Ever wonder why vegans don’t eat plain old sugar you buy at the
grocery store? Noted vegan author Jo Stepaniak explains why.

Half the white table sugar manufactured in the United States is cane sugar and the other half is beet sugar. Beet sugar accounts for about 40 percent of the world’s sugar, contains 16 to 18 percent sucrose and grows in 13 U.S. states. The country is its third largest producer. Sugar cane, which contains 12 to 14 percent sucrose, is a tropical grass and is grown in four states: Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana and Texas. Both cane sugar and beet sugar are considered among the “purest” foods available because they are 99.9 percent sucrose.

The primary distinction between cane sugar and beet sugar is the processing method. Unlike beet sugar, cane sugar processing typically takes place at two locations, the sugar mill and the refinery. During the final purification process, cane sugar is filtered through activated carbon (charcoal), which may be of animal, vegetable or mineral origin. This step is unnecessary for beet sugar.

More than half the cane refineries in the United States use bone char (charcoal made from animal bones) as their activated carbon. The bone char used in this process is so far removed from its animal source that cane sugar processed in this method is deemed kosher pareve according to Jewish dietary laws, meaning it contains no meat or milk in any form. Some vegans disagree with this perspective.

Consumers cannot discern differences between beet sugar and cane sugar in taste, appearance and use. Beet sugar is frequently not labelled as such—the packaging may just list “sugar.” Cane sugar is more often labelled specifically, but not always. For consumers wishing to differentiate, the issue has become convoluted. Many vegans prefer to avoid white table sugar altogether rather than chance using a product filtered through bone char.

Brown sugar consists of sugar crystals (cane or beet sugar) combined with molasses for taste and colour. Confectioner’s sugar (also known as powdered sugar) is white table sugar pulverized into a fine powder and sifted.

Some vegans replace white table sugar with unbleached cane sugar or dehydrated and granulated cane juice. Both are available in natural food stores. Most of these products can replace white sugar measure for measure for general use (on cereal or in beverages) and in recipes. These products are typically darker in colour than white table sugar—ranging from light amber to rich brown—due to their higher molasses content. This can sometimes alter the flavour of recipes and may affect the colour of the finished product.

Unbleached cane sugar is considered by some to be more healthful than white table sugar. Although it may contain minimal trace nutrients, one would have to eat massive quantities to obtain any reasonable nutritive value. And, of course, there are numerous drawbacks associated with the overconsumption of sugar, including tooth decay and obesity.

Nutritionally speaking, sugar is sugar is sugar, whether white table sugar, maple sugar or a natural alternative. A 1948 federal law requires all products sold as sugar in the U. S. to be at least 96 percent pure sucrose, so even “raw sugar (sometimes called turbinado sugar) is by law compositionally close to white table sugar—about 96 to 98 percent sucrose.

Beyond the bone char concerns and health-related issues, there are many factors to consider when purchasing sugar and products that contain it. The vast majority of sugar cane is not organically grown, and most sugar plantations employ environmentally unsound agricultural methods, such as heavy insecticide and pesticide use and crop burning, which negatively impact soil, air, water and the health of workers. Sugar cane production is labour and energy intensive and uses large amounts of fossil fuels in processing, filtration, packaging and transport. Plantation owners typically pay meagre wages and provide no benefits, while workers are forced to endure brutal, substandard conditions.

A prudent approach may be to reduce our use of all types of sugar, including sugary processed foods, and to train our taste buds to more fully appreciate the natural sweetness of fresh and dried fruits, grain sweeteners and other whole foods. Still another option is to purchase granulated natural sweeteners such as maple sugar, granular fruit sweetener and date sugar, or to use natural liquid sweeteners such as pure maple syrup, agave syrup, malt syrup, brown rice syrup and mixed fruit juice concentrates. These products are available in natural food stores and many supermarkets.

Jo Stepaniak is the author and co-author of 17 books on
compassionate living and vegan cuisine. She is also the
senior editorial director at Book Publishing Company, a vegan
publishing house, and an international business dispute-resolution specialist.

By Sean Liv

Now is the time many Canadians will write down their New Year’s resolutions. Yet how many of us have vowed to exercise more, only to abandon the treadmill long before February? History tends to repeat itself.

