Victoria’s Read

Judith Garcia Gullen has been practicing yoga for more than a decade. She moved to North Bay most recently from Toronto where she continued to upgrade her yoga practice. Hailing originally from Mexico, her warm and positive attitude struck a cord with Vijanti Ramlogan Murphy.

Together, they decided to hold a restorative yoga class on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm at the Namaste Energy Centre at 124 Main St. E. 2nd floor. They incorporate reiki along with this meditative yoga. They find that people are very open to the healing chi energy (reiki) they receive while in a restorative yoga pose. The key is staying in the pose for about a 5 minute period. This allows muscles to relax, stretch further and helps with aligning the spine for better health and well-being. Dedicated students find it a powerful class that also gives them take home tools they can use every day to help them focus their thoughts, heal themselves, re-energize their bodies and relieve stress.

The class starts with bringing the mind and body together using various techniques, one of which is controlled breathing. There is light stretching and some movements that help get the energy flowing. Finally, the class is guided through the poses with some soft music and a lovely ambiance of low light allowing participants to relax and be rejuvenated.

Vijanti Ramlogan Murphy is a reiki practioner. She has a strong connection to the earth and to the asian philosophy that aids in balancing chakras. She has attended Energy Healing Facilitator level one and incorporates pranic healing and soul counseling as needed into her work. Her educational background is in science with an Hon. BSc. in both environmental science and biology. This in fact, helps her channel compassionate energy and help people be grounded.

We hope you will permit yourself the pleasure to join us and give yourself some time to learn in a friendly environment. Gift certificates are available and the first class is free as a trial.

For more information, please visit us at www.reikiwithvi.ca or call 705-493-3984.

Written by: Vijanti Ramlogan Murphy

TEN FACTS ABOUT DIABETES

1. More than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes.
There is an emerging global epidemic of diabetes that can be traced back to rapid increases in overweight, obesity and physical inactivity.

2. Diabetes is predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death in the world by the year 2030.
Total deaths from diabetes are projected to rise by more than 50% in the next 10 years.

3. There are two major forms of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by a lack of insulin production and type 2 diabetes results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin.

4. A third type of diabetes is gestational diabetes.
This type is characterized by hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, which has first appeared or been recognized during pregnancy.

5. Type 2 diabetes is much more common than type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 accounts for around 90% of all diabetes worldwide. Reports of type 2 diabetes in children – previously rare – have increased worldwide. In some countries, it accounts for almost half of newly diagnosed cases in children and adolescents.

6. Cardiovascular disease is responsible for between 50% and 80% of deaths in people with diabetes.
Diabetes has become one of the major causes of premature illness and death in most countries, mainly through the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

7. In 2004, an estimated 3.4 million people died from consequences of high blood sugar.

8. 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
In developed countries most people with diabetes are above the age of retirement, whereas in developing countries those most frequently affected are aged between 35 and 64.

9. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, amputation and kidney failure.
Lack of awareness about diabetes, combined with insufficient access to health services and essential medicines, can lead to complications such as blindness, amputation and kidney failure.

10. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented.
Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days and a healthy diet can drastically reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented.

Source: www.who.in

Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women. Each year, more than 22,000 women develop breast cancer in Canada and more than 5,000 women die of the disease. Based on current rates, one in nine women in Canada is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime.

The risk of getting breast cancer goes up as women get older. The risk of developing breast cancer in the next 10 years is as follows:
* 13 out of 1,000 women in their 40s
* 23 out of 1,000 women in their 50s
* 29 out of 1,000 women in their 60s
* 31 out of 1,000 women in their 70s

Since 1999, the rate of new cases of breast cancer has stabilized, and death rates have steadily declined.
A mammogram is a medical test that uses x-rays to take pictures of the internal structure of the breast and are done for two reasons:

Screening: When women participate on a routine basis to have mammograms done to find breast cancer at an early stage. This type of mammogram looks for signs that breast cancer may be developing, even though no symptoms are there.

Diagnostic: This is typically done to check for breast cancer after a lump or any other sign/symptom has been found. It may also be used as a second test if a screening mammogram finds something that is not normal.
Here’s how a screening mammogram works:

You will be seated or standing in front of a machine used only for mammograms. The x-ray technologist will place your breast onto a plastic plate on the machine. As a second plastic plate is lowered onto the breast, pressure will even out the breast tissue. This allows the machine to get as clear a picture as possible. The tolerance to pressure on the breast varies among women. A special low-dose x-ray is then used to look for breast patterns or lumps that are not normal. These may be too small for you or your health care provider to find by feeling your breast. The same procedure then occurs with the other breast. High quality mammogram finds some breast cancers when they are very small—2 to 4 years before they would be felt.

