News

April 28, 2015 In Emotional Health, Fitness, News By Melissa Carr

What is Success?

Have you ever watched any of the TED Talks? Search out TED Talks online (or on Netflix) and you’ll find a wide assortment of videos of talks on a wide range of topics by amazing speakers. They run from 10-25 minutes long and I think are worth a regular visit to see what you can learn about, be inspired for, and change your perception. I’m going to run a series of reviews and recommendations for TED Talks and will start with one from John Wooden and his thoughts on success. Because you might like to learn why you he’s a good person to...

April 27, 2015 In Eliminating Toxins, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Sean Wilkinson

Mind Over Illness: Boosting Your Immunity With Your Thoughts

When our lives get hectic, many of us are concerned about illness such as cold and flu viruses. While it is true that eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting plenty of rest can go a long way in supporting proper immune functioning, it is vital not to underestimate the power that the mind plays in directly affecting our immune systems. Research in Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)–the study of how beliefs, behaviours, and environment impact our health and illness –has shown that our negative thought patterns or states can play a major role in contributing to illness. The good news, however, is that positive...

April 13, 2015 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vreni Gurd

Glycemic Index vs Glycemic Load

The Glycemic Index is a very useful way to determine how quickly the carbohydrate (sugar) in a food will be absorbed into the blood stream, but the Glycemic Load is an even better measure of determining the insulin response and therefore how fattening a food is. The Glycemic Index is a list of foods that compares how quickly 50 grams of carbohydrate within the food will raise your blood sugar as compared to 50 grams of sugar alone. To calculate the Glycemic Index of a food, scientists measure out the quantity of a particular food needed to obtain 50 grams of...

April 3, 2015 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Brandi Wagner

Healing Your Skin With Food

Skin problems, such as acne, aren't an uncommon health concern/complaint among both genders and can occur at any age, from early teenage years into adulthood. In the past year, I've talked to more than a handful of people who have experienced acne at some point in their life and have been on acne medication to help treat it. Some have had success and become acne free, some experienced no change at all and some have even experienced a temporary change until coming off the medication (which usually isn't intended for long term use) only to see their acne flare up...

April 1, 2015 In Emotional Health, Holistic Health, News By Melissa Carr

How to Deal With Workplace Stress

According to the 2011 Buffett National Wellness Survey, the top health concern cited by employers with respect to the establishment of employee wellness programs was workplace stress. I recently had a conversation with a patient about stress. He lives a stressful life and has for a long time. His work is stressful, but he does it because he enjoys it. Because the stress has been affecting his health, the question is whether the job is worth it. Upon further discussion, I learned that he can do the same work pretty much anywhere. That’s one of the benefits of computers, cell phones, email,...

March 23, 2015 In Holistic Health, News, Spotlight, Yoga By Suzanne Zilkowsky

The One-Breath Meditation

We have all heard how meditation can be a useful way to calm the mind, reduce stress and gain energy, and yet the thought of trying may seem somehow daunting. The image of the yogi sitting peacefully for hours may just seem too far from our reality to consider meditation as a viable method to de-stress and centre oneself. Yet the fact of the matter is that probably every single one of us has at one time or another been in a meditative state when we are doing something that completely occupies us, whether it is painting, rock climbing, playing...

March 17, 2015 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Yoga By Suzanne Zilkowsky

Athletes and Yoga

Yoga isn’t just for yogis. Many athletes have turned to yoga for good reason. Olympians use yoga, as do professional golfers, football players, basketball players, street performers, and even power-lifters. No matter what your sport, and if you are a professional or simply play on a recreational team, yoga can help you by: Making You More Injury Proof Yoga helps to stretch and condition not just the muscles, but all the connective tissues of the body, so that when you reach, jump, or kick, you are less likely to pull a muscle – like a hamstring or groin – because the muscles...

March 16, 2015 In Emotional Health, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Suzanne Zilkowsky

Mid-Life and Mood Swings

Unfortunately, temper tantrums and mood swings aren’t just for toddlers and 14-year-old girls anymore. If you are a lady lucky enough to be encountering perimenopause or menopause, these emotional rollercoasters may have become part of your daily life. But what can you do about them? For some women, it can be easy to let menopausal emotions wreak havoc on interpersonal relationships, while others try to fight any emotion tooth and nail. Read on for simple, natural tips for managing menopause and its wacky moods. Take Up Yoga Yoga is widely touted for its ability to center the mind and improve the body’s health....

December 16, 2014 In Fitness, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Suzanne Zilkowsky

New Service to Target Stressed Clients

In today’s world of endless distractions, always-on connections, and breakneck speed work, it’s easy to feel drained. Instead of addressing the root cause of low energy, too often we medicate it away with caffeine or even prescription drugs, which, over the long run, run our batteries still lower. These symptoms of low energy include: feeling frequently tired, anxious or overwhelmed and over time, this will lead to deficiency in self-care, especially around energy and health. It’s an unfortunate fact, but in today’s world of endless distractions and rapid pace, self-care in the area of health frequently falls to the bottom of...

December 6, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Inflammation and Chronic Degenerative Diseases

Numerous articles in print and media have identified inflammation as the common denominator in today’s chronic degenerative diseases, ranging from cancer, to osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. For example, the February 23, 2004 cover of Time magazine was entitled “The Secret Killer – The Surprising Link Between Inflammation and Heart Attacks, Cancer [and] Alzheimer’s”. Furthermore, numerous articles from respected scientific journals have reported a link between chronic inflammatory processes and cardiovascular diseases like atherothrombosis (whereby fatty plaques dislodged from blood vessels increase the risk of strokes or heart attacks), endometriosis, bone loss in post-menopausal women, rheumatoid arthritis and peridontitis to name a...