Community News
Bowenwork® – The Original Bowen Technique

A Bowen treatment consists of gentle rolling moves with pauses between moves, giving the body time to benefit from each set and process the information. Bowenwork® balances and stimulates; the restorative process begins once the body is no longer in a state of ‘fight or flight’. By releasing muscle tissue tensions patterns, clients often describe a deep state of relaxation, a feeling of peace and calm, as well as a more positive frame of mind less affected by stress, and they make better decisions. The Bowen technique is appropriate for anyone dealing with pain and injuries, from a newborn to an elderly person. It can help athletes and pregnant women, as well as people with disabilities or chronic conditions. This innovative form of bodywork was first developed in Australia by the late Tom Bowen. His work was verified in 1975 by the Victorian Government, revealing that he saw some 13,000 patients every year!

Andrée Boisvert, Bowenwork® Practitioner, ABHolisticHealth.com

Fun Foot Facts

The average person will walk over 100,000 miles in a lifetime. That is more than four times around the earth. Walking is the best exercise for your feet. It contributes to your general health by improving circulation and weight control. The average woman walks three miles more per day than the average man, and is four times more likely to experience foot problems, often due to inappropriate footwear. As our population packs on the pounds, feet are spreading to support the extra weight. There are 26 bones in each foot, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles and tendons. A quarter of all the bones in the body are found in the feet, and when they are out of alignment, the knees, hips and back can suffer too. Feet are the body’s foundation; when we take proper care of our feet we take care of our whole body.

Diane Calder BScKIN, Pedorthist
B.D. Mitchell Prosthetics and Orthotics
MitchellPandO.com

Book Club: Why Can’t I get Better?

Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease by Dr. Richard Horowitz. Looks at pain, fatigue, memory and concentration problems, sleep disorders, and much more. Lyme disease and its related conditions are incredibly complicated. You can take the questionnaire yourself, and start doing your own detective work with this book as your guide.

LymeDisease.org

Book Club: Whose Mind Is It Anyway?

Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life by Lisa Esile & Franco Esile. Most of us spend our lives trailing after our minds, allowing our brains to take us in directions that are safe and secure, controlled and conformed. Whose Mind Is It Anyway? will help you learn how to separate what you want from what your brain wants and how to do less when your mind is trying to trick you into doing more. In a colorful, funny, and nonthreatening way, it answers the difficult question of how we can take control of our self-defeating behaviors.

LisaEsile.com

Clean Eating: Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:

1 large red onion
1 large bell pepper
3 carrots
1 small head cauliflower
1 lg. stalk broccoli
1 C almonds, soaked 12-24 hours
1 C sunflower seeds, soaked 5-6 hours
1/4 C sesame seeds, soaked 5-6 hours
5 cloves garlic
2 T Braggs or to taste
1 t cumin
2 T dried Cilantro or 1-2 C fresh

Instructions:

Blend all of the above ingredients and seasonings in a champion juicer with solid plate, or a food processor. This blended food is your patty mixture. Form and put 1/2″ thick patties on a teflex sheet and place trays in dehydrator. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 8-12 hours or until desired texture is obtained. Flip your burgers after 4 hours and remove teflex sheets, continue to dehydrate for 4-5 hours or until desired moisture is obtained.

VeganRawFoodRestaurant.com

Natural Nutrition

One of the most crucial problems of modern civilization is malnutrition. Whether we consider malnutrition due to poverty and shortage of food as encountered in third world countries, or witness dietary abuse problems common to the rest of the world, we find enormous suffering caused by the way we feed ourselves. We are dying of malnutrition. It takes courage to face the fact that through ignorance and lack of interest in the needs of our own bodies, we are slowly bringing ourselves to the point of extinction. Fortunately, there is hope. Our modern society is awakening to a new and vital interest in nutrition. This curiosity is not aimed at the traditional dietetic and scientific field. Rather, it involves an emerging sphere of nutrition that encompasses not only the characteristics of food, but also explores the quality of the food source and holism of the consumer. This new area is called “natural nutrition.”

