Snow Piles ... of opportunity!

Ok, cheesy title. And if you know me at all, you know that I am not a "cheerleader"; I think telling people to "think positive" is trite and condescending. Yet I cannot help but see the opportunity, the "positive", in all this snow. For instance:

1. What other time of year is it common to see perfect strangers helping each other by pushing a car out of snow? I love that! I honestly, with every degree of sincerity, enjoy helping to push vehicles out of the snow. To me, it's fun.

2. Free, productive exercise! Want an amazing full body workout? Well, get your shovel out. There is pounds of free weights out there to lift and push and throw! Just be careful to lift with your legs, not your back! Even just walking in the snow is a much bigger workout than regular walking.

3. Rosy Glow. Everyone looks better with a rosy glow from the cold. Make sure you spend time outside every day, enjoying the sunshine and the cold air. And yes, we do have sunshine still.

4. Lastly, snow is pretty. It is. And it is here, so you best enjoy it! Whether or not you love all of the amazing snow sports out there, take advantage of the fact that we have this unique gift. Don't think it's a gift?

I spent one Christmas in Texas, minutes from the Mexican border. On Christmas Eve, it snowed, for the first time in 100 years. People were beside themselves. At midnight, children were running out onto the street to see the wonder of the snow falling. It was amazing. Even all of the Canadians were giddy, so happy to see their familiar fluffy, white friend in such an unexpected place. Try to view snow like it is the first time and the last time you will see it; view it with the awe and amazement that nature deserves.

And stop complaining about it!

Kristi Shmyr

Epsom Salt - One of Nature's Answers to Sore Muscles & Magnesium Deficiency

Here's an interesting tidbit about Epsom salt: it's called Epsom salt because it was initially discovered back in Shakespeare's time in a town called Epsom in England...who knew?! Well, the Epsom Salt Council, that's who. Who knew there was an Epsom Salt Council? I sure didn't. This is an American council that formed in 1993 because they were "eager to let everyone know the benefits of our product".

And now, here I am ALSO letting you know about the benefits of Epsom salt. The main components of Epsom salt are magnesium and sulfates. I am most familiar with the fact that these components of Epsom salt, in combination, relieve muscle pain, especially following any body work session. However, upon further reading about Epsom salt, I discovered that it can also help to relieve stress, improve digestion (especially the absorption of nutrients in the intestines), sleep and the function of insulin, reduce inflammation and detoxify the body. Epsom salt is commonly used in bath water - dissolve 1-2 cups in your warm bath and soak for at least 20 minutes to experience optimal results. It's once the bath water starts to cool that detoxification starts happening, which is why it's crucial to stay in the bath for at least 20 minutes.

It may be a little known fact that a great many people are nutritionally deficient in magnesium. Magnesium deficiency can lead to irregular heart rhythm, muscle spasms, mood disturbances such as depression, anxiety and irritability, fatigue, weakness and confusion, memory loss, hallucinations, numbness and tingling. Using Epsom salt is a great way to increase your body's reserves of magnesium. The reason for this is because magnesium can be readily absorbed through the skin by using Epsom salt, as opposed to relying on the digestive system, which may already be under stress. For the purpose of detoxification, Epsom salt is a great way to detoxify. It works by creating a type of osmosis, the toxins moving from within the body, through the skin and into the bath water. Epsom salt is a great adjunct to any detox program you may be pursuing or just on its own.

At Prana Holistic, we recommend that everyone pursue an Epsom salt soak after any body work session such as massage or reflexology. This will continue the process of excavating anything that was released during the session, prevent soreness from any tough knots that were worked on and entice relaxation.

Epsom salt is available at most drug stores or grocery stores. We also sell it here at Prana Holistic, so next time you're here for a body work session, make sure to pick up some Epsom salt to take home and continue the process of relaxation and movement towards better health.

Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic

The Answers Are In Your Irises!

I was first introduced to the practice of iridology while in college studying to be a holistic health practitioner. What an amazing and phenomenal method! I was immediately drawn in by iridology as soon as it was presented to us in class.

Iridology is the fascinating practice of examining markings within the irises of the eyes to discover inherent or developed weaknesses in particular systems, organs and/or glands. By knowing where your weaknesses lie, you can then apply specific recommendations that will work to strengthen and improve overall function of those systems, organs and/or glands.

