Those with a lower-limb amputation, in many cases, will initially be less active than they were prior to their amputation. As such, having a sedentary lifestyle will often result in weight gain. It is important for amputees to understand this and to adjust their nutritional intake to match their activity level so that they do not gain appreciable amounts of weight during the early stages of initial prosthetic fittings. If an amputee’s weight fluctuates significantly, either up or down, after being fitted with a prosthesis, intimate socket fit can be greatly compromised with more adjustments being needed.
Community News
Self-Care for the Caregiver
It’s often difficult for caregivers to admit when they need self-care. But everyone struggles with negative thoughts and life stressors. These can lead to anger, frustration, emotional or physical violence, depression, anxiety and crimes. Life is a mixture of work and self-care and one without the other can be unhealthy. Self-Care is a source of activities that builds us up and soothes the stresses of life, whether that be your 15 minute break, running in the morning, gardening, cooking or genealogy. So next time you find yourself working hard, consider doing self-care to take care of your emotional life. Show the same amount of care to yourself as you would give to someone else.
Choosing a Health Advocate
One of the most important steps in a senior’s life is to choose the right health advocate.
Your advocate could be your family member or your friend; someone you can trust with your health concerns. The advocate will play a very important role in your healthcare plans in the future.
For example, they can go with you to a doctor, the lab, your pharmacy, or the hospital.
It is very important to name an advocate before you need one, and you can decide the limits of their authority.
You can find more information, videos, and a “My Patient Advocate Agreement” form at www.safetoask.ca
Learning-Related Vision Disorders
While 20/20 vision is a great start, our vision is also related to how well our eyes work together with our brain to process visual information. Many children who suffer with vision problems can go undiagnosed since learning-related vision disorders may not be revealed through a regular eye exam. Lack of eye movement control, focusing difficulties, poor visual memory, and much more can make learning seem overwhelming. Without fundamental visual skills, children may have more difficulty with reading, writing, and comprehension at school. A developmental optometrist diagnoses and provides treatment options for learning-related vision disorders.
Elder Abuse is Real!
One of the most underreported crimes in Canada is elder abuse. As of 2016 over 700,000 reports of abuse were recorded. Some abuse is invisible like neglect, psychological abuse and abuse of finances. The people most vulnerable are those who live in social isolation or suffer serious health conditions. And when it comes to physical abuse, data from statistics Canada shows 60% of senior domestic violence victims are female. Warning signs for elder abuse include: Anxiety or fearfulness about someone the elderly individual should trust. Dehydration, poor nutrition, or poor hygiene. Speak to your loved ones about elder abuse and learn more about the resources available to help victims in your community.
Benefits of Blue Light-Blocking Glasses
Exposure to artificial light at the wrong times of day is one of the largest often-overlooked health risks of living in the 21st century. Blocking blue light serves an important biological purpose, helping to regulate your internal clock to control sleep patterns and other body functions; avoiding blue light at night is crucial to protecting your health. One of the least expensive and simplest ways to protect your body’s internal rhythm, and thereby support healthy sleep and a lowered risk of many chronic diseases, is to wear blue-light-blocking glasses at night.
Avoid Winter Back Pain
Here are a few tips on how to keep your body free of pain this winter. 1. Check your shoes. Has the tread started to wear down? Falls on ice and snow can be prevented with the right footwear. 2. Stretch. Stiff muscles can make it hard to move freely, and if you trip or fall, your back is likely to be in far more pain than it is now. 3. Stay warm. This is critical to keeping your back healthy—or keeping your back injury from getting worse. Cold weather is one of the causes of joint pain and tense muscles.
Acupuncture & Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD is a physiological disorder that can result from being exposed to a traumatic event. The disorder results in several different symptoms including anxiety, irritability, insomnia and flashbacks. A recent study into the efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has shown promising results. Acupuncture for PTSD is administered by stimulating specific acupuncture points in the ears. These points are responsible for controlling particular brain areas that help control nervous functioning as well as mitigate stress levels. Many soldiers who have been victims of PTSD after violent wars are being treated with acupuncture to provide successful results. The acupuncture treatment also saw secondary benefits for those treated, such as a decrease in depression and pain.
Meet Your Practitioner
Meet Julie Rajkumar. Julie is passionate about helping others unlock and transform themselves through overcoming and healing pain, negative patterns, programming, belief systems, challenges, judgement, fear, suffering and deep-rooted blocks. When these blocks are in alignment, you will be living a life of purpose, joy, good health, love and abundance. Julie uses the principles and holistic methods in Forensic Healing modality, bringing in a unique approach using the science along with her natural intuitive gifts and a lifetime of learning and training. Julie’s Forensic Healing practice provides treatments for many genetic and hereditary conditions, physical illnesses, chronic pain, negative thought patterns, depression and trauma, and soul healing and personal empowerment.
What is Medication Non-Adherence?
Medication non-adherence is when a patient doesn’t take a medication, either willfully or inadvertently, as prescribed by their healthcare provider. Studies have shown that 50% of Canadians do not take their prescription medications exactly as prescribed. The reasons for this vary from a lack of information, to being afraid to take medication or believing it doesn’t work, to an inability to follow instructions that may be too complex. Each year, medication non-adherence results in many hospital admissions. Your pharmacist can help provide you with the information you need to make the right decisions about when and how to take your medications.
Book Club
Hack Your Anxiety: How to Make Anxiety Work for You in Life, Love, and All That You Do. What if anxiety is not a monster to be tamed, but a resource to be tapped? In this revolutionary book, Dr. Alicia Clark recognizes anxiety as the unsung hero in the path to success and happiness. It can become the motivating force that will lead to a better you, and The Anxiety Advantage aims to restore anxiety to its rightful place as a positive resource. Reclaim your anxiety as a powerful energy source, ad bring yourself peace, growth and success.
