by | Dec 15, 2015 | Uncategorized
Christmas is one the most favorite time of the years for many! But it can be one of hardest times of the years to stay healthy and focused when it comes to your body and keeping fit. Below we provide you tips on how to stay focused and not fall apart when surrounded with bad food and encouraged to watch movies all day.
Healthy Tips Calgary
1) Portion Control – it is not surprise that this is on the list! You do not have to say NO to all the food but just portion the bad parts. Load up on the veggies when they are available and pull back on the high fat carbs. When there is fruit available for desert – choose the fruit and pick 1 small sweet! Instead of skipping the bad foods all together just control the amounts you have and focus on the adding more of the organic, whole foods options.
2) Get Active – you may be traveling or visiting relatives. You may be at home but routine is not routine. Either one will cause a shift in visiting the gym or getting outside for your regular run. The key to staying active is involving others over the holiday season. It may not be a run but going tobogganing for an hour is a great work out for your body and allows you to stay active. Taking walks with friends and families keeps your body moving – a key to allowing yourself to return to regular routine after the holidays and not having any injuries. However you decide to move that is the key – MOVE.
3) Mindfulness – staying healthy over the holidays is not just about your food and activity level. In order to not get into a rut, when out of regular routines, practicing mindfulness will result in a healthy outlook and give you the ability to stay focused and thankful even with holiday stress arrives. Whether it’s family that pushes those buttons or kids at home from school with nothing to do – finding quite moments alone to focus, be thankful and regroup can bring balance and clear objectives when facing extra pressures of the season. It might be a morning coffee alone with a book and journal, maybe a massage while the kids are at a friend’s house or a sleep in when the in-laws have the babies. Whatever your quite moment looks like – take it!
We wish you the happiest holiday season from all of us here at Docere. We trust that as you focus on health and wellness this season you take it in stride and enjoy the treats, the family and friends and memories that are being made around it all.
by | Nov 16, 2015 | Uncategorized
Do you experience the “blues” or low mood during the winter months? How do you know if this is just a normal reaction to negative events in your life or whether you are experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
True SAD is a common disorder affecting an estimated ten million Americans. Another ten percent to twenty percent may have mild SAD. It is more frequently found in women than men.
Symptoms of SAD include low mood, difficulty waking in the morning, a tendency to oversleep and overeat (especially carbohydrates), a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating and a tendency towards social withdrawal. Many of the symptoms mimic major depressive disorder.
Seasonal mood variations are believed to be related changes in light levels. Many people drive to work in the mornings when it is dark and return home after sunset so they are not exposed to much natural daylight. Anyone can get SAD but it is more common in:
- Winter
- People who live far from the equator where winter daylight hours are short
- People between the ages of 15 and 55. The risk of getting SAD for the first time goes down as you age.
- People who have a close relative with SAD.
Light Therapy NW Calgary
To be diagnosed with SAD you have to have been depressed during the same season and recovered when the seasons changed for at least two years in a row. You may also need to have a blood test to rule out other conditions that can cause similar symptoms such as hypothyroidism.
The roots of SAD may well be due to the tendency for some animals, or in this case, humans, to diminish activity or even hibernate in the winter when there is less food available. It was likely that food was scarce during most of human prehistory, and so a tendency toward low mood during the winter months would have been adaptive by reducing the need for calorie intake.
Bright light therapy has been found to be highly effective in treating SAD. This is because the cause of SAD may well be related to an excess of the brain chemical called melatonin which is produced in dim light and darkness by the pineal gland leaving a person feeling tired and lethargic and disrupting the biological clock which controls the sleep-wake pattern. Melatonin secretion is controlled by this circadian clock but can also be suppressed by bright light.
Light therapy, or phototherapy, using a light source which emits bright white full spectrum light at 10 000 lux, is the preferred treatment although blue light at a wavelength of 480nm at 2500 lux may also be used. Typically, the person would sit 30-60 cm from the light each morning without staring at it for 30-60 minutes a day. Dawn simulators can also be effective. Light therapy has very few side effects. The amount of time required varies by individual. It can be used until enough daylight is available, typically in the springtime. Stopping light therapy too early can result in a return of symptoms.
In addition to light therapy during the winter months, it is also important to take advantage of available sunlight and plan pleasurable activities for the winter season. Approach the winter with a positive attitude and if symptoms develop seek help sooner than later. Fill out your info and get started today!
by | Nov 16, 2015 | Uncategorized
The most familiar and commonly diagnosed types of headaches are migraine and tension-type. While it is believed that migraine headaches are related to problems with blood flow/vessels in the brain, tension-type headaches originate from the skull muscles and supporting muscles just below the head. There is, however, another relatively common type of headache called the Cervicogenic Headache.
