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The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday June 3, 2006 - 17 Dr. Jane Gilbert Bsc. MD. FRCP(C) Psychiatrist ALLIANCE CHIROPODY (FOOT CARE) CLINIC 232 South Service Rd. E. Salima Kassam Registered Chiropodist contact at drofpsychiatry@hotmail.com 905-845-2291 Q: What is Mental Illness? A: The simplest way to answer thisaquestion is to explain that a mental illness is fundamentally malfunctioning of the brain. Just as disorders of the heart or of the kidneys are illnesses, the brain is functioning abnormally when one has mental illness. As you can imagine the brain is an organ within our bodies that is extremely difficult to study. We have very recently developed technology that enables us to see how the brain functions under different situations. For example if someone is suffering from Depression we can now see differences in how that person's brain is functioning when compared with a brain of an individual who is not depressed. All mental illnesses have an underlying problem within the brain. The vast majority of these illnesses can be successfully treated. We have learned that the likelihood of one developing a mental illness depends on the person's genes. In other words people are born with the possibility that their brains may malfunction and it is not their fault if they become ill. Most of the time when one becomes ill there is a stress of some sort in their lives which profoundly affects them. These stresses may include the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, another physical illness, financial strain and many other stresses. The stress may trigger a change in the brain and this change could then lead to the mental illness. People can take courses or receive therapy to help them minimize the impact of the stress and this ultimately could decrease the impact on the brain and be a part of the recovery process. We should be very optimistic about recovery from a mental illness because no matter what one's stresses are in life or what brain changes occur we have developed excellent methods of treating these illnesses and are continuing to do so. Dr. Eric Dawtrey, DC Clinic Director 465 Morden Road, Oakville As Sandals provide extra support to our feet during the walking cycle, there are definitely some key features to look for in a sandal. Ideally, there should be a strap going across the foot as close as possible to the ankle. This strap will act as a retaining mechanism and literally hold your foot in the shoe. If the strap is not high enough, your feet will sense instability during the walking cycle. This will result in your toes clawing or gripping the shoe tightly to prevent the shoe from slipping off your foot. This may result in increased foot fatigue at the end of the day. It may also be the initiating factor in getting a claw toe deformity in the future. Another important feature is the width of the shoe near the ball of the foot. The sole of the shoe must be as wide as your foot in order to prevent pressure from the shoe. Also, you should be able to bend the sole of the shoe in this area, as your foot must be able to shoe transfer your weight forward when you walk. Last, it is ideal to have a strap around the heel to provide increased stability. This is sometimes essential depending on the activity. For example, when hiking or walking/running on uneven terrain, a strap around the heel is crucial in preventing injuries such as sprained ankles or muscle pulls. Many people require more support than the average shoe/sandal can provide. This can be due to a variety of reasons, most commonly flat or highly arched feet. Your Chiropodist can perform a thorough foot evaluation to determine whether you need custom made support in the form of an orthotic. Custom made Orthotics can be made as part of the sandal to allow you the freedom to wear sandals without worrying about misplacing the orthotic. Q: A: Can my feet be hurt by the sandals I wear? What should I look for in a sandal? Q: (905) 845-2293 I have been a headache sufferer for many years! I am the mother of 3 small children and it seems as though I have almost daily headaches. I recently visited my regular doctor and he diagnosed `muscle tension headaches' caused by myofascial trigger points. He gave me a prescription for the pain and advised me to relax. He suggested that perhaps massage therapy may help. Well, I tried that and it took care of the `imminent' problem but the results are not long lasting. Is there anything that chiropractic care can do for these `trigger points'? first headaches A: You are not thetens ofwho has experienced tensionright along with very littlearelief. with you!! As Unfortunately thousands of people suffer chiropractor I have worked with a variety of headache cases. Tension headaches are usually due to muscle contractions in the neck forming a `taut band'. This `band' simply cannot relax. Massage therapy helps temporarily because the `band' is stretched and fatigued to the point where it must release and subsequently eases the headache. So why does it tense up again? Your muscles are attached to various bones in your body. If the bone is misaligned ("subluxated" in the language of chiropractic) to the point where the muscle is constantly stretched, then no matter how many times you massage that muscle, it will return to its tense position. Doctors of Chiropractic realign these bones with specific chiropractic adjustments which allow the muscle to return to its `normal state' resulting in long term relief from those nasty headaches. So how do the bones become misaligned? Posture plays an important role in how the muscles in your neck respond to stress. If you have improper posture you may overwork certain neck muscles which are not normally activated or prepared to respond to poor posture on a continual basis. There are of course several other factors that may contribute to tension headaches, so it is wise and prudent to consult your local Doctor of Chiropractic for an evaluation. For long term relief of headaches, determining the exact reason for the problem in each particular case is paramount to successful treatment. Your health is important to us! Please call the office to arrange an initial consultation, free of charge. For more information, call to book an appointment today at 905-845-2291 Dr. Eric Dawtrey, DC (905) 847-2210 (Oakville) (Milton) (905) 875-0391 79 Kerr St., Oakville 5.849.1648 formerrymaids.com do I clean the grout in my tiles Q: Howbathroom and make it look floor again? and new or heavyA: Old grout may need cleaning with a awax strippercleanser on duty cleaner plus a grout brush. Use bleaching r tough spots. Once the grout is as clean as you can get it, rinse it well. When it's thoroughly dry, apply a coat of masonry sealer so that it doesn't absorb dirt in the future. For mildewed grout in tubs or showers, use a grout brush with a 1:5 solution of chlorine bleach and water. Never use bleach in combination with any ammonia-based product and be sure the area is well-ventilated. When you've finished cleaning, rinse the area well to remove all traces of bleach. Clean colored grout with a heavy-duty cleaner and a grout brush, but don't use bleach because this may remove the color from the grout. Be sure never to use a bleaching solution on colored grout. A masonry sealer can be applied to clean, colored grout to ward off future stains. Merry Maids is individually owned and operated by people who appreciate that your time is valuable and your trust is priceless. Step into a home cleaned to your complete satisfaction. Dear Big Kahu Q A Do organic fruits and vegetables really taste better? You bet! The taste profile is definitely more flavourful and robust. An interesting surprise is the number of senior citizens attracted to organic produce. When I asked one gentleman why he was buying organic tomatoes he told me that it was because they tasted like when he was a kid growing up and had nothing to do with the obvious health benefits. The simple fact is that the addition of herbicides, fungicides and pesticides masks the true taste profile of fruits and vegetables. Sure, you're going to pay more, but growing organics is a very labour intensive process. The care with which organic fruits and vegetables are grown is reflected in their flavourful taste, especially for those fruits that are thin skinned (grapes & apples) or those that have no skin at all, like strawberries which are the most heavily "sprayed" fruit there is. So to find out what produce really tastes like, come visit us at the Organic Garage. For more information visit our website at www.organicgarage.ca For more information visit www.formerrymaids.com If you have any questions these professionals can answer, please write to: "Ask the Professionals" c/o The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Road, Oakville L6K 3S4 or fax to: 905-337-5568