Fighting The Stigma.
Adele was called into the Principal’s office to discuss her twelfth grade son. She was not surprised. He had been in two fights and had been acting strange. She supposed he would be expelled if his behavior did not improve. Deep down Adele feared there was another problem, but she chose not to acknowledge it. After all, he was just a teenager, sometimes teenagers had problems. The meeting went badly. They discussed the fighting. Adele defended her son. Why blame him for everything, did he start it? The Principal appeared to be trying to get something else across, she did not want to hear...
Read MoreFrom Nursing To Farming.
Cedar Valley Poultry Farm was envisioned while I was taking my LPN coursethrough Malaspina University in 2004. By 2005 I registered my Farm business and received a business loan through Farm Credit Canada. My business life was underway, our farm was diversifying and BC Chicken Marketing Board had given our farm a permit to grow Chicken Meat. I left the working world to spend all my time developing our farm Business. My husband was working three part time jobs, which allowed this to happen. My husband and I have been active in Farmers Markets for the past 21 years. Members of the Cedar...
Read MoreWild Fires. We can do something.
After the 2003 firestorms around Kelowna the provincial government said millions would be spent to clean up logging debris that had been left on the ground throughout BC after logging operations. Only a small fraction of that has been done and the dry fuel is still there waiting to burn. Lots of communities are still surrounded by it and this should immediately cleaned up. Once the fire season is over this should become a matter a of great urgency for everyone. The preparations for this massive clean-up should start now. The price of ignoring this realty can be seen on our television screens....
Read MoreWhat Is Pain?
The root cause of all pain is the inability of cells to communicate with each other in one specific area of our body. This can be caused for example by stress, not drinking enough water, accidents, injuries, repetitive movement, or wrong posture. Pain is a sign that something is wrong and the body needs help. Suppressing it with pills is the wrong approach, is a downhill road and may lead to chronic pain. Perhaps even Opioids. with the risk of overdosing. The best approach is to help the cells to communicate again with each other. The Chi/life-energy has to flow. Sometimes a warm water...
Read MoreThe Third Level of Intuition
Welcome back to your three levels of intuitive knowing. Each level allows you to access different intuitive information as you need it. The first is your own Inner Wisdom, the wise part of yourself who remembers all your human experiences. The next level is your ability to hear the guidance of the energy beings who are always around you, your Spirit Guides, Angels or other external sources of information and the third level is that of Universal Wisdom, God/Goddess, Source – however that shows up for you. As you connect to these three levels of Intuitive Wisdom and learn to trust what you...
Read MoreSaving For Retirement.
Women typically earn less than male counterparts for similar positions, often spend a number of years out of the work force to have and raise children and women also have longer lifespans than men on average; so how do women save enough money to have a comfortable retirement? Here are some top tips to achieve this goal: 1) Take control of your finances, be an active participant in managing family finances, do not leave the financial decision making to your spouse. Educate yourself about investing and money management, don’t rely on someone else to provide your financial security. Don’t be...
Read MoreThings To Enjoy On Gabriola
Breathe in the sunsets at Berry Point; Reduce your stress and take a leisurely Kayaking tour on a summer’s evening amongst Salish Sea; Attend the incredible Gabriola Theatre Festival: fantastic entertainment August 18 – 20th; Respectfully explore approx. 80 petroglyphs carved in rock, thousands of years old; Swim in the beautiful clear water off Sandwell Park, or just sunbathe; Walk the boardwalk of Folklife Village, originally part of Expo ’86; Visit Good Earth’s and many farmers’ organic gardens and take home some fabulous vegetables; Take a walk amongst the...
Read MoreTreasuring the Past
When people have dementia, the short-term memory suffers the most. A person may easily recount an incident that happened thirty years ago, but will not remember what you said a few seconds ago. This is a source of great distress to the affected person and it is very frustrating for caregivers and family members trying to engage with their client or loved one. New research is showing that communication channels can be successfully opened up when the person’s ability to remember past events is used to facilitate the process. People love to talk about the past and reminisce about their...