The cervicogenic headache is characterized mainly by pain at the back of the head which can radiate over the top of the head to the front. It usually only affects one side however there are cases in which both sides are affected. The cause of this type of headache doesn’t come from the head, but as the name would suggest, it comes from the neck. People who suffer from cervicogenic headaches often (not always) have accompanying neck symptoms like pain/soreness, stiffness, decreased neck mobility and tight muscles. Some of my patients describe the feeling as a general soreness or tightness that starts from the middle of the neck, traveling upward into the back of the skull.
There are many things that can cause problems in the neck which might manifest as a cervicogenic headache. These range from traumatic whiplash to prolonged poor posture (desk work) to sleeping in a strange position.
The perception of head pain coming from problems in the neck happens because of the way the nerves are wired: injury or insult to the anatomy of the neck sends pain signals upward to a “central hub”. This hub also receives nerves that are in charge of transmitting pain signals from the back and base of skull. As the brain is trying to decipher the information from this central hub it “mixes up” the signals and believes that some of the pain stimulus is coming from the back of the head, while in fact there isn’t a problem with that area. This is the principle known as referred pain.
CranioSacral Therapy Northwest Calgary
Patients with this type of headache respond very well to chiropractic care because the problem stems from the area we deal with most — the spine/back. My treatment for this condition involves giving exercises to strengthen weak muscles, soft tissue techniques to relax tight/spasmed muscles, and chiropractic manipulation to restore proper neck biomechanics. As the proper posture and biomechanics of the spine are restored the injured neck anatomy gets a chance to heal and normalize resulting in headache cessation.
Understanding Headaches – The Cervicogenic Headache
By Samuel Lim D.C.
Come experience a session at a discounted rate with Docere Wellness Centre.
by | Oct 7, 2015 | Uncategorized
At Amaranth, we value meeting our customers where they are. We know that there is more than one right way to do things and we are here no matter where you are in your health journey. From organic, natural and whole foods to environmental responsibility and optimizing health and healing, there are lots of places to start. If colds and flus are your motivation, think of all of the extra benefits that building the immune system will have on your body!
No one wants to get the flu so we will start with how to prevent it, then we will look at what to do at the first sign of sickness and follow with how to treat symptoms that are making you feel miserable.
Of course none of us want to experience the discomfort of having a bad cold or flu, but in addition to preventing the flu these things can also prevent a lot of other health problems. Good sense cannot be overstated!
- enough restful and restorative sleep
- mild to moderate exercise everyday (Intense exercise or over exertion for your abilities can actually weaken the body and make it more susceptible to getting sick. Athletes or weekend warriors should follow extra mechanisms of prevention.)
- healthy eating including lots of greens, fats, carbs, sugars, fibre
- washing your hands with soap and water before eating
- having a healthy gut
Your gut is the tube that goes right from your mouth, all the way through your body and out the other end. Research is mounting as to the importance of getting this tube healthy. A healthy gut is full of a wide variety of beneficial bacteria that work with many or all of your body systems to regulate your immune system and your general health. A gut that is plentiful in good bacteria is better at crowding out cold and flu germs so that they cannot get a foot hold as well as working with the immune system to create its own antibodies to prevent colds and flus naturally.
Working to have a healthy gut can be a big process for some but it starts with getting the good bacteria in AND helping it survive. Good bacteria comes from spending time in healthy soil, not over disinfecting things and consuming fermented foods and probiotics. Keeping them alive and flourishing can be achieved by feeding them the things that they like to eat including all types of fibre from a variety of vegetables, fruits, pulses and whole grains. To learn more about building a healthy gut, visit your Docere Naturopaths.
You know when you feel that first tingle in the ears or throat or a bit of stiffness in the neck? Don’t wait to see what happens! You have a small window to get ahead of the germs that are trying to multiply. Taking a cold or flu targeted remedy can be very effective to both reduce your chances of a sickness setting in or decreasing the length and intensity of the infection.
A favourite Amaranth remedy is Cold Defense by Health First. Cold Defense uses a combination of traditional Chinese herbs that treat and prevent a variety of infections including some fungal infections.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Calgary
Why We Love It: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), health is optimal when there’s an abundant supply of life energy or ‘Qi’ (chee). This energy supports our body, providing nourishment for all of our organs and tissues. Cold Defense uses the herb astragalus to strengthen our Qi and andrographis to clear heat and dampness from our body which can contaminate our Qi. Both of these herbs also have antibacterial and immune boosting effects. With the Qi healthy, the fang feng herb in the formula can use the Qi to aide in releasing toxins trapped in our body which helps to alleviate the pain associated with cold and flu symptoms. On top of these herbs, the formula uses North American ginseng to generate fluids and strengthen the immune system, as well as huo xiang which aids the digestive system and prevents diarrhea (phew)!
