Cancer Therapy at Core Link

    –Dr. Payam Kiani, ND., B.Sc, FABNO-

My patients never cease to amaze me.

They all do, really, but particular awards go to my patients who are battling cancer. By far, they sustain the most poking       and prodding, invasive surgeries, harsh medications, and toxic therapies all with the hope that they will be cured.  They grin and bear the devastating effects of their disease and of the treatments that go along with it but, no matter what happens to their physical health, I always see one thing for sure: at their core they become stronger, more enlightened, and more conscious of the realities of life around them. What I’m saying might need a little explanation, but I’ll have to save that for another time.

I have to help them

 It’s for this grueling path that my patients with cancer take, that I’m inspired to continually find ways to help them.  I explore all avenues and some of my main goals are to improve their immune systems to prevent infections, to help them heal faster from their surgeries, to support them through chemotherapy and radiation, to reduce their side-effects while improving the effectiveness, to explore and provide experimental natural treatments in the search for a cure, and finally, to provide guidance to navigate through the forest of complementary and alternative therapies, that are worth-while trying.

Powerful tools to fight cancer don’t need to hurt so much

 Here are some of the tools I use to help fight cancer, without making my patients sicker – I focus not only on killing their cancer, but on making them healthier and stronger!  We want to beat the odds, and with these natural therapies we accomplish better outcomes and definitely better quality of life:

–           Diet and Nutrition

–           Herbal Medicine

–           Intravenous Vitamin Therapy

–           Acupuncture

–           Detoxification

–           Stress management

Tell someone that we can help

You probably know someone who is suffering from this disease, or you might be battling it yourself.   I want to be by your side as your expert advisor in natural, complementary, and alternative treatments to fight cancer and make you healthier.  To read more about our integrative cancer therapies please visit:

http://kianind.com/services/health-programs/integrative-cancer-therapy/

TCM Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a major treatment modality learned and prescribed by Naturopathic doctors along with their Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) training. TCM is sometimes known as Eastern or Oriental medicine and is a type of medicine that has been in practice for thousands of years. Naturopathic doctors are trained in the art and practice of TCM and will use this as part of your comprehensive health plan. It works very well with Naturopathic principles as it is gentle and works with the body. Acupuncture is a  great option for multiple health concerns including mental and emotional issues as well as physical pain and muscle tension. Remember that mind body connection is important in overall health and acupuncture gets your mind back in touch with your body.

How does it work?

The exact science behind how acupuncture works is not completely understood. There are, however, thousands of years of history behind its use and a large amount of clinical research in its favour.  Clinically, results can be seen in as little as one or two treatments. Some may describe that acupuncture needles move energy in the body (called Qi, pronounced “chee”) and balance other substances/energy in the body like blood, yin and yang. Your Naturopathic doctor will determine which substances are either deficient or excess and help to balance your “constitution” through knowing your history and details of your chief complaint. They will ask you “the 10 questions” to help determine your diagnosis and treatment plan. These questions have to do with determining your individual constitution; they are about temperature, sweat, the head and body, thorax and abdomen, food and taste, sleep, stools and urine, ears and eyes, thirst and pain. They may or may not tell you what they are treating, but some commonly seen conditions are things like Spleen Qi Deficiency, Liver Qi Stagnation, Kidney Yin Deficiency, Heart Yang Deficiency, or Blood Deficiency. It’s important to realize that these terms do not mean that there is something wrong with your actual spleen, liver or other organs from a western medical perspective, but that there is an energetic imbalance that results in unpleasant symptoms that we experience.

Who can practice acupuncture?

Naturopathic Doctors, RMTs, Physiotherapists, and Acupuncturists are all people who may provide acupuncture services. The type of training and the type of Acupuncture practice may differ widely between all of these practitioners, so asking questions about what their training involved and what type of Acupuncture they provide is important. For example, not all RMTs or Physiotherapists use TCM principles but still may provide localized treatment for muscle stiffness or injuries. These treatments are still beneficial but may not be balancing to the overall constitution like they would be if performed by a TCM trained Doctor or Acupuncturist. Likewise, additional techniques like Moxa (heat) or electrostimulation and cupping may or may not be used by all practitioners, whereas these are included as part of Naturopathic training. The practitioners at Core Link Wellness all provide licensed and skilled treatments that differ slightly in technique, but are beneficial to a holistic treatment plan.

