Community News
Book Club: The Highly Sensitive Person 

How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, by Elaine N. Aron.

Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams? Are you “too shy” or “too sensitive” according to others? Do noise and confusion quickly overwhelm you? Discover how to embrace your sensitivities in this international best-selling book.

www.hsperson.com 

Managing Medications

Seniors represent 12% of the Canadian population and account for 28 – 40% of all prescriptions. By 2036, the population of seniors will reach a staggering 9.8 million. It is estimated that approximately 50% of Canadians are not taking their prescriptions as prescribed. The barriers to adherence are varied – education, side effects, forgetfulness or limited access to transportation. One major barrier is the cost of medication. Whatever the cause, non-compliance can often result in a patient having to visit the emergency room or even a hospital stay. The estimated annual cost of medication non-adherence to the Canadian health care system is between $7 and $9 billion. Care At Home Pharmacy helps people manage their medications by providing a personalized service based on the concept of the visiting pharmacist. As well, a budget is set up for clients to help manage the costs. Call us for your in-home consultation.

Care At Home Pharmacy
www.careathomepharmacy.ca

Dragons’ Den Success

About a month ago, we received an email from one of the producers of CBC’s hit show Dragons’ Den. They were doing a new spin off show called NexGenDen focusing on hot Canadian startups. They had somehow heard of us and wanted us to come on the show! It was an amazing experience. We were in a group of 18 other startups pitching our proposal to the Dragons. Before going on, they told us there would only be a 50% chance that we would make it to air. One by one people came in and out of the den. Some crying, some obviously trying to maintain their excitement.  When it was your turn, you only got one take. We were asking for $100,000 for 2% of our company ($5 million valuation). Search PopRx on YouTube to see how we did!

Dr. Ali Esmail, PopRx
www.poprx.ca

Ditch the Detox Diet

Cleansing is often promoted to improve health by ‘cleansing’ the bowel and removing toxins from the body. It has been claimed that it can boost energy and immunity, promote healthy intestinal bacteria, and start weight loss. The truth is, there is no scientific evidence to show that cleansing maintains or improves bowel health, prevents colon cancer, or achieves lasting weight loss. Your intestine, lungs, liver and kidneys already effectively remove waste from your body every day. These diets can be harmful and cause unpleasant side effects such as cramping, nausea, vomiting, headaches, lack of energy; or more serious side effects, such as dehydration, low/high blood pressure, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and many more. Instead look for effective and trusted ways to improve your health, boost your energy, and maybe lose some pounds along the way by seeking professional help from a physiotherapist.

Nicole Marier, Action Physio
www.actionphysio.net

Natural Product Review 

MyoNatural offers a revolutionary pain cream that guarantees pain relief or your money back. Now you can live an active, pain free lifestyle without the worry of product side effects. MyoNatural was developed by health care professionals for sports injuries, workout enhancement, joint pain, sore muscles, arthritis, back pain relief and more. It is recommended by doctors, health care professionals and world class athletes, including Tom Brady. MyoNatural is the world’s only toxin-free, all-natural anti-inflammatory cream that actually heals damaged tissue and cells for not only immediate pain relief but long-lasting recovery. Using a patented delivery system, MyoNatural pain cream delivers natural anti-inflammatory compounds directly to damaged tissue where they reinforce and strengthen cells. These cells are now better able to resist rupturing which leads to pain and inflammation. Because our pain cream only uses all-natural, non-toxic ingredients there are absolutely no side effects. Only fast and long-lasting pain relief.

A1 Nutrition
www.a1nutritiongrant.ca 

MRI’s and Low Back Pain

Your back pain may not be due to reasons explained by an MRI, which may well point you towards unnecessary surgical procedures. Current studies show most individuals will have MRI findings of disc degeneration, height loss, or bulging disc. More than 50% of asymptomatic individuals 30-39 years of age and 90% of individuals 60 years of age or older have signs of disc degeneration, height loss, or bulging discs. What does this mean for you? It is possible your MRI findings are the reason for your pain but a lot of the time it isn’t. Low back pain isn’t always because of these “abnormalities” and will not effect the treatment you are receiving at physiotherapy. Physiotherapists are trained to help you with your low back pain using manual therapy and providing you with an exercise program to manage your low back pain. So before you consider surgery, try physiotherapy first.

