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WE CAN HELP! FREE CONFIDENTIAL PROFESSIONAL Q: What is Gambling? A: Gambling means risking money, property or something of value on an event or activity which the outcome is determined by chance. This includes not only licensed formats such as casinos, bingos, scratch tickets, horse races etc. but also the informal wagering that people do amongst themselves. Q: What is Problem Gambling? A: Problem gambling means that a persons gambling is having a negative impact on their life and/or on the lives of those close to them. This can be the result of a one time event or an ongoing pattern of behaviour. If you are wondering if your gambling is a problem or if you are concerned about someone elses gambling help is available. Problem Gambling Services 36A Armstrong Avenue Georgetown, ON L7G 4R9 (905) 873-6502 42 Mill Street Acton, ON L7J 1H2 (519) 853-8222 Ask Questions. Get Answers. Ask the Professionals E-mail your questions to: features@independentfreepress.com Ask The Professionals DR. ANOOP SAYAL DR. ANOOP SAYAL Family and Cosmetic Dentistry located in Georgetown Marketplace Mall (905) 877-CARE (2273) Q:What is a root canal? A:Most of us have heard the term root canal.Unfortunately, most people dont know what it means. A root canal is a means of removing diseased pulp from the center of a tooth in order to save the tooth from being removed completely. When tooth decay progresses to the point of invading the pulp, the result is pain. Thats because the pulp contains blood vessels and nerve fibers. Before a root canal is done, the dentist must perform a thorough examination and take x-rays. After the offending tooth is located, a small hole is placed in the tooth crown. This allows access to the canals where the pulp is found. Special instruments are used to remove the diseased pulp. The canals are filled and sealed to keep bacteria out. A crown is then placed on the tooth to protect it from fracture, and to improve its appearance. Complete healing from root canal therapy takes some time. With a 90 percent success rate, though, many patients find it to be a good choice. Just ask your dentist. FABIA MacNAIR Q:Is the Expense of Staging worth it? A:Like most people, your home is the biggest investment youown. You have paid for and cared for it month after month in hopes that in the end this investment will pay off. Why then would you even consider leaving all that equity behind when you sell your home? A study from Coldwell Banker Realty in 2005 states that 63% of buyers are willing to pay more for a home that is move in ready and those numbers are even higher today. The bottom line: an investment of only a few hours and under five hundred dollars you'll have a complete plan of what needs to be done and much of it may already be done for you. Remember, your home staging investment will be less than your first price reduction if your house doesn't sell. And, you'll be setting the stage for potentially selling within days at above asking price. Just avoid any temptation to base your choice on pricing alone. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Cyndi Olsen Education Co-ordinator 324 Guelph Street., Georgetown 905-877-3163 Year-end School Checklist for Parents Although the school year is winding down, there are some things parents need to think about now, that are important to their child's education next year and beyond. Oxford Learning presents this handy list: Request a teacher Schools are presently matching students and teachers for the next school year. To request a specific teacher, speak with your child's current classroom teacher now; then put your preferences in writing to the principal. Some schools (but not all) will do their best to grant these requests, when possible. Separating kids If you feel strongly about separating your child from another student, you should share this concern now with your child's current teacher. You might request that your child be in a different class, away from a friend she talks with too much in class. Or if your child and another child really don't get along at all well, you may wish them separated. Curing "Spring Fever" Although school is finishing, this time of year can be quite busy with music recitals, sports banquets and more! Try to keep your child focused on giving their best effort at school to the very last day. Stick with your child's regular after-school routine, including expecting that homework is being completed and school project deadlines are being met. If your child is showing signs of stress (not eating, not sleeping or irritability), speak with your child about ways to deal with the pressure. Part II, next week For more information or related articles please visit our web site @ www.oxfordlearning.com Q:I have a problem with motivating myself, what tools can I use to address this problem? A:Motivation comes from an internal sense of satisfaction we get from engaging in anactivity. That is why we usually dont have problems motivating ourselves to do tasks we like. We all want to do more of what makes us feel good. Lack of motivation is not a personality trait and is not related to laziness. Judging and punishing yourself for a lack of motivation is not likely to work. Have you noticed that even when we bribe ourselves with all sorts of rewards, we still procrastinate when it comes to completing a task we are not motivated to do? So, what needs to happen for us to get our motivation going? I suggest that when you want to increase your motivation toward completing a task, give it meaning. When you make a task meaningful, you give it more emotional investment and it becomes easier to draw energy to complete it. You