Optimizing your Massage Treatment

The benefits of a good Massage therapy treatment can last quite a long time if you optimize your regular appointment.

"What does that mean", you ask?

Give your body what it needs to hold on to the positive structural changes you gained during your massage...here's how:

• soak in a hot epsom salts bath to draw out the metabolites that were released into the tissues
• drink lots of water after to help re-hydrate your body
• stretch your entire body, especially the areas that were concentrated on, to help those tissues stay healthy and flexible. (ask your therapist for specific stretches if needed)
• Watch your posture for positions of tension - if your back is hunched and your face is almost touching your desk this is NOT good!
• Book your next appointment before you leave so that you don't have to call in for an "emergency visit".

Epsom Salts Bath:

Pour 1 cup of epsom salts into a bath of tolerable hot water
Soak for 20 minutes and rinse off
For relaxation steam inhalation add a few drops of lavender essential oil

Curing the Common Cold with Natural Medicine

We all have heard there is no cure to the common cold, however, there are many ways to prevent getting sick and get better faster if you do get sick.

"I haven't been sick in years! This is great!" Actually this isn't that great. Getting a mild cold once in a while is actually good practice for your immune system.

Throughout the whole year it's important to balance your immune system through diet, sleep, stress management, and botanical medicine. Curing colds doesn't just start when you get one but taking care of your body so that your colds do not knock you out too hard. Have a natural health care expert assess your current health status to optimize your own personal immune system.

Ginger tea with a kick

Try this recipe at home when you begin to have a cough or cold.

• Fresh Gingerroot, 1 tbsp chopped
• Cayenne pepper, a dash
• Lemon juice, 1/4 of lemon
• Honey, 1/2 tsp

Boil water and pour over gingerroot and cayenne pepper in tea pot. Let steep for 10 minutes then pour into your cup. Add lemon juice and honey. Drink and inhale the vapours for a mini steam-inhalation. (Learn more about Steam Inhalations soon).

Winter Earrings

Well, we knew it couldn't last long right!? Winter held off for as long as it could but Winter has arrived!! And with a bit of a vengeance for the last few weeks with some pretty low digits on the thermometer.

So, how are you sheilding yourself from Barrie's winter weather and is it affecting your health and body??

Some of my friends laugh at me because my warm mittens come out at the first sign of cold weather but I do not enjoy having cold fingers (and I'm sure those of you reading this who are my clients will agree you don't want them any colder! ;)) And it saves me from jamming them in my pockets with my shoulders shrugged up to my ears. Another necessary article I never leave home without is my scarf! I see many people wearing their shoulders as earrings because they're not wearing a scarf to keep their neck warm.

This posture, compounded with the cold air, leads to tight shoulder and neck muscles which can lead to headaches, stiff necks, jaw pain, and shoulder restrictions and pain.

Dress for the weather and avoid unneccesary body aches and pains. And if you already have these aching body parts you know who to call!! We promise our hands will be warmed up to help ease your discomfort and help you on your way!

Yours in health and wellness,
Lee Anne and The Healing Oasis Team :)

Relaxing Holidays

Ok, so the Christmas carols have been playing in the malls since Halloween and the decorations and trees have been around since a day after that so you should be used to the heightened energy around. But now it's December...the holiday season has "officially" arrived! (According to my calendar at least...)

So is it possible to stay relaxed this season? Absolutely! Here's how...

#1. Breathe. Taking a few deep breaths will help stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest instead of fight or flight) and it can help decrease the levels of cortisol - a stress hormone - in your body.

#2. Get organized ahead of time. Figure out who and what you want to buy. Figure out what you want to bake and serve for entertaining and the ingredients you need.

#3. Make a list. Just like Santa he needs to know what gift goes to who - follow the example of this age old fella' and make your list too.

#4. Plan your outing. To save time and wasteful back and forth traveling plot your route and the stores you need to visit along the way. Bring your list of who you're buying for in each store. Bring your black cloth bags to the grocery store so you can grab your baking supplies on the way home.

#5. Don't be in a rush. Give yourself plenty of time. Put some nice holiday music on (Elvis's Christmas is my favourite) and enjoy the journey! :)

Enjoy the holiday season!
Lee Anne and The Healing Oasis team

David Suzuki...Remember The Big Picture

I had the pleasure of attending the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors annual convention Nov 13-15 in Toronto. Furthermore, it was an honour to have David Suzuki kick off the weekend with a powerful presentation, which was open to the public.

David was passionate and eloquent as he described our earth and how humans are the species that have had the most impact on the planet. Some scientists say it’s too late and we have irreversibly damaged our home. However, David says to them “shut up and get out of the way,” it is never too late to make a change. And it’s important to remember the big picture – we should all have the same goal – to live in a healthy place. Governments need to listen to what Canadians truly want.

What kind of Canada do you want to live in? What do you want Barrie to be like in 25 – 30 years? Would you like to be able to drink from Lake Simcoe? Would you like to not worry about the air we breathe when we are standing within sight of highway 400? Would you like to know that your food is free from chemicals? Would you like to be sure that your health problems are not caused by environmental pollution, chemicals or even the houses we live in?

We can all agree that we want a beautiful, clean, healthy place to live, work and raise our children. If we all agree on that, then we have a common goal we can work towards.

The take home message for me?
There are small, simple things I can do at home and at our wellness centre to start making an impact on our environment and people’s health. Also, it is up to us to let our governments know that where we live and how clean it is matters to us and it should matter to them and their families as well.

I would like to encourage a discussion on our environment and our health. Please post a comment and become a follower of our blog to continue this conversation. Together, change will make a difference.

Yours in health,

Whitney Young, ND

Paying Thanks Forward

Thanksgiving is the tradition of giving thanks for what one has and the bounty of the past year. At The Healing Oasis we have many things to be thankful for; of which, our wonderful clients who continue to be dedicated to their own well-being, are who we celebrated and gave thanks for this October.

In celebration, we offered a gift of purple tulip bulbs to each of our clients as a token of our gratitude. And in the spirit of paying thanks forward, we also gave each client a thank you card which they could give to someone in their life to express their gratitude to and give them the gift of health.

We really enjoyed the feedback and the kind words from those we did see in October and we look forward to seeing you all during the winter months. If we didn't see you we hope you all enjoyed and gave thanks for the beautiful colours Mother Earth provided, we hope you all enjoyed a bountiful feast with friends and loved ones, and we wish you all the best of health throughout the year.

Sincerely,
Lee Anne and The Healing Oasis Team :)

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the
highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Healing and Hope

The Healing Oasis team joined forces with the Winners Walk for Hope on September 27th to raise funds and awareness for Ovarian Cancer. It never ceases to amaze me at how powerful a group can be when they come together for a united cause. Thankfully Mother Nature held out on the rain and it turned out to be a beautiful morning. As we walked the 5 kilometers along Barrie's waterfront we shared great conversation and many laughs. I was delighted my Mom and Anna's husband joined us and it made it that much more memorable for all of us.

As part of our client's health and wellness team we felt it was an important cause to support because of the nature of the dis-ease. The symptoms are very elusive and can be overlooked very easily. We've come together as one of your regular wellness providers and have made it part of our knowledge so that we can help educate our clients, with the hope of making detection that much easier. Prevention is key - just like with all of our "wellness" therapies we want to treat you when you're well and help keep you that way, instead of starting treatment when you're acute and in desperate need.

Help us help you! Ask us questions! We have over 13 different specialties among our team and we work together to provide you with the best possible care. Together health, healing, and happiness can be achieved.

Yours in wellness,
Lee Anne and THO Team