How often do I need treatment?

Depending on if your condition is acute or chronic, treatment intervals will differ. For chronic conditions like low back pain or anxiety, 1-2 treatments per week for 6-12 weeks can be beneficial. For more acute conditions like a cold/flu or sports injury, 2-3 treatments per week for 2-3 weeks is more likely to help. This can be discussed with your practitioner to provide an individual schedule that satisfies your schedule, finances or insurance coverage.

If you are interested in Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture, then 7-12 treatments either weekly or bi-weekly is required for lasting benefits.

Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture

Are you interested in looking and feeling younger and healthier without the risk and cost of surgical procedures? Did you know that such a thing existed? It does! It’s called Facial rejuvenation acupuncture.

Recently Dr. Kelly McGuire, ND has become a certified Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture practitioner.  Based on the same treatment principles as TCM Acupuncture, but including localized points on the face and scalp for different conditions, this amazing series of treatments takes on average 5-10 years off one’s age. This method increases circulation to the face to help promote skin rejuvenation, improve muscle tone and increase collagen production and dispersal to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Additional conditions treated are baggy eyes, sagging cheeks and jowls (double chin),wrinkles around the lips and eyes, puffy face and eyelids, dry skin, acne, and redness in the face.

Considering that women will go through great lengths to work on their beauty, it brings me such joy and excitement to know that this method actually works and it works on beauty from the inside out. It’s gentle, lasting, and holistic in nature. A lot of other options for women, such as expensive and risky surgeries, chemical peals and spa treatments can have positive benefits in the short term, (after some pain and serious risks) but they don’t work on health and beauty from a deep level.

Using facial rejuvenation acupuncture is an amazing way to take a positive and preventative approach to your health and beauty. I welcome you to book an initial consult to see if Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture and TCM Acupuncture are the right choice for you. Some conditions like migraines and high blood pressure are contraindicated for FRA, but can be treated using constitutional TCM Acupuncture.

 

My goodbye to the most professional integrated wellness clinic: My experience at Core Link Wellness Centre

By Caroline Gimbert (Office and Marketing Administrator)

My name is Caroline and if you visited Core Link over the last year we’ve probably already met or talked over the phone: I am one of the 3 receptionists here and I have also been responsible for promoting the centre and it was such a great adventure that is unfortunately ending soon…

Goodbye and thank-you!

First I wanted to thank Payam Kiani for introducing me to the clinic and Steve Nagy for actually hiring me and giving me the opportunity of marketing for his clinic. This past year has been extremely busy with a new website, a new monthly newsletter, an updated Facebook page, some great workshops and events to organize and some new services and practitioners to involve in the clinic. I feel extremely grateful for having been part of these projects, but what I enjoyed most was the customer service part of my work. At Core Link, we are so grateful to have you as clients and we hope you feel well taken care of when you call, email or visit us! I was also honored to work with the best practitioners: a team of highly skilled professionals aiming to provide the most integrated quality care. Quality care that, I have experienced myself.

As some of you might know, I am now leaving for another important personal project: giving birth to my second child, due at the end of the month. I am really excited about it but also really sad to leave this amazing team.

Core Link Wellness Centre: The most professional integrated care

I would like to share a small part of my pregnancy with you and my experience with the integrated care offered at the clinic. I am 34 weeks pregnant and my last ultrasound revealed that my baby was in a breech position. For me, who wanted the smoothest and most natural birth, it was a shock at first. Although I know C-section can happen anytime during labor for a variety of reasons, it reminded me that I may have to consider that option more seriously. I talked to my midwives and realized that the baby still had time to move and there were some gentle approaches to try to help this process. I am actually in the perfect environment to get help and now I have an action plan. All the disciplines we offer at the clinic can help us prepare for the gentlest birth: osteopathic treatments, reflexology sessions, massage, acupuncture, naturopathic and chiropractic care. Now I am not scared anymore, I feel confident and empowered that I will be able to offer my child the best birth I (we) can…

And don’t ask whether it’s a boy or a girl, we don’t know yet! But we’ll keep you posted!

