www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 13, 2007 - 25 HEALTH & WELLNESS Beat cold and flu season with vitamins and antioxidants Well, it's that time of year again, and cold and flu season in upon us. These known and unknown germs are relentless and take no prisoners! So what are you going to do differently this year? Supplementing with a multi-vitamin and antioxidants is the best way to help prevent your immune system from becoming too low and in return catching a nasty cold. A daily supplement of Vitamin C is always a great start, and don't forget those herbs that help boost the immune system: Echinacea, Golden Seal and Astragalus are just a few. Here at Herbal Magic we carry the highest quality herbal and vitamin supplements to help you and your family stay healthy all season! Amy Gutsole R.H.N., R.N.C.P Prevent stress and anxiety from taking over your life Stress, anxiety, panic attacks and even mildmoderate depression all have common roots. To best illustrate this, I will begin with the true story of a 39 year old women, who I will refer to as M.S. . . . M. S. was always a worrier. She attributed her overwhelm, mood swings and fatigue to being depressed. Her husband was successful. They had a beautiful home and 3 beautiful children, yet she was always worried that something would happen. If one of the kids got sick, she would think the worse. If her husband came home late, she would think the worse. This drained her of her energy and spirit. It affected the relationship she had with her husband and the children. She could not sleep. She was eating and drinking the wrong things. She was constantly thinking complex thoughts, usually negative, intense and not necessarily true. She also had moments when she experienced panic and being out of control. M. S. had anxiety, only she did not know it. Understanding the truth about stress, anxiety, panic as well as mild to moderate depression, gives rise to the ability to "prevent" these symptoms from taking over your life. In order to do this, one has to understand how the human brain works. What happens when you put too much data into your personal computer (our body's mind/brain equivalent)? There is only so much room for file storage space. The system gets overloaded and its ability to further function is compromised...it "crashes". What happens when you over work, and do not maintain a machine (an equivalent to our body)? Eventually it breaks down and "crashes" also. The human mind and body system functions in many ways similar to a computer and machine. The mind/brain is responsible for sending signals to the body, giving it messages about what it needs to do next. A mind/brain system that is overwhelmed will send "over-whelmed signals" to the body. The body acknowledges these "stressed" signals and begins to experience overload (stress). This appears in the form of increased blood pressure, heart rate and respirations, headaches, back and neck pain, diarrhea, stomach pains, etc. As well, the immune system will become compromised, putting us at greater risk for infections (colds, flu, pneumonia, etc.) or more serious illnesses (diabetes, heart attack, cancer, etc.) The mind/brain response to "stress" is emotional and physiological in nature. Those symptoms include worrying, nervousness, upset, irritability, fatigue, trouble sleeping, to name a few. As the degree and amount of stress increases, people begin to experience "anxiety". Symptoms of anxiety are excessive stress and worry, restlessness, feeling keyed up, being on edge, feeling tense, tired with difficulty sleeping, feeling irritable, angry and upset, difficulty controlling thoughts, forgetfulness, worries about health, not feeling in control/losing control of life and sometimes, panic attacks. Symptoms of a "panic attack include" a sudden onset of fear, trouble breathing, intense chest pain, palpitations, a sense of loosing control of your body and often the belief that something catastrophic (e.g. heart attack, stroke, death) will happen. Ongoing unresolved stress, anxiety and panic can lead to "depression". Symptoms of depression are: feelings of sadness, irritability, loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, changes in weight or appetite, changes in sleep pattern, feelings of guilt, hopelessness, worthlessness, inability to concentrate or remember things or make decisions, fatigue, loss of energy, restlessness, decreased activity, complaints of aches and pains, for which there is no medical explanation, and thoughts of death or suicide. We often can not change or control the source of our stresses (the boss, the demands of our job, busy family household with complicated life routines etc.) but we can learn to manage our thinking and mental processing of these issues and learn new healthier ways to live our lives that will allow us to better deal with life's stressful situations. This is the key to prevention. By doing this I can guarantee you will improve the quality of your life as well as reduce the stress, anxiety, panic and depression in your life, as well as significantly influence positive changes with your family, friends, and work. The following are several simple changes that can be made to your day to day life that will positively impact and help prevent stress, anxiety, panic attacks and mild-moderate depression. 1. Be aware of what you are feeling. Understand the symptoms are stress, anxiety, panic and depression related. 2. Talk to and share this information with people you trust and who make a difference in your life. 3. Get help, speak to your doctor for advice and to ensure the symptoms are not medically based. 4. Lifestyle modification: increase exercise and decrease/eliminate substances such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, non-prescription drugs and high fat foods. 5. Speak to a counselor, take a course or read books on stress-anxiety management. From my personal and professional experiences as a physician, and past career as a clinical social worker, I developed "THE ANXIETY MANAGEMENT SEMINAR SERIES". This program was designed to enable people with high stress levels, anxiety, panic and mild to moderate depression to transform their emotional state into strong personal power. For more information on myself (Dr. Keith Comeau MD) and the program/seminar series, see our web page at www.drkcomeau.com or call our Burlington office during the day at 905-333-0116. Our next 8 week seminar series begins Wed., Jan.17, 07, and Mar. 28, 07 at the Burlington Central Library. Costs: Jan. $265; Mar. $318. per person (GST incl'd). The following is the testimonial given by M. S. upon completion of our program: "I've suffered from depression on and off for over 20 years but knew very little about anxiety. So I was skeptical that I was right for this course let alone that it would be much help. The information presented helped me to realize that I did indeed have anxiety disorder and that my depression was a result of it. I learned that the way I think was causing my anxiety and that changing the way I think would in turn take control of the anxiety rather than it control me. This course has been life-changing. I feel better, look better, have better relationships with family and friends and am loving discovering my authentic self. Dr. Comeau' course was excellent." M.S. LEARN THE LAST CHANCE! If your baby was born in 2006, get his/her picture in our "An outstanding program! gained control of my own health and am now able to teach others." PH-Class 2003 Sore Feet? If you are suffering from any of the following, we can help you. Medicine Future of the DIPLOMA PROGRAM OPEN HOUSE JAN. 21/07 FROM 12 to 3 P.M. · Warts · Callous · Ingrown Nail · Flat Feet · Corn · Heel Spurs · Dry Cracked Heels · Surgery · Crooked Toes · Custom Orthotics · Diabetic Foot Care YOUR REGISTERED CHIROPODY TEAM Chiropody is for more than you think. Registered Holistic Nutritionist (R.H.N) R.N.C.P. REGISTER NOW FOR DAY & EVENING CLASSES "2006 Arrivals" section January 20th. Deadline is Jan 16th. Call Rachel 905-845-3824 ext 461 Canadian School Of Natural Nutrition 1107 Lorne Park Road Suite 205, Mississauga (905) 891-0024 www.csnn.ca NO REFERRALS NECESSARY · SATURDAY APPOINTMENTS FOOT CLINIC Hibbert & Associates 331 Sheddon Ave., Oakville 905.8