New Year’s resolutions often come from your good intentions, but if you don’t also change the way you think and act, you will only end up in the same place you were last year. If you take the time to think about the place you’re in now, however, and how you can actively bring about the change you want to see, real change is possible.

I call this “REAL Motivation.” It’s visualizing your goal, mapping out proper actions and behaviours to get you there, and hanging on to this motivation for lasting change. It’s based on four factors: the reality of your present life, the events that brought you here, the attitude you have about your situation, and the identification and letting go of past limitations or self-defeating beliefs. Try it yourself. Review each one of these factors, write it all down and, above all, be honest.

Once you have your honest assessment of your current situation, go through those four factors once more, but this time apply it to the way your life will be once you’ve reached your goal. For example, if the reality of your present situation, the first factor, is that you’re feeling tired all the time, the new reality could be that you have abundant energy and are training for your first 5K run. The differences between the two will be very clear and will allow you to visualize what you want and what you need to change to get it.

Now that you have your roadmap to your goals, get out there and get active! And don’t let the chilly weather stop you. Exercising outdoors is nourishing for the body, mind and spirit. Connecting with nature and the energy of the natural world is sure to fuel your inner power.

Here are some simple tips to help you enjoy this time of year:

A reward system. You’re going to need something to get yourself out there. Give yourself a little reward at the end of the week once you have completed all of your workouts. It could be anything from a new haircut, a massage or even a pair of warm winter hiking boots.

Your theme song. Create a soundtrack of your all-time favourite tunes and make it a new playlist on your mp3 player. Chose songs that inspire you, then pick one that you can call your Theme Song for Life—it will get you going!

Me time. Make the shift in your mindset that allows you this time for you. No roles of mother/father, wife/husband, employee. No fires to extinguish. This is a date with you and you only. Get to know yourself.

Find inspiration. Use this time to discover what inspires you. Periodically repeat the four factors of REAL Motivation exercise. Daydream without limitations and write it down. Be real and honest with yourself. Learn to connect, inspire and motivate from within.

Winter is often the most difficult time for us to exercise outside, but it doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. Here are some things that keep me moving and energized outside during the winter months.

• Layers, layers and more layers! It may be tempting to throw on one bulky piece to keep you warm, but don’t forget that you will be sweating, so you’ll want to peel off a layer to help regulate your temperature. Invest in some thermals.
• A good pair of warm mitts and a toque. Don’t worry about how they look; they’re just there to keep you warm!
• Grippers—pieces of rubber that attach to the soles of your running shoes. They’re great for traction in icy areas. They can be purchased at any sportswear store
• A water bottle with a plastic, rather than a stainless steel, rim. Your lips will stick to stainless steel in the cold.

Now you’re ready to go! Investigate your surroundings before you begin your workout to make sure everything is safe and there are no icy spots. Bring a small flashlight with you if you plan to be out during winter’s long dark hours.

Always warm up for five to 10 minutes. You can do this with a walk to the nearest park. Feel the fresh air, your living breath. Enjoy the unique and beautiful gifts of winter outdoors. You don’t need to be a hero, and nobody’s expecting you to run a marathon. Listen to your body; start off slowly if you need to. Burning fat and strengthening muscle take time. Just be patient, be present, and have fun! This is the first step to your stronger self. In 2012, you will be unstoppable!

Sean Liv is a fitness expert, life strategist and motivational speaker. She helps people transform their bodies by using their inner power to overcome struggles and make positive life choices. She is the author of the lifestyle guidebook The Ticket.

Tanis McRae helps people to heal themselves

You develop a pain in your knee or tailbone, or you’ve lived with asthma since your childhood, or you’ve struggled with a food allergy for several years. Many of us are familiar with these aches, pains and health issues. They are a fact of life; we just learn to live with them. Or we go to the doctor and get a prescription

To Grande Prairie intuitive healer Tanis McRae, these maladies are just the tip of the iceberg. They represent the physical part of the body, but there is so much more to us than meets the eye. McRae compares the body to a dandelion. Above ground, the stem and flower relate to the physical and mental body, while below the surface, the roots correspond to the emotional and spiritual body.

“I think you get what you get, physically, last, which means it already exists in the mental, emotional and spiritual body,” says McRae, 47, a homegrown Peace Country native and former educator with the county school system. “If you deal with it only at the physical level, you haven’t got to the root of the problem.”

