Dr. Mushtagh is participating this year at TEDx Vancouver sharing his experience in Concussion care.  QEEG combined with neurofeedback training augments brain activity for remarkable improvements.

Date: Saturday, September 8th, 2018

Venue:  Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC

Times:

Doors: 8:30am

Show:  10am-5pm

Speaker Meet and Greet & Book Signing 5:30pm-6:30pm

After-Party:  6:30pm-9pm

Cost:  $99.99 ticket price is inclusive of all events, and also includes breakfast bites/coffee/tea, lunch and samples from Partners throughout the day

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Deep winter is the time of long dark nights and rainy days on the west coast, a season that can support us in drawing inwards, tending to our homes and hearth fires, and remembering what is most sacred to us- both as individuals, and as beings who are part of a larger web of family, culture and community. However this time of year can also be a time that some dread, as the lack of sunshine contributes to seasonal affective disorder and an overall sense of melancholy and depletion. The key to keeping things warm and light is self-care, nourishment, and rest. Below are a few simple practices to recharge and they will certainly bring an element of connection and grounding to your daily life this winter season.

1) Get up early, while the rest of the world sleeps. Roll out of bed before the sun rises and enjoy the darkness of a deep winter morning. Light candles, sip tea, wrap yourself in blankets and enjoy the solitude and stillness….

2) Allow yourself to do one thing slowly each day, whether it be a slow and sensual yoga practice, cooking a slow meal, or taking a slow walk outside. Let yourself attend to that one task fully. One of my favorite slow practices for winter is a daily oil massage and a long bath. To do this, warm up coconut, massage oil, or any other natural oil. Spend at least 15 minutes gently massaging the oil into your skin, and then climb into a warm bath to soak. The oil will permeate your skin and hydrate your body, and the ritual of self-care will leave you feeling full and nourished….

3) Meditate, pray, roll around on your yoga mat, sing mantra, practice pranayama. Find ways to weave these practices into your daily rhythm, 5 minutes here, 20 minutes there, whatever you can do. Draw a thread of personal practice throughout your day and notice how it fortifies you….

4) Nourish yourself. Spend time in your kitchen, clean out your spice cabinets, stock your cupboards, and cook some traditional foods- the ones that tie you back to your ancestry, your lineage, your culture. There is simple and profound magic here…

5) Make something with your hands. Start a winter knitting project. Weave, paint, carve, build something. Don’t be afraid to learn something new, or create something that is less than perfect, instead simply enjoy the tactile pleasure of making something just for the joy of it…

6) Be intimate. Connect with old friends during this season, play board games with your family, turn off the TV and phones, be present with each other. Host small dinner parties. Make time for those you love and celebrate human connection this season….

7) And lastly, go to bed early! The nights are long and this is a perfect time to catch up on much needed rest and relaxation. Honoring this will provide deep restoration and prevent burn out in the spring and summer months. Get in bed with a good book, or cuddle with your pets and loved ones, and allow yourself to withdraw from the world.

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• 1 part elder flower (not berry)
• 1 part yarrow
• 1 part lemon balm
• ¼ part ginger

One way to make this tea is to boil the ginger alone first for 5-10 minutes then use the boiled ginger water as the liquid to steep the other herbs in. Make sure the herbal combination is covered as it steeps for 10 minutes or so. Sip slowly and feel its warming action.

This is a very heating tea and might cause a bit of sweating (diaphoretic action) but will keep you warm if you have the chills. Its phenolic content can help fight viral infections and keep you comfy on those chilly fall and winter nights.

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by Anda Bosnea, CNP/RNCP/ROHP

It’s summer, and the days don’t seem to be long enough for all that we could be doing…
So we’re not always planning well enough and we get either dehydrated, hungry, or both… We end-up in some fast food place or buying candy or pop from vending machines.

