Although today most of us take general cleanliness for granted, it was not long ago that our inability to effectively keep ourselves, our homes and our clothing clean, was the cause of much illness and disease. Few effective cleaning products existed, making it difficult to get things truly clean. Many of the things around us became breeding grounds for health problems.
Primarily as a result of the Industrial Revolution, scientists began to provide us with a seemingly unlimited array of new chemicals. In the area of cleaning products, a whole new field of chemistry known as detergents was developed.
No one had stopped to consider what would happen to these fabulous, high-foaming, super-cleaning, caustic chemicals after we used them. No one had taken the time to determine the effects of pouring millions of tons of such chemicals into our lakes, rivers and oceans. We were in for a big surprise.
The results of the Industrial Revolution were beginning to show. We could see for the first time how we were destroying the Earth’s delicate balance due to uncaring excess and neglect.
Our first global environmental crisis was upon us, and we had to look for alternatives
GNLD: A Company Built On Alternatives
This awakening had impacted us in two ways: we had become more aware of our own health needs and we understood more about the needs of our environment.
. We opened our doors in 1958 we were one of the first companies to respond to our environmental crisis with natural eco friendly home care products.
These cleaning products are 100 % biodegradable- recyclable packaging with less overall packaging to go to landfill.
They are multi purpose, don’t need different product for different purpose.
Because they are concentrated, you add the water. Buy less, spend less and end up using less with greater cleaning efficacy.
They are fume free, you do not have to ventilate a room or use gasmask.
The LDC and SUPER 10 has prevented an estimated 450 million bottles from been dumped in landfill.
SUPER 10
Super 10, Industrial strength concentrate is the most powerful cleaning product, penetrates, dissolves and emulsifies even the toughest grit and grime. Super 10 makes all your cleaning chores easier, yet it’s compatible with the environment.
You choose the strength you need for each cleaning task.
It is harmless to any surface where it’s safe to use water.
Use it for- Toys, Luggage, carpet,
Wall & wallpaper
Plastic containers & mirrors
Desks & chairs
Laundry stains – crayon, lipstick, juice, red wine
Grills, stove, windows
Toilet stains, jewelry Bath tub tiles and much more.
For extra heavy duty mix- 3 to 1
Heavy duty – 10 to 1
Light duty -20 to 1
.
LDC—- Light Duty Cleaner
Environmentally Friendly—Biodegradable & phosphate free
Is the mildest, most versatile household cleaner available today.
It is strong enough to be effective in hot or cold water, yet gentle and safe on hands. Free rinsing Concentrated & economical, you choose the strength you need for each cleaning task.
. Use it for…
- Washing your fruits and vegetables
- In the bathtub for children and adults
- Eliminating head lice
- Swimming pools,
- Wash dishes, Windows and mirrors, Car
- Hand washables and much more
Non toxic and safe with children around.
G—ONE
CONCENTRATED LAUNDRY POWDER
Out perform most other detergents
Today’s most powerful nonpolluting detergent, G-One is a concentrated laundry powder that’s organic, low in phosphate, formulated to out perform most other detergents
particularly against tough, oily dirt. This was backed up by an independent lab. It also protects your washing machine against corrosion.
- 100 % biodegradable, low sudsing, non-polluting
- Fabric softener not required
- Free-rinsing, irritation free
- Enzymatic action for cleaner, whiter, brighter results
- Concentrated, economical
- Great for baby cloth and those with sensitive skin
- Great for clogged drain.
Out performed leading U.S. brand in independent laboratory test.
COMPARE
Tide
2.2 Kg (4.85 lbs)
28 loads
G-One
3.6 Kg (8lbs)
160 loads
*320 loads –front load washer
The only three cleaning products you need under your sink
Inflammation is the body’s defense against a perceived threat. The purpose is to destroy the offending agent and contain damage to the injured tissue. Inflammation can be from an old sports injury, poor dietary choices, infections, environmental allergies, and even food intolerances. It is also a major contributor to the accumulation of plaque that clogs our arteries.
Do you have inflammation?
It can be hard to determine if you are at risk because the signs of inflammation tend to be vague. Common symptoms include joint pain, abdominal bloating, weight gain, diarrhea, constipation, gas, skin trouble, headaches, low energy and even depression. So many of us struggle through the day in discomfort thinking it may be normal or simply due to aging.