McRae’s expertise is in the emotional body. She works with clients and teaches workshops to help people delve beneath the surface to the core of their emotions, where, she says, true healing occurs. She shies away from the word psychic because of the potential distrust or expectations the label can bring, preferring the moniker intuitive healer.

“Intuitive by definition means having access to information without really asking for it, and healer describes where I want to go with somebody,” explains McRae, who is married with two teenage sons. “I don’t want to sit and talk about whether you are going to meet the man you love or where you’re going in five years. For me it’s more about the healing and letting go of what’s no longer serving you.”

Using the many tools at her disposal, including energy work, quantum touch, Reiki and the pendulum as a divination tool, she has touched thousands of clients and believes she sees a miracle every day.

But her first real experience in the power of healing was very close to home. In 2004, McRae and her siblings were desperate to help their ailing mother, Gladys, who for many years was thin and languishing. Diagnosed with celiac disease, she had developed severe allergies to foods, synthetic materials and scents, to the point where her diet was limited to a dozen foods and she couldn’t walk across a carpet or lie on a bed. In the early 2000s, Gladys’s doctor told her she was going to die from her illness, and she started to give up.

That’s when McRae and her sisters took their mother to a local naturopath, who did kinesthetic muscle testing and discovered she had parasites—and had likely had them since 1964. The naturopath prescribed a regimen of anti-parasitic foods and herbal remedies to help boost her immune system and Gladys started to get better physically. However, McRae noticed she had forgotten how to live a healthy life and was struggling emotionally to find her way back

The same year, an introduction to belief re-patterning opened a door for McRae, who was fascinated to learn how emotions play a role in what’s happening to the body. She read American motivational author Louise Hay’s book You Can Heal Your Life, which is based on the theory that our beliefs and ideas are often the cause of our emotional and physical problems. It became a springboard first to helping her mother heal emotionally and later to ridding herself of asthma and guiding her son Niklas on his journey to cure his severe milk allergy.

McRae became a sponge, learning anything that would give her additional tools for her new calling. She studied spiritual psychology with Steve Rother of lightworker.com; travelled to Sedona, Arizona, to hear Colette Baron-Reid, a Canadian intuitive counselor; and spent time with Neale Donald Walsch, American author of the Conversations with God series of books. All of these philosophies resonated with her, and she has morphed them into her own brand of healing. She also became certified in Reiki, spiritual psychology, quantum touch and energy therapy. At the same time, McRae was part of an inner circle of like-minded Grande Prairie women who were searching for reasons and understanding.

After a 20-year teaching career, McRae “came out of the spiritual closet” in 2006. She formed her own business, The Healing I, and began facilitating for clients outside of her immediate family. But she didn’t leave teaching behind. As it turns out, her new workshop students aren’t unlike the kindergarten and Grade 1 students she taught in the past.

“You can’t make someone read, but you can provide all the things that are needed for them to be a successful reader. It’s the same with being a healer,” explains McRae. “I don’t heal anyone; the person heals themselves, but I can provide the information for them to create it for themselves and that is empowerment. That’s the heart of healing—taking control and responsibility for your own healing.”

Guided Synergy published its first issue in January 2005 and very soon after, Tanis began advertising in its holistic directory. In 2009, she became a regular contributor to the magazine as the expert behind the Ask a Healer column.

According to McRae, her gift is manipulating energy: channelling universal energies, bringing them through her own body and allowing them to flow into the person she is working on. With quantum touch, she raises the vibration of the energy, “spinning it,” and encourages the other person’s body to match the vibration.

“Just like water wants to find a level, so does energy. So it starts to let go of anything that’s holding it back,” she says. “It’s the only way you’re going to heal something; you bring a higher vibration and let go of what’s low.

For her clients, working with McRae has translated into the release of emotions such as guilt, fear and grief associated with death or physical abuse, and of their physical manifestations, including knee and neck pain and asthma. She is particularly proud of the energy work she performed on her 93-year-old father, Tom, who after recently suffering a stroke lost the use of his right arm and leg. After running some energy into his body, she witnessed the return of some of his mobility and has seen continuing improvement over the last few months.

Another client, whose sister had died in a car accident when she was a young girl, had developed asthma.