Lindsay Stevenson
www.prairietrailphysio.ca

Clean Eating: Pumpkin Chia Bars

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cup rolled oats
½ cup honey
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup chia seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, add pumpkin, honey and vanilla extract.
Mix until combined.
Fold oats and chia seeds into batter, mix until incorporated.
Press evenly into baking dish.
Bake for 20-30 minutes.
Let cool and cut into 8 bars and store in air tight container.

www.savynaturalista.com

Creative Ways to Pay off Debt

If your debts are beginning to pile up, now is the time to develop a personal debt reduction plan. Budgeting and putting credit cards away for a while are all important parts of a good debt reduction plan, and they are easy to implement. But if you are like most of us, finding the cash to reduce credit card and other debt can be a little more difficult. If you need to pay off debt, consider some of these creative ways to bring down your balances:

Bump up your income. One of the easiest ways to increase your bank balance is to get a second job. However, before you start hunting for the perfect part-time job, check your day job’s moonlighting or second job policy. You should also ensure that you are having the appropriate amount of income tax deducted to reflect the new total income.

Another way to increase your current income is to increase your hours. If you have a part-time job, you may be able to up your availability and qualify for more hours. Full-timers can volunteer for additional projects.

A second job can also be conducted from home. Mary Kay, Avon, and many food, jewelry, or home care product companies offer opportunities to make money while setting your own goals and schedule. If you enjoy talking about these special interest items with friends and neighbours, you may be able to make a significant contribution to your debt reduction piggy bank.

Be a small-scale Entrepreneur. You can add to your income by marketing your skills, or by providing a service that others need. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of starting your own business. Small scale business opportunities don’t require a huge bank account or expensive advertising budgets.

The simplest way to start earning extra income is to provide a service to others that you already provide for yourself. Are you the only stay-at-home parent on the block? Consider offering after-school day care or specialty care for infants or sick kids. Do you have the loveliest yard in your neighbourhood? Providing your services as a garden design and care consultant or a lawn care provider can add enough money to make a significant reduction in your debt load. Animal lovers can offer in-home day or vacation care, or walk neighbourhood dogs.

Other suggestions of services to offer include:

  • Residential painting
  • House cleaning
  • Home organizing
  • Auto detailing

Advertise your services through word of mouth, flyers, Kijiji or your neighbourhood Facebook page.

Create your own job. If you’re tech-savvy, using a computer, tablet, or smart phone is probably second nature to you, but for many they are confusing and difficult to use. If you know your way around emerging technology, you can help others make the best use of their tech appliances. Repairing electronic devices or assisting in setup are just two services that you can provide. Programmers, graphic artists, and photo editors also have special skills that are very marketable.

With a little creativity, your special skills can be a valuable tool in your plan to pay off your debt.

LC Taylor Trustees in Bankruptcy

www.lctaylor.com

Prevent Sports Injuries

Now is the time of year where many athletes will start their fall/winter sport. This often involves changing from summer to winter sports. However, did you know most injuries occur in the first and last third of a season? This is often due to the change of muscle requirements being used for each sport or sometimes the movement patterns involved. Going from baseball to hockey requires a significant increase in the use of your hip flexors – the muscles that bring your knees to your chest. This is a common “early season” injury for hockey players. Doing proper warm ups, stretches and slowly progressing the volume of skating may help in preventing these types of injuries. Also check your overall hip mobility; if you can lift your leg 10 degrees off the floor while on your stomach and at least 70 degrees when on your back, that’s a good sign that you have sufficient movement about the hip.

Jason Moniz, South Sherbrook Therapy
www.southsherbrook.com

One Simple Change

Most of us strive to live a healthier lifestyle. We know that we should be eating right, exercising regularly, and still making time for family, friends, and our own needs, but this can seem like an overwhelming goal. Instead of attempting to conquer our health all at once, what if you started by setting more manageable goals? Making small changes today can lead to great health benefits down the road. You can start by lowering your stress levels by getting more sleep. When was the last time you felt you had great, quality sleep on a regular basis? Getting a good night’s sleep can greatly impact your outlook on life and, in turn, your health and wellness. Simple changes, such as getting a good night’s sleep or taking time for a relaxing hobby, are easy ways to help manage stress and improve your well-being in the long-term.

http://slefley.canada.juiceplus.com/

Yoga Increases Ability 

The word yoga means union. The physical practice of yoga (asana) unites the systems of the body to create balance, strength, flexibility, stress reduction and mental clarity. Many people think that flexibility is required to participate in yoga; this is not the case. Anyone can practice yoga. With the correct modifications and the use of props to aide with the poses, even the least flexible can begin to grow their yoga practice. The addition of yoga to any current physical activity (or lack thereof) can increase stamina, strength, endurance and prevent potential injuries from occurring. Yoga poses are also very beneficial when added to reconditioning programs or injury rehabilitation. A Physiotherapist can assess the injury and level of deconditioning and formulate the best program to maximize your ability.

www.actionphysio.net