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Vital Times Newsletter

Autumn News

2015

Staff Announcements

  • Susan Aili, one of our resident artists, has an art show opening on Saturday, October 17th (6:30 — 9:00pm) at the Hart Downey Salon (420 Craigflower). After 9pm the fun continues next door at Spiral Cafe where Susan will be performing music.
  • Susanne Young RMT will be returning to Vitality part time in November after being away with her baby daughter all summer.
  • Susanne's locum Sarah Dogherty RMT has become a permanent Vitality team member.

Articles

  • Rate Increase:
    As of Nov 1, 2015 our RMT rates will increase
  • Cosmetic Acupuncture Package Sale:
    20% OFF 10 Sessions
  • Digestive Self Care:
    A few simple things you can easily do daily
  • FREE Osteopathic Treatments:
    Participants Wanted for Two Osteopathic Studies

Vitality

250.370.1020

302-1842 Oak Bay Ave
Victoria, BC V8R 1C2

HOURS
Monday to Saturday
8am to 8pm
Sunday
8am to 5:30pm

Gift Certificates Available

Rate Increase

As of November 1, 2015 our rates for Registered Massage Therapy will increase. We have not raised our prices in 3.5 years and appreciate your continued patronage. We look forward to continuing to provide you with quality care and effective treatments.

Massage Therapy and Craniosacral Therapy:
30 Minutes $50.00 (5% GST $2.38)
45 Minutes $80.00 (5% GST $3.81)
60 Minutes $95.00 (5% GST $4.52)
75 Minutes $110.00 (5% GST $5.24)
90 Minutes $125.00 (5% GST $5.95)

Hot Stone Massage with RMT:
60 Minutes $110.00 (5% GST $5.50)
90 Minutes $140.00 (5% GST $7.00)

Medicinal Plants

Cosmetic Acupuncture Package Sale

20% OFF the regular price for 10 sessions
from Oct 1 until Dec 31, 2015.

Cosmetic Acupuncture is a combination of fine tuning your general health and stimulating a specific sequences of acupuncture points to help tone tissues and boost blood and lymph circulation. Very fine needles are increase collagen production in the face and neck. This natural treatment gives the face a more youthful glow and firmer skin around eyes, jaw and forehead.

Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture is offered as a series of 10 visits, 2 treatments per week. Being taken care of twice a week helps tune our sleep and stress levels and can make real progress towards better internal and external health. In five weeks feel and look fresher and more energized, like you've just come back from a really good vacation.

Sabrina Lundquist

Sabrina Lundquist, RAc

Initial Treatment:
90 minutes ($120)
+ 9 Treatments:
60 minutes ($100) ea.

WAS $1020
NOW $820

Digestive Self Care
by Cindy Filler, RMT, DOMP

Is your digestion slowing down and slowing you down as well? Here are a few simple things you can do to keep things moving on a daily basis that you can easily integrate into your already busy and full day:

Stretch before getting out of bed a.k.a. Bed Yoga
Do a couple of full body stretches and yawns, twists of your legs one way and your arms and head to the other while doing several deep belly breaths, then twist the other way. Pull one knee to your chest with the other leg stretched out long and straight, several deep belly breaths, then switch legs, more deep belly breaths, then both knees to chest, and several more deep belly breaths. Keeping both knees bent, leaning on each other, feet apart, gentle belly kneading and circles in a clockwise direction. when you find a tight spot, hang out there, smaller circles or kneading (like a cat would do, but not so deep), and breathing into that area to release the tension. Continue around your abdomen with pressure in a clockwise direction. 5-10 min.

Stimulate blood flow with a cold towel.
Place a hand towel soaked in cold water on your abdomen and let your own body heat warm it up. Repeat 2 times. This stimulates blood and fluid flow and can stimulate peristalsis and a bowel movement.

Dry brush your skin before your shower.
The skin is also an organ of elimination (along with the liver and kidneys). Using a dry skin brush, stand in your shower (water off) and start at the feet by brushing them in a circular motion, quite vigorously, then front and back of the legs, abdomen in a clockwise direction, chest, gluteus, back, arms (2-3 min daily), then continue with your shower.