“Asthma, I know, sits in the chest, and the chest is where we hold grieving. We talked about what happened and the grieving process. Then I did energy work on her chest and she was able to breathe freely and made peace around that death. She’s never had to use her asthma medicine again.”

Not every client McRae sees is healed in a single visit. Sometimes she is dealing with a belief system that no longer serves an individual and that can take more time.

McRae is very excited about the advancement of the holistic industry in Grande Prairie and universally. Locally, she credits Guided Synergy magazine for giving the industry a forum, and says that with awareness has come participation and increased acceptance. On a broader scale, technology has brought us to a level where people are no longer simply surviving, but they are thriving. Instead of spending all of their energy on just staying alive, they have more time to understand who they are on a deeper level

“We’re absolutely evolving. There’s definitely an evolution of understanding.”

Jennifer Worley is a Calgary-based writer with more than twenty years in the media industry. She has written on a wide range of topics, including health and fitness, travel and fashion. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Calgary Herald, the Calgary Sun and Flare magazine.

1 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup toasted wheat germ

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Cream the butter, sugar, molasses, and peanut butter in a large bowl. Blend in the eggs and vanilla. Mix the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, until evenly blended. Stir in the oats, raisins, choc chips, and nuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Shape dough into large balls using 1/4 cup of dough per cookie. Place on greased cookie sheets, leaving 3 inches between them. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. When done, the tops will still be soft to the touch. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.

– Recipe by THEA

 

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons diced onion

1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup cashews

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 apple – peeled, cored and diced

1 pear – peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

1.In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds, and process just a few seconds more to mix.

2.In a large serving bowl, toss together the romaine lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, apple, and pear. Pour dressing over salad just before serving, and toss to coat.

- BY NORA LACROIX

Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Directions

1.Whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, honey, onion powder, and salt in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in grapeseed oil, whisking constantly, until combined. Stir the poppy seeds into the mixture.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 282 | Total Fat: 29.1g | Cholesterol: 0mg

- BY CHRISTINE M

Let earth and water comfort you this season

As I was writing this article on a cold, dry winter day, I had a peek at Facebook. My friends’ posts made me smile: “Making homemade soup and buns.” “Filled the crockpot with stew and the oven with biscuits.” “Chili and buns for dinner tonight!” The balance of sweet, sour and salty tastes my friends were creating is perfect for the vata (wind season), or winter, months. This made me realize just how in tune with nature many of us are and how well we listen to our body’s needs. As we move from winter into spring (kapha season), we need to adjust our lifestyle to keep our dosha (body constitution) in balance.

Kapha (earth and water season) is almost two seasons in one. The heavy, cold dampness of the late-winter months transitions into the warmer dampness of spring. While it is still cold, we should continue with a diet of warm foods and drinks, as the kapha dosha does not agree with cold. To help balance the kapha in your body as the weather warms up, reduce or eliminate dairy products, salt, sugars, fermented foods and heavier meat products; these foods—known as the sweet, sour and salty tastes—build up congestion in your respiratory system. Changing to lighter foods with pungent, bitter or astringent tastes keeps springtime illnesses at bay. The pungent tastes in foods such as hot peppers, herbs, spices and garlic energize digestion and metabolism. Bitter tastes, found in herbs and dark, leafy greens, lighten and detoxify tissues. Astringent tastes, found in legumes, herbs and raw fruits and vegetables, tighten the tissues and absorb water.

A cleansing detox can also help in the seasonal transition. This can be as simple as a one-day-a-week cleanse in which you ingest only liquids or liquefied foods (soups, juices, fruits and veggies) for 24 hours. Or consider a seven-day cleanse to kick-start your metabolism.

In addition to changing your diet in early spring, increase your physical activity. Take a brisk walk outside, attend a yoga class—anything to get you off the couch! Kapha imbalance tends to bring lethargy and congestion. Staying active and eating lighter will help you to shed off winter and approach the warm days of summer (pitta, fire season) feeling clearer and lighter in the mind, body and spirit.

To learn more about Ayurveda, your dosha and the role of foods in maintaining dosha balance, some great books are Perfect Health: The Complete Mind/Body Guide by Deepak Chopra, MD, and Eat·Taste·Heal by Thomas Yarema, MD, Daniel Rhoda and Chef Johnny Brannigan.