Danielle Perrault, R.H.N., Founding Director, Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, see full article at csnn.ca

Many Benefits of Eating Local

On Vancouver Island and across Canada, small farms are disappearing. This is happening despite the fact that small scale agriculture have an important advantage over large scale farming operations. By producing a diverse variety of crops, small farms create a home for many beneficial organisms, preventing the stress affecting insects that are caused by monocropping. With biodiversity and a strong microbial soil culture, pests are not a problem making the use of pesticides unnecessary. Today, over 90% of the food consumed on Vancouver Island is imported. This is a far cry from the 1950s when 85% of the food consumed here was grown here. By supporting local small scale agriculture and buying local, consumers can help establish stronger food security and a local economy for our communities. Buying local will help ensure an organic, sustainable food supply for many years to come and reduces our carbon footprint.

Brian Prince, Farmer, Prince Acres CSA
PrinceAcresCSA.com

Gambling and Balance

Have you ever wondered if your gambling habits are in balance with other areas of your life? Problem gambling can harm a person’s relationships, employment status, education, and finances. It can also affect one’s physical and mental health. Here are some questions you can answer to do a self-assessment. Do you feel annoyed by criticisms of your gambling?  Do you feel guilty about your gambling?  Do you borrow money to gamble?  Do you gamble more than you intend to?  Do you often gamble until all your money is gone?  Do you lie or hide evidence about your gambling? Do you gamble to pay debt or solve financial difficulties?  Do you feel anxious, hopeless, depressed or suicidal about your gambling? If you answer “Yes” to any of these questions, you may have a problem with gambling. You are not alone. Reach out for help. That’s what we’re here for!

Karen Hlady, Community Engagement & Prevention Service Provider, Gambling Awareness Program
BCResponsibleGambling.ca

Yoga is for Every Shape and Age

“I’m not flexible enough.” “I need more of a workout.” “Yoga is not for my body shape.” When it comes to reasons for not trying yoga, yoga studio owner Susan Pederson has heard them all. “The thing I hear most often is that people think they are the wrong body type for yoga.  This is based on pictures they’ve seen of young, skinny yogis doing backbends and standing on their heads. It’s intimidating.” The fact is, all body shapes at any age can benefit from yoga, whether it’s a chair yoga class for people who can’t get up and down from the floor; a class that focuses on breathing and stress relief, or a gentle class designed for beginners. Yoga studios will help people discover a yoga practice that feels right for them. “It’s just about showing up and trying your best. It’s that simple.”

Susan Pederson, Owner of Suga Yoga
SugaYogaParksville.com

Positive Travel Experience

Studies show that positive, well-managed vacations can make you happier, less stressed and that you will return to work re-energized with more meaning in your life. Using a travel agent is a great way to ensure a stress-free vacation. A travel agent will ensure that you have good flight connections, proper documentation, accommodations and arrive home in a timely fashion; relaxed and happy. “A local couple were on their dream trip cruising around South America.  On December 23rd, they left the ship and caught their flight to Nanaimo as planned. Their trip would have hit a serious roadblock had they not booked with a travel agent. Unbeknownst to them, their flight back from Chile had been cancelled two days earlier. Their travel agent was notified and she had them rebooked on another plane before their cruise ship docked. Had the couple not used a travel agent, they would not have made it home for Christmas that year.”

Lynn Alexander, CTW Oceanside Travel
www.Oceanside.Travel

Plants in your Home

Bringing plants into your home is a simple, beautiful and inexpensive way to transform your house into a healthy home base. Research suggests that the outdoors has a calming effect on the human body and brain, so introducing even just one small Peace Lily into your home can help you to breathe better, sleep better and live better.

Rita Callan, Realtor, Remax First Realty, Parksville/Qualicum
RitaCallan.ca

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