 

Pineapple Mint Smoothie

Pineapple Mint Smoothie

1-2 pieces of pineapple
6 mint leaves
Handfull of arugula or spinach or any green (darker the better)
2 tbsp flax seeds
1 cup almond milk (or other milk)
1/3 cup mango juice
Vanilla protein powder (whey, soy, rice, hemp any works)
Blend all ingredients together. Thin out consistency with water if necessary.
Enjoy!

“Ouch! My shoulder!”

By Erin Rothenburger – RMT

As a massage therapist, I have seen many people requiring treatment for shoulder pain. Often, the complaint is of the rotator cuff, but this in only one of many problems that can occur in the shoulder. Some of the most common problems can include poor posture, which occurs frequently in those who work in an office environment; the patient’s shoulders are rounded forward from slumping over a desk or steering wheel. Pain can also occur when muscles and joints are overused through repetitive over-lifting; from accumulative, repetitive movements often found most in jobs requiring the same motions over a long period of time, such as manual factory labour or sports practice, or conversely in lack of activity in that area. Impact injuries that can occur in the home (such as a fall), or in sports (such as being checked into the boards during a game) can also affect the shoulder causing pain and discomfort in the muscles and joints there. Many different pain syndromes and dysfunctions can occur involving the shoulder girdle. Direct impact injury, overuse, and strain are most common, but postural and mechanical imbalances may also contribute; even neck and upper thorax problems may refer pain into the shoulder.

The following issues are the most common issues I deal with in my day to day treatments:

Rotator Cuff Strain: The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that provide stabilization of the very mobile ball and socket joint of the shoulder; they also function to rotate the arm. Most commonly, it is the Supraspinatus muscle that is involved with n injury, but the other muscles can also be injured.

Bursitis:  The Bursa is a small, flat sac of synovial fluid located in the shoulder that is designed to reduce friction irritation with movement and function. This bursa may become irritated with excessive, repetitive overuse or with direct trauma such as sports related injuries like getting checked into the boards during a hockey game. Movement, stretch, or contact pressure (such as with lying on the affected side) can be very painful. The pain is often nagging and constant.

Biceps Tenosynovitis: The biceps long tendon has a synovial sheath that the long tendon glides within. Problems can occur with overused of the tendon itself, or of irritation of the sheath around the tendon. Pain is located at the front of the shoulder and the upper arm.

Impingement Syndrome: The Supraspinatus, biceps long tendon, and/or the bursa can all become impinged under a bony arch in the shoulder causing pain and difficulty when raising the arm up. Pain is at the top and front of the shoulder, varying depending on which structure is involved.

Adhesive Capsulitis: The capsule of the shoulder joint normally allows a wide range of mobility, but if there has been an injury or irritation to structures of the shoulder, the capsule may become inflames, adhered, and significantly restricted. Pain typically occurs at the end of the range of motion, or while lying on the affected side. Mobility will be limited with this issue.

For an image relating to the shoulder and shoulder muscles, click here.

Check with your health care professional for differential assessment and treatment options. A Massage therapist can help determine what the dysfunction is and provide appropriate treatment to relieve pain and improve mobility, helping you to return to activities of daily life, recreation, and work.

Healthy Granola Balls

Healthy Granola Balls

By Dr Kelly McGuire ND

This is a wonderful way to get some healthy fats and fiber added into the whole family’s diet!
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dried coconut
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/3 cup raw honey
1 cup almond butter (or other nut butter)
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp flax seeds
1 tbsp vanilla
Combine all dry ingredients, then mix in wet ingredients, Moisten hands with water and form golf ball sized balls. Place in freezer for 20 minutes to set. Makes about 40 balls!  Enjoy!

Gardening – How It Affects Our Body

By Michelle Witterick (Look for her at the reception on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays)

It’s spring and the lure of getting back in the garden is irresistible.

