Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine Winter 2017 by Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

wellness Winter 2017

Okanagan Health & OHW Magazine

MAGAZINE

PETER’S STORY

A reminder that heart attacks do not discriminate P. 30

Help for Headache Sufferers P. 8

Vol. 5 Issue 1 Complimentary

Belief: The Key to Your Thoughts P. 28

What Is Osteopathy? P. 20

Acid–Alkaline Diets and Cancer

P. 14

contents

Winter 2017 Volume 5 Issue 1

Natural Therapies Are Critical for Optimal Mental Health Page 13

NATURAL HEALTH 8 Help for Headache Sufferers A chiropractor explains the correlation between head pain and problems in other parts of the body. 10 Inflammation: A Key Driver to Unsightly Belly Fat Is belly fat just an inevitable consequence of consuming too many calories, or is more going on in our bodies? 11 If You Have an Issue, It’s in the Tissue! Finding balance and alignment can help you eliminate or reduce your pain for the long term. 13 Natural Therapies Are Critical for Optimal Mental Health Why nutritional medicine should now be considered as a mainstream element of psychiatric practice. 14 Acid–Alkaline Diets and Cancer: Stumped by an Ethical Question What to do when the theory behind a diet is malarkey but the results are good. 18 The Hypopressive Technique: An Efficient Way to Train Your Core This technique, performed differently from traditional core work, avoids putting stress on the pelvic floor. 20 What Is Osteopathy? From babies to the elderly, people of all ages can find relief with this holistic form of manual therapy. www.ohwmagazine.com

FITNESS 22 Why People Love Whole Body Vibration Exercise Superior muscle activation and minimal stress on joints and ligaments are just some of the reasons for the growing popularity of this fitness program. 23 A Progressive Approach to a Healthy Lifestyle Outcomes, strategies, and processes: key components for health success.

WELLNESS 25 Prevention versus Treatment The most common and costly health problems facing Canadians are also among the most preventable. 26 Fear No Mirror! Are you doing everything right but still struggling with problem areas? CoolSculpting technology uses controlled cooling to target and permanently destroy fat cells.

28 Belief: The Key to Your Thoughts Awareness of our beliefs is paramount in the process of creating our day-to-day reality. 30 “It Will Never Happen to Me.” Peter’s story shows how easy it is for us to ignore red flags that could indicate serious health issues. 32 Let’s Get the Hearing Loop Straight! While advancements are being made, Bluetooth® hearing aid accessories cannot yet replace the capability of a hearing loop system in public places.

NUTRITION 35 Once upon a Farm This year, make a resolution to seek out more organic and more local produce. 36 The Benefits of Drinking Alkaline Water Give your body a well-deserved break and drink healthy water.

Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

From the OHW Team

OHW Magazine

Okanagan’s Own Health & Wellness Magazine

PUBLISHER LMR PUBLISHING Leanne Christie info@ohwmagazine.com EDITOR Dianne Steinley editor@ohwmagazine.com ADVERTISING SALES Leanne Christie 250.503.7472 info@ohwmagazine.com Dianne Steinley 250.503.7723 editor@ohwmagazine.com Georgia Wilson 250.938.2314 georgia@ohwmagazine.com PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, SOCIAL MEDIA Georgia Wilson 250.938.2314 georgia@ohwmagazine.com Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine published four times a year Okanagan Seniors Health Magazine published twice a year Okanagan Pet Health Magazine published twice a year All rights reserved. No part of OHW Magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the expressed written consent of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material. The views expressed in OHW Magazine are those of the respective contributors and not necessarily those of the publisher or staff. Although all reasonable attempts are made to ensure accuracy, the publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions anywhere in the publication or on the website. OHW Magazine reserves the rights to ads produced for advertisers. Publication Agreement #42490022 Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine is owned and operated by LMR Publishing. Return undeliverable to LMR Publishing, 5816 Tern Place, Vernon, BC V1H 1R2. Phone: 250.503.7472 Email: info@ohwmagazine.com Website: www.ohwmagazine.com Subscription: For your free copy send your mailing address to info@ohwmagazine.com or visit the website at www.ohwmagazine.com Cover: Raising awareness of heart disease and heart attacks: Peter Catt (shown with his two sons) was otherwise healthy and did not recognize the red flags.

Leanne Christie Owner/Publisher Advertising Sales

Dianne Steinley Georgia Wilson Editor Production, Distribution Advertising Sales Social Media

elcome to our first issue of Okanagan Health & Wellness for 2017! With the beginning of each new year, we here at the magazine have an additional reason for celebration, as the timing coincides with the anniversary of our publication’s inception. When we started out, we modelled our themes around the Six Dimensions of Wellness, developed by Dr. Bill Hettler, co-founder of the National Wellness Institute, one of the most highly respected health and wellness organizations in North America. These six dimensions are physical health, social health, intellectual health, spiritual health, emotional health, and occupational health— areas that impact every person’s overall wellbeing. Now going into our fifth year, we still hold fast to this model. We continue to source articles and information from local experts in the health and wellness field so that our readers can have access to a wide variety of topics in one publication. These articles provide food for thought, lead to lively discussion, and, perhaps most important of all, encourage readers to be proactive when it comes to their own wellness. Very few examples underscore the importance of being proactive than that of Peter Catt, featured in our cover story “It Will Never Happen to Me.” Peter’s widow, Rhonda, is sharing her very personal account of this heartbreaking situation with as many people as possible in order to raise awareness of heart disease and the need to pay attention to troublesome symptoms even in the absence of major risk factors. We all owe it to ourselves—and our loved ones—to read and heed Rhonda’s sobering message. In this issue you will find help for headache sufferers and help for the core. We have articles addressing alkaline water and alkaline diets. Three articles focus on fat: banishing unsightly belly fat, freezing away fat cells, and taking a progressive approach to healthy living for fat loss. We hear about the difference between hearing loop technology and Bluetooth™ hearing aid accessories. We examine the beneficial approach of prevention versus treatment; and we look at reducing or eliminating pain through working on balance and alignment. We present a delightful account of one woman’s farming background and garden experience that led to the creation of an Okanagan business; this article emphasizes the importance of supporting our local farmers as part of a healthy lifestyle. One writer explains why natural remedies are critical for optimal mental health; another writer asks three critical questions to help us understand our belief system, which is the key to our thoughts. Speaking of questions, how much do you know about osteopathy, a holistic form of manual therapy? How much do you know about whole body vibration, a form of exercise that is rapidly gaining popularity? As we celebrate the start of a new year, another anniversary, and a new issue, we salute our contributors and advertisers and we also celebrate you, our readers. The generosity of support, whether it be financial, through the submission of articles, or with feedback and encouragement, is what helps us to continue doing what we do with renewed passion and vision. We are truly grateful and we thank you all! n

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Contributors

Letter to the Editor Dear OHW Magazine, My mother, who is in her eighties, recently learned that she was vitamin B12 deficient. This came as a surprise because she’d been struggling with extreme fatigue for a number of weeks and had put it down to the extra stress of taking care of my father while he recovered from back surgery. I’d like to suggest that you cover this topic in a future issue because I think more people need to know about the dangers of vitamin B12 deficiency. Thank you for considering this suggestion. Diana, Lumby Thank you for your excellent suggestion that we address this topic. Like so many conditions, vitamin B12 deficiency can be overlooked or confused with something else because of the number of symptoms involved. Given that this deficiency is so common among older populations, we have plans to include an article in the next issue of Okanagan Seniors Health Magazine. We hope that both your parents are well on the mend!

Okanagan Seniors Health Magazine Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Health

Okanagan Seniors

2015

MAGAZINE

Embracing the Positive Realities of Aging

Lori Anderson is the owner of awardwinning North Okanagan Skin & Laser in Vernon. Her passion is educating others on achieving and maintaining healthy skin. With over 10 years’ experience in the skin care and beauty industry, Lori is a medical aesthetician and a master permanent makeup artist. She is trained in the Pastiche Method® of advanced skin analysis and holds certifications in laser technologies and micro needling. Lori continues to educate and expand her knowledge in the medical aesthetics field by attending courses and training events. Visit www.okanaganskinandlaser.com or call 250-5422721. Tamara Browne is a naturopathic physician practising at the Natural Family Health Clinic & Chelation Centre in Okanagan Falls, a facility committed to providing cutting-edge diagnostics to determine the underlying cause of illness as well as powerful, safe therapies. Dr. Browne offers unique, effective alternatives to conventional treatments including complementary cancer therapies which help cancer patients to live longer and experience a much higher quality of life. An active member of the CNPBC, BCNA, CAND, and ACAM, she has taught at Okanagan College and presented information via television, radio, and print. Phone 250-497-6681. Rhonda Catt, NASM-CPT/CES, FMS/SFMA, PRI, FRC, CFSC, Onnit Academy certified, has spent over 20 years in the strength and conditioning industry helping athletes and the general fitness population improve performance, reduce injuries, and move better. Rhonda is part owner of Excel Sport & Health in Vernon, a premier group training and sport performance facility. Visit www.cattconditioning.com and www.excelfit.ca.

P. 26

POWERS OF ATTORNEY P. 17

A Place to Call Home

Complimentary

P. 24

Healthy Hydration for Seniors P. 28

Dizziness and Vertigo: Is There Help? P. 9

Stay healthy and well with Okanagan Seniors Health Magazine Packed full of great articles from local professionals! For Your Free copy email info@ohwmagazine.com

Subscribe online at www.ohwmagazine.com

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Michale Hartte, BASc (Nutr), NNCP, CH, a Kelowna resident, spends her time raising her incredibly healthy young sons while she runs a private nutritional practice and offers online, in-person and by-phone appointments. Michale is a registered nutritional therapist, chartered herbalist and a registered Biotherapeutic® practitioner. To find out more about how you can get Fit n Healthy, please visit www.fitnhealthynutrition.com. Tosha R. Hodgson, BA, MClSc, Aud(C), Registered Audiologist and Hearing Instrument Practitioner, has more than 17 years of clinical experience testing hearing, prescribing and fitting hearing aids and assistive devices, and providing hearing protection. Tosha opened Rockwell Audiology in Vernon to offer patients an unbiased, manufacturerindependent, medical model of hearing health care. She is authorized to assess and treat individuals of all ages and special needs populations. Call 250-545-2226 or visit www.rockwellaudiology.ca.

Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Contributors Shauna Jones has studied and worked in the health industry for the past 14 years and is coowner of Abaco Health food store in Kelowna. Abaco Health carries an extensive range of quality vitamins, supplements, sports nutrition, and natural remedies, as well as natural beauty products. Abaco Health’s knowledgeable staff offer exceptional customer service guiding people into health through nutrition and detoxification, using foods and supplements as natural medicines. Visit www.abacohealth.com.

Elaine Sauvé, MOst, BAppSci, BHSc, is a New Zealand-trained osteopathic practitioner. A Kelowna local, Elaine has recently returned to practise osteopathy, a manual therapy which facilitates healing by focusing on how the whole body works together. Elaine passionately believes that osteopathy uniquely addresses chronic issues by treating the root of the problem, not simply the symptoms. Contact her at elainesauveosteopathy@gmail.com.

Mary Kozicki, BScN, has been in the nursing and business world for many years. Before moving to Penticton in 2011, Mary owned and operated a home support business. Mary was introduced to the importance of whole food nutrition by her daughter, a medical doctor who saw firsthand, through her practice, the benefits of good nutrition. Mary enjoys knitting, reading, and cheering on the Penticton Vees. Phone 778476-2469 or email m.koz@shaw.ca.

Ross Short, CHP, is the owner/practitioner of Body-Wize in Kelowna. Ross is certified in Hellerwork structural integration, Pilates, Reiki, and whole body vibration. He specializes in myofascial release, joint mobilization, postural re-alignment, and core movement, and 93 percent of his clients experience a reduction or elimination of their chronic pain. Call 250-7173553 for an appointment. Courses on rapid restriction release techniques are available on his website, www.body-wize.com.