Read MoreStay Hydrated This Summer
How Much Water Do I Need? You’ve likely heard the common adviceof drinking 8 glassesof water a day. But is that really how much water you need? The fluid recommendations are 2.7 Litres of total fluid per day for women. This is for us women who are between 19 – 70 years old who aren’t intense athletes, living in 30 degree C or hotter weather, or pregnant/ breastfeeding. (Men need 3.7 Litres of total fluids). You may have noticed that I used the term “fluid”, not “water” in the last paragraph. That’s because the recommendation is for total fluids – including everything you...
Read MoreReflexology & Multiple Sclerosis
For those unfamiliar with Multiple sclerosis, (also known as MS), it is a chronic disease that attacks the central nervous system . The cause for MS is still unknown . We do know that it is an autoimmune reaction that results in inflammation which damages nerves. Nerve damage is always a part of this disease and the pattern it shows up in differs from person to person. It can even change in how it shows up in the same person, fluctuating over time. In MS, the damage occurs in the covering, or myelin, of nerves. This process is referred to as demyelination. This damaging of the myelin sheath...
Read MoreLinen Pants, New Best Friend
Who wears short shorts? Not everyone! Whether you’re self conscious, or just don’t like the look of them, many people choose to shirk shorts even on the hottest days. And often, it can be hard to figure out a comfortable alternative in the heat of the summer. So, what’s a girl to do? I say, look no further than linen pants. I am an enthusiastic proponent of linen pants, and I believe that after you try them, you will be too. But let’s explore why. Traditionally, linen is a natural fiber made from the flax plant. However, nowadays it’s often used as more of a...
Read MoreCanadians stand on guard !!!
In light of all the discussions around Canada opening her doors to refugees and in this year of celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary, I submit this small memoir piece of my own experience of being a refugee. In 1957 after the Hungarian Revolution I escaped with my parents, spending 6 months in Refugee camps in what was then Yugoslavia, arriving in Canada on July 1st of that year. Five years later, also on July 1st, then known as Dominion Day, I was so proud to be accepted as citizen of this wonderful country. This year I celebrate Canada Day with gratitude for this beautiful...
Read MoreMalnutrition, double trouble.
Malnutrition in the community may not be always visible. Yet, it is a big problem: one out of two people admitted to hospital are in a malnourished state. People who have a chronic disease and are older than 65, are especially at risk for malnutrition. This is because when you suffer from a chronic disease and it is getting worse, you are not feeling well, and not feeling inspired to cook. You may have physical limitations curbing your ability to prepare a good meal. It is troublesome when you have difficulty cooking meals. But when you have a chronic disease, it means double trouble: your...
Read MoreWhen ‘normal’ is not ‘normal’
Whew! If you’ve ever had a mammogram, you know that feeling of relief when that letter arrives in the mail saying your results are ‘normal.’ Most women exhale and then toss the letter in the garbage. But we ask, hold on! You’ve done great going for your mammogram, but you need to do one more thing for yourself: ensure the accuracy of your mammogram by finding out your breast density. Sometimes a ‘normal’ mammogram result may not be accurate, especially if you have dense breasts. If you have fatty breasts, you can be reassured: mammograms are about 98 % accurate in picking up...
Read MoreIn search of the invisible army
I still serve in an invisible army. There’s no six star general to guide us but we have no doubt about our personal marching orders. I have a theory though. I believe that if our army acts together, we might shift the culture of care just a smidgen. It could be a campaign of communication, and our army leading that charge is called Family Caregivers. One in four Canadians is on active duty. There are many services. Mine was caring for my aging parents, and was limited by their passing on after a decade of growing need. A sudden death incident did not spirit them away, as they might have...
Read MoreA Garden of Memories
They say ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and it seems this can apply to gardens too. As I take stock of all the plants from friends’ gardens, I realize that what I have is a garden full of memories. They go back to my earliest days when I had a gardening business in Victoria called Forget Me Not Gardening, and I was taking care of 30 gardens. That meant I got to know my plants pretty fast, and some were more arresting than others. Margaret Gordon was a 95-year old spinster living in the same house she had grown up in, in Oak Bay. One day I walked into her backyard where the...
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