Merry Christmas to everyone here who ever struggled with infertility, or knows someone close to them who had difficulty building a family. The holiday season can be challenging for parents in waiting. But, this season we have many reasons to celebrate in Ontario. This year Conceivable Dreams families and infertility patients are celebrating the second anniversary of the Ontario Fertility Program. Last year, our first year of the program seemed like such a monumental occasion. After all, first birthdays are a developmental milestone as any parent knows. But this year, in 2017, on December 21st we mark our second birthday!!…
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Ready to use your voice? Ready to be a fertility advocate? Are you one of the 1 in 6 in British Columbia struggling to conceive? Do you want to help? Then I have good news for you. The IVF4BC infertility patient advocacy group has some thoughts on how to become a fertility advocate. There’s an art to advocating effectively. Using your voice to build a conversation with politicians and policy makers is the start of the process. But there’s a dramatic difference between jumping on a soapbox to preach or shout at someone, and sharing a story passionately and supporting…
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The following post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label. Holiday travel is a great adventure. What’s not to love about getting away from home for a bit? Many years we go away right before Christmas or right after the holidays. Nothing I enjoy more than spending a chunk of Christmas break somewhere warm. Together, as a family, we often take a holiday cruise. But, every time I travel I make sure to do so fully armed with products to keep health on track no matter where we…
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October was a month of travel for me. I was away more than I was home. Which was awesome, but all that travel meant I missed my workouts and while I ate well, I also ate more than usual. Don’t even get me started on all the Irish Coffee and great wine, whiskey and beer in Ireland. That’s why I decided to take the Renew Life 30-day challenge promoting gut health. Basically that meant increasing my exercise and my water intake and adding probiotics to the mix again. Why probiotics? Well here’s what I have found. Saturday starts with a…
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Are you a caregiver for someone with unique needs or health care challenges? I see you. I know you miss many social events, or family gatherings. Perhaps you stopped work entirely to care for someone you love. Or you switched to part time, freelance or contract. Chances are good you have missed your own doctor’s and dentist’s appointments. Maybe, you woke up so bone weary one morning you drove down the street without your glasses. Maybe you forgot to take your own medicine. How do I know any of this? Been there, done that. For years my life has been…
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Many common foot problems can cause discomfort and pain. If you are like many people you probably ignore your feet until you have an issue or injury. But your feet are important to overall health and activity. From athlete’s foot to plantar’s warts – there are many issues that can crop up with your feet. I know thinking about foot problems can be a bit gross, but it’s good to know how to treat these issues when they arise. So here are a few common foot problems and some proven treatments you can count on should you come down with any of these.…
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Getting sick is the worst. Nobody enjoys cold and flu season, or even allergy season for that matter. I should know, my daughter and I get sick far too often. Ever since my children started preschool, they have been exceptional, maybe even gifted – at sharing germs. If there is a bug or flu circulating, my daughters and I WILL get it. We’re sickness magnets especially at this time of the year. Getting Sick is Just Part of Life For our family, getting sick during the fall and winter season is sort of inevitable. If you have kids you feel my…
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This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label. Well, cold and flu season is here. Every year, it’s the same story. Despite our best efforts, most of us will be forced to admit defeat and retreat to our sofas with a healthy supply of tissues and hot liquids. Trust me I am more than familiar with this. My youngest daughter started in with coughing almost immediately when she returned to school. She battled bronchitis for weeks, and a cold as well. Naturally we all ended up with…
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How to stay regular is something that a lot of people want to know, especially at this time of year. Back to school means back to routines that we may have fallen out of over the summer break. The kids have to be up and ready for the school day, which means no more sleeping in. And that means parents have to plan their mornings around the hustle and bustle of back to school. For many Canadians, that means the already annoying and uncomfortable problem of constipation becomes even more of an issue as they rush to get the kids…
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Avoid migraines by avoiding triggers. Because prevention really is worth a pound of cure when it comes to these debilitating headaches. Many people get migraines, but some might not know diet can play a role in these excruciatingly painful headaches – the kind of headaches that leave you locked in a dark quiet room, praying that the headache will go away. While the diet and migraine link is not a precise science, there is a lot of discussion and study around the fact that certain foods can worsen a pending migraine. I’ve found that one of the best ways to avoid…