Elliot Lysyk, DC, loves helping people overcome their health concerns, and his true passion is chiropractic care for families. He founded Arise Chiropractic Wellness Clinic in Vernon with a mission in mind: to help as many families as possible achieve optimal health, naturally. He loves to travel and has visited over 30 countries, enjoying many cultural experiences along the way. For more information on the clinic, visit www.arisechiropractic.com.

Matt Somerset is the founder of Snap Emersion, a global training knowledge base designed to take the mystery and confusion out of the gym. Whether you are looking to lose weight, body build, or perform at an optimal level, Matt has designed a database that will give you all the answers. From personalized meal plans to full training programs, Snap Emersion will provide you with the tools to not only reach your goals, but sustain them.

Serge Mazerand is an improvisational pianist and composer and records healing music under the private label “Keys to Serenity.” Born in France, he established very early a profound kinship with nature and music. After a lengthy “distraction” pursuing a corporate career, Serge chose to embrace a radical lifestyle change and immigrated to Canada to build and operate a floating salmon fishing resort on BC’s North Coast. Serge now lives on the banks of a river, composing, writing, and fly-fishing. Laura Pelletier is owner of kwikfit4u Canada Ltd., a supplier of whole body vibration equipment. As a certified natural health consultant and whole body vibration specialist, she believes in disease prevention and having the best quality of life through vibration. Having experienced relief of her own health issues, Laura is passionate about helping others successfully manage and treat their chronic conditions. Contact Laura at 1-877348-5945, 778-754-7400, laura@kwikfit4u.com or visit www.kwikfit4u.com.

Interested in contributing an article? Do you have an idea for a story? Are you a health professional who’s interested in contributing to Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine, Okanagan Seniors Health Magazine or Okanagan Pet Health Magazine? If so contact us at info@ohwmagazine.com or call 250-503-7472.

Chris Spooner, BSc, ND, owns Paradigm Naturopathic Medicine in Vernon. Dr. Spooner works with a wide range of patients who are dealing with complicated health issues and looking for a balanced approach that combines conventional medicine with naturopathic approaches. Dr. Spooner was an oarsman for the University of Victoria Varsity Crew and a member of the Canadian national rowing team. He is an avid cyclist, open water swimmer, and cross-country skier. To request an appointment, visit www.paradigmnaturopathic.com or phone 778-475-3822. Cathy Watson, BSc Physiotherapy, is a registered physiotherapist and Stott certified Pilates instructor. Cathy has found the blending of pelvic floor physiotherapy with Pilates beneficial for many of her clients. In addition to offering workshops, Cathy is re-establishing her Pilates-based physiotherapy business. In her spare time, she enjoys Silver Star Mountain in the winter and Okanagan and Kalamalka lakes in the summer. Call 250-540-0203 or email cathy_watson@telus.net. Afke Zonderland is the enthusiastic chef behind Okanagan Rawsome’s Apple, Carrot, and Beet Crisps. Afke regularly hosts raw food workshops across Western Canada, promoting a plant-passionate foodie lifestyle, while sharing tasty recipes that will win over your taste buds. She is a much sought after presenter at gluten-free events and regularly writes for the CeliacScene™. Her best days are spent on skis and exploring the great outdoors on a mountain bike. Visit www.okanaganrawsome.com.

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Your Questions Answered

Local experts answer our readers’ questions...

Question:

Is coconut oil good for you?

Answer: L

ike many foods we eat, there has been much debate over the health effects of coconut oil. Naysayers claim that it contains saturated fats and, as a result, can cause problems like heart disease and obesity. Others claim that coconut oil is composed of medium-chain triglycerides that can actually increase good HDL cholesterol and lower bad LDL cholesterol levels. As a consumer, it’s often difficult to determine the truth around this highly controversial food. Coconut oil was used regularly in North America before the Second World War. Unfortunately, due to conflict with Japan, coconut oil became difficult to obtain and substitutes like corn, canola, and soy oil became more popular. With the increased use of these oils came an escalation in obesity and heart disease. In turn, a greater awareness of problems associated with high cholesterol led to the belief that any food containing saturated fats could cause heart disease. Past research had always been conducted on hydrogenated coconut oil, a state that is now well known as dangerous. However, hydrogenation isn’t limited to coconut oil. Soy, corn, and canola oil are often hydrogenated and added to a number of processed foods. The

process of hydrogenation adds hydrogen molecules to the oil to help ensure its shelf life. Hydrogenated oils are one of the main causes of obesity, as well as increased cholesterol and heart disease, never mind a source of great profits for giant food producers. Coconut oil is naturally cholesterol free and trans-fat free and is high in the medium-chain fatty acids which have been proven healthy and useful for our bodies. A major component of coconut oil is lauric acid, a rare medium-chain fatty acid also found in breast milk. Lauric acid supports healthy metabolism and is being researched to determine its antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. n NOTE: This Q&A originally ran in our Spring 2013 issue and was provided by Claire Monahan, Nature’s Fare in-house blogger and author of many articles published in The Good Life magazine. Since our readership has increased substantially since that issue, we thought the topic would be of interest to our newer readers.

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Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Natural Health

Help for Headache Sufferers

Head pain stems from many causes, but in a significant number of cases it can be traced to neck strain and misalignment which can be treated. By Elliot Lysyk, DC

ife is no fun for headache sufferers. They miss work and school, not to mention the happy moments that make life worth living. The relentless pain can make them easily irritated or even depressed, creating a devastating strain on family life. In my 13 years of clinical practice I have examined and treated many headache sufferers. Sometimes this is their primary complaint, but often headaches are simply a side issue they hadn’t even realized could be helped by chiropractic care. In fact, chiropractic can help a great deal. While there are many headache causes, I can say with confidence that 75 percent of

the headache patients I have served over the years are suffering from “cervicogenic” headaches, or “neckcreated” headaches. This statistic is not really surprising when you consider how many people experience neck strain at some stage in their lives. Think of the countless hours we spend hunched over tech devices, craning our necks sharply forward and downward. I read recently that the average person checks their phone 150 times a day! Not to mention our tablets, laptops, and video games. This neck strain is cumulative, forcing the muscles in your neck to support a 10- to 15-pound head in a forward position. Hour upon hour of endless

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muscular strain ends up referring pain to specific areas in your head, especially behind the eyes and temples. In addition, I find that nearly everyone I meet has suffered a whiplash injury from car accidents, falls, or sports injuries. These traumas, even the minor ones, can cause the ligaments in the neck to become damaged. And since ligaments support the proper alignment of the spine and nerve system, the result is cumulative wearand-tear damage that can eventually refer pain to the head. Ligaments are also entwined with nerve threads that notify the brain about the head’s position, so when they become

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Natural Health

damaged or strained by poor alignment, patients may notice balance and vertigo problems. And it’s not just the accumulated hours of postural stress and neck strain, or the traumatic impacts to our neck and spine that can cause pain referral patterns to the head. I think we can all agree that in a culture demanding so much of our time and energy, making us feel like we’re always chasing the wave but never really riding it, mental and emotional stress can cause a great deal of muscular strain as we hold our bodies, especially our neck and shoulders, chronically tense. A careful chiropractic examination can reveal how well the joints in your neck and spine are moving—essentially, how well aligned and healthy they are. Many headache sufferers have lost the supportive forward neck curve that allows for the springy support of their head. This curve, called a lordosis, offers the neck seven times more mechanical strength when in the correct position. Small misalignments of the neck vertebrae can cause this vital curve to straighten, or more seriously, to reverse entirely, leading to nerve and soft-tissue tension. These tension patterns are the cause of many headaches, hence the term “cervicogenic” or “neck-created.”

discover what is causing the pain, rather than swallowing medications to temporarily blind your brain from feeling the fire-alarm symptoms. A great start is just being aware of your head and neck positions each day and being conscious of the tension patterns in your life that may be contributing to your headaches. Get someone to take a picture of you from the side when you are sitting and standing and see for yourself how far your head sits in front of your shoulders. Is your ear canal directly above the inseam of your shoulder? Is your head slightly off to one side when you look at yourself in the mirror? Are your shoulders level? Often larger imbalances can be seen directly, but most spinal imbalances can only be found by those trained to find them. That’s where we come in. n

A great start is being aware of your head and neck positions each day. Since these headaches are related to head and neck alignment, it makes sense to address the poor spinal position and correct the problem right at the cause. Sure, medications can help mask symptoms by blocking your brain’s ability to feel the strain, but once they wear off, the tension pattern remains, as does the drug toxicity within the body. And because these tension patterns can worsen as the misalignment damage accumulates, more potent drugs become necessary to battle the symptoms. In my view, this creates a slippery slope of chemical dependence to get through your day. Very few patients I meet have ever stopped to consider what might actually be causing the headaches, so they consume their medications and hope that the pain will eventually just go away. Of course, there are other headache causes and various diagnostic categories. Certain metabolic and hormonal conditions may produce headaches in clusters or cycles. Vascular conditions may lead to throbbing headaches, and teeth-grinding at night can cause tension headaches. In some cases, sensitive studies such as MRIs or CT scans may be required to gather more information. That’s why it’s important to have professionals from different camps looking at your issue through different lenses, so that you can www.ohwmagazine.com

Headaches and Neck Pain? Some headache sufferers experience headaches so frequently and for so long that they begin to think it must be normal for them. CAT scans on the head in search of the cause frequently come up negative. Treatment usually ends up being some form of pain-killing drug, which can lead to unwanted side effects and may not address the cause of the problem. The cause of these headaches is often overlooked because much of the pain can actually be referred from the neck. When I perform an examination, I often find that the patient may also suffer from neck pain, neck restriction, tight cervical muscles, muscular trigger points, postural imbalances, tingling in the hands, and sometimes arm pain. X-rays often reveal that the natural spinal curve and alignment of the vertebrae have been lost. When nerves in your spine get pinched, they alert you with pain. The relationship between such misalignments of the neck and headaches is so common that it is even given its own category: cervicogenic headaches. I am also alarmed at the number of children who suffer headaches that are told it is a normal part of growing. There is nothing “normal” about headaches or neck pain. The cause should always be sought. If these problems sound familiar to you or a child you know, one consultation with our office may change the rest of your/their life.

Dr. Elliot Lysyk, DC

Dr. Deane Studer, DC

Dr. James Mayne, DC

250-275-7616

Alpine Centre #7-100 Kal Lake Rd. Vernon, BC www.arisechiropractic.com

Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Natural Health

Inflammation: A Key Driver to Unsightly Belly Fat Inflammation is what’s driving leptin and insulin resistance, which cues your body to stop burning fat and start storing it.