Here are some suggestions for your trips:

• The general idea is to plan ahead, shop for food the day before, prep, and pack supplies.
• To combine energizing nutrients, variety, and great taste, pack different foods in a cooler in separate containers: boiled eggs, steamed or fresh veggies with hummus or bean dip, apple slices with almond butter.
• Ensure enough protein, fiber, and nutrient-packed snacks. (See below.)
• If more than 3 hours have passed since your last main meal, you’ll get too hungry and you may succumb to some unhealthy temptation. A healthy snack (preferably from your home-packed cooler) will rebalance your blood sugar levels and restore your energy.
• Put in your vehicle’s trunk a few large glass bottles filled with filtered water from home. (Glass is better than plastic.) Use the glass bottles to refill smaller travelers’ water bottles.
• Make sure to put in your travelers’ water bottle a slice of lime or lemon, a tea bag, a few fresh mint leaves, or a stick of cucumber. The aroma will infuse in the cold water, you will enjoy drinking from it more frequently, and it may help you avoid other temptations.
• Avoid sugars, trans-fats, fried and junk foods, as well as artificial flavours and preservatives from processed or packaged snacks.
• Go to supermarkets and buy real food rather than less healthy snacks.
• In a restaurant, order an energy-boosting combination of meat and veggies rather than sandwiches, pastas, potatoes, or other simple carbs that will leave you tired and foggy-brained.
  • Get grilled meat rather than fried.
  • Choose fish or chicken rather than pork.
  • Substitute vegetables for the potatoes, pasta, bread, and the other grain-based sides.
  • Ask for the salad dressing on the side, to have more control over the quantity. Even better, replace it with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil.
  • Grab a lettuce wrap or a tortilla wrap instead of a sandwich. Or go with a more exotic Vietnamese roll that is using a delicate rice paper as the wrapper.
  • Avoid processed and deep-fried foods.
• Aim to compose your meals or snacks of:
  • ½ of the plate → vegetables (rich in fibre, vitamins, nutrients)
  • ¼ of the plate → protein (for satiety, immunity, energy)
  • 1-2 tbsp added to plate → fat (avocado, coconut, nuts, seeds)
  • ¼ of the plate → carbs (preferably choose root veggies or squashes and
    avoid grains, breads, pastries, potatoes, etc…)

Enjoy your summer days and eat healthy, even when on the run.

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Hydration and sipping water is also key; keeping your mouth moist helps give the body feedback that you’re not stressed (ever get stressed out and your mouth dries up? That’s a stress response). It’s a trick that surgeons who use hypnosis employ to trick the mind.

Smelling lavender, bergamot, clary sage, or marjoram essential oil may help make you feel calm. Some people use Rescue Remedy® in their water while driving in stressful situations.

Listen to music that makes you feel good, incessant radio talk has been known to irritate the nervous system, especially when on topics you do not agree with. Music that has slow tempo, legato phrasing (notes are played or sung smoothly and connected) and minimal dynamic contrasts (fast to slow, slow to fast) seem to help the best. (Music Percept. 2010 Apr; 27(4): 317–326)

Take it easy, faster is not better and try not to compete.  Being aware of competing or high stress response can bring on understanding to the moment, just try and breathe. If someone cuts you off try not to take in personally and let it go. Give people space and lots of it….pass the lavender!

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Healthy fats are also important in skin health. A diet with servings of avocado, walnuts, almonds, flax seeds, olives, and cold water fish help build cell membranes and keep the skin health.

Sweating and lymphatic drainage (like exercise) help keep the fluid between the cells flushed from accumulating debris. The increased blood flow from sweating and exercise deliver oxygen and nutrients required for new skin cells to develop.

Especially important in skin health are the vitamins A & C, the minerals zinc & sulphur, and the amino acids glycine & proline (needed for collagen synthesis). All are important in keeping the skin healthy and aid in the skin healing from wounds.  A good balanced diet with low sugar intakes are usually sufficient, however, in times of stress, illness or even over exercise, we can become slightly low on some of these nutrients. If you notice your not healing as fast or bruising more easily, you might want to look into the possibility of a nutrient depletion. (Always get checked out by a health professional if your not healing well or bruising, it could mean other serious health issues).

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Anda Bosnea, CNP, RNCP/ROHP

Making your own broth is what Grandma would have done. It is much more nutritious than the store-bought broth. It can be used as a base for any soup or stew, or for stir-frying veggies as it protects their vitamins and enzymes during cooking. Its health and nutritional benefits have been proven by both traditional usage and modern science.

