The Disconnection of Connection
I had a situation occur within the last couple of weeks that solidified my discomfort over computer or technology-based connections. Facebook, e-mail and texting have become the new way of creating community in many facets of society. Don’t get me wrong, I have engaged fully in this. Isn’t it so easy to just send a quick text or email? To join a group on Facebook? The lure of the smart phone and computer is hard to escape and yet we are losing core, fundamental abilities to really “connect”. I remember spending hours on the phone with friends, boyfriends, family, etc in the 80’s and...
Read MoreHow to Find Help
Are you confused or unsure about what kind of help you or your aging loved one is eligible for in the community? Congratulations! You are among the many Canadians who find navigating the healthcare system overwhelming and even a little scary. Many caregivers find the co-ordination role (similar to that of a case manager) the most stressful part of caregiving even though it takes less time than providing personal care or helping with other household tasks. Let’s say, you think your Mom or wife is showing signs of memory loss but you aren’t sure if it is serious. Or you aren’t...
Read MoreA New On-Line Shopping Page.
On-line marketing has become an ever increasing presence an the market place and Island Woman magazine has created a platform to assist smaller companies on the island to easily access and share in its potential. Trish Summerhayes, the owner of Island Woman, said “It’s very important to me to do all that I can to encourage small business’ on the island, especially those of island women. I was a small business owner for many years and I know that it can be very difficult to start up and run a business, especially for women. It is so draining trying to obtain start-up money...
Read MoreNew Emergency Resource.
An untapped resource is ready and available here in the Comox Valley,able to respond to medical emergencies in the event of disaster. Throughout the region there are approximately 100 physicians and specialists of which a substantial and increasing number do not carry privileges to perform duties at St. Joseph’s General Hospital. Physicians not attached to the hospital, however, provide essential treatment and care within the Valley’s medical clinics. Should a state of emergency be declared, in essence they become a necessary resource to the community. As a physician belonging to the...
Read MoreEstrogen & Progesterone
As the level of wisdom appears to increase for women over the years, (aka aging), the level of estrogen production gradually begins to decrease. During a woman’s reproductive years, estrogen and progesterone levels are programmed to support the possibility of reproduction. When estrogen, progesterone (and testosterone) are in the groove, they are in a harmonious balancing act. The amount of each hormone produced depends on a complex feedback system to the brain. Stress, and diet affect that feedback mechanism and it can throw that hormonal dance offbeat. The role of progesterone is critical...
Read MoreHolistic Healing and the Mind
Holistic Healing: Exploring the ‘Mind’ Aspect of the Body/Mind/Spirit Connection Holistic Healing and the Mind The Mind encompasses a huge part of our experience – far more than we are often aware of. It is the Mind aspect of ourselves that controls our inner landscape and which is reflected in our outer experience. Our perception will be coloured by our thoughts, beliefs, emotions and past experiences and will impact the health of the Body and the spiritual direction we take. Holistic Healing must take into account what happens in the mind. What is Mind? The Webster’s New...
Read MorePlanning For The Unexpected
You’ve worked hard to make your business a success. There may have been times when you gambled on a business strategy and won – but, for the most part, you stuck to the meticulous business plan that has been your blueprint for growth and achievement. Now, it’s time for a new plan. What would happen to your business if you were taken away from it, even temporarily? Would it survive? If you’re like most small business owners, the odds are that your years of careful nurturing and building could come tumbling down without your energetic hands on the reins – because you are your...
Read MoreCanada needs to get serious
Laurie always has such wise messages. I felt the need to pass this on to Island Woman’s readers. Trish Summerhayes Owner/publisher. Canada needs to get serious if it’s going to address the unprecedented threat to our way of life that is climate change. The least-expensive, simplest and quickest way would be to restore forested lands and coastal marine ecosystems so they sequester carbon. Vancouver Island and the Salish Sea offer some of the easiest and best pickings to be had anywhere, and we’re long overdue. Promised and re-promised for 20 years, the need to mitigate our...
