What will your retirement look like? Will you say good-bye completely? Will you transition out gradually? Will you try something new? There are many choices and no right answer. The path you choose will be your own. This time of transition from career to more “me” time can bring with it many mixed emotions. The excitement of not having to answer to an alarm clock, the sadness of a loss of identity, or the fear of not having enough to do can be very real. Many activities are calling your name. What path will you take? What story will you write?

All the Christmas trimmings have been put away for another year; the turkey has had its last stand and everyone eating chocolate like it was going out of style. We now have a brief period to catch our breath before we embrace the Tax Season. Take a few of those moments to consider your RRSP/TFSA. Typically, we have more time to talk with you from now until the last week of February. We can review what you have done in the past and see if we should add to those investments or look at others. And, as you will appreciate, the more time we have for that the better.

Believe it or not, disease in our pets is related to weight gain as often as it is to weight loss. Diabetes, back degeneration, torn ligaments, heart problems, and skin problems all can be related to excess body condition. Pet owners utilize tricks to get animals to lose weight, but the real trick many times is to convince pet owners that they can love their pet with exercise and affection that isn’t food-related! Make games out of feeding, with toys that contain low-calorie food. Have your pet checked for metabolic disease. It is important to address body condition!

For most people, HEALTH is our greatest possession. But we often don’t realize how important our health is until we lose it. The effects of poor posture and trauma accumulate over the years. Muscles, joints, ligaments, and nerves are damaged, often without symptoms. What starts out as stiffness in the neck or back is replaced with severe, debilitating pain, which prevents us from living our lives. What’s the ROOT CAUSE? How BAD is it? What can I do about it? These questions need to be answered if you want to deal with this health problem. Your chiropractor can help you. Schedule an examination today to kickstart your LIFE again!

Experiencing pain is normal, although also unpleasant. Think of pain as an alarm system, alerting you to dangers that affect your body. When pain becomes persistent, it can be problematic. There may be some ongoing inflammatory reactions in the tissues that cause the persisting pain. The tissues may have healed but are not yet healthy; muscles may remain weak and underused, there may be motor control issues with the core muscles. Your physiotherapist can be part of the team of health professionals that help you design a unique treatment program that addresses your pain issues and physical impairments.

Menstrual pain, also called dysmenorrhea, comes in many shapes and forms, and that is because each and every one of us is unique. There are several ways to combat menstrual pain; however, many of these methods come with uncomfortable side effects. A proper diagnosis with a registered traditional Chinese medicine practitioner can help balance out hormones with acupuncture treatment. By treating the body’s chi, the hormones will naturally balance themselves out. In a recent Australian study, acupuncture was found to provide significant menstrual pain relief, and the relief was increased by more frequent acupuncture sessions.

Three common non-optimal strategies for transferring loads through the low back, pelvis, and hips are butt-gripping, back-gripping, and chest-gripping. Butt-grippers subconsciously tighten their butt, either on one or both sides of their pelvis, all day. Back-grippers subconsciously lift their chest to correct their posture all day. Chest-grippers subconsciously squeeze their chest or upper abdomen in an attempt to flatten their lower abdomen. All three of these non-optimal strategies can result in pain and discomfort. A physiotherapist can determine whether you fall into one of these three categories and can recommend exercises to counteract and prevent the use of such strategies.

Have you heard of tech neck or text neck? Posture is becoming a significant health concern in modern times. Seventy percent of people today have sitting-based jobs and the use of mobile devices is increasing every year. The net result is poor posture called anterior head carriage. This posture pushes the head forward (the equivalent weight of a bowling ball), causing strain on the soft tissues of the neck and upper back. Poor posture can damage muscles, ligaments, joints, and nerves, causing joint dysfunction and pain. Imagine what happens when you sit at a desk for eight hours a day, week after week!

Total knee replacement is the most definitive treatment for advanced osteoarthritis. This procedure is typically done in a hospital setting, with 3-5 days of hospital stay. In recent years, it has become clear that healthy individuals can be discharged from the hospital on the day of their surgery, to safely and conveniently recover at home. Having surgery done at a medical centre provides a welcome alternative to hospitals. This can help reduce complications associated with hospitalization, and for many patients, the convenience and comfort of being at home with family is much preferred over the rustle and bustle of a busy surgical ward.