By Michale Hartte, BASc (Nutr), NNCP, CH

ontrary to popular belief, your excess belly fat is not a condition of excess calories. The body has several built-in ways of dealing with calorie excess without you ever getting fat. Obesity, or excess body fat, is actually a disease of inflammation. And this inflammation sets the stage for hormone dysregulation, improper hormone signalling, and belly fat that just won’t go away! The science of fat loss really shifted gears when it was discovered that our fat cells (adipocytes) are not just “dead weight.” In fact, our fat cells actually release proinflammatory cytokines. We now know that inflammation has been found to be a key driver to the storage of unsightly belly fat. Inflammation defined All inflammation occurs on a cellular level. Inflammation is the reaction your immune system has to repair tissue Fit’n Healthy Nutritional Consulting

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from injury or to protect you from a dangerous pathogenic invader. Two types of inflammation: acute and chronic Acute inflammation is the response we want to have happen. Acute inflammation is there to heal the body. When the immune system has done its job and the threat is gone, inflammation subsides. The problem starts when we either suppress the symptoms (such as using Aspirin for a low-grade fever) or when the inflammation becomes chronic (lasting more than two weeks). This sets the stage for destruction instead of what we want, which is repair and regeneration. Because the threat never really goes away, neither does the inflammation. When it comes to belly fat, the longer the inflammation continues, the more you get fat and the harder it is to burn it off. How inflammation leads to belly fat As a person gets fatter, the master hormone, leptin, rises. The more leptin rises, the more inflammation is produced. It’s the reason why overweight and obese people are so prone to inflammatory conditions like autoimmune, arthritis, diabetes, and cancer. High inflammation quickly sets the stage for fatty liver disease and type two diabetes over time. Even mild inflammation can lead to these conditions over time. The fatter one gets, the more leptin the fat cells release. The longer this goes on, the more resistant the brain gets to leptin signalling. This is called leptin resistance and it spells disaster for anyone looking to lose belly fat. Leptin controls the body’s metabolism (the rate at

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Natural Health which we burn calories). Most people think it’s the job of the thyroid, but leptin actually controls the thyroid. Inflammation stops T4 to T3 conversion in the liver and abruptly turns off your thyroid’s ability to function properly, despite normal thyroid labs. Aha! When this happens, it doesn’t allow you to burn fat in your muscles because it downregulates your basal metabolic rate. This process is called peripheral (muscle) leptin resistance. This is why some fat people cannot burn fat with exercise. Leptin controls all energy production in the body. Without energy, everything fails. Leptin tells the brain when you’ve had enough food. Leptin decides whether to make us hungry and store more fat or to regulate our hunger/satiety and burn fat. When you are leptin resistant, you are always hungry, have insatiable cravings, and likely need to eat all the time. No other hormonal imbalance in the body, in fact, can ultimately be restored to healthy balance without leptin functioning normally. Leptin resistance occurs first. Then insulin resistance happens next. Insulin is our fat storage hormone. This is an important point to remember. If we do not take action steps to become insulin sensitive, then this can eventually lead to adrenal resistance. We feel this as relentless fatigue. Then come the pituitary hormones, which regulate the thyroid and growth hormones. Growth hormone is our anti-aging fat-burning hormone and when it’s low, we age quickly and stay fat. Next come your sex hormones, and on down. It’s the chain of command. To get lean, fit ’n’ healthy you need to take the steps to heal the inflammation. This inflammation is what’s driving leptin and insulin resistance, which cues your body to stop burning fat and start storing it. How to test for inflammation Have some blood work done to include hs-CRP (highsensitivity C-reactive protein). This hs-CRP, which is not the same as CRP (C-reactive protein), is what we use to measure baseline inflammation and is a very early biomarker for cellular inflammation before any disease takes hold. The liver releases hs-CRP in times of metabolic stress. When you look at your labs, anything over 1 is considered high. How to test for leptin resistance The easiest way is to look in the mirror. If you are way too fat or way too thin, you most likely are leptin resistant. If you have hypothyroidism, you also are leptin resistant. You can also have some blood work done and include reverse T3. Reverse T3 is a competitive inhibitor to T3 and T4. Those are your thyroid hormones. Healing inflammation: the key to belly fat loss So, now that I’ve established how inflammation is a key driver to stored belly fat, to effectively burn belly fat we need to bring inflammation down. In the next issue, I’ll explore the underlying causes that raise inflammation. n

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If You Have an Issue, It’s in the Tissue! Your body has the internal wisdom to heal itself if you focus on alignment and balance.

By Ross Short o you suffer from chronic pain? Do sore muscles or fatigue prevent you from cycling, golfing, or the other activities that you love? Do you find yourself constantly tired and low on energy? Most of us go through life considering pain and fatigue to be a natural side effect of aging and we accept them as something that we “have to live with” or manage. This is not true! It has been proven that with proper treatment, pain and fatigue can be dramatically reduced or eliminated as you age. Your body and mind are one interrelated system that can heal and restore itself with the right treatment and practices. There are no quick fixes or instant cures that will restore your health, but there are some proven health modalities that when combined and practised over time can reduce or eliminate pain, restore energy, and return your body and mind to optimum health. How can some people golf, run marathons, cycle, garden, and enjoy life into their 90s and beyond, while others have to put down their clubs, retire their running shoes, or get off their bikes years earlier? The issue is often in the internal misalignment and balance of our posture and fascial tissue. By correcting this problem, you can stay active and enjoy your favourite activities for years.

Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Natural Health

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I was living with chronic debilitating pain from a career in hockey and policing. I felt like I had run out of options and was becoming resigned to living with a lifetime of discomfort and reduced physical activity. I instinctively knew there had to be a better way to age than living with pain, so I set out on a journey to restore my health and eliminate the pain. After examining almost every treatment imaginable, I realized that the answer was not in one procedure or process alone, but in combining the best of the systems I had discovered. I spent time and resources to master Pilates, Hellerwork, Reiki, and whole body vibration, realizing that combining these four proven, powerful modalities would help restore my body’s balance and alignment. With proper alignment and restorative practice, I was able to eliminate my own pain and increase my energy. After experiencing a dramatic improvement in my own health, I concluded that this unique system—Structural Integration—could benefit everyone. I changed careers and have since devoted my time and energy to improving the lives of others. I have worked with professional athletes, business leaders, musicians, triathletes, weekend warriors, students, and others to reduce or eliminate their pain, help them lead healthier lives, and have them back doing the things they love. When asked for feedback on this unique system, former NHL player Dave Babych commented: “Anyone considering Hellerwork should not hesitate. I’ve been a pro hockey player for 20 years. In those 20 years, I felt my best when Ross Short performed Hellerwork on me. My posture was better, joints moved easier, I could breathe easier and this was after only a few sessions. I would recommend it to anyone.” Much of the pain that people live with is the result of old injuries, accidents, stress, or poor habits. Even if the actual injury has been treated, we often hold the tension or misalignment in our bodies for years. Until the body’s underlying fascial tissue and alignment is restored, we will continue to experience pain and discomfort. Many athletes, when training and practising, take their bodies out of balance to accommodate injuries, soreness, or fatigue. The result is that all of that training and practice is actually hurting the body rather than helping it. The key is to restore the alignment and balance first so that your training is healing, strengthening, and restorative. Overall alignment is critical to improved health and to reducing or eliminating pain. When your body is in alignment, your joints and muscles move fluidly and painlessly, working with gravity. When you are out of alignment, your body’s systems, its tissues, joints, muscles, and bones are fighting gravity and each other, leading to short-term pain and potentially to longer term health issues. If a previous injury has not properly healed, it can lead to misalignment and imbalance; this in turn creates poor posture and pain. Treat your whole body, eliminating pain for the long term rather than focusing on a short-term fix that will simply mask the symptoms. Rather than being frustrated with your body’s aches and pains, or resigning yourself to quitting golf, cycling, running or another favourite activity, consider Structural Integration. This unique and powerful system has worked for many Okanagan residents and may be the answer for you. Your body has the internal wisdom to heal itself if you focus on alignment and balance. If you have an issue, it’s in the tissue! n

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Natural Health

Natural Therapies Are Critical for Optimal Mental Health Nutritional deficiencies have long been known to adversely affect physical health. Now research is pointing to the need for nutritional medicine as a key component in treating mental disorders. By Tamara Browne, ND

recent report titled “Nutritional Medicine as Mainstream in Psychiatry” by the prestigious journal The Lancet highlights the importance of good nutrition for achieving optimal mental health. The report states that “pharmacologically focused approaches have achieved a moderate reduction in worldwide burden of poor mental health; however, indicators suggest that the burden of disease attributed to mental disorders will continue to rise.” The report goes on to suggest that diet and nutrition be recognized as central determinants of both physical and mental health. As we move away from our traditional lifestyles and consume more processed foods and fewer natural foods, we tend to become overfed and undernourished. Brain-essential nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin D3, zinc, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids are largely deficient in factory-made, processed foods. The report further states that “the profound changes in dietary habits, along with tobacco use, insufficient physical activity, and harmful alcohol and recreational drug use, have resulted www.ohwmagazine.com

in an epidemic of ill health.” The expected cost of these habits to the worldwide economy over the next five years is US$47 trillion (a hard number to even comprehend!). Since the human brain operates at a very high metabolic rate, it is particularly reliant on particular nutrients to function optimally. Many studies have shown an association between healthy dietary patterns and a reduced prevalence of, and risk for, depression and suicide. Here are examples of specific dietary trends and nutrients that have been studied for their positive effect on mental health: 1. The Mediterranean diet with fresh nuts showed a strong trend towards a reduced risk for depression, particularly in people with type 2 diabetes. 2. Omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources have a wide range of neurochemical activities that benefit brain health. These effects range from neurogenesis (creating new brain cells), to anti-inflammatory actions and positive modulation

of neurotransmitters such as noradrenalin, serotonin, and dopamine. 3. SAMe is a sulphur-containing compound that helps to regulate mood and acts safely as an effective antidepressant. 4. Zinc, an abundant trace element, has been associated with depression when deficient in the diet. 5. B vitamins are needed for proper neuronal function. Methyl-folate (B9) in particular has been associated with depression when deficient. It is often found deficient in those who respond poorly to antidepressant medication. 6. Vitamin D3 deficiency is linked to depression. This vitamin is actually better termed a neurosteroid, with data suggesting that low normal maternal concentrations are implicated in schizophrenia risk. The Lancet report concludes that there is an urgent need to reduce the incidence of mental disorders and that diet and nutrition are key components

Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Natural Health in the promotion of optimal mental health. The final statement in the report is, “Nutritional medicine should now be considered as a mainstream element of psychiatric practice, with research, education, policy, and health promotion supporting the new framework.” For a great documentary on this subject, watch The Marketing of Madness: The Truth about Psychotropic Drugs, which is a compelling and well-researched review of the problems with psychiatric medications. If you are not yet convinced that our current state of psychiatric medicine is in need of developing more comprehensive, nutritionally based approaches, perhaps the following statistics will help drive home the point: • In 2015 US doctors wrote 200 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers despite the fact that there is mounting evidence of their dangers, little evidence that they help long term, and the fact that they pose a serious risk of addiction, accidental overdose, and death. • In Canada one-fifth of our population experiences mental health or addiction issues. Seventy percent of these cases start in childhood. • The disease burden to society costs 1.5 times that of all cancers together and seven times that of all infectious diseases. Mental illness costs an estimated $51 billion annually. • Smoking addiction causes 17 percent of all deaths and is the leading cause of premature death. • In the age bracket 25–34, one in eight of all deaths is related to opioid use. • There are 4000 suicides annually in Canada, which translates to 11 per day. • Promotion (the process of enabling one to increase control over and to improve one’s health), prevention, and early intervention strategies show a positive return on investment (meaning they work). • 500,000 employed workers are unable to work each week. For specific targeted nutritional therapy for optimizing your health, visit a naturopathic physician. n

Acid–Alkaline Diets and Cancer: Stumped by an Ethical Question

A cancer patient tells me they are following an alkalinizing diet to combat their cancer and asks my approval. Should I tell them the theory that this diet is based on is malarkey even though the diet is still a good idea for them to follow? By Chris Spooner, ND

alarkey is a lovely word for this theory. My dictionary defines malarkey as “bunkum and nonsense.” These days it seems that we have an almost pathological need to categorize foods into good or bad. One such classification system that won’t go away is this idea of acid and alkaline foods. When patients bring up this topic I find it helpful to explain some of the history of this theory. We need to go all the way back to 1864 and a famous French chemist named Marcellin Berthelot to understand where this concept of acid and alkaline diets originated. In his 1879 book Mécanique chimique, Berthelot introduced the concepts of “endothermic” and “exothermic” reactions. To study these phenomena, he used a gadget he had invented for his experiments called a bomb calorimeter. A bomb calorimeter consists of a chamber pressurized with oxygen and suspended in a water bath. A sample is added to the chamber and once everything is set up, ignited. The pressurized oxygen pretty much guarantees that whatever is inside the bomb rapidly incinerates and all that remains is ash. The heat released by this controlled explosion is absorbed by the water bath and the increase in temperature is used to calculate the calories given off by the sample. This is how the number of calories in a food is figured out. After the experiment is done, all that is left inside the bomb is ash. Now, if

