Suicide Risk

According to Alberta Health Services, this province has a higher rate of suicide than the national average. In fact, suicide is a leading cause of death in Alberta surpassing motor vehicle collisions, AIDs and homicides.

Most people don’t have a lot of training or experience with suicide. As a result, a great deal of fear and helplessness can accompany the thought that someone might be suicidal. There are several things that you should know about suicide:

1. Treat every threat as serious – Never ignore, minimize or promise confidentiality when someone talks about suicide. Listen carefully and do not interrupt.

2. Think about warning signs – Has the person been faced with a difficult situation recently such as a job loss, unplanned pregnancy, divorce or health problem? Do you notice any changes in their mood, sleep, appetite, or participation in activities? Are they giving things away? Do they seem pre-occupied with death?

3. Consider the history – Have there been suicide attempts or incidents of self-harm in the past? Were there friends, relatives or role-models of the individual who committed suicide?

4. Ask the question – If someone “hints” or implies that life is not worth living ask “Are you suicidal?”

5. Don’t make assumptions – People who commit suicide might never have suffered from mental illness. Most individuals who have suffered from mental illness are not suicidal.

6. Assess the risk level – Some people have thoughts of suicide when life is overwhelming but do not have any intention of following through. Their statement may be a “cry for help”. Support and problem-solving options might be what they really need.

7. Determine if there is a plan – Ask questions about what the person might be considering. Be direct and get very specific information about what they are planning to do. Medium risk involves having thoughts, impulses and a plan.

8. Find out if they have the means – Does the person have opportunity to access what they need to fulfill their plan? If so, they are high risk. Do they have a gun, pills, a vehicle or other means that match their plan? Remember that being under the influence of a substance at the time also increases the risk.

9. Don’t try to be a hero – Access services of a professional who will do an assessment and create a treatment plan. Call a Suicide Crisis line, take the person to the hospital or ask police to transport for you. Make sure that you share the information you have gathered with the professionals involved.

10. Let go! – Sometimes individuals are taken to an Emergency Room and are not admitted or are hospitalized and then released a day or two later. You may not agree with what is happening but it is up to the professionals involved to develop an appropriate treatment plan to help the individual. It is NOT your responsibility to keep the person safe or alive.

Suicide affects so many people – the individual, family, friends and society at large. It is therefore important that we learn as much as possible about suicide and then are wise and compassionate.

The Efficacy of Radiology

Radiology is that line of medical specialty which focuses on studying, diagnosing and treating ailments inside the human body through the use of imaging. Because technology has met rapid evolvement, there are a number of different techniques that radiologists now apply to get useful images of the inside of the human body.
Radiology is a valuable branch of medical science which lets the radiologists/doctors to better assess what ailment is troubling the patient. It lets the medical experts have a look inside the patient’s body without having to cut it open first. Through visualizing the insides of the body onto a computer screen or an x-ray sheet, the radiologist will know for certain what kind of sickness is affecting which organ precisely.

There is a whole bunch of imaging technologies that a certified radiologist can use to his advantage. When radiology was first introduced a long time ago, there were only x-rays and even that made a breakthrough in the medical science at the time; but for 50 years, doctors only utilized plain radiography or a chemically developed image on dark film which was enabled when a beam of x-rays are passed through a particular area of the patient. This kind of projection radiography is still in use even now, as it is more cost effective and more widely available. Moreover, this kind of imagery is more suited for the study of the skeleton, heart and bones.

As the branch of radiology expanded, so did the means of catching images from within the body. After the normal x-rays which were captured onto a film, computer topography was introduced; this meant that now the images could be transformed digitally and transferred to a computer. So the radiologist could not directly see the images onto the computer screen.