Read MoreSigns our Body is Giving us –
The standard answer from doctors to the question ‘’What is causing varicose veins?’’ is probably: Standing for long periods of time, pregnancy, age, being overweight, menopause, chronic heart conditions. Standing regularly for too long, especially on one leg, is definitely a factor. My mother had to put her weight on the left leg when working for hours on one specific machine. She had on the outside of that leg varicose veins, and needed at 84 years of age, a left side hip replacement. Therefore always put your weight equally on both legs. Always! BUT … there is something...
Read MoreWhat If ?
When I ponder the many directions I could take this article, I feel compelled to talk about our upcoming “Pink Day”, on February 24. Pink Day is the international day against bullying, discrimination, homophobia, transphobia, and transmisogyny across the world. This is a topic that has been speaking to me loud and clear for the last number of months. I have many poems that would fit well here, one is a new one, hot off the press but yet to be fully processed. I have also created a YouTube video show called “Tea with Carlie” and my first topic is called “Self-love: A Radical...
Read MoreCourage To Be Vulnerable
When my girls’ father and I were neck deep in the dissolution of our marriage, I remember telling him how weak I felt for having allowed him to take such advantage of my patience, trust and forgiveness over our many years together. I really was struggling with how I had managed to let myself get to a place of feeling so small and unseen. As an intelligent and confident woman, it seemed unbelievable to me that I could have been so blind to what was going on right in front of me, never mind allowing it. To me, it was a sign of weakness that I couldn’t seem to stand up for myself and have my...
Read MoreThe Power Of Words
My client had just finished describing a situation and I posed the question, ‘How did that strike you?’ That was 30 years ago and I’m grateful my clinical supervisor cautioned me that my choice of the words ‘How did that strike you?’ made it a leading question; ‘strike’ assumes a hit, an offense. It is not an open question. Words can have an aggressive quality and sometimes this is an important, almost desirable, trait. In his book, The Brain’s Way of Healing, Norman Doidges quotes prominent health professional Abraham Fuks on the use of language in medical practice:...
Read MoreOpportunity Knocks
I recently presented on my 7 Pillars of Happiness to a wonderful group of South Cowichan seniors. We all had a great time discussing happiness and why it’s important to think about and practice it (but NOT chase it!) at any age. And I made a new friend at this presentation too. Terry. Great fellow! From the moment I arrived and sat down (beside Terry), he seemed like such an easy person to talk to. It was as if I was supposed to sit next to Terry. We started to connect immediately. Terry shared a couple of stories about his career and how he was drawn to educating and helping others. We all...
Read MoreReflexology For Winter
Officially the days have become longer, but we are still in the winter months which means that certain parts of our bodies are taxed in different ways. Our habits change as we slow down in winter in order to build ourselves up with new resources for spring. In Chinese medicine, the winter season is ruled by water; this is considered the most Yin (feminine) season. The organs most affected during this time are the kidney and bladder. The Chinese believe that vital life energy – Ch’i – circulates in the body along meridians. In mapping out reflexes along meridian lines and through...
Read MoreCat Bathing as a Martial Art
Some people say cats never have to be bathed. They say cats lick themselves clean. But, sometimes kitty does smell or their owner gets an idea that they should be bathed. When that day arrives at your house, here is some advice you might consider as you place your feline friend under your arm and head for the bathtub. Know that although the cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don’t try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a...
Read MoreSingles Buying On Gabriola
Should I? Should I? Why not? I did! And here are a few pointers about buying on Gabriola, single or not. I’ll admit I was green about the edges; completely taken with Gabriola; totally unaware of country-life in a rural community, much less an island. I won’t go into the cushioned, city-girl lifestyle, 24/7, but you get my drift. And yet, I knew this was for me, moving from the city to the country. Couldn’t be all that different, I mused to myself. Just a bit more ‘hands-on’. What does it mean to be a steward of your own land? It sounded more ethereal than down to earth or real....
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