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Natural Health you mix that ash with water, you can measure its pH and tell whether it is acidic or alkaline. Way back in 1912, Sherman and Gettler published a paper that classed foods that had been tested in this way by the pH of the leftover “bomb ash.” The original paper can be viewed at: H. C. Sherman and A. O. Gettler. The Balance of AcidForming and Base-Forming Elements in Foods, and Its Relation to Ammonia Metabolism J. Biol. Chem. 1912 11: 323-. http://www.jbc.org/content/11/4/323. full.pdf?sid=c96fd40a-657a-4d65bd65-d261dc291e35 The current alkaline-ash diet comes from these long-ago experiments, not exactly what I would call cuttingedge science. In general, fruits and vegetables leave an alkaline ash. In general, meats and grains leave acidic ash. Remember this last bit; we will come back to it. There is a widespread belief that following an alkalinizing diet, that is, avoiding foods that produce acidic ash and choosing to eat foods that leave an alkaline ash, is a valid treatment for cancer. So why do people think that acidity is the cause of cancer? This fallacy began with Otto Warburg, whose research on the biochemistry of sugar metabolism in the 1920s to 1940s won him a Nobel Prize. Warburg was studying sea-urchin eggs, specifically, how the eggs fuelled their growth. In 1923, he turned his attention from sea-urchin cells to the cells of a rat tumour. From his previous research, he knew that seaurchin eggs increased their oxygen consumption significantly as they grew, so he expected to see a similar need for extra oxygen in the rat tumour. Instead, the cancer cells fuelled their growth by swallowing up enormous amounts of glucose (blood sugar) and breaking it down without oxygen. The result made no sense. Oxygen-fuelled reactions are a much more efficient way of turning food into energy, and there was plenty of oxygen available for the cancer cells to use. But when Warburg tested additional tumours, including ones from humans, he saw the same effect every time. The cancer cells were ravenous for glucose. www.ohwmagazine.com

Warburg’s discovery, later named the Warburg effect, is estimated to occur in up to 80 percent of cancers. It is so fundamental to most cancers that a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, which has emerged as an important tool in the staging and diagnosis of cancer, works simply by revealing the places in the body where cells are consuming extra glucose. In many cases, the more glucose a tumour consumes, the worse a patient’s prognosis. In the years following his breakthrough, Warburg became convinced that the effect he discovered occurs because cells are unable to use oxygen properly and that this damaged respiration is, in effect, the

Dr. Chris Spooner ND

starting point of cancer. He observed that cancer cells often live in hypoxic, very low oxygen, and acidic conditions and that they derive energy from sugars by fermenting them the way yeast does. He came up with a theory that these low-oxygen and high-acidic conditions were the cause of cancer. “Cancer, above all other diseases, has countless secondary causes. But, even for cancer, there is only one prime cause. Summarized in a few words, the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.” -- Dr. Otto H. Warburg Well into the 1950s, this theory— which Warburg believed in until his

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Natural Health death in 1970 but never proved—remained an important subject of debate within the field. His research was hailed as a major breakthrough in our understanding of cancer. But in the following decades, Warburg’s discovery would largely disappear from the cancer narrative, his contributions considered so negligible that they were left out of textbooks altogether. Current science explains this phenomenon differently. For a tumour to survive it needs to stimulate the growth of blood vessels to deliver the oxygen it needs to metabolize sugar. Tumour cells stimulate blood vessel growth by producing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Even with this stimulation, tumour cells often outpace the growth of new blood vessels and their capacity to provide oxygen. No blood vessels means no oxygen and, as a result, tumours change how their cells metabolize sugar. They start breaking it down through a process that doesn’t require oxygen: anaerobic metabolism or fermentation. This isn’t ideal; fermentation releases only about 5 percent of the energy that would have been produced if oxygen were available. The tumour cells do this to survive, not because they like to. Fermentation of sugar without adequate oxygen produces large amounts of lactic acid. Lactic acid builds up in hypoxic areas where cancer cells have grown too fast using a messy method of generating energy. The lack of blood vessels and oxygen also has the added effect of limiting the ability to flush away wastes like lactic acid. So, to be clear, rapidly growing tumours create an acidic environment lacking in oxygen. It is not acid and lack of oxygen that cause cancer. Still, the idea persists that neutralizing the acid produced by tumours and bringing oxygen to tumour cells can cure cancer. It doesn’t. Changing the pH of a tumour does not change its growth rate significantly, nor does it seem to lead to cell death. In 2004, Wenzel and Daniel published results of several experiments using quercetin and other flavones that trigger apoptosis (cellular suicide) in cancer cells. They found that apoptosis occurred independent of changes in alkalinity and acidity of the cellular environment; it was shown that altering pH did not appreciably affect survival or death of cancer cells. Even if it were true that raising the pH of a tumour was a useful therapy, there is no easy way to make this happen. The body holds the pH in blood and body fluids within a narrow range. Even a slight shift in pH would change the way enzymes act and the body does everything it can to

prevent this from happening. Mechanisms in the body buffer any attempt at raising or lowering the body’s pH. Cancer does not ever form due to an acidic or a low oxygen environment. Rather, advanced tumours create these conditions as they outstrip their angiogenesis capacity. It is not possible to alkalize tumours by any oral supplement; even IV bicarb will not harm tumours. The idea that oxygen will kill cancer cells is equally absurd. Cancer cells like oxygen; lack of oxygen slows their growth. Remember those drugs called angiogenesis inhibitors? By preventing the growth of new blood vessels to tumours, they suffocate the cancer cells. But let’s stick with this alkaline and ash pH business. This misplaced and outdated desire to increase the cancer’s pH has gotten cobbled together with the even older old bomb calorimeter ash data. Books and especially websites urge cancer patients to eat alkaline ashproducing foods on the theory that this will neutralize the acidic environment that created cancer. As I said, it is malarkey … but I also said it was a good idea. Remember, fruits and vegetables top the list of foods that burn down to alkaline ash. The foods to avoid include grains and refined sugars. The theory behind this whole business is nonsense but the result is good. Telling someone to eat alkaline foods—foods that control blood sugar and insulin and contain chemicals proven to prevent and fight cancer—is telling them to eat fruits and vegetables and avoid grains. Telling someone to avoid eating foods that produce acidic ash is telling them to avoid foods that increase the risk of cancer. It has nothing to do with pH; it has everything to do with the other chemicals present in the food and the levels of glucose and insulin. Warburg appreciated that a tumour’s dependence upon a steady flow of nutrients might eventually prove to be its fatal weakness. Long after his initial discovery of the Warburg effect, he continued to research the enzymes involved in fermentation and to explore the possibility of blocking the process in cancer cells. The challenge Warburg faced, then, is the same one that metabolism researchers face today: Cancer is an incredibly persistent foe. Given Warburg’s own story of historical neglect, it’s fitting that what may turn out to be one of the most promising cancer metabolism drugs has been sitting in plain sight for decades. That drug, metformin, is already widely prescribed to decrease the glucose in the blood of diabetics (76.9 million metformin prescriptions were filled in the United

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Natural Health States in 2014). In the years ahead, it’s likely to be used to treat—or at least to prevent—some cancers. Because metformin can influence a number of metabolic pathways, the precise mechanism by which it achieves its anticancer effects remains a source of debate. But the results of numerous epidemiological studies have been striking. Diabetics taking metformin seem to be significantly less likely to develop cancer than diabetics who don’t—and significantly less likely to die from the disease when they do. Warburg’s work has allowed researchers to develop a hypothesis for how the diets that are linked to our obesity and diabetes epidemics— specifically, sugar-heavy diets that can result in permanently elevated levels of the hormone insulin—may also be driving cells to the Warburg effect and cancer. The insulin hypothesis can be traced to the research of Lewis Cantley, the director of the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College. In the 1980s, Cantley discovered how insulin, which is released by the

pancreas and tells cells to take up glucose, influences what happens inside a cell. Cantley now refers to insulin and a closely related hormone, IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), as the champion activators of metabolic proteins linked to cancer. Evidence is building that it’s insulin that’s getting the tumour started. The Warburg effect may actually be the result of the insulin, or IGF-1, signalling pathway gone wrong. The result is cells behaving as though insulin were telling them to take up glucose all the time and to grow. Cantley, who avoids eating sugar as much as he can, is currently studying the effects of diet on mice that have the mutations commonly found in colorectal and other cancers. He says that the effects of a sugary diet on colorectal, breast and other cancer models “looks very impressive” and “rather scary.” Elevated insulin is also strongly associated with obesity, which is expected soon to overtake smoking as the leading cause of preventable cancer. Cancers linked to obesity and diabetes have more receptors

for insulin and IGF-1, and people with defective IGF-1 receptors appear to be nearly immune to cancer. Retrospective studies, which look back at patient histories, suggest that many people who develop colorectal, pancreatic or breast cancer have elevated insulin levels before diagnosis. It’s perhaps not entirely surprising, then, that when researchers want to grow breast-cancer cells in the lab, they add insulin to the tissue culture. When they remove the insulin, the cancer cells die. So here is the ethical question: Should we let people believe in bad and outdated science for the purpose of getting them to do something good for them? Do we let our patients eat from these alkaline food lists, knowing that the theory that supports their diet is malarkey? The answer is really quite simple: Help my patients understand so they can make informed decisions. The meaning of the word doctor, derived from the Latin word docere, is to instruct, to teach. n

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Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Natural Health

The Hypopressive Technique: An Efficient Way to Train Your Core Discover a training system that uses the whole body without placing undue pressure on the pelvic floor.

By Cathy Watson, BSc Physiotherapy

h no, not another core exercise! But wait. This is a very different and effective way to train your core, so read on and learn about a system where you will notice improved pelvic floor health, toned abdominals, an openness through your incredibly tight mid-back, and an improved ability to breathe more fully and easily. The Hypopressive Technique, or low-pressure fitness, has been practised since the 1980s, just not here in North America. The training system evolved from a combination of Eastern yoga and Western postural therapy. The technique was initially created in Europe to help post-natal women who were having pelvic floor dysfunction such as incontinence and/or prolapse. Over the years, the populations learning the techniques have expanded to include people without pelvic floor dysfunction as well as high-level athletes. But why would people who don’t have a problem with their pelvic floor seek out such training? The answer is simple: because the techniques involve using the whole body without putting excess pressure through the pelvic floor region. Pilates based physiotherapy allows for a movement based approach to help your body become more flexible and move more efficiently.

www.cathywatsonphysio.ca cathy_watson@telus.net Phone: 250-540-0203 3704 - 32 Street, Vernon, BC

As a pelvic floor physiotherapist, I yearned to have more to give to my clients with weakened pelvic floor muscles than just the standard Kegels. Although Kegels can be very beneficial and are the right exercise choice for many people, it is important to have options that might be a better fit for others. As soon as I began the Hypopressive training with Trista Zinn, the master teacher trainer here in Canada, I knew this type of work was going to be helpful to improve the function of the entire core. But let’s start at the beginning and clarify what the core muscles are. The core refers to a group of muscles that are less about moving us and more about stabilizing us. When they are working well together, we feel supported; so we can go about our day doing the things we need to while experiencing fewer aches and pains. Imagine these muscles as forming a sort of canister, with a top, bottom, and sides. Transversus abdominis – forming the front Multifidus – forming the back Diaphragm – forming the top Pelvic floor – forming the bottom They wrap around and cradle our spine and pelvis, giving us support so we can move freely. Are we using these muscles in most training programs? Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. Being cognizant about using these muscles requires some time spent performing mindful exercise. This means that we think about what we are doing when we are exercising. For example, we can perform a plank by being in a position on our forearms and toes but completely letting our belly hang down toward the floor. That’s not where we want our belly, so ensuring that we pull in through our lower belly

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Natural Health

and up through our pelvic floor while maintaining our plank position would make this a mindful exercise.