A more advanced form of diagnostic x-ray imagery is Fluoroscopy which incorporates the use of radio contrast agents, image intensifier tube and a fluorescent screen. It is also used for angiography. The image intensifier tube is attached to the computer system through a closed circuit. The radio-contrast agents have the ability to absorb x-rays and to scatter them; therefore these agents are either injected into the patient or given orally so that they reach the insides of the body. Once the x-rays are shot, a clear real-time image is returned to the television because of the radio-contrast agents. Radiologists use this method when they want to study the blood flow in the veins and arteries or when they want to have a look at the GI tract or genitourinary system.

Other useful forms of radiological methods include the CT scan which also utilizes the x-rays, but the machine rotates around the patient to give a cross-sectional image usually used to study the brain. More advance forms include MRI and ultra sound.

How To Track And Assess Your Fitness Progress

Tracking your progress is an important part of staying on track with your fitness goals. Keeping a food log, workout log, taking “before and after” photos, recording body weight, body fat, circumference measurements, and personal records (PR’s) are all great ways to keep you on track and moving in the right direction.

When first starting a program, you may not see much movement on the scale. Do not get discouraged. It is likely that you are gaining a little muscle and shedding a little body fat. This is the initial phase we all go through when our bodies are adapting to new stimuli. Stick with it.

When tracking body weight, weighing yourself every single day can sometimes do more harm than good. Your body weight fluctuates daily and at different times based on things like fluid, sodium consumption, and undigested food. Minor daily fluctuations on the scale can be discouraging to a person’s weight loss efforts. Instead, weigh yourself once a week in the morning on an empty stomach, wearing minimal or no clothing, using the same scale. Different scales will skew your readings so the scale needs to stay consistent.

Also, the scale is just one tool for measuring progress. Remember, the scale only measures WEIGHT loss. Take body fat readings each week of the month to measure FAT loss. There is a big difference between these two. Look at it like this. Hypothetically, two twin brothers agree to participate in a 6-week research study designed to assess how different combinations of macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) affect body composition. Both twins are put on a 2,000 calorie per day diet, and both adhere to the same workout program. Assuming all things are constant like body weight when starting, and the amount of weight used in the workout program, twin “A” consumes 2,000 calories of Oreo Cookies each day, twin “B” consumes 2,000 calories of lean meats, vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, and a fairly low amount of starches and sugars. Assuming twin “A” hasn’t had any health complications after 6 weeks (which would be a miracle), their body WEIGHT may be around the same range but who do you think will come out with a lower body FAT percentage? How about just overall better health? The answer to that is obvious.

For body fat readings, if you do not work with a trained specialist such as a certified personal trainer, strength coach, doctor or physician who can take your skin fold readings using calipers to measure specific spots on the body regularly, you can take your own body fat readings using a handheld body fat loss monitor. The most commonly used body fat reader is the Body Logic HBF 306 Body Fat Analyzer. This body fat reader is a handheld device that uses a method called ” bioelectrical impedance analysis ” to estimate body composition and in particular, body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI). I believe most health and fitness professionals would agree that this method is not the most accurate. I think the rate of error is somewhere between +/- 2-3%. So for example, if your reading is 20% body fat, you could be as high as 23%, as low as 17% body fat, or somewhere in between. Obviously not the most accurate, but this is the most practical for most people, so rather than focus on the actual body fat percentage number, focus on the body fat percentage range. If your body fat range is going down each week, you are making progress.

5 Rules for a Healthier Life

1. Eat Real Food. Not too much. Mostly Vegetables.

If you hunt and fish, try to get most of your protein from these sources.

If you buy meat from the store, I suggest buying natural, hormone and antibiotic free meats.

When grocery shopping, ask yourself, “Can I grow this?” and “Can I kill this?” If the answer is, no, try your hardest to avoid putting it into your cart. Try to focus on the long term consequences of consuming the food before selecting it.

Following this rule will keep you away from all the processed junk that is out there.

2. Make your Home a Healthy Place.

If you know it isn’t healthy, do not have it in your home. It’s okay to splurge on junk food a couple times per month, but if it isn’t in your house, the inconvenience for you to go out and get it will drastically reduce the number of unhealthy calories you consume.