Interested in alternative and holistic health, Tracy Persson learned the Usui System of Reiki, eventually becoming a Reiki master teacher. After discovering Ayurveda in 2008, she began Perfect Health teacher training through the Chopra Center. She is a certified instructor in Primordial Sound Meditation and the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga from the Chopra Center. Tracy grew up in Slave Lake and now lives in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

The command position encourages success

When I am asked to provide a feng shui consultation in a home owned by a couple, I insist that both partners be present. This is because both of them use, are affected by, and influence the space, and because both likely need to agree on any feng shui adjustments for their home. I find that this approach creates the most powerful opportunity for change.

When I ask couples to explain what has drawn them to explore feng shui, the women often say something like “I really resonate with the philosophy,” while the men tell me that it was their partner’s idea. At first, the men reluctantly go along but, thankfully, they usually gain interest and show enthusiasm when we begin to discuss the effects their home might be having on their life.

Often, the man comes on board when I introduce the concept of the command position. Desks, both at home and at work, should be placed so that you have both a solid wall behind you and a clear view of the door, without being in direct line of the door. Placing your desk in this position can directly affect your finances, success and influence at work.

I ask my clients to imagine walking into the office of Donald Trump. Where would the desk be? Would he sit facing the wall, with his back to the door? No, of course not. Executives do not work in such a subordinate position. They command the room from their desks. This is an unspoken corporate rule—and for good reason.

Placing your desk, as well as other important pieces of furniture such as your bed, in the command position can have a major impact on your success. Looking at it symbolically, this position represents protection from the unseen and the ability to see clearly, in advance, any situation that is coming your way.

While it is important for both men and women to gain greater control over their circumstances, the concept of the command position is a great way to introduce men to the out-of-the-box world of feng shui.

Mia Staysko is a certified feng shui professional, an interior designer and a Red Ribbon Professional member of the International Feng Shui Guild. Through her company, White Lotus Interiors, she guides others in creating space for powerful change.

Forgive and Gain Access to the Loving Energy of Spirit

Forgiveness is the act of releasing our pain and anger over the past. It is a choice to live in the present, to let go of what—or who—was right or wrong in the past. By forgiving, we gain the freedom to live our own lives, no longer allowing someone else to control them

The act of forgiving others releases their hold on us. When we choose not to forgive others, we allow them to hurt us over and over again. It is important to understand that forgiving others does not mean that we condone their behaviour. Nor must we continue a relationship with them or forget about their actions.

Forgiving becomes easier when we release both the expectation of an apology and the need for others to understand us or for us to understand them. In many cases, we need to forgive the person all over again each time we think of the situation. Over time, our anger and bitterness fades, eventually disappearing, and we are able to look at the situation with a soothing sense of peace.

The act of forgiving ourselves is one of the most loving things we can do for ourselves, but it can be harder than forgiving someone else. Forgiving ourselves does not necessarily mean that we would act differently given what we know now; it just means that we are willing to go forward and focus on the future.

Some of us grew up being reprimanded with statements like “Sorry doesn’t help.” We might have heard this when we did or said something considered wrong, or did not do or say something expected of us. But if sorry doesn’t help, what does? Are we ever able to redeem ourselves? If those around us do not practice forgiveness, we may start to avoid taking risks because we are scared of being wrong. We don’t admit our mistakes, we never feel that we are good enough and we have trouble maintaining relationships. However, we can forgive ourselves. This empowers us to create the changes we want in our lives by accepting full responsibility for our thoughts and actions.

Many of our fears, anxieties and even physical health problems originate from an inability or unwillingness to forgive. When we forgive, we gain access to the loving energy of spirit, which can heal our deepest physical and mental wounds and help us create a future leading to love, health and happiness.

Radical forgiveness enables us to view any situation with spiritual understanding. We recognize that life is divinely guided, unfolding for each of us exactly as it should for our highest good. We see that everything happens for a reason. Spirit does not make mistakes. We are able to surrender to the flow of life and to learn that, ultimately, there is nothing to forgive.

Molly Weleski is a licensed and certified Heal Your Life® life coach and workshop facilitator, based on the work of Louise Hay. She is an impassioned speaker and teacher with the ability to inspire life-changing growth. She is the author of Restoring Your Beautiful Life, published in 2011.

