Discover Wellness Issue 31 October 2016

ISSUE 31 OCTOBER 2016

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INSPIRING A HEALTHY YOU

WELLNESS

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A THANKSGIVING TWIST

SHEA BUTTER FOR NOURISHED SKIN SKIP THE BREAD IMMUNE SUPPORTIVE FOODS NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTS ARE NOT DRUGS

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WELLNESS Published monthly by Jennifer Reed, R.H.N. Discover Wellness is a monthly newsletter published in Quesnel, B.C., featuring various health and wellness articles from local (B.C.) professionals and enthusiasts, delicious recipes from holistic nutritionists and a professional directory showcasing our many local health and wellness leaders.

Want to advertise your business in Discover Wellness?

For more information about distribution, features and benefits, contact Jennifer at 250-255-2449 or email jennifer@spiralhealth.ca.

To subscribe online please visit: www.spiralhealth.ca.

The opinions expressed within are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Spiral Health. Those with health concerns should seek professional advice from a healthcare provider as all content found in Discover Wellness is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Lisa Kilgour, RHN www.lisakilgour.com It’s here. The time of year we’ve been dreading all summer and fall is finally here. Yup, it’s cold and flu season. Why does it seem so scary? We all tend to live a busy, hectic life and we don’t have time to lie in bed feeling like we’ve been run over by a truck. So we try to prepare; we have immune boosters on hand at all times, we stay far FAR away anyone that’s sniffling, and hope for the best.

WHAT ARE WE MISSING? Our immune system is a miraculous body system. All day is scours the body looking for viruses, bacteria, and rogue cells that shouldn’t be there and gets rid of them. A balanced immune system is the key to health.

But, our immune system works within the Parasympathetic Nervous System, which is our relaxation mode. When we’re stressed our immune system is depressed.

Have you ever wondered why you tend to get sick AFTER a busy and stressful time? While you’re stressed viruses take up residence in your body. They replicate and have a good ‘ol time while your immune system is depressed by your Sympathetic Nervous System (fight or flight). Once relaxed, your immune system finds the virus party and attacks…and these are the cold symptoms you feel. Always keep in mind; symptoms of a cold or flu are symptoms of your immune system FIGHTING it, not of the cold or flu itself.

Immune Modulators vs Immune Boosters We can help our immune system out, even when we’re under stress. We can support the immune system and help it out with its very difficult job.

IMMUNE MODULATORS It has become very common in North America to have an over-active immune system. Think of your immune system as having WAY too much coffee. It’s over-stimulated and is unable to make good decisions. These confused decisions happen when the immune system mistakes a part of your body or a non-virus for an invader.

It usually starts with a simple misunderstanding, like with seasonal allergies. Pollen and dust look similar to a virus, but a balanced

immune system can tell the difference. An overwhelmed immune system doesn’t have time to decide if this spec of pollen is “good” or “bad” and strikes an attack. This is why allergy symptoms feel so cold-like.

A very overwhelmed immune system may even start to mistake our own tissue for an invader, like we see in auto-immune conditions. Do not “boost” your immune system if you have an auto-immune condition. You need an immune modulator. Immune modulators are supplements and foods that help the immune system find balance. If your immune system is low, it will raise it. If it’s over-stimulated, it will help find balance. These are the safest immune supplements to take.

Examples are: medicinal mushrooms, Vitamin D, turmeric, and probiotics IMMUNE BOOSTERS These foods and supplements do exactly what they say they’re going to do, they boost the immune system. It’s best to take these when you’re already feeling a cold or flu coming on. At first I tend to feel SO much worse when I take an immune booster but then I wake up the next day feeling fantastic. It’s key to allow your immune system the space to fight off this virus by taking some downtime on the couch and resting. A bit of rest at the beginning of a cold may shave days off your suffering.

Chemical -Free Household Cleaners Fall is upon us! Just as cleansing the body is recommended during spring and fall to assist its natural drainage process, so too is cleansing the home.

Using chemical-free, homemade cleansers for your home will help to reduce everyday exposure to toxins. If you have pets and small children this is especially important as little bodies are much more vulnerable to the chemicals found in common household cleaners.

Here are a few recipes for inexpensive, do-it-yourself cleaners you can feel safe and good about using.