Mammograms involve exposure to x-rays and x-ray radiation has been found to cause cancer. The amount of radiation you receive during one screening mammogram will be based on the amount of fat in your breast tissue (density) and the number of images taken. The benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer far outweigh the risk of being exposed to the small amount of radiation from a screening mammogram.

Surce:www.phac-aspc.gc.ca

Ovarian cancer is cancer that develops in the ovaries. The ovaries are part of a woman’s reproductive system. They are located in the pelvis on either side of the uterus. Each ovary is about the size of an almond. The ovaries make the female hormones progesterone and estrogen and also release eggs into the fallopian tubes.

Cancer begins at a cellular level. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells. These new cells take the place of old cells as they die. Cancer cells continue to grow and divide. These abnormal cells continue to create new cells forming a tumor.

Ovarian cancer symptoms are often subtle and difficult to diagnose. Research suggests there are four symptoms that may be associated with ovarian cancer: Bloating, Pelvic or Abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and urinary urgency or frequency.

Other symptoms may include: nausea, indigestion, gas, constipation or diarrhea, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath and backaches.

Talk to your doctor if symptoms last more than 2-3 weeks. You are your best advocate. Your doctor may order the following tests:

Physical examination - Your doctor will palpate your abdomen to look for discomfort and tenderness or abnormal fluid, pelvic examination, blood Test - Your doctor may order a CA-125 blood test. This test measures CA-125 in the blood. CA-125 is found on the surface on ovarian cancer cells and also normal tissue. A high CA-125 level may indicate ovarian cancer or other conditions, ultrasound and biopsy

There are four stages of ovarian cancer. Your doctor will determine your stage of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is treated differently depending on which stage you are diagnosed with. The four primary stages are: Stage I: The cancer is completely contained within the ovary or ovaries. Stage II: The cancer is in one or both of the ovaries and has spread to additional organs located in the pelvis such as the bladder, colon, rectum or uterus. Stage III: The cancer is in one or both ovaries and has spread to one or both of the following: the lining of the abdomen or the lymph nodes. Stage IV: The most advanced stage of cancer. The cancer has spread from one or both ovaries to additional organs such as the liver or lungs, or there may be cancer cells in the fluid surrounding the lungs and Recurrent: The cancer has returned after successful treatment.

Ovarian cancer does not discriminate. It can strike a woman of any race or at any age. We do know that women with certain risk factors may have a greater chance of developing ovarian cancer. These risk factors include: Family history of breast or ovarian cancer, personal history of cancer, women over the age of 55, women who were never pregnant and women on menopausal hormone replacement therapy.

www.ovariancancerawareness.org

Women are especially likely to cause harm to their feet in the pursuit of fashion.

Here are 10 tips to help ensure that the next pair of shoes you buy won’t squeeze your feet:
1. Sizes vary among shoe brands and styles. Don’t select shoes by the size marked inside the shoe. Judge the shoe by how it fits on your foot.
2. Select a shoe that conforms as nearly as possible to the shape of your foot.
3. Have your feet measured regularly. The size of your feet changes as you grow older.
4. Have both feet measured. Most people have one foot that’s larger than the other. Fit to the largest foot.
5. Fit at the end of the day when your feet are largest.
6. Stand during the fitting process and check that there is adequate space (three-eighths to one-half inch) for your longest toe at the end of each shoe.
7. Make sure the ball of your foot fits comfortably into the widest part of the shoe.
8. Don’t purchase shoes that feel too tight, expecting them to stretch to fit.
9. Your heel should fit comfortably in the shoe with minimum slippage.
10. Walk in the shoe to make sure it fits and feels right. Fashionable shoes can be comfortable!

Women account for nearly 90% of all operations performed to correct common foot disorders such as bunions, hammertoes and neuromas. The shoes women wear are probably the biggest culprits, especially dress shoes, which are typically characterized by a tight fit, narrow toe boxes, high heels and shapes that don’t conform to the foot.
On average, women squeeze into shoes that are two and a half sizes too small for their feet. If you’re a woman, you can test that yourself: Take off one shoe and place it on the floor alongside your foot. Chances are your foot will be wider than the shoe.

To keep their shoes on, women who wear narrow-toed shoes, a popular fashion item, must squeeze the forefoot tightly, placing considerable pressure on the big and little toes and all the bones in between. If the shoes also have high heels, the pressure on the forefoot soars by a factor of five. As a result, the forefoot is literally molded into an abnormal shape.

Fortunately, women today are increasingly resisting the urge to crush their feet in the pursuit of fashion. The trend is due in part to changing fashions and in part to less rigid dress codes in the professional world. There are now many more options for women who want to dress professionally and be kind to their feet.

www.intelihealth.com

The purpose of National Therapeutic Recreation Week is to enhance public awareness of therapeutic recreation programs and services and expand recreation and leisure opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Exercise and recreation benefits everyone, no matter what your age. You can drastically improve your health with something as simple as walking each day. Here are a few steps to take to get back on the path to good health:

1. Assess yourself and create your overall health plan. Ask yourself a few simple questions, such as: What are your risk factors? Which changes would lower these risk factors? Do you have any physical restrictions? What activities would accommodate those restrictions? If you’ve tried to make changes in the past but failed, what prevented you from implementing the change? Are you ready to make changes now?