Before I read Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It, I was a tap water drinker but not exclusively. After this enlightening read, I can now say that I am a fully converted tap water drinker with a “Bottled Water Free Zone” sticker on my refrigerator.  This book is a serious habit-changer.

Elizabeth Royte is well-known for her previous books Garbage Land and The Tapir’s Morning Bath: Solving the Mysteries of the Tropical Rain Forest (both New York Times Notable Books), and her articles have appeared in The New Yorker, National Geographic and other prestigious magazines. In Bottlemania, Royte dives into the complex world of commercialization of one of the most basic human needs: drinking water. Her journalistic adventure starts in Maine, where water trucks drive 24/7, pumping and transporting water from aquifers around the state. These aquifers have the potential to deliver clean spring water to the citizens of Maine for many thousands of years; however, the 700 million gallons a year that Nestlé pumps from Maine is creating an uncertain future for the state.

The author paints a lucid and compelling picture of Fryeburg, Maine, the town that is trying to stop Poland Spring (a division of Nestlé) from “stealing” their water. Nestlé buys the water at the same price as any resident of Fryeburg; they then bottle and sell it back to consumers at rates approximately 4,000 to 6,000 percent higher. When the author arrives on the scene, the town is in an all-out water war. Neighbours are mad at neighbours. Gossip of secret meetings creates an on-edge atmosphere for the town of 3,000. The ecology of their lakes is changing; fishing and swimming are no longer possible because of ever-polluted waterways. In this divide, the author stands clear: Fryeburg water should not be for sale.

The author further explores the issues of marketing, the environment, economics and health surrounding water in a captivating manner. Bottlemania is a well-balanced page-turner that leaves the readers to make up their own mind about the water debate; and there certainly is a debate raging. By mid-read I was leaning towards my trusty glass of tap water for the ethical and economical reasons alone. There were a few more questions I needed answered before making my final decision on the liquid, however: Is bottled water cleaner? And is tap water safe?

The answers to these questions were fully developed by the author and left me satisfied. The issue of the environment and the safety of bottled water cannot be explored without mentioning the bottles themselves. Approximately 40 billion bottled water containers are thrown into landfills or recycled every year in the U.S. alone. Do the chemicals from bottled water leach into drinking water as it is transported to store shelves? Absolutely, according to Royte. The longer bottled water sits in plastic before you consume it, the more BPA and other hazardous chemicals move from the plastic and into your water.

Rotye does not hide the fact that she is a tap water drinker and even comically filled up her Nalgene in front of Poland Spring higher-ups. It is no wonder that she included an eye-opening safety comparison in this concise read. Tap water in New York City has 2.8 parts per million of nitrate, while Perrier carries about 18 parts per million (much higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s limit of 10 ppm).  What about bacteria? My tap water, for example, is processed four kilometres from my home, then runs through the tap and into my thirsty mouth. Is there time for bacteria to multiple and wreak havoc on my body? Nope. Now Evian, for example, is bottled about 8,000 kilometres from my house and sat on a store shelf for an unknown amount of time in a toasty room temperature environment in which bacteria love to multiple. I’ll choose the faucet on this one.

Water is an essential human need that we are not thinking enough about. Bottlemania is an eye-opening book that will compel you to stand on one side of the water war or the other. As for me? I haven’t touched a plastic water bottle since finishing the book.

Stacey Olson is a teacher in and around the Grande Prairie area. She continues to spread the word about fluoride in her community and hopes to have it removed from the water by the end of 2012.

On the heels of a decision by the City of Calgary to remove fluoride from its water, and nearby Fort St. John in the same process, the fluoride debate is growing again in Grande Prairie Water Aware

Stacey Olson wanted to find more out about the tap water she ingests eight to 10 times a day. One simple phone call and she was touring her local water treatment plant. To her surprise, cleaning water to make it potable is a relatively, well, clean process.

One issue she was keenly aware of on the tour, however, was fluoride. While three chemicals are used to treat water, fluoride is added to treat people. The fluoride debate has raged for years in Canada. Last spring, Calgary city councillors voted to remove fluoride from the city’s drinking water, and last November, a bid to do the same in Fort St. John was defeated in an election referendum. Stacey Olson wants the issue on the public agenda in Grande Prairie.