Pain is never normal. Naturopathic Doctors can help.
Is your diet to blame?
More than half of North Americans have a food intolerance that they have not yet identified. That is a huge amount of bloated people living in pain!
Your body may be unhappy with the meals you have been eating, but may not let you know about it for up to three days. This is called delayed hypersensitivity. The lag time in your symptoms can make it even more difficult to identify the offending agent.
There are several ways to determine which food is the culprit. An elimination diet or blood tests can be prescribed by your Naturopathic Doctor in order to discover the inflammatory agent. Once found, the intolerant food can be avoided for a period of time then gradually re-introduced. Often this treats the intolerance long-term, and life can go on without discomfort.
Anti-inflammatory diets and lifestyle practices can be put into effect quickly and easily in order to improve your quality of life. Call a Naturopathic Doctor for an inflammatory evaluation today!
Melissa Piercell, BScH, ND
Nutrition House – TD Centre
66 Wellington St. West
Toronto, ON, M5K 1G8
416-854-8732
I hope you had a great Christmas season and a safe and
cheerful New Years!
Let’s get right into ‘business’. I know that some of you
are on track with your 100 days of consecutive activity
(which is awesome), and I also know that many of you
have fallen off track.
Many different obstacles can derail your 100 days of
fitness, but should not ‘kill’ your drive.
A few years ago I saw a young man enter a gym in my
neighbourhood. He managed to get up a flight of stairs
to enter the gym, and gracefully down an additional set
of stairs that lead to the main gym.
Now this may not sound like a big deal to you, but this
young man had lost the use of his legs and was navigating
up and down stairs in his wheelchair!
I don’t think you or I have as good a reason as he does,
to let our health regime slide.
Don’t take things for granted, get back on track if you
have fallen off…if you have keep on the path of your
journey, keep on truckin’!
Wayne Campbell, President
Full Spectrum, Fitness & Wellness
416-648-9087 www.AthleticAdvantage.ca
Helping Everyone Improve Quality Of Life
They say (although I am not exactly sure who ‘they’ are), that it takes 21 days to form a particular habit. So I guess I am 7 days away from developing a habit of exercising daily.
Now, I want you to realize that although I am performing an activity daily, I am varying my activities and the levels of intensity that they are performed at.
I am on track though and have enjoyed the journey of the 100 Days of Fitness so far. For those of you who know me, you know how much I hate to jog…but I decided to change things up a bit and went out for a 5km jog last week. Now I must confess, I did not break any records on the 5km run, but I felt that I should participate in an activity that is outside of ‘my wheelhouse’.
I also used the TRX training system (which I love!!)…my training partner Wai, and myself, decided to perform a ‘Freestyle TRX’ workout…we each made up our own routine on the ‘fly’ and decided to include the video evidence online.
Keep the faith, and keep moving!
Wayne Campbell, President
Full Spectrum, Fitness & Wellness
416-648-9087 www.AthleticAdvantage.ca
Helping Everyone Improve Quality Of Life
Acupuncture, once a therapy foreign to western medicine, has grown in popularity and is now a common therapy practiced by manual therapy and sports medicine health care practitioners for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. Musculoskeletal injuries are any injuries that affect the muscles, joints, ligaments, and bones of the body. There is currently evidence that shows positive benefit for acupuncture for a variety of musculoskeletal injuries. While acupuncture research is advancing every day, many patients are left wondering: What is acupuncture? How does it work? What is it good for? How safe is it? Who should I see to determine if it is a reasonable treatment for me? This article will help guide patients in their understanding of acupuncture.
Acupuncture is the practice of inserting one or more needles into specific sites on the body surface for therapeutic purposes. The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory of how acupuncture works is based on the concept of “energy” called “Qi” that flows through energy meridians in the body. According to TCM theory, disease is associated with an imbalance of the flow of “Qi” and acupuncture is utilized to correct this imbalance.1
While the TCM “Qi” theory has existed since the origin of acupuncture, it is a very difficult and counter-intuitive theory for western science to accept. How are acupuncture’s effects explained by western science? A large area of research points to a concept called neuromodulation.
