Community News
Ask the Expert

Do you consider that you think for yourself, or do you find yourself always asking others to help you solve your problems? Every time that you are asking for the answers outside of yourself, you are giving away your power and trusting that your friend’s or loved one’s perspective on your life is more important than your own. It takes a conscious effort to change this pattern from going outside of yourself to going within, and can take a long time until you really trust that your inner answers are more powerful than hearing five other perspectives. Do you trust yourself?  What is your knee-jerk reaction when you have a problem? Do you sit with the problem, breathe, and ask your inner being for answers? Try this next time, and give your inner being the time to answer. You may just find that your inner answers are quite profound.

Maureen Becker
www.sourcewithin.com

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

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

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

Channelling or Mediumship?

Channelling is the ability to connect in with higher consciousnesses that are in non-human form, namely angels and spirit guides. A medium has the ability to connect in with deceased loved ones. When a medium connects in with your relative that has passed, your relative is not necessarily ‘wiser’ because they have transitioned into another realm. At times, there can be a rise in consciousness, but many times your loved one will come through with the same traits as when they were alive. It is a comfort to connect with your loved one just to make sure he/she is okay. If a person is looking for higher level wisdom and for a perspective that is higher in consciousness than a human, it is better to connect in with the wisdom of angels/spirit guides, whose very presence is meant to help people improve their understanding of this game called life.

www.sourcewithin.com 

Solving Financial Troubles

Financial difficulties can harm our emotional well-being. How can you tell that you are actually in financial trouble? There are certain indicators of financial difficulties, such as receiving frequent calls or letters from creditors or collection agencies, having no savings, spending all your money before payday, stalling one creditor to pay another, buying things impulsively, using your credit cards or other loans to pay for everyday expenses, failing to budget or make a financial plan, having your consolidation loan applications rejected, having trouble making the minimum payments on your credit cards and not knowing what your real monthly expenses are. If you’re in financial trouble, you may believe bankruptcy is your only option. However, there are many options to help you solve your money problems – such as consolidating your loans or making a consumer proposal. Be sure to seek professional advice to find out the best solution for you.

www.debtsolutions.deloitte.ca

Sugar and Cola

The WHO recommends not more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day. 12 oz can of coca cola contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. This high amount of high density corn syrup in addition to refined salts and caffeine contribute to diabetes, hypertension and obesity. People who drink 2 or more sugary beverages per day are 26% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Shortly after consuming 12 oz can of coca cola blood sugar levels spike. Caffeine increases blood pressure and stimulates the reward system in the brain in a similar way as heroin. The diuretic effect of caffeine results in loss of water and electrolytes and then comes the sugar crash; the person becomes irritable and sleepy and often reaches for another can. Nutrition therapy can do for your sugar control that no medication can.

Mathilda Prinsloo B Pharm CGP CDE.
Diabetes Care & Wellness
www.seniorcarepractice.com

New Business Showcase

It is often very difficult and overwhelming to effectively manage multiple medications. This can lead to improper use of medications, which can result in extra doctor visits, emergency room visits and hospital stays. The high cost of prescription medication is a major concern for many patients; therefore we prepare a customized monthly budget for each of our clients. This, along with our visiting pharmacist service, will give you and your care-givers peace of mind. Our ultimate goal is to ensure all medications are taken as prescribed and that you have a full understanding of each medication including its interactions and side-effects. As well, we want to ensure that cost does not become a stress factor and/or road-block. Better Health & Wellness may be achieved through medication management; talk to our pharmacist to arrange a home visit.

www.careathomepharmacy.ca

Smartphones and Health

Smartphones are incredibly powerful devices. Increasingly we rely on them to run our life. One of the latest trends is toward mobile health or mhealth. Many applications have been designed to help you live healthier and manage your chronic illnesses. Here are some our favorites: Misfit wearables is a great low price entry to fitness trackers starting at $25. Askthedoctor.com will get your health questions answered in a jiffy, and glooko.com has an amazing platform for people dealing with diabetes. One of the biggest issues faced by patients today surrounds management of medications. 55% of Canadians above 45-65 are on at least one prescription medication. Using a smartphone to manage and track your meds has been proven to improve adherence, keeping patients healthy. If you are on multiple medications this may be the best and quickest thing you can do for your health today.

www.poprx.ca