The story of the discovery of iridology goes like this: in the early 1800s, a young lad called Ignatz Von Peczely caught an owl in his garden. As boy and owl struggled, Von Peczely accidentally broke the owl's leg. He noticed a black marking rise in the iris of the owl in response to the break. Von Peczely nursed the owl back to health and the owl kept returning to Von Peczely's garden for some time after the incident. Over this time, Von Peczely noticed the progression of the marking in the owl's iris from black line, to white, crooked lines, and then to a small black spot surrounded by white lines and shading. Von Peczely was intrigued by the progression of this marking and so was born the notion of iridology. Von Peczely pursued a career as a physician and was thus able to further pursue his idea that the irises reflect the condition of tissues within the internal system. Throughout his career, he observed numerous cases that proved a considerable basis for the practice of iridology.

The iris is the part of the eye that carries colour, a very complex combination of tissues and an extension of the brain. The irises are able to reflect all organs, glands and systems of the body by their connections to them via the brain and nervous system. By these connections, nerve fibres in the irises respond to alterations in body tissues and reveal these changes, whether acute or chronic, as different markings upon the irises.  

By iridology, a practitioner is able to detect whether a person has a strong or weak constitution, under or over-acidity of the stomach, stress, acute, sub acute, chronic or degenerative stages of dysfunction, poor circulation, congested lymphatics and predispositions to different types of diseases. 

Iridology does not seek to diagnose but rather to read the condition of tissues. In this way, iridology presents as a wonderful tool for practitioners to discover how to best address an individual's health and wellness. For example, if a person had dark markings on the area of the irises that correspond to the kidneys and urinary system, the practitioner could make recommendations for strengthening this system. By strengthening the body where it's weaknesses lie, overall function is drastically improved because all systems work together to impart optimal wellness. 

If, as the old proverb goes, the eyes are the windows of the soul, then the practice of iridology presents the idea that the eyes are also a mirror of the internal system. 

At Prana Holistic, iridology is used in application during an assessment. If you're confused about which direction to take with improving your health, call us to book an assessment - a very thorough investigation of your well-being and a presentation of how we think you ought to best proceed.

Check out SEE Magazine this coming Thursday for my column on iridology.

Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic

Shh… We don’t want the men to hear! Or do we?

Women’s issues have sat in the limelight for ages.  Specialists and General Practitioners alike have developed thriving businesses focused solely on research and treatment of the female system.  Somehow, this has allowed for men to take a backseat in their well being and transfer the focus to the opposite gender.  With this has developed the taboo around the male anatomy and the all-too-common disorders from which men can also suffer.

With the dawning of the “Little Blue Pill”, Viagra has shined a much needed spotlight back on men and the issues that they too can experience.  Viagra was to bring forth revolution in the caring for prostate disorders, erectile disorders and men’s health in general.  There was one thing that the medical field forgot about though: a man’s stubborn ability to avoid discussion.  Without the initial discussion with a doctor, the issue will still go untreated.  Men will suffer the embarrassment and discomfort of erectile difficulty simply to avoid facing the issue.  What is with us?

No one is a fan of discussing their personal problems in a public format, unless you allow your disorder to define you, and that’s a whole other set of issues!  This taboo has muzzled men and somehow this has become ok.  Our stigma around male virility and the supposed “drive” every man has to hump anything in sight has lead us to stereotype and suppress men into sexual silence.

Is male sexual silence a socially imposed issue, or is it self-imposed?

The younger generation, or “Generation Next”, has started to mature into adulthood, but are we really any better than our forefathers, the “Baby Boomers”?  Research has shown that 1 in 9 or 10 to 15 million American men live with impotence.  1 IN 9!  That’s an insane rate of prevalence and one that we hear very little about.  “Why is that?”, you might ask.  Well, out of that 1 in 9 ratio, only 10% of those men will acknowledge the issue and seek treatment.  It’s common for men to psych themselves out of an erection, and the vast majority of men will lose an erection 20% of the time. Those suffering with erectile dysfunction can experience a loss of erection prior to ejaculation or inability to become erect 50% of the time.  80% of the time, the issues regarding impotence are pre-existing physiological conditions, while the remaining 20% are due to psychological causes.

Men need to start allocating a neuron or two to their own well being.  Silence has benefitted no one, and in more severe cases such as testicular cancer or prostate cancer, silence can be severe and devastating.  Diabetes, kidney disease, chronic alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, vascular diseases and psychological interferences can all be dangerous root causes for impotence and, without medical diagnosis, may go unnoticed until too late.

Whether it’s socially or individually propagated, the strong, silent warrior that men seem to be striving for is helping no one.  Whether it’s talking to a loved one, a family doctor or a trusted health care practitioner, men need to step up and take responsibility for their own health.  Encouraging those close to you to get regular check-ups, being aware of the signs of sexual withdrawal or creating a safe haven to discuss touchy or taboo topics are ways to break down this sexual barrier.