2. Pick one healthy-lifestyle area to start with. You’re more likely to be successful in making lifestyle changes if you work on them one at a time. Write down one goal, including what you want to accomplish and the steps it takes to get you there. Try to come up with a timetable for making the changes.

3. Line up your resources and supporters. Many health care professionals can help with lifestyle changes. Your doctor can steer you to these resources. Health educators, nurses and counselors can help you with strategies for all the lifestyle changes. Your employer or health care insurance plan may have support groups, gym memberships and other programs you can take advantage.

4. Start with a few small changes and make them part of your routine. Let’s say you want to try the healthy diet. You know you need to add more fruit and vegetables to your meals, but how should you start? If you only eat a vegetable at dinnertime, try adding one at lunchtime, too. Have fruit as a snack instead.. Perhaps you want to add exercise into your life. You could start by parking your car further away at work or when shopping. Repeat these changes every day.

5. Reward yourself. Rewards can help you stay motivated and keep you moving onto the next change. After you’ve made a lifestyle change part of your daily routine, celebrate: Rent a movie. Go to a concert. Take a trip to the beach. Then choose and start on another goal.

What might at first have seemed overwhelming can end up becoming an enjoyable, new way of living and the benefit is well worth your effort.

Source: www.healthnet.com

Pilates is a low-impact exercise system comprised of over 500 controlled exercises that engage the mind and conditions the total body. It is an ideal exercise to increase strength and flexibility allowing one’s mind and body to work better.

Pilates works several muscle groups simultaneously through smooth, continuous motion, with a particular concentration on strengthening and stabilizing the core. It focuses on precise movements, gently stretching areas of tightness to allow for greater range of motion while strengthening less developed areas; quality of movement is more important than quantity.

Created over 80 years ago by Joseph H. Pilates, some consider Pilates as “the original core-strength exercise.”

There are countless benefits to incorporating Pilates into your life. Here are just some of the advantages of practicing Pilates:

-Pilates improves over all posture
-Increase flexibility, strength, balance, coordination, and resistance
-Improves self-esteem
-Corrects faulty patterns of movements and prevents injury
-Decreases daily stress
-Pilates increases body energy
-Improves metabolism and organ functioning
-Helps ease arthritis
-Relieves joint pain
-Lowers blood pressure
-Eases back pain
-Improves cardiovascular health
-Improves the ‘look and feel’ of your body

Pilates is for all anyone and everyone, there is no age or physical limit that would prevent one from enjoying the benefits. of this practice. Pilates exercises are gentle and do not involve much bouncing around making it an ideal fitness system for all types of people;

-Individuals with inadequate posture.
-People looking for rehabilitation by way of physical therapy.
-Persons suffering from arthritis because it helps reduce muscle stiffness.
-Overweight individuals and the elderly since no bouncing, jumping or lifting is needed.
-New mothers who want to recover their body shape as it provides famous results in the abdomen.
-And anyone who wants to build a stronger, leaner, more sculpted body!

With so many wonderful benefits and reasons to try it, why shouldn’t you try Pilates?!

Namaste Pilates Studio
124-C Main Street East (second floor studio)
705-491-CORE (2673)
namastepilates@hotmail.com

The second week in May is Stuttering Awareness Week.

When someone to whom you are talking is having trouble speaking fluently, they most likely have a stuttering problem. You will probably react appropriately by instinct, but if you are not sure what to do, you are not alone.
Stuttering is often misunderstood and can cause the listener to feel anxious. If you keep the following in mind, however, the experience will be a more comfortable one for you and the person who stutters.

We do not know why people stutter, but apparently it is not a nervous or personality disorder. People who stutter are normal except they lack the ability to varying degrees to get words out fluently. It is known that stuttering runs in families, and research shows neurological components are probably involved in the disorder. Stuttering almost always starts between the ages of two and five.

People generally do not stutter when they sing, whisper, speak in chorus, or when they do not hear their own voice. There is no universally accepted explanation for these phenomena.

The degree to which people stutter varies widely. Some people who stutter have more natural control over their speech than others do. And the degree of stuttering will also vary within the individual. How much control they have will depends on the particular situation in which they find themselves, the difficulty of the words they must say, and how they feel, in general, at that moment. People who stutter, universally report having “good days” and “bad days.”

Stuttering may look like an easy problem that can be solved with some simple advice, but for adults it is a chronic, life-long disorder. People who stutter can achieve more control over their speech, but total fluency is not a realistic goal for most adults.