Examples are: high dose Vitamin C, Echinacea, and elderberry

GLASS CLEANER • 2 cups water • 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar • 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol (70% concentration) • 1 to 2 drops of orange essential oil, which gives the solution a lovely smell (optional)

ANTI-VIRALS

Great for: Windows and mirrors

These help the immune system by killing off the virus, bacteria, or parasites before they take over and start to party. I always have my favourite anti-viral in my medicine cabinet and I take it anytime I feel the beginnings of a cold.

HEAVY-DUTY SCRUB • 1/2 a lemon • 1/2 cup borax (a laundry booster; find it in the detergent aisle)

Examples are: Oil of oregano, raw garlic, and olive leaf extract

How to use: Dip the lemon into the borax and scrub surface; rinse.

Great for rust stains on porcelain or enamel sinks and tubs (not safe for marble or granite.)

This is a great time of year to give your immune system some extra help. A nice relaxing hot bath, meditation, and any stress-relieving activity will allow your immune system some time to do it’s everyday clean up and inspection. A bit of downtime today may save you days or weeks of bed rest when that dreaded cold starts to go around your work or child’s school.

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER • 1/2 cup vinegar • 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) • 2 liters water How to use: Store and keep. Use for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors, etc.

DISINFECTANT • 2 teaspoons borax • 4 tablespoons vinegar • 3 cups hot water (can add 1/4 tsp liquid castile soap for stronger cleaning power) How to use: Wipe on with dampened cloth or use non-aerosol spray bottle. (This is not an antibacterial formula. The average kitchen or bathroom does not require antibacterial cleaners.)

To disinfect kitchen sponges, put them in the dishwasher when running a load.

Recipes courtesy of eartheasy.com and goodhousekeeeping.com

Skip The Bread Substitute With

Fruit & Veggies Instead Sandwiches are a quick and easy go-to for lunch or dinner when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare anything else. Unfortunately there are a lot of different reasons - from gluten or grain intolerance to highly processed white bread - that you might want to skip the bread.

But if the bread is the staple of a sandwich, how can you still enjoy a favorite meal without it?

Here are a few ideas to nix the bread, add a few more vegetables to your day and lighten up a meal.

Use Lettuce!

Yep, lettuce. Lettuce is a great alternative to bread when you’re craving that sandwich. Romaine lettuce or other large leafy greens like cabbage, Bibb lettuce or red lettuce are best because they contain more nutrients than iceberg lettuce and they also tend to be a bit sturdier and won’t fall apart so easily.

Chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato), turkey patty...anything goes when it comes to ingredients!

Use Cucumbers or Red Peppers!

This trick takes a little bit of time but I promise you, it's worth it. In order for this one to work, you need to cut the cucumber or red pepper in half lengthwise and hollow it out to make the perfect space for the rest of your ingredients. The same ingredients mentioned above work perfect in this case too.

Use Apple Slices!

Mixed greens, a slice of gouda (or your favourite cheese) squished between apple slices is so delish!

Or maybe try a stackable sandwich layering apple slices, almond butter, oats, rasins and cinnamon. This is an excellent snack for the school lunchbox.

Remember to leave the apple peel on (if organic) to ensure you’re getting all the important phytonutrients from your apple.

There you have it, a few ideas to help you skip the bread and create a delicious sandwich alternative and include more fruits and veggies in your diet.

Natural Health Products are NOT Drugs Help us show Health Canada that NHP Regulations work!

#NHPsAreNotDrugs When you walk into your local CHFA Member health food store, you can find all kinds of safe, effective and high-quality natural health products (NHPs) that you and 77 per cent of Canadians use for the maintenance of good health.

These NHPs could include vitamin C to reduce the duration and severity of the common cold. Or a probiotic to keep your immune system primed and ready to combat those winter bugs. Or vitamin D, since there are few natural dietary sources and because supplementing with vitamin D is almost universally recommended, particularly for those in greatest need like infants and the elderly.

Whatever NHPs you choose, it is important to know Canada is a global leader in the regulation of these products, which can include vitamins, minerals, probiotics, herbal products, homeopathic remedies and traditional medicines.