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What is the difference between our familiar core exercises and the Hypopressive Technique? Traditionally, we have been taught to do a lot of “core” exercises that, firstly, don’t often involve all four of the above-stated muscle groups and secondly, increase the pressure on top of our pelvic floor. For example, when performing a basic crunch: • The diaphragm pushes downward • There is an increase in intraabdominal pressure • There is vascular compression • There is compression on top of the pelvic floor muscles

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We don’t want our organs moving downward, so performing as much exercise as we typically do nowadays, where we are causing this to happen, doesn’t make sense. I am not going to say I am anti-crunch, as we put our bodies through many different activities during the day that cause an increase in intra-abdominal pressure—even walking. And let’s face it, people love their crunches. It’s more about finding a balance, so why don’t we decrease that intra-abdominal pressure when we train by doing less pressure-building exercise and add in some pressuredecreasing exercise? The Hypopressive Technique has the following benefits: • Lengthens the diaphragm • Decreases intra-abdominal pressure • Increases vascular flow • Does not create any increase in pressure onto the pelvic floor The technique looks very different and is performed very differently from our traditional core work. How does the Hypopressive Technique work? This technique uses lateral expansion of the ribs during an inhalation, followed by breath www.ohwmagazine.com

•

cessation. A false inhale then creates an upward suctioning, myofascial release, and decongestion of organs from the pelvic cavity. The various postures help ensure axial length and joint decompression. Is low pressure fitness for you? This form of training is suitable for people who want any of the following: • To prevent or treat pelvic floor muscle dysfunction such as incontinence, prolapse, or sexual dysfunction • To improve the function of the pelvic floor before pregnancy

To improve the function of the pelvic floor after pregnancy To improve diastasis (abdominal separation) To improve athletic performance and posture, decrease waist size, flatten abdominals, and improve circulation and respiration

How do you get started? Seek out a qualified teacher in your area by visiting the Hypopressives Canada website below. Progression with this type of exercise comes through the changing postures. The training involves many postures because we are in so many different positions throughout our day. Some postures will be easier whereas others will be more challenging. Extending the time when we are taking in our false breath, or decompressing, is a second way in which this training is progressed. Forming a home practice or attending classes for 20 minutes three times weekly will allow you to make significant gains. For more information, please visit www.hypopressivescanada.com, www.corsetfitness.com, and www. cathywatsonphysio.ca. n

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Natural Health

What Is Osteopathy? A patient-centred approach to health, this manual therapy is used globally to address a wide range of ailments safely and effectively. By Elaine Sauvé, MOst, BAppSci, BHSc

steopathy is a holistic form of manual therapy which facilitates healing by focusing on how the whole body functions as a unit, including the bones, joints, muscles, nerves, circulation, connective tissue, and internal organs. Osteopathic techniques are effective in treating both acute and chronic pain conditions and improving mobility, health, and general wellbeing. Osteopathic principles recognize the body has the potential to heal itself and provide a unique approach to treating the whole body; not only the area of pain, but also the underlying cause of the problem. Osteopathic practitioners seek the cause of pain and dysfunction by taking a comprehensive case history and physical assessment to look at the interaction of multiple systems in the body (digestive, neurological, cardiorespiratory, and musculoskeletal). Lifestyle factors are also discussed as potential contributors, including diet, exercise, stress, occupation, and sleeping issues. Osteopathic practitioners are trained in anatomy, physiology, pathology, and a wide range of hands-on techniques to provide a multi-system approach. Osteopathic practitioners typically use the sensitive palpation of their hands to assess restrictions and strains, and provide manual treatment in order to decrease pain and improve function. Treatment utilizes both direct and indirect manual techniques such as soft tissue mobilization

(stretching, massage, trigger point), myofascial release, muscle energy, positional release, joint mobilization, visceral release, and cranial osteopathy. Techniques aim to address the cause of dysfunction and facilitate the body to integrate changes. With osteopathic treatment there is no single protocol that is applied to all patients or conditions. A patient-centred approach is taken that emphasizes collaboration between patient and practitioner; treatment plans are discussed then individualized and may include exercises, stretches, postural correction, and other advice. Osteopathy in BC The Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA) recognizes that internationally there are two streams of osteopathic practice: “osteopathy” or “traditional osteopathy” practised by osteopaths (Osteopathic Practitioners within BC) and “osteopathic medicine” practised by osteopathic physicians. The majority of countries in the world and the majority of osteopaths in Canada use these internationally accepted titles and definitions. In British Columbia, the standards are not yet in line and the titles “Osteopath” and “Osteopathic Physician” are currently reserved for osteopathic physicians only. Members of Osteopathy BC (OBC) therefore use the title “Osteopathic Practitioner” in BC to make it very clear that we are not physicians and to conform with the law. Currently, treatment provided by osteopathic practitioners is not covered by MSP. However, most major extended health insurance providers include osteopathy in many of their plans. Patients must consult their specific plan for details. How to choose an osteopathic practitioner Globally, osteopathy is a well-established form of manual therapy and is regulated in many other countries including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Australia. In Canada, however, traditional manual osteopathy, as practised by osteopathic practitioners, is not yet a regulated health profession in BC, so the title does not necessarily indicate equal levels of training, credentials or standards of practice among practitioners. Therefore, it’s important

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Natural Health to choose an osteopathic practitioner who is a member of an organization that maintains high standards, such as OBC and the Canadian Federation of Osteopaths. See www.osteopathybc. ca for the list of members in BC. Additionally, only members of OBC have the ability to invoice to registered extended health providers. Osteopathic practitioners treat more than you think! Osteopathy is safe for people of all ages, from babies to the elderly. Osteopathic practitioners treat a wide range of conditions and problems including: • Back and neck pain • Sciatica • Pelvic imbalances • Whiplash • Headaches • Hip, knee, ankle, and foot pain • Shoulder, elbow, wrist pain • Sinus issues • Sports or work-related injuries • Joint and muscle pain, sprains and strains • Osteoarthritis • Digestive, respiratory, menstrual problems

• • •

Postural issues Pregnancy and post-partum related pain Babies’ and children’s problems

Osteopathy and back pain Back pain will affect most people at some point in their life, whether mild or severe, acute or chronic. Common causes of back pain include trauma, such as a car accident or fall; heavy lifting, extensive sitting or standing; pregnancy and childbirth; digestive conditions such as constipation or irritable bowel; menstrual pain or endometriosis; dysfunction in the upper back, pelvis, or lower limbs. Other more serious causes include disc injury, fracture, tumour, or infection. Osteopathic practitioners are trained to differentiate between uncomplicated back pain and pain that requires referral to your doctor. Osteopathic practitioners can help you develop a safe and effective treatment plan by improving joint mobility; reducing muscular tension, inflammation, and nerve irritation; providing advice on posture, exercises, stretches, and ergonomics at home or the workplace.

Osteopathy and headaches The most common type of headache originates from muscle stiffness or joint strain in the neck and upper back. Other causes of headache include sinus congestion, whiplash, stress, dysfunctional breathing, jaw imbalance, teeth grinding, poor posture, and workplace ergonomics. Osteopathy provides an effective approach for treatment by improving your general mobility, including the mobility of your ribs, thoracic and cervical spine; reducing muscular tension, nerve compression and inflammation; providing advice on posture, breathing mechanics, exercise, stretching, and workplace ergonomics to help prevent a recurrence of symptoms; and differentiating between headaches with common causes versus those due to something more serious. Your osteopath will refer you to your doctor if necessary. For more information, visit the Osteopathy BC website, www. osteopathybc.ca. n

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Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Fitness

Why People Love Whole Body Vibration Exercise With this form of activity, less time is needed to work muscle groups completely with minimal stress on joints and ligaments. By Laura Pelletier

or Whole Body Vibration equipment the next generation fitness program already has the stamp of approval of NASA, NFL teams, NBA teams, top universities, and a wave of celebrities in an effort to get in shape. Whole Body Vibration therapy and training helps burn fat, increase metabolism, build muscle, and increase flexibility. Whole Body Vibration therapy is loved by people everywhere for many reasons: • Vibration therapy does not make you sweat. • It dramatically increases your strength in weeks.

• • • •

Vibration fitness tones and tightens skin, reducing the appearance of cellulite. It boosts your serotonin levels which improve your mood, increasing available energy. It decreases joint pain and blood pressure. It increases your flexibility and balance with Whole Body Vibration Plate workouts.

Whole Body Vibration exercise therapy accelerates the body’s natural healing response, increases blood circulation and oxygenation throughout the body, stimulates cellular nutrient uptake, enhances cellular fluid movement, promotes lymphatic drainage, and assists cellular waste removal. As a result, new cells are more resilient, vibrant, and function together as a healthier, longer lasting body. Whole Body Vibration exercise can be a complete workout or it can be used in a more passive way. You can make it a complete workout by standing in many of the positions or postures recommended. Ten minutes of Whole Body Vibration exercise is equivalent to ten minutes lifting weights in a gym. There are also reports that the effects of the Whole Body Vibration exercise reduce the need for conventional weight-lift training by 85 percent. In traditional strength and power training, the load on the muscles is determined by the weight lifted. With Whole Body Vibration exercise a specific frequency and amplitude of vibration is chosen and the movement of the plate loads the limbs. The vibrations stimulate a reflex contraction within the muscle which leads to a high level of muscle activation and exertion. The superior muscle activation that the Whole Body Vibration machine stimulates compared to conventional training means that less time is required to work muscle groups completely. This is achieved with minimal stress on the joints and ligaments. You can perform static or dynamic movements including standing, sitting, kneeling, lying, and placing your hands on it. Almost any exercise, from a typical gym workout to passively sitting on a chair and resting your feet, can be done on a Whole Body Vibration exercise platform. Why not try Whole Body Vibration and see the difference for yourself? n

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Fitness

A Progressive Approach to a Healthy Lifestyle

Follow these steps consistently and watch energy, vitality, mobility, and confidence flow back into your life. By Matt Somerset as anyone heard of the new buzz phrase within the health and fitness field these days? It’s called living a healthy lifestyle. There is definitely some merit to that statement. When I stop to think about most people just getting into the health and fitness lifestyle, they have a long way to go to even get anywhere close to the people touting this advice. I prefer a much different approach; and after we are done here today, I’m confident that you will as well. Before we get going, you need to keep something front and centre of your mind as you are reading along: There are Outcomes, Strategies, and Processes. An outcome is an ideal that we want; a strategy is something we use to get us closer to the outcome; and finally, a process is something we must do consistently to make the strategy work—the tactics. If you find people at your specific outcomes consistently, there is a good reason to look at what their processes are. This is exactly what we are going to be discussing. Remember, processes make an outcome happen.

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Fat Focus First off, why even focus on fat loss? There are actually five enormous benefits other than appearance: • You will make massive improvements in all of your health markers at the doctor. • You will significantly increase your energy levels. • You will build your confidence through your ability to control your body. • You will stop getting confused and begin focusing on results that matter. • The process to make this happen is actually much simpler than you believe it to be. Here’s the deal: Most likely, if you are a female with over 30 percent body fat or a male with over 20 percent body fat, one or more of the following apply to you: • Very poor health; processes within the body are not functioning the way they used to. • Very low energy levels; you just seem to want to lie around

or if out, rest more than move. (This person looks at fit people popping up and down and wonders why the heck they get up and down so much.) • Your life expectancy isn’t great. You know this so we don’t even need to get into it. • You are also at a high risk for metabolic syndrome, which has a whole bunch of nasty health implications attached to it; doctors and scientists have very good evidence connecting body fat percentage with many diseases. • Finally, you find for yourself or have been told by your doctor that you will need some kind of medication to manage your body systems that are out of control. All right, enough of the facts. But seriously think about this, and as you do I’m going to show you a much better method I learned to get out of this mess. Progression versus Life Change Okay, let’s assume you are starting

Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Fitness

from the beginning again. You are a female with over 30 percent body fat or a male with over 20 percent body fat. What now? Well, remember that I said processes are at the root of most consistent outcomes. This is what we are going to explore. We are about to split the different health and fitness lifestyles into categories. Each category has different required processes to be consistently applied in order to reach our body fat percentage outcome. So here we go. Outcomes As we explore three different levels of a health and fitness lifestyle, let’s look at our outcome goals. Level 1: Males 15-20% body fat and Females 25-30% body fat Level 2: Males 13-15% body fat and Females 23-25% body fat Level 3: Males 10-12% body fat and Females 20-22% body fat Consider where you are starting from. If I were starting from the beginning I would shoot for the level 1 category. Figure out where you currently are; then we will go on to the next step, the cornerstone strategies. You have now selected your outcome for the next 90 days. Strategies When it comes to cornerstone strategies that make the most difference to your body fat goal, there are a few you can’t ignore. Initially they are simple but they are effective.

