We get an annual physical every year to check for things like heart disease, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol, but when was the last time you were checked for hearing loss? Getting regular hearing tests can help detect and treat hearing loss, and can help prevent future issues. It can also determine whether you may need a hearing aid. Untreated hearing loss has been linked to decreases in cognitive function, increased feelings of isolation, and even a higher risk of developing dementia. Getting tested regularly can improve more than just your hearing – it can improve your life!
Community News
Bathing Made Easy
There’s nothing like a nice warm bath to relax both the body and mind, but for people with mobility challenges, an unassisted bath may be difficult to enjoy. Bath lifts are a great cost-effective way to promote independence, which allows people the freedom to stay at home. Bath lifts ensure the safety of yourself and/or your loved one, and they are very user-friendly. Newly designed products are lightweight, portable, and easy to set up or install. If you struggle to get up and down from the bottom of the bathtub, but you still long to enjoy the soothing benefits of soaking in a warm bath, a bath chair lift could be the right solution.
Joyful Mindful Holiday Eating
Wondering how to partake in delicious holiday foods without gaining 10 lbs or tossing your health goals aside until the new year? Try mindful eating. Mindful eating can eliminate overeating, overindulging, or obeying the thoughts that tell us to eat it all now and make up for it come January. When eating, slow down and pay attention to all five senses, your surroundings and especially your thoughts. Get into the holiday spirit and intentionally connect to your gratitude and appreciation for those with whom you are celebrating and you’ll naturally consume less while experiencing more joy and happiness.
Benefits of Home Care
Using home care assistance ensures that your loved one has the essential care they require, based on their unique circumstances, preferences and needs. Home care assistance is generally provided by home health aides, licensed caregivers or nurses. By definition, home care assistance is one-on-one. Sharing the caregiving responsibility is integral in preventing caregiver fatigue, while also offering your loved one companionship when you aren’t able to be there. Knowing your loved one is in the safe and familiar environment of their own home will provide both you and your loved one with much-needed peace of mind.
Give Your Feet a Healing Treat
Reflexology is a non-invasive therapy that applies pressure and massage to areas on your feet, hands and/or ears to promote the body’s powerful self-healing capabilities and optimize physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Reflexology of the feet is the most common, and according to reflexologists, you have reflex areas in your feet that correspond with every body part, gland and organ in your body. Done either sitting up or lying down, depending on preference, most who get reflexology treatment comment on how it feels soothing and relaxing, and helps you unwind, de-stress, reduce anxiety, and recharge.
Help Children Express Emotions
There are many tools we can offer our children to deal with sad and unhappy feelings that may come from loss, being bullied, or experiencing disappointment. Instead of giving them reasons why they should not cry, we need to offer them the chance to use words to express their feelings. We must do this without analysis, criticism, or judgment. It might be tempting to fall back on offering logical and intellectual reasons why they shouldn’t feel bad. But we must let them express their pain in order to help them move beyond the loss, rather than internalize their feelings.
Drink vs. Diet
If you’re intrigued by the keto diet, but are afraid it’s too restricting, we have the answer! Drink one drink, once a day, and ignite your body’s optimum fuel source. We have the only ketone that is naturally fermented and bio-identical to what your body creates when in ketosis. Rather than worry about keeping to a diet, you can drink to improved mood, sleep, focus, energy, fat loss, muscle preservation, skin, gut health and mental clarity. It doesn’t get much easier than that! Why not give it a try just in time for the holidays?
Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa
Here’s a tasty hot cocoa recipe to keep you warm during those cold winter nights! INGREDIENTS: 1 packet of CINNAMON CALLI®, 1 packet of VITASHAKE® COCOA, 1½ teaspoons of pumpkin puree, ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, 1 or 2 TBSP Almond milk or Coconut oil, a few drops of stevia or Suncare/Suncare Plus®. DIRECTIONS: 1) Prepare Cinnamon Calli® in 8 ounces of hot water and VitaShake® Cocoa in 8 ounces of hot water, separately. Combine in a mug. 2) Add coconut oil or almond milk for creaminess and stevia/Suncare® for sweetness. 3) Stir in pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice until fully incorporated. 4) Enjoy!
Bioresonance for Kidney Health
The kidneys play a crucial role in maintaining overall health but are rarely appreciated until they become damaged and can no longer do their jobs. They work day and night, 24/7 to filter out the harmful toxins we are exposed to on a regular basis. When the load of toxins gets too much for your kidneys to handle, their functioning slows down, making one susceptible to kidney stones, infections, cysts, tumours and then finally a shut down. Do you know how healthy your kidneys are? If you have never done a kidney detox before, now is the time.
Words to Live By
Christmas magic is silent. You don’t hear it — you feel it. You know it. You believe it. ~ Kevin Alan Milne
HALT Emotional Eating
Let’s talk about emotional eating.
We are emotional and social beings and while we need food for energy, we also eat for pleasure, social connection, celebration and sometimes to avoid feeling strong emotions. And, note the emphasis here, there is nothing wrong with this! We are also one of the few animals that have sex for pure pleasure and I don’t think anyone is going to complain about that one now are they? 😊
However, problems can arise when food is our go-to source of relief for emotional discomfort. Bringing awareness to the reasons we are experiencing a craving or choosing to eat can help identify if we are eating because we are truly hungry, or if an emotion is at play.
HALT is an acronym that can help you pause and determine why you might be reaching for food. The acronym is formed from the following words: hungry, angry, lonely and tired.
Let’s look at each letter and corresponding word along with a few questions you can ask yourself to bring awareness to your current state and explore how to best meet your needs:
H – Am I hungry? Has it been longer than 3 or 4 hours since I last ate? Can I notice physical sensations related to hunger like shakiness, low energy, a rumbling tummy? If you answer yes to any of these, then it’s probably time to eat.
A – Am I angry? Or frustrated, disappointed, stressed, grouchy, edgy? If this resonates, ask yourself if there’s another way to relieve the tension and release the anger. How about getting outside for some fresh air? Or listening to music really loud and dancing it out? Talking with or confiding in a friend?
L – Am I lonely? Or sad, overwhelmed, blue, discouraged? Ask yourself, how can I find comfort other than with food? Can I phone or connect with a friend? Practice some self-care?
T – Am I tired? Or exhausted, fidgety, bored, blah, low-energy? If this is the case, consider a nap, or if it’s 9 pm or later, just go to bed! If that’s not an option, ask yourself, what can I do to rejuvenate myself? Maybe some movement – 10 jumping jacks or a walk around the block? Can I switch tasks or activities to something I find more interesting or invigorating?
Angry, lonely, and tired are just some of the possible emotions or states that may be driving the desire to eat. Other common emotions might be sadness, anxiety, overwhelm, hurt, or insecurity. For me, it’s usually boredom or restlessness.
Perhaps you can’t identify a specific emotion, but rather it’s a circumstance or situation. You had a long day at work, a fight with your spouse or significant other, a late night or a restless sleep. I often find myself rummaging around the pantry when I’m procrastinating.
If hunger is not the primary driver for wanting to eat, take a moment to pause and identify the emotion or situation at play. Then from that place of awareness, you can choose. You can eat, mindfully. Or perhaps you choose to explore other options to meet your needs and soothe your emotions.