You can be confident that the Canadian regulations that already exist for these products are among the best in the world. These regulations are based on 53 recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Health (SCOH) in 1998. The SCOH met with hundreds of witnesses, including consumer groups, Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, International regulators, and received numerous submissions over a half a year of consultation.

Based on the robust consultation process, an appropriate framework was created for the regulations of NHPs. This work resulted in the passage of the Natural Health Products Regulations (NHP Regulations), which came into effect in 2004. Along with the regulation came the establishment of the then Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD), now the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD), a branch of Health Canada dedicated to the review and oversight of NHPs. The Canadian approach to regulation is often referred to as a “pre-approval” system, which means that all NHPs must be approved by Health Canada before they are allowed to be legally sold to Canadians. Other countries have alternative methods for regulating products similar to NHPs. For example, the United States calls these products Dietary Supplements and they are regulated as food products, where oversight is done through “post-market reporting.” This means that Dietary Supplements can be marketed and sold in the U.S. without pre-approval and manufacturers are expected to report any adverse effects.

Currently, when you buy an NHP at your local CHFA Member health food store, you can feel confident knowing that the company selling that product has provided evidence to support any

health claims made.

The level of evidence that is required to be submitted for NHPs seeking approval in Canada depends on the claim being made and the overall risk of the product, and the condition it is being used for. A product such as a multivitamin that makes a claim, “helps with the maintenance of good health,” will have to provide different evidence than an omega-3 that makes the claim, “helps to reduce serum triglycerides and support brain function.” This evidence could include clinical trial data or references to published studies, journals, pharmacopoeias and traditional resources.

No NHP can be approved for sale in Canada without providing evidence to support the claims being made. Each product that is authorized for sale in Canada is included in an online database that provides details on what is in the product and what claims have been approved.

Health Canada is now proposing a framework that would significantly alter the existing NHP Regulations and instead wants to regulate some NHPs using the same rules as drugs based on a small consumer survey and six weeks of consultation.

This proposal is truly trying to fix a system that is not broken and will be a step backward instead of forward. Our current regulations take into account the unique properties and low-risk nature of these products, ensuring that you have access to NHPs that are safe, effective and of high quality, while respecting freedom of choice, and the philosophical and cultural diversity of our country.

Changing the way NHPs are regulated will have a huge impact on the products you will find on your store shelves. Providing the evidence required for drugs is vastly expensive, which is why the prices for drugs are significantly higher compared to NHPs. Requiring the same level of evidence as a drug, which is necessary for products developed in a laboratory, is not reasonable for NHPs when considering they are derived from nature, in many cases have been used for thousands of years, and are extremely low-risk.

To help ensure you continue to have access to the NHPs you know and love, we need your help. Please visit chfa.ca right now to send a message to your Member of Parliament, letting them know these changes are not acceptable. It will only take you one minute and will make a big difference in helping us ensure you continue to have access to your favourite safe and effective natural health products.

professional DIRECTORY Aromatherapy

shea butter for

Nourished skin If you have an interest in skin care, you’ve probably heard of shea butter. It is a very common ingredient in lotions and moisturizers.

Body - Mind - Spirit

Healing & Body Therapies

What is Shea Butter?

Shea butter comes from the Shea tree nut, native to Africa. It is an off-white fat that is also edible and used in cooking, particularly in Africa. Sometimes it is used as a replacement for cocoa butter in chocolate.

Cleopatra used shea butter way back in ancient Egypt, demonstrating the popularity of it even in ancient times. It has been used for hundreds of years in Egypt to protect the skin from the desert sun and heat. It has a natural SPF protection of about 6.

How Shea Butter can help your Skin Today, shea butter is a natural ingredient found in many skin care products. It contains fatty acids that help to strengthen and heal the skin, as well as assist with collagen production. Shea butter is also anti-inflammatory, calming red skin from acne, rosacea and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Shea butter contains vitamins A and E, both great nutrients for nourishing and healing skin as well as reducing wrinkles and healing damage, as they are antioxidants.

Massage, Registered

Nutritionists / Healthy Food

Of course, shea butter is used often because it is extremely moisturizing. The natural ingredients help penetrate the skin layers to deliver moisture deep into the skin. Because it doesn’t contain any concerning ingredients, you don’t have to be worried about what your skin is absorbing.