To understand this concept, one must first recognize that the body is comprised of multiple transmission systems that send pain and inflammation signals to the brain and other areas of the body. Acupuncture has demonstrated, in animal and human studies, the ability to modulate these signalling systems in the body. Acupuncture has the ability to affect pain by stimulating reflex systems in the spinal cord, decrease activation in the pain centres of the brain, stimulate the secretion of endorphins and enkephalins (molecules that help modulate pain), and stimulate pain modulating hormones in the blood.1,2
What does all this scientific jargon mean? Acupuncture appears to have the ability to modulate the nervous system’s control over the signalling mechanisms in the body responsible for relaying signals for pain and inflammation. By modulating the nervous system, acupuncture has the ability to decrease pain, create an anti-inflammatory state in the body, and increase blood flow to injured areas to help stimulate the healing process. These effects have influence both locally at the injury site and systemically throughout the entire body.
With basic science research identifying these acupuncture-specific effects, it seems intuitive that these benefits should be seen clinically as well. Recently, there has been clinical research that has investigated the effects of acupuncture for a variety of medical conditions. In 1997 the National Institute of Health consensus conference stated acupuncture was supported by positive evidence for a range of conditions and the World Health Organization in 2003 concluded acupuncture has been proved for 28 medical conditions. By examining musculoskeletal injuries alone, there is currently evidence that has shown positive benefits for acupuncture for the treatment of shoulder, elbow, knee, low back, headache and neck pain.3-7
Acupuncture is a great therapy for chronic painful conditions like knee osteoarthritis where pain and inflammation has traditionally been treated with drugs that may exhibit unwanted side effects with long term use. Some clinical research has shown that acupuncture may help decrease dependency on drugs or is a great therapy to utilize in conjunction with pharmacological therapy.1
With acupuncture becoming increasingly popular, how safe is it and who should I consult to determine if it is a good therapy for me? Acupuncture has been described as a very safe therapy. However, as with all health care therapies, there are always risks in certain instances. Serious side effects are rare, but they can include injury to the lungs and organs if it is performed improperly around the thorax. A responsible and well-trained acupuncture professional is knowledgeable of these potential adverse effects, and in the hands of these well-trained individuals; side-effects are rare and acupuncture is a safe therapy.8
The importance of consulting a well-trained professional is important both for the effectiveness and safety of the therapy. In Ontario, a certified acupuncture practitioner must be a regulated health care professional who has completed post-graduate training in acupuncture methods. By consulting a regulated health care professional you ensure that they have sufficient knowledge to identify who is and who is not a candidate for acupuncture treatment and you ensure they have sufficient knowledge in human anatomy to perform acupuncture properly without side-effect. If anyone is interested in acupuncture as a potential therapy, the best thing to do is contact a registered health care professional who is a certified acupuncture practitioner. Prior to performing acupuncture, you – the patient – should have a discussion about your specific case and the role acupuncture can have in the treatment of your injury.
Acupuncture is no longer considered an alternative therapy. It is now common place in the field of manual therapy and sports medicine. Western science has identified pain modulating and anti-inflammatory effects with acupuncture treatment. Clinical research is mounting and there are positive research studies for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. The responsible use of acupuncture in the hands of a competent health care practitioner can help expedite recovery and make life and sport more enjoyable for those suffering from musculoskeletal injuries.
Dr. Alex Lee
BSc (Hons), DC, D.Ac (cert)
Sports Performance Centres
www.sportsperformancecentres.com
References
1) Ernst E. Acupuncture – a critical analysis. Journal of Internal Medicine. 2006;259:125-137.
2) Cho ZH, Hwang SC, Wong EK, et al. Neural substrates, experimental evidences and functional hypothesis of acupuncture mechanisms. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. 2006;113:370-377.
3) Green S, Buchbinder R, Hetrick S. Acupuncture for shoulder pain (review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2005.
4) Green S, Buchbinder R, Barnsley L, Hall S, White M, et al. Acupuncture for lateral elbow pain (review). Cochrane Databse of Systematic Reviews. 2002.
5) Melchart D, Linde K, Berman B, White A, et al. Acupuncture for idiopathic headache (review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2001.
