August 2020

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Health

Keeping your digestive system in shape

Showing that the entire digestion process is working smoothly, regular bowel movements are the foundation of health. Here’s how to keep your system in shape. No one wants to talk about or admit to it, but according to the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology approximately one million Canadians a year suffer from constipation. Regularity of bowel movements is individual: One person may experience three a day while another may experience one every three days. At least that’s the view of conventional medicine. Natural health practitioners believe that the bowel is the foundation of good health and having two or three bowel movements daily is essential in keeping not only the bowel healthy, but also the whole body. Essentially, if your bowel movements occur less frequently than your food intake, you are suffering from constipation.  Bowel movements are essential to a healthy body. Unless we cleanse the system of toxins daily, they

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Caroline Farquhar August 31, 2020
Longevity

Touch Deprivation: The Why Behind Your Unexplained Sadness

The skin is the largest organ in the body. It has millions of touch receptors that send signals to the brain each time you touch something or somebody or they touch you. This exchange of information, especially when it involves another human, is accompanied by a neurochemical reaction within the body. Unfortunately, there is also a different neurochemical reaction that takes place in the absence of touch. It’s an understatement to say that we like human connection, the truth is that we need it. As much as we need human touch, it’s the one thing we all seem to be lacking. Between the initial stay-at-home orders and now the social distancing, most people are feeling the effects of touch deprivation. Some people have even expressed a sense of jealousy when seeing people touch in movies or on television shows. That’s because touch is so vital to our ability to thrive.

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Judy Gaman August 27, 2020
Fitness

Best stretches for travellers

These stretches will relieve tightness and improve your overall wellbeing during long periods of sitting and standing. This includes travel — and a lot of modern life in general.   We can all relate to the pain that comes with traveling. Not just the kind that you get when dealing with airports, delays or mishaps with plans. I’m talking about the aches and discomfort that come with sitting for what feels like days on end, lifting and moving heavy luggage, not sleeping — you get the gist. I know these pains first-hand! I travel for work weekly and it definitely takes a toll on my body. Stretching has been my saving grace that’s helped me cope with the physical aggravation and reduce my muscle and joint tension after long or constant travel.  Travelling is a very sedentary process requiring us to sit for long periods. Stretching during and after travel

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Jaclyn Phillips August 25, 2020
Fitness

The importance of staying in motion

Take the first five minutes of the day to help you stay supple and strong. In fact, you don’t even have to get out of bed. My 80 year-old mother bent down to reach into the depths of a cupboard to retrieve a wayward item that had fallen off the shelf. Her spine stiffened and her hand shot to her low back. “Ouch, my back!” she exclaimed. Wincing with pain, she returned to an upright position. “I guess I’m getting old,” she said. As someone who studies posture and skeletal alignment, I desperately wanted to say something helpful in that moment that would change her perspective on aging and restore her hope for the future. I wished she’d had a user’s manual we could reference to figure out where she’d gone wrong and protect her from injuring herself in the future. I searched for words to lift her spirits, but I came up

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Suzanne Bechard August 24, 2020
Mind

Saucha and the art of purification

Saucha is the first of the Niyamas, the personal code of ethics from Yoga Philosophy. The Niyamas introduce us to ways of practicing Yoga off our mats. As with the Yamas, or how we interact socially with the world around us (see the last five articles from Yoga Corner), now we move within, looking at new ideas for how we can better practice self-care. The Sanskrit word Saucha translates as purity or cleanliness. In exploring this path, we find ways to purify ourselves: through our environment, our physical bodies and even our thoughts. In looking at the space around us, it’s clear how clutter and excess stuff slow us down. Do yourself a big favour and clean out your closets. How long do you spend in the morning deciding what to wear because you can’t actually see all your clothes? Same with the fridge. You dig around only to discover three

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Lisa Greenbaum August 21, 2020
Health

Top 10 foods for a healthy liver

Your diet, while a source of contaminants, can also support liver health if you choose foods that are naturally detoxifying. Topping the list are fresh fruits and vegetables—specifically sulfur-rich foods such as onions, garlic, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale. One recent study at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, found that the organosulfur compounds in garlic have a protective effect on the mitochondria in liver cells. And new findings in the journal Mutation Research focused on cabbage sprout’s ability to support both Phase I and Phase II detoxification. As mentioned earlier, vegetables are also an excellent source of fiber, which helps toxins to move through your digestive tract, reducing stress on your liver. But choose your produce wisely. Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables may harbour pesticide residue that, over time, accumulates in the body’s fatty (adipose) tissue. This is especially true for certain foods like apples, blueberries, celery, grapes,

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Alex Hurst August 20, 2020
Health

Gut health & anti-inflammatory meds

Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts take Ibuprofen and similar medications to help them exercise in the face of aches, pains and minor injuries. A note of caution: This practice can be harmful to your digestive health. Having played sports my entire life, I have taken my fair share of Ibuprofen for the usual aches and pains, at least until several years ago when my naturopathic doctor suggested that it might be causing my eczema and digestive problems. Developed in the 1960s, Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain and inflammation. She called my condition “leaky gut,” where some material from the gut (the gastrointestinal tract) leaks out into the bloodstream rather than being digested normally. A leaky gut, I learned, increases a person’s susceptibility to infections and autoimmune diseases such as eczema, and is related to atherosclerosis, chronic heart failure, allergies, autism and inflammatory-induced metabolic diseases

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Dr. Mandy Wintink August 18, 2020
Healthy Recipes

Mixed root vegetable salad

Makes 12 | Takes 45 minutes Root vegetables are the perfect addition to any winter meal. They provide that little touch of comfort on a cold day. Root vegetables are high in fibre, antioxidants, and beta carotene—a red/orange pigment found in carrots and yams that is converted to vitamin A and is a powerful antioxidant.  Ingredients 2 yams, peeled and cubed 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 rutabaga, peeled and cubed 2 parsnips, peeled and cubed 2 beets, peeled and cubed 3 Tbsps olive oil 2 freshly grated garlic cloves ½ tsp onion powder A dash of salt and pepper Directions Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour all of the root veggies onto the pan. Pour the olive oil, garlic, onion powder, and salt and pepper on top, and toss with your hands until well coated. Place in the oven for 25–30

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Andrea Saliba August 18, 2020
Longevity

Top 5 “human foods” for your pet

We share a lot with our pets. Our homes, our hearts, and even our beds. Some of us even share our favourite foods with our pets. But, many of the foods that humans can digest can actually harm our pets and cause health problems down the road. Here are some safe food options for your furry friend. We all know the benefits of eating well, which contributes to a healthy lifestyle, more energy, and makes you feel good on both the inside and out—the same goes for our pets. While it may be tempting to share some of our healthy “human” food with our pets, it may be causing them more harm than good. Dogs and cats, and humans metabolize food differently. It is for this reason that some foods are safe for humans to eat, but are toxic and potentially deadly for our pets. It is important to use

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Lucy Jabrayan August 17, 2020
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