Shea butter is the perfect body butter to use during pregnancy, to keep the skin soft and pliable. Many people swear by its use in preventing stretch marks. Plus, it is all natural and safe. When the baby arrives, it can be used on baby skin too. Use a little bit of shea butter after a bath for a relaxing baby massage.

Not only can it be used by itself for its moisturizing properties, but it can be a base for many homemade beauty products, including deodorant, lotion, lip balm and makeup.

Refflexology

Green Sisters provides shea butter moisturizer in Unscented and Tangerine availabl at: Green Tree - Quesnel Ave Maria - Prince George Hobbit House - Williams Lake Higher Ground - 100 Mile House www.greensisters.ca

recipe

BOX

Twice Baked Turkey Stuffed Yams Recipe created by Hillary Shearing Certified Holistic Nutritionist My Awesome Foods www.myawesomefoods.com

Cardio Screening DIGITAL PULSWAVE ANALYSIS The DPA accurately measures the elasticity of small and large arteries and provides health care practitioners with critical information regarding arterial aging.

Cardio Screens feels that use of the DPA can reduce cardiovascular disease through early detection and prevention.

Ingredients 4 medium yams 1 lb of ground turkey 1/2 tbs of olive oil 2 cloves of garlic minced 1/2 yellow onion minced 1 tsp of yellow curry 1 tsp of braggs soy sauce 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar

3 cracks of pink salt 1 tsp of pepper 1.5 cups of minced kale 1 tsp of garlic powder 3 cracks of pink salt 1 tsp of pepper 1.5 tbs of 0% plain greek yoghurt 1/2 cup of green onion

1. TUNES! 2. Wrap your yams in foil and bake in the oven or bbq on top rack at 400 degrees for 30 -45 min. (you want your yams soft enough to mash) 3. Once yams are cooked, remove from foil and set aside to cool.

4. Heat oil in a pan and fry onion and garlic it it for 2 min. Add your ground turkey, spices, braggs, and vinegar – saving the kale for the last 5 min.

5. While you are waiting for that tasty goulash to cook, gently cut your yams in half and very gently scrape out the insides (leaving the skins whole on each half – like a potato skin).

6. Mix the yam wiht the garlic powder, salt, pepper, yoghurt and half the green onion.

7. Fill each skin with your turkey/kale mix and top with your yam. ( i like to place all the yam in a ziploc bag and snip the corner of the bag to pipe it onto each skin).

8. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 in the oven or bbq.

9. Uhhh- You're Welcome!

$50 per session October 20th, 2016 10am - 5pm Book your appointment today! at Karin's Health Foods

250-992-7312

436 Reid Street 250-992-7312

HEALTHÂ &

wellness EVENTS Intro to Power Yoga

Cultivate strength, balance and flexibility during this 4 week introduction to Power Yoga.

Four 75 minute classes with Kandice will progressively introduce this dynamic practice at a slower pace, allowing an awareness of the foundational alignment and sequencing of common postures while building endurance, increasing flexibility and releasing tension.

Class 1 (Oct 12): Sun salutations, linking breath with movement Class 2 (Oct 19): Standing postures and balancing Class 3 (Oct 26): Balancing and core Class 4 (Nov 2): Bringing it all together $55 prepaid for 4 sessions

Chair Yoga - Six week preregistered Mondays of Wednesdays These will run on Mondays (***only two spaces left) from Oct 17th through to Nov 21st and Wednesdays Oct 12th through to Nov 16. These are one hour sessions beginning at 10:30AM and ending at 11:30AM Attend one or both sessions! $72 investment for per session or $130 to register for both.

Chair yoga is a general term for practices that modify yoga poses so that they can be done while seated in a chair. These modifications make yoga accessible to people who cannot stand or lack the mobility to move easily from standing to seated to supine positions.

Who Can Do Chair Yoga?

Those of you with disabilities, weight challenges, inflexibility, or who just cannot get on the floor for whatever reason can benefit from yoga on a chair. The chair replaces the yoga mat and becomes an extension of your body allowing you to take full advantage of yoga’s amazing fitness and health potential.

Office workers can also take advantage of chair yoga's adaptations to sneak in some stretches at work.

Please contact Tanya Garland via Facebook or call at 250-983-5077 to reserve your place.

Email tanyagarland@hotmail.com Register online at www.sunandsage.com