WINNIPEG
September, 2011
KIDS + FUN = SPORT For parents of school-aged children, the back-to-school list often includes sizing up extracurricular sports. It may sound obvious, but before signing up for ‘the team’ for the first, second or even third time, talk about what interests them and what they have fun doing.
basketball, baseball, volleyball, gymnastics and karate. There are literally dozens of other team or individual sports beyond those but all too often neither parent or child routinely thinks of fencing, diving, water polo, cheerleading, triathlon, rowing or team handball. It just isn’t practical to try out activities at will for as long or little as they like, but trying “Look up the top reasons why out one or two things in the kids play sports and I can fall and switching after the guarantee you ‘winning’ is holidays until the spring near the bottom,” says Grant could open up possibilities. McManes, Healthy Living Resources like the City of Coordinator, Louis Riel School Winnipeg Leisure guide Division. Not surprisingly programs present many ‘having fun’ tops the list introductory and beginner followed closely by ‘ learning levels without a huge new skills’. Having a friend investment in equipment or someone they can relate and time. to involved also makes a big difference to how much the For the parent who throws child enjoys the activity,” up their hands in frustration he says. saying, “but my kid isn’t interested in any sports. In Among the most popular fact they are not the least sports for kids (Stats Can. athletic,” the fun factor is 2005) were soccer for both even more important. So is boys and girls followed the need to think beyond by swimming, hockey,
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traditional team sports and embrace activity. Dance for both girls and boys has taken a huge leap forward with the influence of popular TV shows. Then again, McManes says that when some kids say they don’t like sports, what really turns them off is the
activities. We have a tendency to think of them as family outings and while they don’t have to be, it’s a fact that active parents have active kids and both benefit on many levels by doing things together. Now that’s a whole other topic. If you would like to comment on this article or join in the conversation on-line, visit us at www. winnipegwellnews.ca .
I would love to hear more on how you deal with other aspects of having your kids in spotlight and the pressure to sport: after-school transport, perform. He points to some the supper crunch, the cash encouraging results since drain, and juggling multiple the province implemented kids and time tables. If this compulsory physical is not the most recent post, education for students in you’ll find it under Kids + Grades 11 and 12. “When the Fun = Active. I invite nonkids were given the choice of profit and sports associations what they could do as their to send me links about physical activity, when and with whom, the most positive upcoming registrations to responses were from those add to our Healthful Links who didn’t participate in team page under Sports Resources. sports.” ■ Hiking, orienteering, canoeing and trail cycling are great examples of outdoor
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Key Benefits of Reflexology
When experiencing pain or discomfort we’ll try just about anything to escape it. We also know that there can be serious consequences to drug use, prescription or otherwise so it’s no wonder the popularity of drug-free alternative therapies like reflexology continue to grow.
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The aim of World reflexology week — September 1825th 2011 — is to promote a better understanding of this particular therapy. Misconceptions seem to gravitate to one extreme ‘it’s just a foot massage’ or the other; ‘it has to do with metaphysical healing’ while the truth is closer to the middle, working on a physical level to induce a healing reaction that is as yet not fully explained by a clear cause and effect. Sherri Gunn Wilkins, Chapter Development Manager for the Reflexology Association of Canada explains that the techniques used in reflexology are fundamentally different from massage. The purpose is not to work the muscles and tendons, although it is a by-product of therapy, but to stimulate reflex points using specific techniques and zeroing in on areas of particular sensitivity. Most often these reflex points are accessed through the feet but reflex points are also found in the hands and ears. Wilkins says, “There are thousands of nerve endings in the feet which go back to the spine and all areas of the body. By stimulating the nerve endings we are sending a message along those pathways to all areas of the body like the various organs. ” Reflexology charts outline these points and the corresponding organ, or area of the body with suggested precision but there is very little medical and scientific documentation that conclusively proves or disproves these correlations. The basis of these charts was the work of Eunice D. Ingham, a nurse and physiotherapist who in the 1930s and 1940s advanced the theory that the feet and hands were especially sensitive, and mapped the entire body into "reflexes". Her work was based on ‘zone therapy’, an earlier theory advanced in 1913 in the United States by William H. Fitzgerald, M.D., and Dr. Edwin Bowers.
Despite the obstacles to scientific study; control groups, measurable results and large enough population samples, there has been significant progress over the last ten years in establishing the validity and effectiveness of reflexology. Countries around the world have completed over a hundred studies that indicate significant relief of pain and stress through improved circulation, the release of natural endorphins and analgesics and lower blood pressure. Symptoms of depression and anxiety have been measurably reduced and documented through MRI, EEG and ECG tests.