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Let’s explore the strategies of each of the three levels. Level 1: This comes down to the speed at which you consume your meals, the number of meals you consume with protein and a veggie, and finally, exercise. Are you moving your body in some way? Level 2: This involves slowing down the speed at which you eat most of your meals, making sure more of your meals have a protein source and a veggie source, daily exercise with one to two sessions where you are sweating, and finally, sleeping at least seven hours a night. Level 3: Slow eating still remains but all meals are consumed slowly. You are consuming a protein at each meal, a veggie at each meal, a fat source at each meal, along with a quality carb source. You are exercising each day but increasing the time you spend working out; in three to four of your sessions you should be breaking a sweat. Finally, you are sleeping seven to eight hours a night. There you have it. The strategies that you consistently practised make the most difference on your lifestyle. Which ones are you doing currently and which strategies need some work? Use those answers to figure out your next actions because next I’m going to show you how to implement the strategy. Processes Here is where consistency comes to your aid. When you practise these habits day in and day out, you will find that your body just naturally hits the targets you are aiming for. Let’s dive into each level. Level 1: Eat until you are satisfied for 60 percent of your meals. So for just over half your meals you should be eating until you know you can push away from the plate. When it comes to protein, consume one to two palm-sized portions of it in one to two of your meals. For veggies, consume one to two fist-sized portions for one to two of your daily meals. Finally, whatever sort of activity you enjoy, do it three to five times per week at no particular intensity. Level 2: Eat 80 percent of your meals until satisfied. Improve more of your meals by consuming two to three of them with one to two palm-sized portions of protein and one to two fist-sized portions of veggies. Exercise 30 to 45 minutes daily while ensuring that in one to two sessions you are sweating. Lastly, get seven hours of sleep each night using a bedtime routine of some sort. Level 3: Eat until you are satisfied at 90 percent of your meals. Improve your meal to include one to two palm-sized portions of protein, one to two fist-sized portions of veggies, one to two thumb-sized portions of fat, and a cupped handful of whole carbs at most meals during the day. Exercise 45 to 60 minutes a day, breaking a sweat on three or four of those days and doing resistance training two days a week. Get seven to eight hours of sleep, looking into night routines and possibly sleep aids. And there you have it. If you apply these steps as they have been laid out, you will be astounded by the amount of energy, vitality, mobility, and confidence that will flow back into your life. There is only one key to this: consistency. If you work the processes daily, you will surely obtain the outcomes you desire. n

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Wellness

Prevention versus Treatment What’s the right balance? Is there a balance? Can both prevention and treatment be placed on an equal platform? By Mary Kozicki, BScN

he total cost to Canada of illness, disability, and death from the four leading preventable chronic diseases— cardiovascular, cancer, respiratory, and diabetes— is estimated at $45 billion annually. The cost in terms of quality of life is immeasurable. Although these chronic diseases are among the most common and costly health problems facing Canadians, they are also among the most preventable, according to Dr. Carolyn Bennett, Minister of State (Public Health), speaking at the 2004 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Forum on Chronic Disease Prevention and Control. We often see in the news best wishes being sent to folks who are 100 years of age or more. That milestone in itself is reason to celebrate, but are they living in the best of health? Disturbing statistics show that 25 percent of people over the age of 65 take five or more medications regularly. How many centenarians wish they had established a better health plan in their younger years? Let’s take a look at what prevention and treatment mean. The word prevention is defined as the action of stopping something from happening or arising. The word treatment is defined as (depending on the context) the handling or action taken. The next definition perhaps best describes the two words more to point than any found in the dictionary. It is taken from a poem written by the English temperance activist Joseph Malins in 1895, which was often recited by the late John Denver at some of his concerts. Prevention is “the fence at the top of the cliff.” Treatment is “the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.” These two phrases suggest that some problems are being looked at backwards, through trying to treat the consequences rather than the cause. In essence, it’s a restatement of the old adage that everyone has heard time and time again, that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But do we live by it? We have all heard about eating right, exercising, keeping our weight down. These tips make for a healthier lifestyle; but do we take this advice to heart and follow it or are we still relying on our doctor’s advice and coming home with a prescription for some new pill which, in reading the list of side effects, is scary?

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Currently, we are bombarded by more and more infomercials showcasing instant treatment. “There’s a pill out there for everyone and for everything that ails you!” scream the ads. We must ask ourselves: Is the priority for treatment still driven by intensity of immediate need? Many prevention activities have benefits that accrue almost immediately. Beginning a physical fitness program not only has benefits for avoiding future coronary heart disease or osteoporosis, but also produces a sense of wellbeing through stress reduction. Vaccinations take only a couple of weeks to a month or so until immunity is established. Prevention is more than education and goes well beyond the individual; it is a community effort. To be most effective, it must occur in multiple divisions and across individuals’ entire life spans. The Kungsholmen, a 12-year community project in Sweden, indicated that a healthy lifestyle can add seven years to the life of middle-aged individuals, and four years even at age 85, while medical care adds pretty much zero. Are our current medical students even moving toward prevention in their studies or is their training strictly based on treatment and curing the disease or illness after it happens? Sadly, our healthcare system has been primarily focused on discovering treatments and cures for disease— not on preventing disease. Medical schools should be on the leading edge of this transition. Yes, in the past, treatment has been the first line of defence that we turn to, but is the tide turning toward prevention?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Mary Kozicki 778-476-2469 Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Wellness Most people know that prevention is better than cure and believe it is more cost-effective for society because it reduces the risk of long-term illness and expensive treatments. They recognize their own responsibility for this and want help in making healthy choices that build on the opportunities for healthy living. Some 59 percent say that their health is very important to them but they could do more to be healthy. Schools are embracing gardening; boys and girls clubs are promoting healthy lifestyle. The general public is forcing the government to implement stricter labelling of foods sold. Farmers are urged to grow organic produce. Workplace wellness programs have taken off in offices, plants, and other worksites across the nation. Celebrities are joining the movement with their agendas that encourage prevention and help bring to our attention the importance of prevention: Jamie Oliver with his Food Revolution program; Melinda and Bill Gates, with their belief that every life has equal value, working to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. According to a new longevity study, Canadian Community Health Survey (conducted by Ottawa researchers and distributed annually to Canadians), the payback on all that extra effort is huge. Choosing to live a healthy life will result in a longer one by a whopping 17.9 years. Dr. Doug Manuel, lead author of the study and senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital, professor at the University of Ottawa and a senior core scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, said, “I’m always caught off guard about how big a burden unhealthy behaviour is.” We have indisputable evidence of the power of prevention. We must embrace the fact that a healthy population is a more productive population—in pretty much every way—and position prevention on a much higher scale than treatment. Why not let Hippocrates have the final word: “The function of protecting and developing health must rank even above that of restoring it when it is impaired.” n

Fear No Mirror!

CoolSculpting is a promising procedure for non-invasive, non-surgical fat reduction and body contouring and presents a compelling alternative to liposuction and other, more invasive methods. By Lori Anderson

ith New Year’s resolutions in full swing, local gyms and boot camps are packed with people getting in shape and making a change in their health and wellbeing. Physical fitness and healthy eating should always be an included as an important component in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and there are many people who are making it not only a new year’s resolution but a way of life. But what if, no matter how healthy you eat and how much you exercise, you can’t eliminate the stubborn fat from those problem areas? You are fit and healthy, you exercise and eat right, but those stubborn pockets of fat never seem to go. For a lot of people, this is a reality. The love handles, saddlebags, double chin, bra fat, underarm puffs that flow over strapless dresses, inner thighs, and of course the abdomen are all areas where fat cells can enlarge and become hard to reduce. The majority of us, no matter how fit and healthy we are, genetically

have areas where we store unwanted fat and simply can’t get rid of it. Now there is a technology with which you can freeze fat away! CoolSculpting is a non-invasive treatment that can help you eliminate those areas once and for all. It is the number one nonsurgical treatment for unwanted body fat and is available at North Okanagan Skin & Laser. It is proven to deliver safe, predictable, and natural results. The proof is in the millions of procedures performed successfully on men and women. It is Health Canada approved, clinically proven, with lasting results, no downtime, no anesthesia, no special diets, and no needles. Years ago, renowned Harvard University scientists Dieter Manstein, MD, and R. Rox Anderson, MD, observed that some children who ate popsicles got dimples in their cheeks. The scientists realized that the popsicles were freezing and eliminating small pockets of fat. The idea that cold can selectively affect and

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Wellness eliminate fat cells without damaging the skin or surrounding tissue was the insight behind cryolipolysis, the proven science on which the CoolSculpting procedure is based. With more than 3.5 million CoolSculpting procedures performed worldwide, it is proven to be a safe and effective treatment for non-surgical fat reduction. CoolSculpting technology uses controlled cooling to target and permanently destroy fat cells. During the treatment, an applicator is applied to the targeted area where tissue is drawn into a vacuum cup and controlled cooling is delivered to the targeted fat. The cooling cup is activated to the specific temperature where fat cells are vulnerable and die. This process takes only 35 to 60 minutes per area. In some cases, multiple areas can be treated at one time. During the CoolSculpting procedure, 20 percent to 25 percent of the fat cells are killed, and in the weeks to follow, the body naturally processes the fat and eliminates these dead cells. CoolSculpting results are long term as

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treated fat cells are gone for good. The CoolSculpting procedure actually reduces the number of fat cells in the treated areas. CoolSculpting systems have your safety in mind and are the only controlled cooling devices designed with built-in safety measures. If sensors detect that the skin is getting too cold, the system will shut down automatically. Treatments are safe, effective, and comfortable. We start with an in-depth consultation and will help you create an individualized treatment plan tailored to your specific goals and budget. We will implement the treatment plan developed during your consultation. During treatment, you can read, work on your laptop, or simply relax. Changes may be seen as early as three weeks after your treatment, with the most dramatic results after one to three months. Once the treated fat cells are gone, they will not come back. Additional sessions may further enhance your results as you continue to reshape and contour your body.

As long as you maintain your weight with your normal diet and exercise, your long-term results should remain stable. Most people can return to their normal activities immediately after the CoolSculpting procedure. Your CoolSculpting specialist will work with you in the weeks and months following your procedure and share in your excitement as you see your body changing. Follow-up pictures for comparison will have you motivated to continue your healthy lifestyle. Your health and happiness can have such a positive effect on your confidence and self-esteem. When you look good, you feel good! We are happy to assist you in feeling not just good but great and are proud to have this technology available to the people in Vernon and surrounding areas. If you need a little extra help in your effort to reshape and contour your body, contact us at 250-542-2721 or visit our website www.okanaganskinandlaser. com and book your free consultation to learn more about what CoolSculpting can do for you. Fear No Mirror! n

Winter â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Wellness

Belief: The Key to Your Thoughts

Three important questions to ask ourselves in order to understand our belief system. By Serge Mazerand

n my first article, “It’s All about Music,” I invited you to become the conductor of your personal orchestra––the 35 trillion or so musician-cells that play the sacred music of your life. We saw that awareness, the art of listening, is truly the key factor in ensuring that we stay in tune, attuned, and aligned, creating coherence in what we think, say, and do on the stage of life. Thoughts are our notes, our music. But where are they coming from? It all begins with our belief system, the matrix where our thoughts are created. This is where we find the inspiration to compose the music of our lives. Awareness of our beliefs is therefore paramount in the process of creating our day-to-day melodies, our reality. To that effect, we need to ask ourselves a few key questions:

beliefs are often generated by early childhood conditioning and, later in life, by societal manipulation and subconscious programming induced by the plethora of information (accurate

What is a belief and how is it formed?

or not) our minds are subjected to on a daily basis. Here are typical examples of both: Often, deep-seated childhood beliefs are in profound conflict with what we are called to do in our adult lives and they totally sabotage the roles we choose to play. They diminish and stunt us. For example, the belief

