Lawn to Food
It’s a very unsuspecting location to find Lynda Smith’s business. In the middle of a Comox neighborhood where homes sit on lots not much larger than a quarter acre, an active vegetable farm is in production year-round. Lynda, founder and operator of Lawn to Food, is immersed in a small business that not only brings fresh, organic and plentiful food to her family’s table, but allows her to educate and coach others to do the same all while sharing the fruits of her labour for others to enjoy. “We had always gown food but I was always the one doing it and the one preparing it and I...
Read MoreSigns our body is giving us
How can we overcome the fear many aspects of our life are causing in us? Unfortunately there are many things in our world that are affecting our health negatively. Only to a certain degree we can protect ourselves from ElectroMagneticFrequencies – Chemtrails – Genmanipulated (GMO) food – Herbicides, Pesticides and Toxins. During my studies I learned from the MD Mary Lynch the vibration of DNA is nearly the same as the vibration of LOVE. This means when we are experiencing LOVE our DNA is better able to repair itself. JOY, LOVE, and PEACE have nearly the same...
Read MorePregnancy and Reflexology
Woman have come for treatments looking to conceive, to support their bodies throughout pregnancy and finally to induce birth. After care treatments also remain an important element in bringing mom’s body back to equilibrium. Pregnant women have found reflexology helped with: Headaches Constipation High blood pressure Shortness of Breath Tiredness Heartburn Backache Sleeplessness Anxiety Oedema (fluid retention, often in feet) Morning sickness It’s amazing what this gentle form of massage and acupressure can do. I have worked with women applying reflexology...
Read MoreWhy a Retirement Community?
Are you are no longer enjoying cooking? Not eating properly? Or maybe you’re lonely and having a hard time getting out of your home to visit. Are you feeling isolated…or bored? As a ‘tour guide’ for a seniors’ home, I find that many people have at least one of the above concerns. Another big concern for some people reaching the age where they are considering a down size is what seniors homes used to look like. They are remembering the facilities that used to care for their own grandparents or parents. Thankfully we have come a long way and there really is very little, if any,...
Read MoreWonder at the Choices
Have you ever wondered at the choices you’ve made? Not judged them, condemned them or blamed yourself for them but simply wondered? Have you ever stepped out of your judgement and simply wondered at the choices you’ve made? Has it ever occurred to you to say to yourself…”I wonder why I choose to do that?” or “I wonder why I choose that path or said those words?” And if you were to allow yourself to simply wonder, how do you think you might feel about your choices? You could open yourself up to possible reasons for your choices; you could allow the bigger picture of your life...
Read MoreEven Caring Has a Limit
With the daily demands life puts on us, it is stressful to provide comprehensive daily care to elderly parents when one or both parents are not as independent anymore. It’s usually the daughter caring for her elderly mother or father. The family caregiver can become mentally and physically exhausted, irritable and resentful. Just like our own pool of physical energy, the mental energy required to provide care to loved one has a limit. When it becomes very stressful to see a loved one struggling with independence, sometimes with high demands – at the end of the day it can be...
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 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 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 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 MoreHappy Hormone Health
Nutrition and hormone balance is one of my favorite subjects because not many people realize that we can use our own mouth to send a message … not that kind of message. The food you eat sends messages to your hormones. Hormones are the messengers for all functions of the body, from heartbeat to libido. I’d like to think the Cabernet I so enjoy is speaking to me in sultry passionate whispers … A diet that is high in refined carbohydrates (white bread and rice, alcohol, sugars of all kinds, or straight up candy – to name a few) sends some messages to our hormones that are not very nice....
Read MoreHome For The Holidays
The Christmas season is not my favourite time of the year – all the frantic hustle and bustle. And yet, underneath all the parties, shopping, baking and decorating, there is relief for many that ‘I am not alone’. Christmas is a lonely time for many people because there is such an emphasis on family, and the busyness is a great cover for that loneliness. Those who are not with family often feel left out and depressed. But for those who do have family, it can sometimes be even worse. When I was a kid, I remember the excitement of ‘the big day’ and the anticipation of the turkey...
Read MoreStress Is An Inside Job
Taking care of your health through the holidays will help you to cope with the stress that is sometimes associated with this festive season. Well look no further than your kitchen cupboards because there are many proactive steps you can take to have a healthy and happy holiday season. Although we can’t always control the external environment, we do get a say when it comes to our response – particularly to stress. It is our response that has the greatest impact on health. When we experience a stressful situation, the “fight or flight” hormone called cortisol is released from the...
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