would also benefit from seeing the greater purpose this task serves. You might not have a great deal of motivation to weed your gardens, however you know how much pride you get from your house looking its best. Make sure that whatever task you are to tackle, you have the right level of competence to accomplish it. If it is too simple or too hard, it is likely to lose your interest. In those cases, gather knowledge or support to complete the task. Having support can often help us get through difficult aspects of a task. When you are facing a large task, break it down into manageable components. When you break down a task, you can measure your successes and see the progression of your work. Dont forget to celebrate the completion of each component. Celebrating is not childish. We all thrive on validation and recognition. If you continue to struggle with motivation, try talking with someone about your objections to the task. Maybe it is the process or the people with whom you need to work that you have a conflict with. Manon Dulude facilitates conflict resolution workshops with groups and corporations. She can be reached at 905 873 9393. MANON DULUDE PSYCHOTHERAPIST PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING SERVICES 905-873-9393 WWW.FORGECOACHINGANDCONSULTING.COM INFO@FORGECOACHINGANDCONSULTING.COM Marta Masley B.Sc.(PT), M.C.P.A. 83 Mill Street, Suite B, Georgetown, Ontario Tel: (905) 877-8668 Fax: (905) 877-4165 Q:I am an avid golfer. Last spring within 3 weeks into my golfing season, I beganto develop pain to the inside of my right elbow. After seeing my doctor, I was told that I had Golfers Elbow. It persisted throughout the season, greatly affecting my handicap. It gradually resolved after I stopped playing. Now with golf season approaching again, Im afraid of ending up in a similar situation. Is there anything I can do to prevent this? A: Medical epicondylitis is more commonly termed Golfers Elbow because itfrequently affects the players of this sport. It usually results from the repeated strenuous contraction of the wrist flexor muscle (those on the palm side of your forearm). Golfing requires gripping and swinging of a club, which stresses these muscles. Moreso, even, if you are hitting the ground instead of the ball! As a result, the tendinous insertion of this muscle group at the elbow becomes strained and inflamed. Proper treatment can help reduce symptoms. You are on the right track by seeking preventative measures. The wrist flexors need to be stretched and strengthened, so that they can tolerate the demands that you place upon them while golfing. One good stretch is to hold you elbow straight with your hand in front of you, palm up. With your other hand, grasp the outstretched hand and pull so that the fingers are pointing down. Hold 30 seconds and repeat 3 times. This stretch should be done before, during and after your golf game. One good strengthening exercise is wrist curls. Sit grasping a 5 lb. Weight in your thigh, lift the weight as high as able and then lower to the starting position. Perform 3 sets of 20. If you dont feel any fatigue at the end of you 3rd set then you can increase the weight. This exercise can be performed every other day. Be sure, however, to seek professional treatment early on if the symptoms recur. Otherwise you will have difficulty getting rid of the aggravating ache. LET US ENVISION THE POSSIBILITIES FOR YOU 905-702-7420 www.stylingspaces.ca Is it worth spending money to make money? 20 Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, May 21, 2008 deathbed this has to happen just when I was getting it. The Innerscapes members have all discovered for themselves many ways to launch themselves into that part of the mind that lets them explore without think- ing. This can occur only when one is transported into that spot in the right mind where the path is explored in an uninhibited way. Think about getting into that frame of mind and you cannot get there. So how does one Zoom Out? One method used is to work in a way not normal another medium, another place, another colour strate- gy, more or less abstract, faster, slower and the list goes on. This takes you out of your comfort zone and, as long as the exercise is not found to be offensive, you might begin to zoom. Another way is to work in the woods where nature might set you free. Yet another way is to work along side another artist who is exploring. Somehow you can pick up the energy emanating from your fellow artist. The more one zooms the easier it is to zoom. Zooming Out is the epitome of zooming when one approaches the escape velocity when you hover and appear not to be able to come back. Some of us have been known to paint in the rain without knowing that it is raining. Now that is Zooming Out. For more details on their discovery, talk with the artists at the reception to be held on Saturday, June 14, 2-4 p.m. in the Halton Hills Cultural Centre. Director Sam Hancock greeted author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch at the gala presentation of The Georgetown Boys at the John Elliott Theatre last Wednesday. Skrypuch wrote the book, Aram's Choice, which Hancock adapted for the stage as The Georgetown Boys, presented by the members of the Georgetown Little Theatre's Youth Company. The story is about 110 Armenian orphan boys who were brought to Canada in 1923 after surviving a genocide to live in Georgetown and train as farmers. Many of the descen- dants attended the gala presentation. Members of the Youth Company (below) were presented with Armenian pins from an Armenian community group Photos by Cynthia Gamble Boys night Innerscapes show set to Zoom into Cultural Centre Continued from pg. 18