Alternative healthcare practitioners can encourage and support those suffering with impotence.  Whether it’s supporting essence through acupuncture, encouraging whole body blood flow and mental relaxation through visceral massage, tonifying natural reflex arcs with reflexology, clearing psychological issues with counseling or even strengthening organ systems with the help of a nutritionist or herbalist; your everyday practitioners can be a pillar of strength.  Men may wish to clam up and avoid giving true and exact details surrounding their sexual health when honesty and frankness is the only solution.

Specifically, the goal of an acupuncture treatment would be to balance and regulate physiological responses.  By choosing a series of points, we can support a man’s kidney yin, yang and essence.  Essence by definition is the crucial source from which we draw the vast majority of our energy and strength.  It is important to realize that if one part of our physical self is out of balance, we will have adverse physical effects as a result of our body compensating.  Supporting all of our organs will encourage an overall healthy state. Heart, liver, spleen and gall bladder can have specific effects on sexual performance.  Tonifying these organs will minimize the effects of impotence and treat possible underlying causes.  Using acupuncture with the purpose of relaxation will have a soothing effect on the psyche helping those with root causes in depression, fear, stress, fatigue or even the ever troublesome “performance anxiety.”

Intercourse is not supposed to be scary and uncomfortable. My suggestion to men is, since you can’t seem to stop bragging about it, grow a pair and do something!  Instead of gloating about the size of it, maybe talk about how healthy you are; after all, your sex-life should be anything but silent.

Adam Salzman is a gentle and intuitive acupuncturist at Prana Holistic. Working with the breath of each client, Adam makes acupuncture both healing and relaxing.

haunted by your health?

haunted by your health?

does the future of your health scare you?

Thinking about how your current lifestyle is going to come back to haunt you?

Stop worrying. There are so many little things you can do to make a BIG difference to your health. Pick ONE per week and within 6 weeks you won't believe the difference.

1. Get 6,000 IU of Vitamin D a day, 20 minutes in direct sunlight, or some fatty fish like salmon, trout or mackerel. It lowers your risk of diabetes, cancer and weight gain. Vitamin D goes very well with your Omega 3's, so take both for amazing brain, body and beauty benefits.
2. Drink 2 glasses of warm water in the morning upon rising and sit on the pot regardless whether you feel "the need". This will train your digestion to work efficiently. Help things along by gently rubbing your belly (from rib-cage to below your belly button) in a clock-wise way.
3. Sleep 7-9 hours a night. It is critical to your health, especially your immune system and your waist line. When you even have one night of less-than-optimal sleep, your hunger goes up, your ability to burn fat goes down, you store calories, and your immune system depresses. If just one night can compromise your health, what do you suppose a lifestyle of this can do?
4. Cut your sugar (NOT your fat) consumption in half. Stop eating low-fat, because that simply means "we replaced the fat with sugar". Sugar lowers your immune system, depletes your body of important nutrients, messes with your ability to burn fat and lose weight, and causes you to CRAVE MORE SUGAR!
5. Breath deeply, down to your belly, 10 times each day. This will increase your digestion, your energy and your beauty, not to mention it will help to alkalize your system so disease simply cannot thrive in your body! And, it is FREEEEEE (which means most of you won't do it ;)
6. Replace your long cardio program with 10-20 minute sessions of All-Outs. This lowers your stress hormones, increases your ability to handle stress, increases your sexy, anti-aging Human Growth Hormone, and allows you to lose fat easier. To do this interval-type of exercise: Choose whatever form of cardio you like best (stairs, running, jump rope, biking, etc) and do it AS HARD AS YOU CAN (or go All Out) for 30-60 seconds. Recover at a slower pace for 60-120 minutes, then repeat. Do enough All-Outs to add up to 2-8 minutes (with the recovery stage, warm up and cool down, this cycle will take 10-30 minutes).
7. Add 1 serving of raw vegetables to your diet. Vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli are especially amazing at fighting everything from cancer to obesity. Stick to low-glycemic veggies for the best result.s Start thinking of potatoes and corn as non-vegetables. Corn is a GRAIN (and a common allergen, as well as a heavily genetically-modified crop) and potatoes are just about as quick to turn into sugar as white bread. Limit them to 1 time a week, in a small serving.

The health industry can be a pretty intimidating place to watch from the outside. It often seems like the very same food we revered as a health food is vilified the following week. If this seems overwhelming to you, stick to the basics. The truth is, the best advice is often the free advice - drink water, breath deeply, chew your food, and exercise. And eat your vegetables!