Invigorated by all that balmy fresh air, you spend the first sunny day digging, planting, lifting and hauling.  The next morning, you pay.  Your thighs quiver.  Your back tightens with every step.

Let your legs and arms do the work instead of your back when you take on those gardening activities.  If you take the necessary precautions, aches and pains and serious injury can be avoided.

Other good safety tips include:

  • Before doing anything – take a walk around your yard a few times to loosen up.
  • Be cautious about the amount of strain placed on your lower back.  When lifting dirt and debris, let your arms, legs and thighs carry the load.
  • When weeding or planting, sit on the ground or kneel on a foam pad.
  • Do easier tasks first, change periodically to avoid overusing one muscle group.  You should also alternate difficult tasks with less taxing ones.
  • Switch hands frequently when doing prolonged raking, hoeing or digging.  Repetitive motion on one side can bring on low back pain and shoulder spasms.
  • Carry on manageable loads.  If a load is too heavy, get help or divide it into smaller loads.
  • Hold or carry objects close to your body, so as to not risk straining your neck and lower back.
  • Don’t stay in the sun for prolonged periods without protection .  Take frequent breaks.

Naturopathic Open House May 9th from 6pm-8pm

We are having an Open House to celebrate Naturopathic Medicine Week and we would like you to bring a friend!
If you are an existing patient, bring a friend and receive $30 off the cost of your next naturopathic visit.
May 9th from 6pm-8pm
Can a Naturopathic Doctor Help You?
With Payam Kiani, ND and Kelly McGuire, ND
Informative health sessions, demos, and light healthy refreshments.
No cost or registration required, just stop by!  

New Pfilates Workshops at Core Link Wellness Centre

By Kathleen Simpson, Pilates Instructor

DO YOU SUFFER FROM INCONTINENCE, OVER ACTIVE BLADDER, SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION, PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE, SWOLLEN PROSTATE AND MORE ?

LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Pfilates is a program of neuromuscular conditioning based on extensive EMG recordings taken from the pelvic floor. Pfilates was created by an American Urogynecologist to provide a method of  pelvic floor fitness training accessible to a broad population. Certification of Instructors began in 2010 all over the world.

Pelvic floor disorders are absolutely epidemic. Stress, urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, female sexual dysfunction, pelvic organ prolapse, and fecal incontinence are so commonplace they are often regarded as the inevitable consequences of childbirth and aging. When these conditions are treated they are too often regarded as purely mechanical disorders requiring a surgical solution. Although trained as a surgeon Dr Crawford have come to regard these disorders as principally neuromuscular disorders deserving of a neuromuscular solution. PILATES true nature is to redefine our neuromuscular pathways so we move our muscles the way they were made to be moved.

The Pfilates program provides a movement oriented method of pelvic floor exercise that could be incorporated in to any regular fitness routine once you learn how to do the movements correctly. Neuromuscular research reveals that movements which engage the external hip rotators, adductors of the thigh, transverses abdominals,(Pilates) and gluteal muscles also facilitate, or induce, a pelvic floor contraction.

The Pfilates program is a simple program consisting of ten movements presented in the same order in three different phases (beginning, intermediate, and advanced). Each of the Pfilates movements includes a series of repetitions followed by a hold phase and a pulse phase at the point of peak engagement of the pelvic floor. As such these movements encourage the development of the three essential elements of neuromuscular performance: strength, endurance, and coordination..

Pfilates is intended to be preventative but also a therapeutic alternative for those already experiencing symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. For patients that have already has surgery Pfilates can help protect the investment and reduce the chance for recurrent symptoms.

2 Workshops  ($45 each) are scheduled on :

Monday May 13th           1 pm – 3:30 pm

Wednesday May 15th      7 pm – 9:30 pm

The workshops will include:

  • Statistical and anatomy information,
  • Information regarding bladder incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, sexual dysfunction, prostate issues (for men).
  • You will be assisted in finding your own muscles in your pelvic floor.
  • You will be taught all 10 exercises in the program.

TO SIGN UP NOW CALL 905 592 0095

SPACE IS LIMITED

MEN AND WOMEN