6) Furlan AD, Van Tulder MW, Cherkin DC, Tsukayama H et al. Acupuncture and dry-needling for low back pain (review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2005.
7) Trinh KV, Graham N, Gross AR, Goldsmith CH, et al. Acupuncture for neck disorders (review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006. Peuker ET, White A, Ernst E, Pera F, Filler TJ. Traumatic complications of acupuncture. Arch Fam Med. 1999;8:553-558.
A great way to work some variety into your program is to perform some agility work. I usually tend to use agility work as a warm up prior to my workouts (in place of or in addition to skipping)
But it can also be used as a conditioning routine. Performing 30-45 seconds of different footwork drills in succession for 3-5 minutes can be extremely challenging, and has a few bonuses
1. You will become much more coordinated
2. If you are a weekend warrior it will assist you in your activity of choice (basketball, touch football, squash etc.)
3. It will add variety to your workout regime
When you first begin to incorporate agility drills to your workouts, you should practice ‘perfect’ footwork before working on increasing your speed (and using agility drills as a conditioning session).
Remember ‘Practice Makes Permanance’ and there is no benefit to performing these drills without proper form.
Check out a few different drills in this post, there is a speed progression to each drill so that you view the steps easier than you would be able to at full speed.
Wayne Campbell, President
Full Spectrum, Fitness & Wellness
416-648-9087 www.AthleticAdvantage.ca
Helping Everyone Improve Quality Of Life
Okay, so personally I began my 100 days of fitness on Nov 1st. For those of you who don’t exercise regularly, this is a great way to get yourself into a habitual pattern of being active.
The activities that are outlined in the program/challenge vary in levels of intensity and will allow your to be active every single day without getting overuse injuries (as long as you rotate between 4-5 of them).
So as promised in my last post here is my report for the last 4 days…
Dec 1st – 15 minutes of skipping
Dec 2nd – Strength Training
Dec 3rd – 5 km run
Dec 4th – 60 minutes of boxing
Gotta stay in the groove, as I know some of my contacts who are in the challenge will not let me slack off…man peer pressure can be a great motivator at times !!
Well it’s actually 100 Days of Fitness, to help people get through the holiday season without looking like the Michelin Man.
We provided a list of different activities with time parameters for people to choose from, as well as a calendar to input their activity results.
They need to perform an activity once a day for 100 days beginning Dec 1st.
Sooo, since I have challenged all the individuals on my contact list, I need to lead by example. So today I embarked on the 100 Day journey (1 day ahead of schedule), here is what I did…
5 rounds of
3 minutes of skipping
20 seconds of Chin Ups
20 seconds of Russian Twists
20 seconds of Push Ups
More updates to follow…I will not post every workout, but I promise I will be honest if I miss a day!
I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the statement “I don’t have enough time to exercise” (yeah of course you don’t…but you have enough time to watch a Seinfeld rerun or an episode of Y&R)!
So here is an example of a short routine that you can perform on your own, and without having to use any equipment!
Perform each exercise for 20 seconds in the order listed below.
Rest for 2-3 mins & repeat for 3 sets.
Depending on your fitness level you may need to adjust your rest periods to allow for sufficient recovery.
Well, the first few days of a Whiplash (Motor Vehicle Accident MVA, falling down, etc.) needs to be iced. There is a reason that the muscles of your neck is in spasm. It is protecting the body from further damage. The ice will calm the nerves down a little bit and possibly even bring that headache down. After about a week or so will the heating pad or warm compress benefit that aching back or neck of yours. Also, maintaining your Range of Motion or ROM will help you aide the muscles that have been affected. During the initial stage of the injury the muscles that are injured are completely shut off. Therefore, the muscles supporting the neck or back are doing twice the work.
Think of it this way, it’s like 10 workers doing an awesome job for a company. 3 of those workers now have decided to go for a coffee break and decided to take 3 weeks worth of a coffee break. Eventually, the 7 workers that are now doing twice the amount of work will complain and maybe even walk out.
It’s key to see your health care practitioner; massage therapist, physio, or personal trainer that are informed and experienced in these situations.
Peuker ET, White A, Ernst E, Pera F, Filler TJ. Traumatic complications of acupuncture. Arch Fam Med. 1999;8:553-558.
!!