Kristi Shmyr,

Prana Holistic

High Carbohydrate Consumption Acceptable For Type II Diabetics? Since When?

First thing's first: know that this blog is NOT intended to discourage you from following your physician's advice.

I just finished writing a follow-up column to my most recent column for SEE Magazine: A Diabetes Diet. Together, my columns are a mild reflection of how shocked I am, having discovered that conventional recommendations for diabetics include an astronomically high consumption of carbohydrates. I've obviously had my head in the sand up until this point because I had no idea that this was the case. In my investigations, I thoroughly perused the Canadian Diabetic Association's website. One of their printable documents, Just the Basics, Healthy Eating for Diabetes Management and Prevention, suggests eating more high fibre foods, their first two listed examples of high fibre foods being whole grain breads and cereals. What? This is a joke, right? Both bread and cereal are refined carbohydrates, meaning that the bran and hull of the grains have been removed. The bran and the hull are what provide fibre that contributes to keeping blood sugar levels lower. Moreover, both of these items convert to glucose in the body and, as a result, they function to raise blood sugar levels.

There's more! Here's an exact quote from the same document: "Choose starchy foods such as whole grain breads and cereals, rice, noodles, or potatoes at every meal. Starchy foods are broken down into glucose, which your body needs for energy." If that's not a direct contradiction, then I don't know what is. I am beyond flabbergasted that the point of this recommendation is that glucose is an energy source. Ok, sure, glucose is an energy source, but excessive consumption of glucose is the PRECISE problem with type II diabetes in the first place! Those with type II diabetes are not storing and using glucose properly. In my opinion, it's absolutely irresponsible to suggest that type II diabetics should be including starchy foods at EVERY MEAL!! This is like telling someone with cirrhosis of the liver to drink a glass of wine or a pint of beer with every meal!

To add insult to injury, it is suggested that coffee is permissible at EVERY meal - 3 times a day! What's next, cake as a midnight snack? Caffeine entices a stress response in the body that throws the endocrine system out of balance. The endocrine system needs to be as balanced as possible for anyone to experience optimal health, never mind those with type II diabetes whose hormones are already unbalanced. It seems impossible for it to get any worse, but it's also suggested on the Canadian Diabetes Association's website to use artificial sweeteners in the place of sugar. Artificial sweeteners, being lab-produced and chemical based, are absolutely toxic to the human body.

As if that wasn't enough, the Canadian Diabetes Association also recommends pursuing a low-fat diet to maintain healthy body weight, avoid clogged arteries (atherosclerosis) and heart disease. But fat is a necessary component of a healthy and well-rounded diet. Fat is an excellent source of energy, especially for endurance activity that all diabetics ought to be participating in. Fats nourish the brain and connective tissues, cushion and protect organs and glands, are the building blocks of hormones and are integral to the formation and rebuilding of bones, cells, enzymes, hair, muscles, nails and neurotransmitters. Furthermore, insulin is needed to deposit fat in the body, and insulin is only released with the ingestion of glucose. Therefore, eating fat does not mean that your body is going to deposit fat - fat is deposited in the presence of insulin. When the body's sugar stores are all full, it's extra glucose floating around in the blood that deposits itself as adipose tissue, NOT dietary fats. Finally, high insulin levels in the body have been shown to increase the incidence of plaque formation in the arteries. This means that it's quite possible that excessive glucose intake - NOT excessive fat intake - is more causative of atherosclerosis and heart disease. 
 
The body is designed to assimilate and efficiently use fats AND glucose, so long as everything is eaten in balance. It's when we throw our systems out of balance by poor diet including excessive intakes of any one thing, ingestion of processed and refined foods, high stress that is not being properly dealt with and poor lifestyle that our bodies begin being unable to effectively deal with their tasks. 


If you are a type II diabetic interested in pursuing an alternative nutritional regime, please contact us. I would be happy to facilitate a nutritional consult for you.

Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic

Jump THEN Learn to Fly

I met a new friend recently who gave such a wonderful example of my goal getting philosophy of "Jump, THEN learn to fly". She went down to South America and found a health product that amazed her. She asked if they had it in North America - they didn't, but wanted a distributor. She offered to be the North American distributor, but they told her she needed to be an importer. She wasn't. Now here's the great part. Most people would have backed off and walked away. Not my new Goal Ninja Friend. She said she was, and then came back and Googled "How to Become an Importer"! She incorporated a name and voila! She was an importer with distributor rights to a product she believed in. 

Now THAT'S how it's done!

Kristi Shmyr
Goal Ninja and owner of Prana Holistic