3. Develop a Support System.

Develop a relationship with an individual or join a group of people that you can talk to about your goals. Having a support system will help keep you honest to your goals and keep you motivated to reach them.

4. Be Active at least 30 Minutes a Day, Seven Days a Week.

Increase your activity if you are having trouble reaching your goals.

5. Create S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Make sure that you make S.M.A.R.T. goals and stick with them. If you’re setting goals that are not realistic, you will most likely fail to reach them and get discouraged. Start small and work your way up.

Find ways to reach your goals that are fun. If you are a social person, find a workout buddy. If you enjoy competition and games, join a recreational sports team. There are many different things you can do to make exercising and eating healthy more fun. Use your imagination!

These rules are very simple, but they are not as easy to follow as they may seem. I suggest gradually implementing these rules into your lifestyle so you stick with them your entire life. I have been a personal trainer for 5 years, and I have owned my own personal training business for 3 of those years. I promise you that if you follow these five rules, you will be successful at reaching your fitness goals. You will become more fit and healthy than you have ever been in you life!

Are You Eating for Your Health or Your Booty?

Let’s face it, many of us eat mainly for our appearance, while our health is way down on the list. Or perhaps when it comes to eating, health is a genuine priority for you, but your appearance is nevertheless your top priority.

But what if eating for your booty were actually the problem? What if eating for your physical-self — often created anxiety, pressure, stress and ultimately led to depression and binge eating?

Think of all the times you tried your damnedest to lose weight, to fit into your skinny jeans, or look good for an upcoming event — and were highly disappointed with the results. Or you lost the weight and were unable to maintain it. You ended up showing your frustration and disappointment by eating more, didn’t you?

Isn’t it time you started eating for a truly solid motivator? Isn’t it time you started to eat for your health, alone? Not for how others perceive you, but for how you feel inside your body? The beautiful bonus of your new, healthy adventure is that you’ll watch in amazement as your outside begins to match your inside.

So you’re excited to begin eating for your health, right? Yay!

Here are 3 simple tips to begin eating for your health and gradually bring yourself to a healthy, PEACEFUL weight:

1. Make A List

Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper. Label one side “Dieting” and one side “Healthy”. On the “Dieting” side list all the ways dieting makes you feel and on the “Healthy” side all the wonderful things you feel when you’re healthy or the ways you’ve always imagined healthy feels. For example, on the “Healthy” side you might list, “Energetic” or “Great digestion,” while on the “Dieting” side you might list, “Starving.” Now tear the sheet along the line and throw away the dieting side. Begin to focus only on the positivity of health.

2. Choose Foods for Their Nutritional Value and Likeability Rather Than for their Calories.

Allow yourself to indulge in avocados and nuts, for example. While seemingly “fattening,” they are packed with fiber and vitamins. Tempted to choose the reduced fat peanut butter? Find a wholesome organic nut butter with nothing but the nuts, instead. Your body knows when it’s being bamboozled and doesn’t react kindly to poor substitutes, so choose food that is unrefined and as “close to the earth” as often as possible.

3. Cook More

Home-cooked food is more nutritious and healthy than outside food, as it is not produced on a mass scale, and more importantly, it is prepared by you and your family members. This ensures 100% hygiene (hopefully) and wholesomeness. Moreover, home-cooked food is fresh, unlike restaurant food, where there are chances that you may be served food that has been sitting in a warmer a good part of the day. And, of course, the fresher the food, the more vitamin and nutrient rich it is.

8 Dangerous And Shocking Ingredients Hidden In Your Foods





1. Anti-Freeze



2. Human Hair





3. Arsenic




4. Anal Glands





5. Borax




6. Coal Tar





7. Rodent Hair

Would you like some rodent hair with that? I’m sure this is something that you usually sprinkle over your freshly made healthy meals… Not. Well according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) it’s fine to have some rodent hair in your food.