Drink warm water in the morning.
Once out of bed, grab a glass of room temperature water, or warm water and take slow sips until done. You can add a teaspoon of lemon juice to get the digestive enzymes stimulated before moving on with your day.

Remember to add an extra cup or two of fluids (water preferably) after and between meals.
Keep track of how much water you are drinking, when you are drinking (before bed?) and how much fiber is in your diet. Keep a food diary for a week to track foods and how they affect your digestive system. Could it be medications you are taking? Using laxatives for a prolonged period can have the opposite effect and actually promote constipation.

Do one of the above actions for a week or two, until it becomes a habit and one to which your digestive system grows accustomed.

Regular bowel movements should happen after every meal, but in North America daily is most common.
If you are not having a bowel movement for more than 2-3 days in a row for a week or more, then you should consult your doctor or naturopath. Also consult them if you are interested in doing a cleanse. Clearing out the bowels first is the first step to helping the liver and kidney do their job as they need a clear path to deposit the toxins and waste products they are processing.

Visceral manipulation can also help move things along, unwind tension and the organs so they have a clear path to move what is in, out. Elvina and Cindy both specialize in this modality. Contact us to book an appointment.

Pumpkin Soup

Autumn
Super Food:
PUMPKIN

Native to North America, Pumpkins are a cultivar of the squash plant, with their main nutrients being lutein and both alpha and beta carotene, the latter of which generates Vitamin A in the body.

The sweeter Sugar Pie Pumpkins are perfect for roasting and cooking and they grow locally here on the lower island. Support local farmers!

Try this Roasted Pumpkin Soup Recipe from Jaime Oliver »

FREE Osteopathic Treatments

Participants wanted for an observational study of osteopathy and vaginal births

Researcher Cheryl Tin is currently doing an observational study of osteopathy and vaginal births in Canada at the Canadian College of Osteopathy. This research has come at a good time and opportunity to promote to the government osteopathic manual therapy as a complementary treatment to increase vaginal births, given the current increase amount of focus on finding alternative methods to decrease Caesarean sections. More info: osteopathyresearch.com

Participants wanted for an osteopathic study on acid reflux or GERD, commonly known as heartburn

Study Title: The Effects of Global Osteopathic Treatment on Quality of Life With Those Suffering From Gastroeosphageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Gastresophageal reflux disease, symptoms and quality of life: GERD [i] affects many areas of well-being in one’s life. Symptoms can progress in frequency and severity leading to abnormalities in the esophagus (gut tube) and throat / chest / back / abdominal pain; Swallowing, breathing, digestion and/or sleeping may be compromised. One common occurrence is coughing and/or sore throat.

Global Osteopathic Treatment: Osteopathy [ii] is a natural manual therapy using gentle palpation skills and knowledge of the human body to restore the normal mechanics (proper motion) of all body tissues, structures and fluid circulation in relation to each other to contribute to overall health, equilibrium and automation of systems in the body.

The Researcher: Sonia Lam, RMT, is conducting the osteopathic research on GERD in the Tri-city region of the Vancouver Lower Mainland for her graduate thesis to complete her Diploma In Osteopathic Manual Practice (D.O.M.P.) as per requirement of the Canadian School of Osteopathy, Manual Practice [iii].

Volunteers needed starting 2015 thru 2016 who are:

  • Male or female between the ages of 20-65 years and able to read and write in English
  • Diagnosed with GERD for at least 3 months; current symptoms can be infrequent but persisting
  • Medicated or non-medicated for GERD with persistent symptoms
  • Currently experience coughing and/or chronic sore throat
  • Available to participate for the duration of the study lasting 13 weeks involving questionnaires, osteopathic assessments and 4 osteopathic manual treatments

Contact us for more info and to be referred to the project.

Osteopathy

Want to know more?

NATIONALLY:

Canadian Federation of Osteopaths

PROVINCIALLY:

Alberta

British Columbia

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Quebec

Wishing you a healthy autumn from all of us at vitalitytreatment.ca