Kelly Button bravely shares on her recent ectopic pregnancy, the ups and downs with experiencing a pregnancy loss, and extends gratitude to her care team, family & friends for the support she has received. Kelly shares honestly, feels deeply, and places words to all of the emotions that she has been experiencing as she moves through her healing journey.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. I wanted to mark this day by highlighting how COVID-19 has impacted women’s well-being. While there’s no doubt that men are struggling too, research suggests that women have been hit hard by the economic, social, and emotional challenges of the pandemic.

As a Nurse Practitioner Shasta Zeeman provides primary healthcare services that care for both you and your family. I can provide prenatal care for pregnant women up until delivery and then immediately postpartum & beyond. I hope to create relationships that last a lifetime and include caring for you, your newborn, other children as they grow, and your partner who often gets left out during this monumental time.

We are seeing more and more evidence stating the more supported Mom is, physically, emotionally, and spiritually through pregnancy, has direct benefits to baby. This isn’t new information, but the amount of evidence is quite significant (1-4). Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist Lindsey Tasker Cole provides education on prenatal exercise, the benefits and what is safe to partake in with this blog post. Take a read!

If you are looking for a safe & effective form of movement throughout your pregnancy, Pilates is a great choice. It can aid in releasing tension (lower back pain), building strength, preparing for labour & delivery, & aid in your recovery postpartum. Kelly Button provides a fantastic overview of the focus in movement during each trimester & outlines great adaptations available to keep you moving throughout your pregnancy safely!

Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy is an ideal way to incorporate this holistic approach. The techniques that Dr. Madolyn Linka, uses in her practice helps to keep her patients stay comfortable, prevent common injuries and assess that mom and baby are growing well together is a diversified approach using Webster's Technique. What makes this technique so helpful throughout pregnancy is it’s safety, effectiveness and clinical utility.

Mothers who use massage to support a healthy pregnancy may also note that it can be a useful tool for pain relief during labor. Supportive touch can help the mother feel a sense of calm and assist with coping during contractions. Massage may provide a decrease in pain and anxiety, as well as an increased feeling of control during this time. Lindsay Olver, Massage Therapist explains the different types of massage that is helpful during labor!

Physiotherapist, Lindsey Tasker Cole dives into the differences between physical activity, exercise, & fitness. She provides insight and comfort for moms on how daily activity can be in fact fitness training! You are doing a great job momma!

Dr. Stephanie Liebrecht, ND shares how her patients inspire her to be their health advocate, and to continue bringing awareness to women’s health. She is inspired to keep learning, keep supporting, and find the root cause. Being able to guide you on your health and healing journey has been the most rewarding experience.

Creating a morning stretching or movement routine helps to establish self-care in your day. Whether it be in the shower, when you get our of bed or as you blend your smoothie; getting in a few simple movement such as the sequence attached below can be way to practice proper movement pattern for the rest of your day. Dr. Madolyn Linka, DC provides an easy morning stretch routine that is truly achievable!

In Kim’s recent blog she is writing to all of the moms out there, to the moms who have had a baby during the covid-19 global pandemic and to those moms who are expecting a little one any day. ‘Moms I feel you so very hard and I desperately want you to know that you are most certainly not alone. The year 2020 has been very hard. I am leaning into the uncomfortable and sharing my story. Thank you for the safe place to do so.’

From what I have seen with my own kids and hearing from other parents is that our kids are extremely resilient! They have handled this year incredibly well, but they have also been negatively impacted. Kids can experience stress in the forms of insomnia, behavioral changes, and digestive disturbances. Learn how massage therapy can help children move through stress and relax their central nervous system.

The theme for our newsletter this month is Resilience. I couldn’t think of a better word to describe how our community has faced this year. With all the physical restriction still currently in place, we have all had to adapt to how we communicate, socialize, learn, exercise, work and basically function.

Dr. Stephanie Liebrecht, ND provides insight on how Naturopathic medicine offers a variety of natural anti-inflammatories found within herbal medicine, eating certain foods (or not eating certain foods), vitamins and minerals, and acupuncture - to name a few.

Dr. Madolyn Linka shares about the healing nature of the world’s “Blue Zones”, which describes five distinct areas of the globe that have the largest population of centenarians, individuals of 100 years or older. Dr. Linka had the opportunity to visit one of these Blue Zones and she shares her healing experience and what will be forever imprinted in her life.

Physiotherapist Danielle Bararuk explains what chronic pain is and how pain is produced within our nervous system. This fantastic blog provides insight on how important it is to use a holistic approach to treating chronic pain and how we use the biopsychosocial model at Holistic Physiotherapy & Wellness to provide care to our patients.

When we discuss mental health, mindset should also be apart of our conversation. Our thought pattern, the way we view ourselves, the kind of self talk we do, the outlook we have on life - all of these are apart of our mindset, and all of these affect our mood and behaviour. Dr. Stephanie Liebrecht, ND provides insight on The 5 Minute Journal and how important it is to create a positive mindset through setting daily intentions, positive reflection of the day, and practices of gratitude.

Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates & Katrina Kenison is a staple on Dr. Madolyn Linka’s bedside table. This square four hundred and twenty three page soft cover book sits in it’s space underneath her lamp reminding her of the daily reflections on the path of yoga. She has owned this book since 2016. For four years it’s sat close to where she lays her head at night and allowed her to flip through it and land on a page that she needs to read on the day she turns to it. Explore more with Dr. Linka on Meditations from the Mat.

It is no surprise that this year has had trials and tribulations. Oftentimes, the uncertainty of the unknown translates into an experience of stress, anxiety or unease. The past 6 months with the events of a global pandemic, the economy ceasing to operate for months and a restriction on international travel have all altered our “normal” routines. Dr. Madolyn Linka, DC explains what happens to our central nervous system when we are faced with stressful situations in this fantastic blog post!

Fatigue, burnout and exhaustion can be states that we live or survive in for short or long periods of time. Recognizing the signs of fatigue can be masked and tucked away until we are hit smack in the face with them. Physiotherapist Lindsey Tasker Cole dives into what fatigue looks like and how Physiotherapy can help!