Most beliefs are just ideas. If we put enough conviction into these ideas, they become beliefs. Some are cultural; others are based on scientific data. Others still come from conditioning. The most flawed

... when fall arrives, we hear and read everywhere: “Flu season is here!” Many people are so suggestible that they believe the time has come to get sick––and so they do, almost on command!

that we are not good enough at this or that, that we are ugly, that we’d better hide and keep a low profile, that money is dirty––you name it––all these assumptions and perceptions that are hammered into our consciousness by parents, siblings, or teachers keep us from reaching the full extent of the many possibilities that await us. In the realm of social manipulation, when fall arrives, we hear and read everywhere: “Flu season is here!” Many people are so suggestible that they believe the time has come to get sick––and so they do, almost on command! This is the equivalent of voodoo in certain countries where spells often incapacitate or even kill impressionable individuals. The placebo effect is the most spectacular illustration of the power of belief––of belief in belief, in fact. It is often also called the sugar pill effect, meant to induce a perceived or real improvement in a patient’s condition. While the above-mentioned spell casting is called nocebo (I shall harm), placebo means I shall please—two wings of the same bird. A couple of elements are at the heart of placebo: emotion and

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Wellness

expectation. A belief is only as strong as the emotion that sustains it. Then, it is not what we know anymore. It is no longer about what has been scientifically demonstrated. It is about what we are convinced of in the heart of our hearts. And when we expect something to happen, whether in the positive or in the negative, due to the law of attraction, it usually happens. As the saying goes, “be careful what you wish for.” However, we should also be careful about what we are afraid of, because that, too, manifests in uncanny ways. Is this belief empowering me or is it disempowering me?

perception and assumption. Mystic Persian poet Rumi famously wrote: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” However, to transcend beliefs doesn’t mean to erase all of them altogether. We still need values and strong guidelines to help us navigate life. All we need to do is to filter through the false beliefs, the pseudo-beliefs, and the acquired beliefs. We need to educate ourselves and exercise critical thinking. But we also need to listen to our heart. It isn’t a purely intellectual process. It is a harmonious

This is perhaps the most important question we need to ask ourselves. It is doing one or the other. It is either giving us strength and resilience or it is weakening us. It serves us in our vision of life, in our goals, or it sabotages us, poking holes into the only boat that carries us through life. Often, we manifest attitudes that have sort of grown into us with time, sustained by certain beliefs. For instance, we find ourselves saying to friends and even to strangers: “Oh, that’s just how I am, you know.” Really? Is it how you are or how you were made to be? The “I am not good at this, I am a pessimist, I am lonely, I am this or that” are not empowering you at all. As a matter of fact, the more you repeat these words, the more you reinforce their negative energy and at the same time sap the life-energy that flows within you. So, for the sake of inner harmony, effectiveness, and success, you need to regularly clean house, so to speak, and assess the belief system you function under.

Be the Composer and the Conductor of Your Life

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7 Keys to Serenity Creating Harmony Within In the face of today’s many disruptions and uncertainties, this book inspires readers to shift into a new way of thinking where stress and anxiety have no power; to create resilience, clarity and effortlessness; to embrace the art of conscious living.

Is this a true belief or just an idea? This is the final question we need to ask ourselves. Often we confuse belief and idea. Many so-called beliefs are merely ideas about things, society, money, sex, power, politics, age, death, diets, even religion. To reach lasting inner peace we need to go beyond these pseudo-beliefs; beyond www.ohwmagazine.com

combination of heart and mind. It also requires acceptance of others’ beliefs because, as we saw earlier, belief is about emotion and conviction. And surely, we cannot expect everyone to resonate with our own convictions, can we? Now that we have become aware of where to find our inspiration as composers of our life symphony––a space of coherent, empowering beliefs that serve us and the world––let us create the notes, our thoughts, our choices, and change. Stay tuned… Namaste n

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Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Wellness

Peter’s story is a tragic reminder that heart attacks do not discriminate.

“It Will Never Happen to Me.” By Rhonda Catt, NASM-CPT/CES, FMS/SFMA, PRI, FRC, CFSC

hen you think about the heart and the amount of effort it puts into every breath and minute of our day, it is actually a breathtaking thought. Having a career in the strength and conditioning industry gives you a great appreciation of the work the heart has to do. It also gives you a false sense of health security and invincibility. Unfortunately, this is a mindset that many active people live with and one that my husband and I had. It wasn’t until Peter passed away from a heart attack that I realized how fragile life can be. In the early morning of Nov 3, 2015, my husband died of a heart attack at the age of 46. Peter was your typical active male who grew up playing numerous sports. Being married to someone in the health industry never allowed him to be anything other than active. The mindset of being invincible, that

“it will never happen to me,” is what can make the difference between surviving a heart attack or not. I write this article in the hopes of changing that exact mindset and raising awareness for heart disease and heart attacks. It is time to give this disease the muchneeded attention it deserves. The more awareness we are able to create, the more lives we save. The story of Peter is one that I feel many individuals, especially men over 40, can relate to. He grew up playing multiple sports and continuing that passion into adulthood all while trying his best to maintain a lifestyle of exercise and healthy eating. Everything in moderation was his view and with my encouragement he did his best to take care of his health. There was no family history of heart attacks. He was a non-smoker and kept a healthy adult weight with no serious illness or reasons to visit his doctor for many years. Six months prior

to Peter’s death he lost his father to cancer. He was finishing schooling for a career change through his employer and pushed himself to do well. I truly believe the stress of witnessing the decline in his father’s health, of doing well on the job and typical mid-life stress also played a role in his death. Stress can kill! For many, death from a heart attack is something that happens when you are “older.” At 46 years old and still feeling “young,” it doesn’t become something you are generally concerned about. For most, death from cancer is what you think will shorten your life. Because of the “it won’t happen to me” mindset, there were many red flags Peter and I both ignored. It is these red flags I want to share with readers and encourage them to take the important steps needed to improve their health. For at least a year prior to his death, Peter complained of “achy

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Wellness

legs.” It was a deep ache that first started in his calves but closer to his death this same ache had moved to his thighs. At first, we would relate it to myofascial issues. See a physio, do more selfmyofascial release. There was always a reason in our mind that seemed so simple. He was slowly becoming more fatigued and with that came less activity. His 12-hour work shifts Friday through Sunday seemed like a basic excuse. It was a long day— who wouldn’t be tired after 12 hours? His level of fatigue was not the norm for him and was continuing on his non-work days but with our mindset we related it back to being less active. Just move more and things will get better. The man who would beat me on runs and mountain bike rides was getting slower and slower. The last mountain bike ride together was so physically demanding on him that he complained of his chest aching when we returned home. Reading this sentence now makes me physically ill but you must remember that for many active individuals they are used to pushing themselves. They are used to exhaustion from physical activity and feeling tired just comes with the territory. Because of Peter’s healthy history and lack of family history with heart disease, we never once talked about heart health or if there could be a problem. When I reminded him that it was time to see his doctor for a general health check, he just laughed it off and replied, “Whatever.” I believe he felt there was tons of time left to worry about doctor visits and if it’s not broken or bleeding, why waste the doctor’s time? The evening before Peter died, he played hockey. He was complaining of heartburn. He rarely got heartburn. It was the physical activity that brought it on and it never subsided through the night. He was afraid to wake me. I know this because of the makeshift bed he made in the living room that I saw the next morning. Two hours prior to his death, as I awoke to him www.ohwmagazine.com

entering our bedroom, he asked if I had Rolaids. Through my sleepy grogginess I replied, “No,” and fell back asleep. Little did I know that would be the last word I would say to my husband. At 3:55 a.m. I woke to him in bed beside me in what I thought was a bad dream. As I tried to shake him awake it suddenly slapped me in the face: He was dying. This wasn’t happening … this couldn’t happen. We’d built a life together. As a mother whose first priority is to keep her kids safe, I now have to live with the realization that our kids also witnessed their father’s death.

Now do you understand how important this message is? Now do you see how easily this could happen to you? Now do you look at your loved ones and know you must do everything in your power to pay attention to signs and symptoms that don’t feel right and that seeing your doctor is never a bad thing? Personally, I die a little more inside each day after Peter’s death. Raising awareness of heart health and encouraging the general public to do the same is how I channel the depression, fear, and sadness. If I quit, I die too. I cannot let that happen. Dr. Stephen Friesen, of Vernon, says it quite clearly: “Many individuals have a false sense of security because they do not have any of the major risk factors.” Individuals living without these risk factors such as smoking, obesity, family history can also run the risk of a heart attack. The “it won’t happen to me” mindset needs to change. Heart attacks do not discriminate! So, I ask, beg, and plead with you to please #sharepetersstory. You could save a life with just one share. Please see more at www.petersstory.ca. n

Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Wellness

Let’s Get the Hearing Loop Straight! Examining the major differences between hearing loop technology and Bluetooth® hearing aid accessories.

By Tosha R. Hodgson, BA, MClSc, Aud(C), Registered Audiologist & Hearing Instrument Practitioner

t has been fantastic watching Vernon and surrounding areas become more hearing accessible. As an increasing number of hearing loop systems are installed, I have been fielding more questions than ever before about the technology. While answering these questions it has come to my attention that a number of people have read, or been told, inaccurate or misleading information, particularly about hearing loop technology versus Bluetooth® technology. The most common misconception seems to be that hearing aid wearers no longer need telecoils or public hearing loop systems in public places because they can use Bluetooth accessories instead. Let me be very clear: Bluetooth hearing aid accessories cannot work in public places for multiple listeners simultaneously. A hearing loop system can. A telecoil is a tiny spindle of wire located inside a hearing aid that picks up electromagnetic signals. Hearing loop systems transmit sound to these telecoils using a wire that is installed around the perimeter of a room, such as

the seating area of a theatre or church. Because the telecoil receives this sound transmission wirelessly directly from the source—microphones, sound systems—background room noise is virtually eliminated. The hearing aid wearer receives clear sound directly into their hearing aids. Bluetooth functions in a similar fashion in that it also wirelessly transmits sound but between a Bluetooth transmitter and a Bluetooth receiver. These two components must be “paired” with each other and then “connect” to each other to work. For example, a cell phone can connect to a wireless earpiece to allow handsfree phone calls—the cell phone is the transmitter and the earpiece is the receiver. Similarly, hearing aid wearers can obtain Bluetooth accessories for their hearing aids to receive sound signals from different Bluetooth transmitters. For example, a person can “pair” their cell phone (transmitter) to a Bluetooth streamer (receiver) that is compatible with their hearing aids, allowing for cell phone calls to be hands-free and transmitted into both hearing aids for easier listening.

