Does your child complain of achiness in both legs at night? Pain in the upper or lower legs or behind the knees can occur during periods of rapid growth in kids, usually between the ages of 3-5 or 8-12. Recent studies have found a high incidence of these ‘growing pains’ in children with flat feet. As your child’s body weight increases with the rapid growth, their foot arches may not be strong enough to maintain that extra weight. The arches may flatten under the strain. If this happens the muscles of the calves and legs have to work harder. Correcting the arches with either off-the-shelf or custom foot orthotics can help ease some of the muscle soreness. When combined with warm massage, increased fluid intake, stretching, and ensuring that stable, supportive footwear is worn throughout the day, you can greatly ease your child’s discomfort.

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

Q: Should I get my kid to wear sunglasses?

A: Yes. Ultra-violet light puts young eyes at risk for eye problems that often occur in adulthood such as cataracts, macular degeneration, and eyelid cancers. Many of my patients with skin cancer rue the fact that their parents did not get them protected from the sun adequately in childhood. Kids can be pretty fussy with their clothing (including eyewear), but for their sake it would be worth getting them to wear sunglasses. Getting brand-name sunglasses might be a good way to get a youngster to wear them, but inexpensive sunglasses will do the trick as long as they are certified to be UV protective. We’ll be giving away free kid’s sunglasses at the Father’s Day Kite Fly at Goose Spit!

Dr. Alex Kennedy, Mosaic Vision Care
www.mosaicvisioncare.com

As you age, the nerve cells in your brain can shrink or lose connections with other nerve cells. These age-related transitions are behind the changes in cognitive function and memory. There are several ways to keep your memory strong. Play games you are not already familiar with that involve strategy, like chess or scrabble. Try daily crossword and other puzzles such as Sudoku. Read newspapers, magazines, and books that challenge you. Learn new recipes, driving routes, a musical instrument, a foreign language. Take a course in an unfamiliar subject that interests you. Take on a project that involves design and planning, such as a new garden or a quilt. The more interested and engaged your brain, the greater the benefits you’ll experience. Remember, it’s normal to be forgetful here and there, but significant memory loss is never a normal part of old age. It’s important to talk with your doctor if you are experiencing significant memory loss.

Lance Pace, Omnicare for People at Home
www.omnicareforpeopleathome.com

As you might imagine, trust is a topic of conversation that often comes up in counselling. Individuals, couples, children, youth, and families walk in the door demonstrating an issue with trust — a lack of trust between people, or a deep need to rebuild trust after it’s been broken. An individual saying “I trust this…,” or “I don’t trust you…”, speaks volumes about the overall wellbeing of a relationship.

So what is trust and why does it matter? Trust is consistent, ongoing interactions that say “I’ve got your back”, “I see you”, “you matter,” and, as humans, we like and need this in our primary relationships. With our most important people, it’s about safety, emotional and physical safety. At a deep level, having or not having trust significantly changes the dynamic of how safe we feel.

Trust is something we all want and we constantly seek. We notice vocal tones, eye contact, consistencies, and inconsistencies. And when trust is in doubt, we notice more that doesn’t sit well, fit or feel good. We do this because on some deep level, we want to feel safe, so we are making judgments all the time about what’s around us that impacts our lives. Do I trust this food is edible, do I trust that politician has my best interest at heart, does my lover deserve my trust—these judgements are based on our wellbeing.

Overall, trust isn’t something we can give once and we’re done. We choose over and over again to work on increasing trust. We have to wake up each morning and decide to strengthen that part of our relationship or the risk is, we simply don’t— and our relationships suffer. As a partner or parent or employee, we need to ask ourselves —are my actions building trust or tearing holes in the fabric of this relationship, weakening its structure. And at its heart, the answer is in better communication. Good relationships require great communication— and that means both good speaking and listening skills.

Caroline Bradfield, Registered Clinical Counsellor, MaCP. RCC.
Comox Valley Counselling
www.comoxvalleycounselling.ca

Skin conditions are common and often challenging to improve completely. Often the first thing that comes to people’s mind is to use topical creams to make the skin rash, itch or pimple disappear.

All skin diseases have an underlying internal cause. Some of the internal organs are involved whether the skin condition is eczema, dermatitis, shingles, itching. skin rash, boils, pimple or acne rosacea. It is necessary to determine the underlying cause and address the skin condition with herbal medicine and lifestyle changes. Maintaining a proper diet is important. Many skin conditions are aggravated by alcohol, spicy foods, seafood and anything that can be stimulating or that may cause allergies should be avoided. Cotton or silk is recommended over synthetic fibers for better ventilation.

A long term treatment of herbal medicine is very effective. Over time it will strengthen one’s health to resolve the skin condition.

Dr. Brigitte Tetrault, Courtenay Healing Centre

www.courtenayhealing.ca

From the sweet aroma of lavender to the stimulating fragrance of eucalyptus, essential oils ignite your senses. The shelf-life of an essential oil will vary depending on the type of oil, but when stored properly they should last an average of two to three years. Some essential oils such as sandalwood will actually get better with age. Assuming we are starting with a fresh therapeutic grade oil, the main factors which degrade the quality, safety and efficacy of an essential oil are environmental oxygen, heat and light. Essential oils high in terpenes, such citrus oils which are high in limonene, are especially prone to oxidization and will tend to have a shorter shelf-life than other oils. Replacing the caps securely after use and storing your oils away from sources of heat and light are the basic guidelines for maintaining the shelf-life of these valuable allies in your self-care and wellness routines.

Nelson Meggitt, Optimum Wellness Factor

www.optimumwellnessfactor.ca

When energy from the heart intertwines with the energy field of a plant, communication can take place. By holding the image of the true form of a plant, by talking to it, one can trigger a plant to produce seeds from their historical origin. As a result, Masanobu Fukuoka found the true shape of fruit trees and learned to grow them from seed without the need to prune or the need of fertilizer, weeding or tilling of the soil. Imagine a world where it was common-place for people to communicate with plants to receive their healing, their information to assist one’s soul journey, and their growing qualities without the need for chemicals. People have been connecting with plants since the beginning of time, and now the world is awakening to the importance of this. It is time.

Gordon Weber, Spirit Gardens

www.spiritgardens.ca

So many of us humans take solace in our beautiful gardens. Our mild coastal climate encourages some amazing flora! It’s not a surprise that our furry companions also enjoy spending time outdoors with us. Alas, Mother Nature has spiked some of our most adored flowers with poisons. While this line of defense protects the plant’s survival, it doesn’t bode well for the curious cat that chomps down on a chrysanthemum flower, or the dog that decides your basket of lily bulbs is today’s snack. The list of toxic plants isn’t limited to the outdoors; some common indoor tropical plants are also dangerous to pets. Familiarize yourself with the plants known to be toxic to your companion animals, avoid placing or planting them in harms way around your home and garden. If you suspect your pet has ingested or been exposed to a toxic plant, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Dr. Ken Seaman, Dr. of Veterinary Medicine. Puntledge Veterinarian Clinic

www.puntledgevet.ca