“I decided that if I was going to drink tap water, I wanted it to be as clean as possible,” says Olson. “The choice of which medications enter my body is mine alone.” She has started a petition entitled Stop Fluoridation in Grande Prairie’s Water and will be presenting it to city council in early 2012.

She is inviting people to sign the petition online at www.fluoridefreegp.tk or at any health food store around Grande Prairie. The Rabbit Hole in Grande Prairie has the book Bottlemania: How Water Went On Sale and Why We Bought It in stores now and also has copies of the petition available to sign.

Promoting balance through alternative therapies

“How does stress affect my physical health problems?” This is a question I get asked almost every day at the clinic.

Let’s start with a simple definition of stress: Stress is anything that throws your body out of balance. Unfortunately, our bodies do not distinguish very well between mental and physical stress. The mental stress you feel when caring for a sick child can affect your body as easily as the physical stress of a sore back due to lifting a heavy box.

Our bodies strive to maintain a constant internal balance regardless of what happens around us physically or mentally. The scientific term for this internal balance is homeostasis. Maintaining homeostasis is the responsibility of the autonomic nervous system, which is divided into two components: sympathetic and parasympathetic.

The sympathetic component produces the well-known fight-or-flight response to stressors. For example, if you encounter a physical threat, like an angry, barking dog, your body gets physically excited, preparing to run away from or fight the threat. The parasympathetic component complements the sympathetic component, responding to stressors through eating, sleeping and repairing the body. When you are hungry, your body reacts to this physical stress by increasing your appetite. Likewise, when you are physically tired, the parasympathetic component encourages you to sleep in order to help restore balance.

The autonomic nervous system copes well with short-term physical stress, but it is not good at dealing with ill-defined, long-term mental or physical stress. For example, the physical stress of bending over a computer all week is much harder to balance than the sudden stress caused by a barking dog. Over time, long-term stress pushes our bodies into a long-term sympathetic, or fight-or-flight, reaction, which leads to a breakdown of homeostasis. That is, long-term or chronic stress causes physical problems that throw our bodies out of balance.

Our fast-paced, modern life is full of mental and physical stressors that disrupt this balance. Primary-care physicians report that 75 to 90 percent of all patients’ visits are in some way related to long-term sympathetic reactions to psychosocial stresses. Consider a patient who has been coping well with a physical problem only to have his or her pain flare up during a stressful event, such as a divorce or the death of a loved one. The effects of these stressors build up over time, meaning that as the population ages, we are seeing higher rates of chronic health problems due to accumulated stress.

The goal, then, is to reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and encourage that of the parasympathetic nervous system—that is, we want to decrease the fight-or-flight response to long-term stress and increase the restorative responses of resting, repairing and eating. Treating stress gives different health-care professionals an ideal opportunity to work together. The following types of practitioners can help you improve your health by reducing the negative impact of stress on your body:

• Chiropractor: Research has shown that chiropractic adjustments of the spine can reduce sympathetic reactions.

• Acupuncturist: Similar results have been shown for acupuncture. Many acupuncture points that are traditionally used to balance the body are essentially sympathetic or parasympathetic switches. Sedating sympathetic switches or activating parasympathetic ones promotes homeostasis.

• Reflexologist: Stimulating selected points in the feet calms sympathetic reactions and promotes parasympathetic responses

• Massage therapist: Therapeutic massage treatment of tight and dysfunctional muscles quiets the sympathetic reaction.

• Counsellor or psychologist: Counselling can help you deal with the mental triggers of sympathetic nervous system reactions.

• Dietitian: Good nutrition nourishes your body. A dietitian can help you craft a nutritional program to promote homeostasis.

• Yoga and meditation instructor: Yoga and meditation enhance the parasympathetic component, helping it to balance an overactive sympathetic component.

While long-term mental and physical stress can lead to or aggravate physical health problems, many alternative therapies can be used to control or remove the stressors and heal our bodies. Talk to your health-care practitioner to identify how stressors are affecting you and which therapies can promote balance in your body.

Brett Hessel, DC, CAFCI, graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto and the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute (AFCI) for medical acupuncture. Brett has also trained with the AFCI for traditional Chinese medicine and with the China Shanghai International Acupuncture Training Centre. Brett and his wife, Jennifer, currently operate the Grimshaw Chiropractic Care Centre in Grimshaw, Alberta, and the Northwest Wellness Centre in Grande Prairie, Alberta.