The two technologies sound pretty similar, right? Both are wireless. Both can send sound directly into a person’s hearing aids. Both are reasonably easy to use. Here are the major differences: 1. Hearing loops can transmit sound to as few as one, up to well over 1000, hearing aid wearers at the same time. There is no limit. There is no pairing required. Only telecoil enabled hearing aids are needed to receive the signal. Bluetooth currently transmits to only one hearing aid wearer at a time. 2. Hearing loop systems are only limited by the length of cable used to loop the area. The area can be as small as a seat cushion or as large as a football stadium. As long as the listener is seated within the perimeter of the looped area, the transmitted sound can be heard. Bluetooth provides only short-range transmission, usually no more than about ten metres. 3. Hearing loop systems do not require any preliminary setup to receive sound transmission. Simply turning on a hearing aid’s telecoils will connect to the hearing

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Wellness loop system. Bluetooth devices require “pairing” first before they can “connect” and only one connection can be made at a time, not multiple connections. Currently, Bluetooth hearing aid accessories are useless and impractical for public spaces. Think of theatres, conference rooms, classrooms, clinic or hospital waiting rooms, airport gates, and train or bus stations. Imagine the mayhem if all hearing aid wearers wanting to watch a play in a theatre, or hear their flight announcements at an airport, needed to “pair” their Bluetooth receiver to a venue’s transmitter—a transmitter that could only transmit to one or two people at a time. Venues would need numerous transmitters, which would be costly and impractical. In very simplistic terms, and in the context of hearing aid connectivity, Bluetooth technology is great for one hearing aid wearer to watch television or connect wirelessly to their cell phone. Hearing loop systems are far more ideal for wirelessly transmitting sound to an unlimited number of people wearing telecoil-equipped devices. Having said all this, the Bluetooth® Special Interest Group (SIG) and European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA) comprised of the major six hearing aid manufacturers announced a memo of understanding (MOU) in 2014. The aim of the partnership is to “develop a standard for new hearing aids while improving existing features and creating new ones with Bluetooth® wireless technology.” Bluetooth 5 and “mesh” were just launched at the end of 2016, so we may see some interesting advances for hearing aid wearers in the future. Interested readers can visit Bluetooth.com for more information. BEST HEARING CLINIC

What is the bottom line? Bluetooth currently cannot replace the capability of a hearing loop system in public places. For the time being, hearing loop systems continue to be the most universal, convenient, practical, inclusive, and reliable assistive listening system for public places that can work with old and new hearing aids, hearing loop receivers, and telecoilequipped personal amplifiers. Any upcoming replacement system having the same capabilities as a hearing loop system will likely take years to transition into mainstream. For now, ensuring you have telecoil-equipped hearing devices to use in public places plus Bluetooth accessories to use in personal spaces is a great approach to maximize the versatility of your hearing aids. n To learn more about hearing loop systems e-mail info@ rockwellaudiology.ca, call 250.545.2226, or visit these online resources: Is Induction Loop Technology Old News? http://www.canadianaudiologist.ca/induction-loop-technology-old-newsfeature/ HearingLoop.org http://www.hearingloop.org/ Consumer Perceptions of the Impact of Inductively Looped Venues on the Utility of Their Hearing Devices http://www.hearingreview.com/2014/09/consumer-perceptions-impactinductively-looped-venues-utility-hearing-devices/

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Simply schedule your hearing evaluation and consultation today.

778.484.7237 115 - 2365 Gordon Dr. Kelowna, BC (Guisanchan Village Mall) Dr. Joyce Chen, Au.D., Registered Audiologist

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Nutrition

Once upon a Farm

The bumper sticker “No farm – No food” is a good reminder to support BC farmers. By Afke Zonderland

count my childhood on a large dairy farm as one of my greatest blessings. Even though I permanently left farm life as my husband and I boarded a plane to Vancouver in 1971 to make a life for ourselves in Canada, the farm never truly left me. We saw our Canadian dream come true when, eight years later, we found a small acreage in the rural community of Grindrod to raise our three daughters. A perfect, unspoiled clearing against a forest of tall cedars and hemlock, overlooking the valley. Thirty-five years later, grandchildren are helping me rake the garden soil, dig for worms, and eat the berries off the vine. Sharing my farm and garden experience as well as all the produce this little piece of tillable earth

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produces is a pleasure and a privilege that is increasingly important to me. I find this to be a responsibility to our next generation. I believe that a better food future lies in people reconnecting with the soil on which we stand. Clean, black dirt! I believe that we all know on a gut level that food grown on dead, pesticide-soaked soil close to home or far away can’t be nourishing us, despite the scientific “facts” that show by numbers that there is no difference between organic or conventional growing. (Ironically, 50 years ago conventional farming was organic and it did not cost anything to call it so!) Good soil contains something like 72 different minerals and a host of bacteria and fungi; these are part of a thriving group of organisms that

break down decaying compost to continuously replenish the soil. Good soil produces strong, healthy plants with a built-in immune system to keep pests and disease at bay. It so happens that these plants are eager to share these qualities with us so that we too may acquire a strong defence system to keep disease at bay. My dad’s pet phrase, “Our cows are as healthy as the soil they graze on,” provides a clue as to why the health of the nation is becoming a liability as opposed to its greatest resource. To exclude domesticated farm animals like chickens, turkeys, pigs, lambs, and cows from nature’s organic cycle of life generation after generation makes no sense either. I believe that organic farmers in sheer numbers will

Winter ‘17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Nutrition be tipping the scale in the near future, simply because you demand quality food and you understand the true value of eating quality food. (You may call me a dreamer, but I know I’m not the only one!) Eight years ago I listened to President Obama’s inaugural speech while at Living Light Culinary Institute with 30 fellow students in Fort Bragg, California. The mood was full of hope and excitement! It was there that I became enlightened to the art of a raw food diet. The whole concept intrigued me and the food was as delicious as it was nutritious. I was ready to exchange my interior design business for a career in food and donned an apron and a hairnet to launch Okanagan Rawsome shortly after. However, I did decide that a 100 percent raw food diet did not suit a Canadian winter. Truth be told, it seemed a bit intense even in the summer. A vegan diet later morphed into a vegetarian diet which morphed into a somewhat flexitarian, qualitarian diet high in fat. Good fats, that is. The principle of using only functional, quality ingredients is firmly “ingrained” in our grain-free Apple, Carrot, and Beet Crisps. It naturally follows in my gut-level type of thinking that you do what you need to do when you know what you know. Placing principles ahead of profits and creating food for families that is not just convenient but also wholesome is a personal blessing that keeps on giving. We are keeping it raw as we gently dehydrate the local veggies and apples and mix them in with lots of sprouted seeds, flax, and coconut for a daily dose of Omega-3s. We are finding innovative ways to include produce from Okanagan farms as close to home as Enderby and as far afield as Keremeos. We are super excited to be one of the finalists (Best New BC Product) at the Vancouver Specialty Food Expo with our Beet Crisps this year. The bumper sticker “No farm – No food” is a good reminder to support BC farmers. We love our farmers and are so incredibly grateful for their dedication to their land and soil. Your new year’s resolution to buy more organic or more local produce has every chance to be the key that tips the scale toward being “Alive to Thrive.” n

For Retail Locations

The Benefits of Drinking Alkaline Water Wondering what all the fuss is about? Research shows that drinking high-pH water may extend your life. By Shauna Jones

ater is an essential for life since it makes up 50 percent to 65 percent of the human body. It works in organs, tissues, and cells to help regulate temperature and maintain bodily functions such as eliminating waste and helping distribute vitamins, minerals, and glucose to nourish your cells. How much water should you consume daily? The standard recommended intake of water is eight to ten eight-ounce glasses per day, which is equivalent to 64 to 80 ounces a day. However, the Institute of Medicine recommends that men consume an average of 125 ounces and women approximately 91 ounces each day. That consumption can include water from foods such as vegetables, fruit, and soups. Is drinking unfiltered tap water okay? Most public water systems collect water from the surface and ground for public consumption. Kelowna has five municipal water providers that collect it and disinfect it with chlorine, which is intended to kill waterborne bacteria. This process is meant to make the water safe for drinking but it is not completely free of contaminants such as pesticide runoff, industrial waste, and chemicals in rain. The water treatment process itself can deliver contaminants from water main line breaks. Groundwater can also be exposed to pathogens that may produce disease in humans. After treatment, the water is stored until distribution and can become contaminated with protozoa parasites like giardia or cryptosporidium that can cause severe gastrointestinal problems. Chlorine can interact with organic materials such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, creating dangerous byproducts. Drinking contaminated water

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Nutrition

can cause acute and chronic health effects. Even the City of Kelowna advises that newborns and people with compromised immune systems drink boiled water even when water quality is good. How is tap water filtered? One of the most effective systems on the market for purifying tap water is reverse osmosis (RO). Some people have concerns that RO systems remove most of the natural minerals from the water, making its pH more acidic. In the Mission area of Kelowna our water source has been tested at around 150ppm total dissolved solids of minerals. If people want a healthier alternative, they may want to consider adding minerals back into the water. What is alkaline water? Alkalinity and acidity are both measurements on the pH scale of 1 to 14. Neutral is considered 7.0, and anything below that point is considered acidic. Alkaline water has a pH between 7.0 and 10.0. Another common name for alkaline water is ionized water. It is thought that spring water is the best source of alkaline water, with a pH of around 8.0 to 9.0. Alkaline water occurs naturally when water washes over rocks, so spring water rises in alkalinity as it collects alkaline minerals. www.ohwmagazine.com

What are the health benefits of alkaline water? Most people in North America consume diets of processed foods, dairy, sugar, and red meat that increase acidity levels in the body. The bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mineral stores get robbed to balance out this excess acidity, making organs like the kidneys work harder.

Drinking alkaline water can help the body detoxify harmful toxins and heavy metals such as mercury.

Research shows that drinking highpH water may extend your life. The Japanese city of Okinawa has one of the longest life expectancies in the world. Centenarians are people who live to be over 100 years old and Okinawa has more centenarians than anyplace in the world. The pH of the drinking water in Okinawa is 10 and is considered a key reason for the residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; long lives.

Evidence also suggests a few other alkaline water benefits: Drinking alkaline water can help the body detoxify harmful toxins and heavy metals such as mercury. These toxins, if left untreated, can cause chronic fatigue, low energy, bloating, mental confusion, inflammation, and food sensitivities, to name a few. In a 2003 study published in the journal Ambio, researchers found that alkaline water had a protective effect against mercury in 43 women who lived in an alkaline-rich area in Sweden. Acid reflux will typically create a burning feeling in the lower chest, typically after a person has eaten. It is a condition where stomach acid flows into the esophagus. It is also commonly known as acid indigestion and heartburn. People are often diagnosed with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), where acid reflux is experienced at least twice a week. Research shows that alkaline water can be a beneficial therapeutic treatment for patients with acid reflux disease. In a 2012 laboratory study published in the journal The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology, researchers discovered that drinking alkaline water with a pH of 8.8 results in beneficial acid-buffering activity. Alkaline water also inactivates pepsin, an enzyme that plays a role in acid reflux.

Winter â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;17 - Okanagan Health & Wellness Magazine

Nutrition Your story, your dreams, your challenges are important. I listen then plan for your peace of mind.

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Drinking alkaline water can also reduce certain risk factors associated with heart disease. In a study published in the Shanghai Journal of Preventative Medicine, researchers found that alkaline water consumption for three to six months could significantly reduce blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. It was concluded that alkaline ionized water could improve the symptoms associated with diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Heart disease and hypertension are risk factors for diabetes. In a 2004 study published in the journal BMC Public Health, researchers suggested that alkalized mineral water could lower blood pressure in people with low calcium and magnesium levels. Drinking alkaline water can help hydrate your body, improve mental clarity, and boost your overall immune system. Alkalize your own water! You can easily make alkaline water yourself. First, check your current filtered water pH level with a pH test paper kit which can be found at most health food stores. If your water is below 7.0, your water is currently acidic. One method to alkalize your water is to mix one-eighth of a tablespoon of aluminum-free baking soda with an eightounce glass of water, since baking soda is highly alkaline. A healthier option would be to add a blend of alkaline mineral drops to your filtered water. You can also purchase PHwatr or Santevia alkaline water sticks that can be added to your water bottle to alkalize your water on the go. There are also machines on the market called alkaline ionizers that alkalize the water during electrolysis, a process that separates water into more acidic or alkaline molecules. Buy alkaline water. Abaco Health in the Lower Mission now offers a water service with three choices: 1. Reverse osmosis water goes though a water softener, sediment filter, carbon filter, reverse osmosis filter, and then a final polish with ultraviolet light, which disrupts the DNA of any microorganisms. The result is the purest water with a pH of around 7.5. This water is available at one of their outdoor machines. 2. They use the same filtered reverse osmosis water and run it through a bed of alkalizing minerals (calcium and magnesium) which raises the pH to between 8.5 and 9.0. This water is available on another of Abaco’s outdoor machines. 3. Inside the store during business hours, Abaco Health also has a new machine from Water Canada of Kelowna, which takes the reverse osmosis water, adds alkalizing minerals, and additionally ionizes the water to produce an even higher pH of 10.0. This new machine can also wash the inside of water bottles and lids with ozonated water and is free to Abaco Health customers. Give your body the well-deserved break it needs and drink healthy water! n

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