The list of notable people who stutter (past and present) includes: Marilyn Monroe, James Earl Jones and Bruce Willis.

You might be very tempted to finish sentences or fill in words for the person. Unless you know the person well and have his or her permission, please do not do this. Your action could be taken as demeaning. And, of course, if you guess the wrong word, the difficulties multiply.

Refrain from making remarks like: “Slow down,” “Take a breath,” or “Relax.” Such simplistic advice can be felt as patronizing and is not constructive.

Maintain normal eye contact and try not to look embarrassed or alarmed. Just wait patiently and naturally until the person is finished.

In general, let the person know by your manner and actions that you are listening to what he or she is saying and not how he or she is saying it. Be yourself. Be a good listener.

Source: http://www.mnsu.edu

We live in an era in which we depend on antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines to treat conditions that decades ago or even a few years ago in the case of HIV/AIDS, would have proved fatal. When antimicrobial resistance - also known as drug resistance - occurs, it renders these medicines ineffective. For World Health Day 2011, WHO will be calling for intensified global commitment to safeguard these medicines for future generations. Antimicrobial resistance - the theme of World Health Day 2011 - and its global spread, threatens the continued effectiveness of many medicines used today to treat infectious diseases.

Facts on antimicrobial resistance.
About 440,000 new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis emerge annually, causing at least 150,000 deaths. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis has been reported in 64 countries to date.

Resistance to earlier generation antimalarial medicines such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is widespread in most malaria-endemic countries. Falciparum malaria parasites resistant to artemisinins are emerging in South-East Asia; infections show delayed clearance after the start of treatment (indicating resistance).

A high percentage of hospital-acquired infections are caused by highly resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

Resistance is an emerging concern for treatment of HIV infection, following the rapid expansion in access to antiretroviral medicines in recent years. National surveys are underway to detect and monitor resistance.

Ciprofloxacin is the only antibiotic currently recommended by WHO for the management of bloody diarrhoea due to Shigella organisms, now that widespread resistance has developed to other previously effective antibiotics. But rapidly increasing prevalence of resistance to ciprofloxacin is reducing the options for safe and efficacious treatment of shigellosis, particularly for children. New antibiotics suitable for oral use are badly needed.

AMR has become a serious problem for treatment of gonorrhoea involving even “last-line” oral cephalosporins and is increasing in prevalence worldwide. Untreatable gonococcal infections would result in increased rates of illness and death, thus reversing the gains made in the control of this sexually transmitted infection.

New resistance mechanisms, such as the beta-lactamase have emerged among several gram-negative bacilli. This can render powerful antibiotics, which are often the last defense against multi-resistant strains of bacteria, ineffective.

Source: www.who.int

Sometimes motherhood is not what we thought it was going to be. The adjustment to motherhood or to another baby can be much more difficult than we ever expected. Our expectations of a perfect life with a new baby are soon met with the realities of very little sleep (sometimes it feels like no sleep!), changes in our bodies, changes in our partner and family relationships and meeting the ongoing demands of an infant.

One in five mothers will experience mood changes during pregnancy and in the first year after giving birth. It is important to remember that not only birth mothers, but mothers who adopt can experience mood changes. These mood changes, called Postpartum Mood Disorders (PPMD) affect women in many ways. Mothers who have had PPMD report experiencing difficulties with sleeping and eating, feeling lonely, irritability and frustration, feelings of guilt, teariness, constant worry, not feeling like themselves, exhaustion, loss of joy, withdrawing from others and feeling like they are not bonding with their baby. Some moms tell us they felt depressed, some tell us they felt anxiety, and that they worried all the time.

If this sounds like you or someone you care for there are things you can do to help. Mothers who have experienced PPMD tell us there are certain things they did that were helpful. They talked to their doctor or Nurse Practitioner, they went to counselling, they attended parent drop in programs such as the Nipissing Child and Family Centres, they talked to others about how they were feeling and they challenged their own thoughts on being a “perfect” mother.
Partners, friends and family can play a key role in helping a mother who is experiencing PPMD. They can ask her what she needs and fulfill those requests. They can listen and support her and help her understand it is not her fault. Encourage her to access help and assist her with following through with accessing that help. Remember it takes a village to cherish a parent to nurture a child.

One of the most important things for moms to remember is that they are not alone. For further information contact your local Nipissing Best Start Child and Family Centre at nipissingbeststart.ca or contact Michelle  PPMD Community Education and Development Coordinator at 705 472-6515.

Rarely, women may experience a postpartum psychosis. If a women has had thoughts of harming herself or her baby, hears or sees things that are not there, believes people or things are going to harm her or the baby or feels confused and out of touch with reality. This is a medical emergency and she needs help right away from the nearest emergency room.