Blinded By Science: When a cold or flu gets past our primary defense system it often affects our stomach first. This can show as stomach upset/nausea or simply digestive issues. When our digestive abilities are weakened it is much more difficult to fight an infection and other issues soon present themselves. If taken at the onset of symptoms, Cold Defense has been shown to reduce cold and flu symptoms within 2-4 days. It can be taken for immediate relief of symptoms with an intense dosage over a 4 day period (3 capsules, 3 times daily) or it can be taken one capsule per day as a preventative or for long-term detoxification purposes.
If you miss this initial warning system and find yourself with a full blown cold or flu there are still lots of things that you can do in addition to continuing to take the Cold Defense.
First of all, rest and sleep. Yes, you are busy and surely very, very important, but you are sick and you will get better faster (and infect less people) if you stay home and rest. Taking something to numb to your symptoms and put you back into life’s responsibilities is only going to keep you sick longer.
Take a hot bath in Epsom salts, drink lots of fluids including ginger tea if you have congestion or digestive upset and follow your healthy living guide to prevention above.
Sore throats and coughs can be eased with Nim Jiom taken in a spoon or dissolved in hot water as a tea. A high dose probiotic can help to give you that extra boost to get your bacterial balance back to normal.
Moist air is easier to breath and supports the healthy bacteria that live in your mucus membranes so a humidifier can be helpful. Essential oils like tea tree or thieves oil can be added to the humidifier to ease symptoms and promote healing.
If you find it hard to breathe due to a stuffed nose, try ‘Magic Socks’. Have a hot bath with the door closed to help clear your passageways and get your body warm. Get out of the tub, dry off and put your pjs on. Wet a pair of 100% cotton socks with really cold water and put them on your feet (sorry!) and pull a pair of dry 100% wool socks over top. Go to bed. The wet, cold socks help to create a pump to cleanse lymphatic tissue and promote drainage where you need it. In the morning your socks will be dry, your feet will be hot and your congestion will be much, much less. Repeat again the next night.
Once you start getting back to normal, take it easy on yourself so that you don’t relapse. Keep taking the supplement(s) that you chose for prevention and relief and take good care of yourself, getting enough sleep and eating whole, nourishing and fermented foods and staying clear of sugar and other processed options. You deserve it!
For more information from Amaranth, visit the Amaranth Blog at https://amaranthfoodsblog.wordpress.com and like their Facebook page /AmaranthFoods.
For Health First Cold Defense or your favourite natural health supplements, visit Amaranth on the 1st Wednesday of every month for their Customer Appreciation Day where all supplements, vitamins and body care are 20% off of regular prices.
by | Aug 31, 2015 | Uncategorized
We were pleased to provide 20 snack suggestions for you on our Facebook page yesterday! As a follow up we thought our audience would like to know what types of snacks these might include and what the best options would be when it comes to purchasing local and organic.
Health Inspiration NW Calgary
Hard Boiled Eggs – these are a GREAT protein option especially when schools are a nut free and zone. You can find free range eggs at your grocery store now or you can buy at the farmers market from local farmers, (which is ALWAYS the best.)
Dips – The average bottle of Ranch Dressing is a chemical, by-product loaded zone but there are some EASY options to give your kids in their lunches to go side by side with their veggies! Follow this link for some homemade dressings that will have your kids asking for MORE!
Meats/Cheese – If you have not already heard lunch meats are chemical laden and are NOT the best option when making sandwiches or making pigs in a blanket. But more and more companies are coming out with lunch meat and rolled meats that have ONLY natural ingredients sans nitrates. We encourage you to find those options and choose those for your kids. Follow this link to help you choose healthier lunch meat and 6 key ingredients to AVOID!
Popcorn and Other Dry Goods – what seems to be fiber filled and easy to grab snacks can also be the worst for GMO’s, processed ingredients and high calories. When in a pinch and need to grab cereal, popcorn or pretzels always look for GMO free and the least amount of ingredients. Community Natural foods has AMAZING choices when it comes to these types of foods. Follow this link to find the store near you!
Fruits and Vegetables – as ALWAYS these are the best choice to include in your child’s lunch! They are sweet and crunchy and easy to pack and easy to eat! But when it comes to choosing what the best are for you it gets tricky. You have heard about the dirty dozen of fruits and veggies when it comes to pesticides and chemicals so we encourage purchasing local organic produce when available. Calgary has some of the most AMAZING farmers markets and you can be sure you are not only get high quality product but supporting these growers will result in better food to continue to be produced. Click this link to find a FULL list of farmers markets in your local area!
If you are still at a loss and unsure where to start on changing your families diet call our nutritionist to assist you! She would be happy to meet with you and work out a plan to keep your family healthy and happy as you plan out lunches and family meal times that keep everyone smiling! Click this link to find out more about how you can create a healthier lifestyle for your family!
If you are interested in our services or you have any health concerns, just give us a call at 403.452.6262 today!
