By Grace Baker, C.Med.
Wellness Wednesdays are being held each Wednesday in March and April at the Barriere and Area Chamber of Commerce meeting room beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The workshops are facilitated by Grace Baker, C.Med. who says “I’m not a wellness expert. I’m just learning too and thought it would fun to share the information. I’m learning with others who are also interested in wellness.”
The workshop material comes from various sources including The Mayo Clinic, Melaleuca.com, and various research studies from well respected universities and research clinics. Baker encourages participants to check with their doctors and pharmacists before putting the information to good use.
The first workshop on March 15, 2019 was on Body and Brain Toxicity. The workshop outlined seven signs that you may have too many toxins in your life:
1. Constant Fatigue even during the day. This fatigue may also be in response to hormone disruptors that affect your immune system
2. Stubborn weight gain eve after exercise and healthy eating.
3. Bad breath even after brushing, chewing gum, rinsing, etc. While bad breath is often related to digestive problems, it can also mean that your liver is struggling to get rid of toxins in your body.
4. Constipation because our intestines job is to get rid of toxins every day. When we are constipated, we may be storing up toxins in the intestines. This can cause headaches, aches, pains and tiredness.
5. Sensitivity to smell could mean that your body is fighting toxic overload and the sensitivity may be accompanied by headaches or stomach upset from scents if this is the case.
6. Muscle aches and pains that can’t be tied to a workout, over stretching or exertion and happens regularly may be a sign that your bodies filtering system is overloaded and not cleansing as well as it should.
7. Skin reactions like acne, rashes and other skin problems can be related to toxins in our diet or skin care products. Eczema or psoriasis outbreaks have many origins and may also be signs of toxin overload.
Of course, these symptoms can also be caused by a whole host of other reasons but if you have them, you may be advised to seek medical advice and work to remove toxins from your home and workspace. Help may include drinking more water to help flush toxins out of your body, exercising at least 30 minutes a day to get your circulation moving to help move the toxins along, probiotics found in kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, Kombucha tea, etc. You may be advised to practice breathing out longer than you breathe in as we dispel toxins though our lungs as well. Use household and body care products that are natural, free of sulfates, phthalates, parabens and other potentially toxic ingredients. These ingredients can be eaten, inhaled or received through contact with toxic substances but can also be found in flooring, shower curtains, synthetic leather, toys and even some food packaging. Of course, watching what we put in our bodies is important too. The less processed food, the better.
Signs of Neurotoxicity (brain) may include:
• Paralysis or weakness/numbness in the limbs
• Altered sensation, tingling and numbness in the limbs
• Headache
• Vision loss
• Loss of memory and cognitive function
• Uncontrollable obsessive and/or compulsive behavior
• Behavioral problems
• Sexual dysfunction
• Depression
• Loss of circulation
• Imbalance
• Flu-like symptoms
Symptoms may appear right after exposure to radiation, chemo therapy, recreational drug use, exposure to heavy metals, pesticides, certain cleaners and even some naturally occurring substances or they may appear over time and continued use or exposure.
It may be generally assumed that the government is taking care of ensuring all substances are safe, however, many substances are regulated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) which was last updated in 2013. The information may be outdated and may not protect Canadians from toxins and their effect as effectively as hoped due to the explosion of new products and drugs since that time. Canada’s labeling laws mean that labeling is not as strict as some other countries and focus almost entirely on requirements of product name, quantity, the dealer’s information and requirements for design and font sizes. There is little pertaining to the requirements for ingredients unlike for food products which have very specific labeling requirements. The labeling requirements for food were just revised and put in place in January 2019.
Is Cleaning Hurting You?
The European Community Respiratory Heath Survey has been tracking 6,235 adults between that ages of 22-34 and their home cleaning products at health centers in multiple countries over twenty years. The results were complied and analyzed by 28 international researchers from nine countries. The results of the research found:
1. Weekly use of home cleaning products is as damaging to lung health as smoking 20 cigarettes per day.
2. Women are affected far more than men.
3. Clean at home is just as harmful a being an occupational cleaner, if not more so due to occupational cleaners are trained in the use and required to use masks and gloves while home cleaners are not.
4. Liquide cleaners are just as dangerous as sprays.
5. Women who regularly use cleaning products have increased rates of asthma.
6. Damage is cumulative (adds up) over time.
More information on this study can be found at www.thoracic.org.
The focus of the upcoming workshops includes personal, health and financial wellness. The information sessions are followed by a power point presentation from Melaleuca: The Wellness Company. There is no fee for the workshops, and everyone is welcome.
You can contact Baker at 778-220-5930 or grace.baker@live.com to register and save a seat. You can also take the risk and just drop in.
The schedule for upcoming workshops includes these topics:
March 20: Stay at Home Income and Reduced Income Tax
March 27: Getting Ready for Retirement
April 3: Detoxify you Home and Go Green!
April 10: Diversify Business and Farm Income
April 17: Spring Cleaning to Create Wellness
April 24: What is Residual Income and How Do I Get It?