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Opposition to reflexology, as with other alternative therapies, arises most often out of concern that an individual may delay medical diagnosis and treatment, but Wilkins is adamant that this concern is unfounded. “There are three main things we teach all of our students: We don’t diagnose, prescribe or treat specific conditions.” she says. “Reflexology is meant to be used as a complimentary therapy and helps to balance out the body.” Putting aside the inevitable debate over scientific validity and focusing on the overwhelming anecdotal support for reflexology, how does therapy induce these changes and how can the message sent along reflex points be controlled? “I’ve asked this question myself to reflexologists all over the world and the consencus is that reflexology works by bringing the body back into balance,” says Wilkins. “For example if I were working on someone with a high or low thyroid function, I’d be working on the same spot because the reflex point on the foot hurts. The body takes what it needs to normalize itself. Really, there is no harm that can come from reflexology unless you press too hard and literally bruise the foot. Someone could experience a healing reaction such as upset stomach as their body responds to this opportunity to heal, but that is usually because the person already had a lot of toxins in their body. In the 10 years that I’ve been practicing as a reflexologist, that’s the only real reaction I’ve seen in people.”
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As for safety concerns, Wilkins says there are only few of note where reflexology is not an advisable therapy: anyone with blood clots and women in the first trimester of pregnancy and if there is any question about someone’s health the treatment will often be shortened and lighter pressure may be used. For additional information about reflexology as well as training and accreditation the primary resource is the website of the Reflexology Association of Canada at www.reflexolog.org. In Winnipeg, the easiest contact is the head office of the Reflexology Association of Canada by calling direct – 477-4909. ■
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News & Events The Parkinson Superwalk – September 10th Starts from the Franco Manitoba Cultural Centre, 340 Provencher Blvd. Registration 9:00 am. Walk begins 10 am. For full details and registration go to events at: www.parkinson.ca Kick Butt for Colorectoral Cancer! – Saturday September 10th Kildonan Park Site 1A – 10AM Registration Fees $25 for 3K / 5K . Youth 15 and under free. Information go to www.kickbuttrun.com Call 918-6926 Email: sid@kickbuttrun.com Renal Ride, Glide & Stride Sunday, September 11th Location: St Vital Park from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Contact: Liz Ellis Clark at 204 989 0807 or lellis@kidney.mb.ca www.kidney.ca/manitoba The ALS Society of Manitoba ELVIS, ONE NIGHT WITH YOU Friday, September 23, 7PM – 12 Midnight. Tickets $50 with $25 receipt. Auction - Dancing - and performance by “Elvis” For more information and tickets, contact Sharon at 831-1510 : HOPE@alsmb.ca or Brian Campbell 837-1270 : bcampbell@alsmb.ca
The Alzheimer Society’s national fundraiser – Coffee Break - kicks off on Thursday, September 15, 2011 and continues throughout the month and into October. Check with Trudy Mattey Tel: 204-943-6622 x 214 or E-mail: tmattey@alzheimer.mb.ca www.alzheimer.mb.ca for dates, times and locations in your area. Hospice & Palliative Care Manitoba 20th Annual Provincial Conference, September 22 and 23, 2011, Victoria Inn and Conference Centre. For further details go to www.manitobahospice.ca/
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Manitoba Down Syndrome Society – 4th Annual Buddy Walk is Sunday, September 25th. Registration, Picnic & Entertainment begins at 12 Noon – 2pm with the WALK starting at 2 PM. Canadian Mennonite University, North Campus, 500 Shaftesbury Blvd. For Additional information: www.mbdss.ca/ The CIBC Run for the Cure – Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation October 2nd. For full schedule, fundraising details and volunteer opportunities, call 2314885 or go on-line to www.runforthecure.com
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CONTACT US! You can reach the Publisher — Mireille Theriault — at mireille@winnipegwellnews.ca, by calling 887-2999, or leaving your comments and questions on our discussion board at www.winnipegpwellnews.ca The information in this publication is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice. We encourage our readers to always conduct their own research into any treatments or programs and to consult with a medical professional prior to the start of same. Winnipeg WellNews is published monthly with 2,000 print copies per zone distributed through waiting rooms at most walk-in medical centers, dentists, chiropractors, alternative health practitioners, natural food and nutritional supplement stores as well as fitness and exercise facilities...wherever health and wellness matters.