High frequency consonants are responsible for the clarity of speech. When people hear the low and medium pitches well, they hear that someone is speaking, but if they have high frequency hearing loss, they miss the high pitches. Deprivation can happen when people wait a long time before addressing their hearing loss auditory. When the auditory centers of the brain and the auditory nerves are not stimulate properly they can weaken over time. This results in a decline in a person’s speech processing ability. Contact a Hearing Care Professional for a FREE hearing test and take your first steps towards better hearing.

Gambling “responsibly” means different things to different people. Everyone has their own idea of what “responsible”, “safe” or “fun” looks like. Regardless of what responsible gambling means to you or to someone else, some common themes of Responsible Gambling include: 1) always make informed decisions about gambling 2) only gamble with money that isn’t needed for something else; 3) have an awareness of how gambling works and the common false beliefs that can get people into trouble & 4) be aware of your own feelings to avoid being frustrated, anxious or depressed when gambling.

Game theory is the mathematical study of games that goes beyond the theory of probability to include the behaviour of other players. But most of the time, gamblers do not pay strict attention to probability let alone other more complex mathematical considerations. Despite knowing that the odds are stacked against us, and our money likely lost, we continue to gamble for our own individual reasons. Michael Jordan once said, ”I want people to understand, gambling is not a bad thing if you do it within the framework of what it’s meant to be, which is fun and entertaining.”

It has been said that variety is the spice of life. With that in mind, Nanaimo’s Parks and Recreation Active Pass may just be the variety you need to keep and get you active. Monthly to yearly passes are available that offer users unlimited access to all public drop-in sessions. This includes public/length swimming, aquafit, public skating, weight rooms, hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms and sports at Oliver Woods Community Centre. Active Passes are available for individuals or families, and year-long passes can be paid for with monthly installments. Contact our recreation experts for more information.

Spring is in the air and summer is right around the corner! It is the time to start planting flowers, veggies and fruit. Planting and digging in your garden requires you to be on the ground and mostly on your knees. Simply using a knee cushion will help take the hard tension off your knees and legs and keep the strain off your back. Always try to take breaks and stand up to give your back a stretch. This will straighten up your spine and prevent your body from being sore and tight the next day. Most importantly, enjoy the sun!

The toxins and chemical in our environment bring an increasing number of health risks. doTerra essential oils can help. When the horizon begins to get smokey, use doTerra’s Easy Air blend. It helps to maintain open airways, combat infection and repair lung tissue. Three to five drops of lemon essential oil in your drinking water once a day helps the liver detoxify toxic substances. Our warming climate brings an influx of insects that are carrying vector borne disease such as West Nile Virus. doTerra’s Terrashield blend can protect us from biting insects…and it smells incredible. Join us for classes to learn more about essential oils.

Did you know that 70% of spouses don’t know the details of their partner’s final wishes? Do you know what your loved ones wishes are? There are many decisions that have to be made immediately after a death, including: • Securing vital statistics and documents • Arranging and paying for a funeral service and burial plot• Notifying the authorities, family and friends. Planning final arrangements, gathering legal information and paying for everything can be overwhelming to a grieving spouse. Luckily, many of the details can be taken care of today by planning together. Book your appointment today at CedarValleyMemorial.ca.

Determining the underlying root cause of health issues is the key to treatment. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a measure of Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) balance and strength and consequently your systematic health and resilience. ANS controls internal body processes such as blood pressure, heart and breathing rates, body temperature, digestion, metabolism, body fluids and sexual response. A Nutri-Energetic Systems (NES) scan identifies blockages in the body’s energetic structure and field which serves as a master control system for all physiological function. By combining HRV with the NES Bioenergy scan it is possible to find and see changes in the body on the energetic level and in the underlying structure. This helps to determine where to focus in the healing and rebalancing approach.

Fitness is a life long journey. It can’t be earned in one workout, gained by eating well for one week, or through one eight hour sleep. The long-term benefits only come to those who stick with the plan, adapt as life changes, and most importantly enjoy the ride. We call this building healthy habits. Imagine if you ate one apple a day and did 20-30 minutes of varied physical activity 3 days per week. Over one year that would be 365 apples and 78 hours of physical activity accumulated through your habits. Focus on making only one change every 2-4 weeks and watch your life change.