As dentures age, they tend to collect microbes that may affect our overall health.  Micro-organisms harvested in the appliances may affect our lungs, liver and other organs leading to health complications. It is important to clean partial and complete dentures at home on a regular basis. Take out your appliance each night before going to bed and place it in a cleaning solution.  This will give your gums the chance to replenish and breathe again, maintaining proper blood circulation and overall health.   This is particularly important if your immune system is jeopardized or you’ve been on antibiotics for a long time. Be sure to visit your denture care centre for a professional cleaning and sterilization of your appliance every six months.

Ahmed A. Omar
nanaimodentureclinic.ca

Spring is just around the corner. This tends to get us thinking about “spring cleaning” whether it is home, career or our body. Traditionally, our ancestors did not have the choice or the convenience to go to the local store to purchase their food. Instead they were avid “Seasonal Eaters”, putting away food for the winter until nature would start providing once again in the spring. The availability of food corresponded exactly with what our bodies required to be healthy. Fall foods are rich in minerals and stable vitamins to sustain us throughout the winter. These include root vegetables, squash, seeds and wild game. Spring is when our bodies start to release the stores of nutrients and toxins from the dense foods and nature provides us with fresh greens to help detoxify our bodies naturally. Foods like dandelions, nettles and many succulents are natural liver cleansers.

Cheryl Prince RHN, LPN
cherylprince.com

Reconnective Healing may help achieve balance and wholeness in as few as three to five session if done in a short period of time and the subconscious is willing to accept healing. As with all types of treatments, promises, claims and guarantees should never be made by the practitioner.  A satisfied recipient says, “When I signed up for the three sessions, I was experiencing acute fatigue after a very busy week; this fatigue was relieved immediately by the first session. The second session restored my internal ‘joie de vivre’ which had been missing for a very long time! The most amazing part is that I can now reflect on memories from childhood and adulthood without the guilt and shame that have accompanied me my entire life! This, I am sure, is a direct impact of the Reconnective Healing process.”

Anna Christine Doehring
energy-all-around.com

In British Columbia, the 211 information and referral service is operated by the 211 British Columbia Services Society, a charitable non-profit organization funded by United Ways and contracts with various partners. Every hour of every day, people need help finding services for themselves or their loved ones. These range from finding a homeless shelter, to securing daycare for a child, to home care supports for an aging parent. With bc211, accessing help is now only a phone call away.

Ivanna Law, United Way
bc211.ca

1) Eliminate duplicates or similar items; keep three or four that you love. Those 10 vases are using valuable storage space.

2) Downsize the clutter; keep the photos. Pictures can be viewed, shared and will spark fond memories.

3) Use furniture that does double duty. A coffee table can have storage or a shelf underneath. A bed frame can incorporate drawers.

4) Make a sketch of new principal rooms when you move. Note measurements and locations of windows, doors and other factors that will impact furniture placement. Will your old couch fit while leaving doorways clear and enough space to move around safely? If not, it may be time to purchase a smaller model.

5) Rightsize on your schedule, before it becomes a necessity. Take control and choose what to do with your items rather than leaving it for your family to do. This will be less stressful for everyone.

Marian Remenda, Professional Organizer
Rightsize Your Home
right-sizeyourhome.com

Getting your daily dose of exercise is vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but it is sometimes difficult to motivate yourself to even start. You might have an achy knee holding you back, or maybe you are just feeling tired and not up to dragging through another workout. Essential oils are an amazing exercise helper! Some oils, such as Peppermint, Lemongrass or Lemon can put a “pep in your step” with their refreshing and invigorating aromas. You can put a drop on your neck, feet, or just inhale for a little boost to get you going. Peppermint, Marjoram, Black Pepper, Clove, Cypress, and blends like Deep Relief, and Aromasiez can be applied to muscles and joints before or after exercise to help ease discomfort. Rubbing RC, Raven, Peppermint or Eucalyptus Globulus on your chest or throat will remind you to take full breaths during activity, and keep you motoring along!

Denise Mackinnon
Facebook.com/simplehealthideas

Spring is here! Out with the old and in with the new. This is so easy to do in your home and yard. However, it is not so common when it comes to your health and body. You take care of your yard with regular maintenance and have a daily shower for your physical body. The other aspects of your body are often left alone. There are many ways that you can do body cleansing for your well-being. Detox-massage will sluff off dead skin, stimulate circulation supporting the release of toxins from the lymphatic system and organs, while relaxing the mind and releasing stress. Changing your diet by avoiding sugars, carbs, chemicals, increasing hydration and introducing cleansing herbs support a deeper toxic release. This is similar to changing filters and fluids in your car. The benefit are increased energy, clearer thinking, weight loss, improved sleep and much more. Another simple way of cleansing for the mind and emotions is meditation, this is most beneficial when done on a regular basis.

Tammy Phye
lifestyleharmony.ca

Theatre BC will celebrate its 85th Anniversary and Canada 150 by holding festivals featuring all-Canadian plays. Nanaimo Theatre Group has chosen to perform Toronto, Mississippi by Joan MacLeod who is currently a faculty member at the University of Victoria. It was written and is set in 1987, and revolves around Jhanna, played by award winning Dana Mowbray.  Jhanna is a funny, passionate, and often exasperating 18 year old, who also happens to be mentally challenged.  She lives with her mom, Maddie, played by well-known local actor, Sherri McLean and their boarder, Bill, played by Dave Bigelow, a poet with a morose sense of humour.  Tensions rise and jealousies flare when Jhanna’s dad, King, played by Wes Lazaroff, an Elvis impersonator who abandoned the family ten years earlier, makes an unexpected reappearance. While often very funny, this is ultimately a deeply moving play about the power of family and love.

Nanaimo Theatre Group
nanaimotheatregroup.ca

The National Seniors Council of Canada recognizes that social isolation and loneliness are health risks in our aging population.  The Seniors Connect Centre in Nanaimo is a place for adults aged 55 years or older that promotes independence, personal enrichment and an enhanced quality of life through social engagement.  Programs and activities focusing on social inclusion, health and wellness are provided free of charge. The wheelchair accessible centre is located at 150B Wallace Street and has a wheelchair accessible bathroom.  The Seniors Connect Centre also offers outreach services, access to information and referrals to connect seniors with other programs and services in the community that may be of particular interest to those experiencing social isolation.

Seniors Connect Centre
NanaimoSeniorsConnect.ca