Due to most food manufacturing being processed in large industrial facilities, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has an allowance for rodent hair in many products, in what they term “unavoidable defects”. They allow 1 rodent hair per 100g of chocolate, 5 rodent hairs per 18oz peanut butter jar and 22 rodent hairs per 100g cinnamon.

This will sure keep me away from processed foods for a very long time.

8. Boiled Beetles

It just keeps getting better doesn’t it? Now why would you need bits of beetles in your food you may ask? Known as carmine, natural red #4, crimson lake or E120, it’s a food coloring made by boiling cochineal insects in a sodium carbonate or ammonia solution.

It’s used to manufacture plastic flowers, inks, dyes, paints and cosmetics. In foods and beverages it’s used to color ice cream, candy, yogurt and certain fruit juices. It’s been shown to cause anaphylactic shock and severe allergic reactions in some people.

Other dyes used instead of natural #4 are synthetic alternatives such as: red #40 and red #2. These are derived from petroleum production. My advice, keep this garbage away from your body as much as you can.

We seem to wonder why that even though we are more technologically advanced than any other time in history, humans are also more sick and diseased than any other time in history.

To me it’s as plain as day. It is items that I’ve mentioned and the thousands of other food additives, flavors, colors and preservatives that our leaders allow manufacturers to add to the foods people eat that is helping to cause illness world wide.

So it really is up to you. As Hippocrates said thousands of years ago:

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

Simple Ways of Having A Healthy Day

Skincare products are there to help you achieve a beautiful natural skin tone. It is however important to note that a healthy lifestyle is equally important if you would like to be happy with your life. Put yourself on a healthy diet and perform some simple body exercises to realize just how much transformation you are able to achieve within a short time.

Before your exercises, it is advisable to have a nutritious breakfast. You can get the aid of a nutritionist or even search online if you have no idea which diet works best for your case. You need to be disciplined to ensure that junk food does not get onto the trolley even by ‘mistake’. A healthy diet provides you with the necessary nutrients required for your routine workouts. Make sure that you take a lot of water during and after your work-out as this is important in keeping your body hydrated and you can therefore maintain moisturized skin.

Body exercise doesn’t have to be done for hours for it to be effective. There are so many people who just dedicate few minutes every day and have seen an impressive body transformation from the workouts. Workout is mostly built on goals. Make it a routine and try different styles that complement each other. Some of the common body exercises recommended for you include yoga and martial arts.

The good thing about these exercises is the fact that they are simple and can be done both indoors. You really don’t have to hire the services of a professional to have a good body or skin tone.

Other readily available items that can help with body exercises include skipping ropes, roller skates and hula hoops. Skipping ropes will work on your arms and lower body parts by toning down the muscles in these areas. Hula hoops are good for your waist area and lower body as well. Try using these items in different ways during your workout.

For instance, use a hula hoop the same way you use a skipping rope by skipping into it as you continuously pass your body through it. Such creativity makes body exercises more productive and fun. After your workout, ensure that you freshen up for the day. Taking a shower relaxes your muscles and also allows you to apply your make-ups on a clean skin surface.

Enjoy your life by having some leisure time whenever you can. This allows you to engage in fun activities such as bike riding and having a walk in the park. This helps you relax your mind from the busy activities you’ve indulged in throughout the day or week.

You could always end your day with a warm shower before having a nutritious dinner. Don’t forget your skin care routine before having a good night sleep. This is one of many ways to change your life and have a good day.

Slow Down! Enjoy Your Food and Enjoy Your Life


Slowing down for digestive health


Speed eating in the U.S.


Slowing down to taste your food




• Touch it, noticing the texture of the chocolate.

• Smell it, inhaling deeply to really enjoy the aroma.



