upper arm should be slightly lower than shoulder height. Step through the door or into the corner with one leg maintaining a tall posture. You should feel a stretch across your chest and front of the shoulders.

Improving Life with Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a natural state of awareness where the body is deeply relaxed and the mind is focused and receptive to therapeutic suggestion. With the guidance of a hypnotherapist you easily enter an enjoyable, aware and relaxed state. When deeply relaxed the mind supports desired changes in mood and behaviour at profound levels. A common myth about hypnosis is the belief that you lose consciousness during the process.

During Hypnosis you are aware and understand the hypnotist at all times. You are always an active participant in the hypnotic experience, and have complete control over the suggestions you accept. The suggestions are changes, in your own words, that you wish to make. Hypnotherapy enables you to alter habits, improve quality of life and achieve your goals. Hypnosis has been proven effective for smoking cessation and other habits as well as anxiety, performance improvement in academics, the arts and sports.

 

Family Yoga

Building a strong foundation.

Children are natural little yogis; they explore everything through sight, sound, taste, smell, touch and creative imagination. Children need freedom to explore through their senses and they desire this physical, emotional and spiritual guidance and support to come from their primary teachers; their parents.

During the family yoga class, parents will actively participate with their children on the studio floor, singing full-voice and leaping through the air.  Through this interaction, the child-parent bond is strengthened, spanning wider than the smiles that dance on their faces and running deeper than the laughter that rings in the air. This family yoga experience is a life-teaching for both child and parent. You are co-creating a special moment together. The experience will be an important imprint in your lives and on your hearts that develops trust and understanding, maintaining the foundation of relationship and family.

 

Are You Ready to Shovel?

Autumn presents itself with beautiful colours, warm sweaters and getting ready for winter! As we prepare for winter with yard work and unavoidable shovelling, aches and pains can creep in. Whether it be back pain from tidying the yard, or shoulder pain from shovelling 2 inches of snow, nobody wants the feeling of slowing down due to pain.

Why not prevent those aches and pains before they start with a well-balanced strength and exercise program? At Prairie Trail Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic we can tailor a program to meet your specific needs. Our trained professionals have years of experience in exercise prescription, and assessing and treating musculoskeletal dysfunctions to keep you moving and performing at your best.

So if you are feeling any aches or pains, or simply want to empower yourself with an exercise program, contact Prairie Trail Physiotherapy.

Pets Relieve Stress

Pets are huge amounts of “joy” on four legs! They are there when you are down, stressed, ill, and sad or need comfort. They are there when you want to play, laugh or have fun. They never make fun of you or judge you, and they give absolute unconditional love. They add to your emotional, physical and mental balance which helps provide us with a tremendous sense of well-being.

They also make us feel important as their entire being relies on our proper care for them. A cat or dog would be a huge positive addition to your home. If there are children in the home, even better, as pets are very protective and provide much entertainment for them. Pets also teach us respect and responsibility. Consider a new pet, and enjoy all the wonderful benefits they can bring to your life, and theirs.