It’s very important for the bones to be sourced from grass-fed, grass-finished and organic beef or chicken, or from wild fish, because their natural diets will translate into a high content of minerals like calcium and magnesium and many other nutrients. This high quality will result in an alkalizing broth with anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting properties. It will improve digestion and intestinal healing and also support bone and joint health. It is even beneficial for hair, nails and skin.

Making bone broth is not only healthy, but also cost-effective and time-saving since it stores well and it can be frozen for later use.

A pressure cooker is the best choice for making the broth, as it extracts more nutrients, reduces cooking time to an hour or two, and eliminates water evaporation during boiling.

To make “Grandma’s” broth, use organic, grass-fed beef soup-bones. Cover them with cold water and add 2 or 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Store in the fridge for a couple of hours (or overnight) to help release more of their structural minerals into the water.

When ready to start the cooking, add to the pot some roughly chopped vegetables: 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 parsnip, as well as 1 celeriac or celery root. You can also add leftover parts or stems from other veggies (like the broccoli and kale stems in these pictures), and a little salt.

Add enough cold water to cover the bones and veggies. Cook in a pressure cooker or simmer covered in a stock pot for a couple of hours or as long as you like, then let the broth cool. Using a colander or a sieve, strain the broth and use as a base for any soup or stew, or freeze in smaller containers for later use.

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By March or April, everybody feels tired, stressed, and has allergies. There is a simple explanation: fall and winter’s cold and dampness asked for warming and grounding comfort food. During the cold seasons, most cultures eat traditional diets high in animal protein and fat, mostly preserved vegetables, as well as (too) many grains and cereals. Unfortunately, by spring, our organism becomes deficient in many nutrients and we become weak, immune-deficient, and slightly depressed. With the transition to the warmer weather, blooming flowers, and the spring equinox time change, our bodies need all the help they can get.

Mother Nature brings to life, as it always did, a blessing of fresh green shoots which provide a bounty of valuable vitamins and minerals that reduces allergies and boost the immunity. Traditional spring cleanses (some even correlated with religious practices like the fasting before Easter) encourage mainly vegetarian recipes that include all sorts of greens: from the common dandelion, lettuce, kale and collard greens, to the less known stinging nettle.

Stinging nettles have a long history of use all over the world. Eastern Europeans always foraged and cooked stinging nettles in early spring, after the snow melt away. Native Americans used them as a revitalizing tonic. Spring Stinging Nettles are rich in Iron, Calcium, and Vitamins A and K. Their rich phytonutrient content gives them anti-inflammatory properties. They also promote detoxification and optimize adrenal function. And their quercetin content naturally inhibits the body’s production of histamines and reduces allergies.

Also typical for spring, green garlic and green onions are rich in vitamins A and C, quercetin and other flavonoids that act as natural antihistamines.
They enrich the taste and the nutritional makeup of many dishes, and contribute to reducing seasonal allergic response and inflammation.

Here is a traditional spring recipe that includes both spring stinging nettles and green garlic.

And if you don’t want to forage for them yourselves, you can find both side by side on a weekend morning trip to a local Farmers Market.
(Nettles must be picked before flowering begins.)

Wash the spring nettles thoroughly, using a pair (or two) of very good quality rubber gloves against their “stinging” quality. Don’t take off the gloves too soon; chop and discard the thicker stems and transfer the nettles to a pot. Only now it’s safe to take off the gloves. Add a cup of water and cover with a lid.

Boil on low for about half an hour stirring frequently and pushing the nettles down into the water. They will reduce in volume during cooking. Add a bit more water if it’s lost through evaporation.

In the meantime, chop the green garlic finely and cook it for a minute on low heat in a bit of butter, covered with a lid.

For a richer taste, you can add some green onions, especially if you plan to serve it with a starch (like corn grits or rice).

After the nettles are cooked, strain the mineral-rich cooking liquid over the garlic and add some arrowroot flour to thicken.

Let the cooked nettles cool, then chop them, add them over the rest of the ingredients, and cook for just a few minutes, allowing the aromas to meet and greet.

Use your choice of spices.
I personally prefer just a bit of salt and a squeeze of lemon.

It can be served warm as a side dish or cold as a dip.
The chopped cooked nettles can also be incorporated in a pilaf or a stew; or use your imagination and your own taste. And stay healthy with Mother Nature’s seasonal blessings!

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