Slowing down to enjoy life


5 Ways To Get You Motivated About A Healthy Lifestyle

It’s that time of the year when people vow to make changes. Maybe it’s time to quit smoking, learn another language or take that kickboxing class you’ve been putting off all of last year. Regardless of what it is, you want to improve yourself in one way or another. One of the most common resolutions that people make is to get in better shape. It’s no coincidence that January is the month when gyms rack up the most enrollments. How many of these new members will you see still see there in April? If you really want to make changes, do it in a way that will set you up for long term success. Don’t flip a switch and decide that you’re all of a sudden a fitness enthusiast. That’s a recipe for failure. Here are five ways that you can make your new venture a successful one.

Create a Plan

Plan your day from beginning to end. From the time you wake up to the time you plan to retire for the night. Plan the day and times for laundry, grocery shopping and so on. Once you’ve done that, pick three days that you cleared your schedule to exercise for 45 minutes. It can be at home or at a gym so plan commute time accordingly. If waking up early before work is your best option, plan to get to bed earlier so you can wake up ready to go. If you plan to go after work, bring a gym bag to work so that you don’t have to stop home afterwards. Once you consistently go three times a week, try adding a fourth day to the mix.

Make Gradual Changes

Bad habits didn’t develop overnight and they can’t be undone in that manner either. These toxins that we rely on have addictive properties that are hard to shake. The probability of quitting smoking by going from three packs a day to none at all is highly unlikely. Just like with everything else, it takes time and a consistent effort. The same goes with eating sugars, drinking coffee and a sedentary lifestyle. Take small steps in the right direction. Start with reducing the amounts of sugars you eat. Make a goal every week to eat less and less sugar. From drinks to foods, gradually phase them out of your diet. While doing this, try to sneak some exercise into your routine. If three times a week seems extreme, try two times, maybe for thirty minutes to start. Then lengthen your workouts and up your weekly visits as you get more accustomed to that lifestyle.

Set Goals For Yourself

Set goals to eliminate bad foods from your diet, to get to the gym and to improve your current fitness level. Allow yourself 50 grams (if you consume more than that) of sugar for the week and 2 gym visits. Practice pushups until failure. If you can do 6 repetitions at the moment, set a goal for to reach 10 repetitions in three weeks for example. Keep setting new challenges and new goals that will build on your previous results. Not only will it keep you more engaged in your workouts, it will let you track your progress.

Challenge Friends

You held a plank for one minute for your first time. You’re excited, now challenge a friend or coworker to do the same. You did it, now see how long it takes them to do it. Maybe a weight loss challenge, who can do the most pushups or hold the longest plank. The more people engaged, the easier it becomes. You may even find a gym partner, which is the best way to push yourself through those rough days that you probably wouldn’t make it. You can’t let your gym partner go alone, they need you!

Don’t Listen To Bad Advice

If you seek advice or nutrition counseling, go to a professional and disregard what anyone else has to say. Follow their advice and see where it leads you over a three month period. Don’t give up after a week because you aren’t seeing results. Only take advice from one person at a time. If you hired a personal trainer or dietician, take their advice and their advice only. The more people you ask for advice, the more contradictory information you will receive. Everyone has their own opinion or some silly fad diet that worked for them or how to build muscle or lose weight. Don’t look for shortcuts or a quick and easy fix because there aren’t any. Pace yourself throughout the journey and enjoy each step you take.

The 3 Cs of a Healthy Life


The 3 C’s of a Healthy Life

The Courage To Develop a Healthy Life



Changing To A Healthy Life


You have to be willing to change a number of aspects in your life if you want to have any chance of successfully losing weight. Changing from soda to water. Changing from enormous fast food meals to home-cooked, appropriately portioned meals. Changing from potato chip snacking to almonds with raisins. These are the changes you need to have the courage to make.

The Choices In A Healthy Life



– Should I wake up early to run before work?
– What to eat for breakfast?
– Should I snack while watching TV?
– What will I have for lunch?
– Should I get something from the vending machine at break?
– Snack on this bag of chips while driving to work?

