International Day of Peace

Monday September 21, 2015 is International Peace Day.

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. It is sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day. The day was first celebrated on Tuesday 21 September 1982. The theme of the first International Day of Peace was the Right to peace of all people.

International Peace Day is dedicated to world peace, and The United Nations “invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day.”

As individuals we can take a moment on Monday to do a random act of kindness, simply something to brighten someone’s day. Speaking a kind word, writing a note of gratitude to someone you love, holding a door open for someone, lighting a candle, buying a coffee for the person in the vehicle behind you at your local cafe drive-thru, or simply acknowledging someone with a smile, are things we’re all capable of. The smallest act of nurturing inner peace can change the world one person at a time.

http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/

Enrich your life – get rid of unhealthy stress!

Not all stress is bad. In fact, stressful challenges are necessary to become stronger both physically and mentally. That said, the positive effects of overcoming too much unhealthy stress can:

  • Lower anxiety levels
  • Reduce mood swings
  • Improve sleeping patterns
  • Restore calm to the mind and body
  • Increase self-confidence
  • Enhance work performance & productivity
  • Increase energy and motivation
  • Increase feeling of general well-being and purpose so that you can enjoy life more fully
  • Enhance a healthier immune system and reduce your risk of heart disease or hypertension
  • Contribute to looking better and living a longer life

If you’re finding it difficult to manage your stress levels and are concerned that’s it’s becoming chronic (lasting longer than 3 months), low level laser therapy is a very good option. This type of laser treatment involves the application of a cold, soft, non-invasive laser beam to specific energy points on the body (ears, hands, arms, wrist, below knees and feet) which helps increase the endorphin levels, which can ultimately help reduce stress.

Anxiety and tension are not strength. Being relaxed, centered and peaceful is being strong and secure. Isn’t it time for YOU to take control of your own life?

Call 403-301-3730 to learn more or to arrange an appointment. You’ll be relieved when you do!

Why Cold Laser Therapy?

  • Quick relief from inflammation
  • Accelerates healing
  • Reduces pain fast
  • Extremely safe & non-invasive

Cold laser/Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) has been used worldwide for over 40 years to relieve pain and inflammation, repair tissue and heal wounds, remove scars, regenerate nerves, as well as solve addictions such as smoking.

How does it work?

Cold laser therapy helps tissues, muscle, skin and nerves to heal faster as it works at the cellular level. It is low-intensity laser therapy that uses low levels of light to stimulate healing. It doesn’t cause your tissues to heat up like aesthetic or surgical lasers. Low-level light is applied directly to the problem area and the tissue then absorbs the light. Generally, this application leads to a chemical or biological reaction to red and near infrared light and subsequently damaged cells have a physiological reaction that helps promote their healing/regeneration.

Cold laser therapy is painless and non-invasive and there’s no need for medication or other preparation. During the procedure, you’ll feel the laser device against your skin, but it does not create heat, vibration or sound. Even better, it is safe and there are generally no side effects or reported adverse results.

Please note, that while each session only takes a few minutes, it may take a series of treatments before you can gauge its effectiveness.

If you’d like to learn more about how cold laser therapy can help or if you have a question, call 403-301-3730 or email: calgarylaserworks@telus.net.

Heritage Day in Alberta

Heritage Day is celebrated in Alberta on the first Monday of August each year. In 2015, Heritage Day falls on Monday August 3. Perfect, another summer long weekend ; )

Although it is not a statutory holiday, and businesses can choose whether or not to recognize the day as a general holiday, many Calgarians use this day as an optional holiday to celebrate the province’s heritage.

There are plenty of fun things to do with your family and friends.

If you love the outdoors, you may want to use the long weekend to go on a camping trip, a hiking tour, an afternoon stroll on our city’s fantastic pathways, a trip to the zoo, or even just a quiet retreat.

Many families visit Heritage Park and take a trip back through time, while others take in the festivities at Prince’s Island Park. A visit to the local museums, such as Fort Calgary, won’t disappoint. It celebrates Alberta’s Heritage Day with interpretive tours, movies, crafts, face paintings, a treasure hunt and genealogy presentations. Something for everyone!

Or maybe you prefer the indoors and that’s OK too! There are tons of things from which to choose. You can play board games at home, catch a movie, walk the mall, enjoy a concert, or even have a blast learning at the Science Centre.

For those who just love to kick back you could share a chat over a special coffee, or enjoy a leisurely meal at your favourite hangout. Whatever you do, celebrate in style…

We wish everyone a safe & enjoyable Heritage Day long weekend.

How can reflexology benefit you?

Did you know that reflexology originated just about the same time as acupuncture?

No one in the West had heard of reflexology until an American ear, nose and throat specialist named Dr. William Fitzgerald, introduced it at the beginning of this century. He took the first steps toward dividing the body into ten reflex zones and 3000 years after its conception reflexology came to America.

In 1930, Eunice Ingham, a masseur, refined the “zone therapy” developed by Fitzgerald, to what is known today as reflexology. She was instrumental in charting the feet in detail to determine which part of the sole corresponded to which part of the body.

Reflexology can bring immense relief in the following areas:

  • Pain relief
  • Relaxation
  • Assistance in getting rid of the body’s toxins
  • Decrease in the number of headaches
  • Nerve stimulation
  • Relief of allergy symptoms
  • Lessened fatigue, feeling energized
  • Healthier immune system
  • Insomnia
  • Sense of well-being

Give us a call at 403-301-3730. We’ll help you discover this ancient, yet effective, form of therapy.

Calgary Stampede July 3-12, 2015

Celebrating 103 years of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!

Join us at the parade Friday July 3, 2015 with this year’s Stampede Parade Marshal – Kaillie Humphries. The parade is the annual kick-off to the Calgary Stampede. It begins at 7:30 am with the Parade Prelude, but head down to the parade route early to ensure you get a great spot!

For 10 days it’s a citywide celebration of true western hospitality in a party atmosphere!

So much to see and do…

The Stampede attracts over one million visitors each year and features the world-famous rodeo, the chuckwagon races, concerts with country legends, rock royalty, and rising stars, high-energy entertainment shows that run daily, nightly evening shows, constant Midway action, First Nations exhibitions and much, much more…

Don’t miss out! Grab your cowboy boots and hats and head downtown to the parade Friday morning and on to the Stampede grounds for some foot-stomping, heart-pounding action and a truly memorable experience.

For event information visit http://www.calgarystampede.com/stampede/attractions/parade

Celebrate Canada Day 2015

It’s hard to believe that Canada Day is this coming Wednesday July 1, virtually right around the corner!

Since it falls on a Wednesday this year, it means you’ll have to take two days off
(Mon & Tues or Thurs & Fri) to make Canada Day a long weekend. But hey, a 5 day weekend sounds pretty good right about now, right?! Especially given the beautiful weather forecast for the week ; )

What are we celebrating anyway?

Canada Day celebrates the birthday of Canada. On July 1, 1867 Canada became a new federation with its own constitution by signing the Constitution Act – formerly known as the British North America Act.

Come out & celebrate Canada’s birthday with thousands of other Calgarians!

There will be free activities for the entire family on Prince’s Island including a First Nations Powwow and a Living Flag activity. And Canada Day wouldn’t be Canada Day in Calgary without music and festivities along the Riverfront. Join the fun at the Festival Market with a fantastic line-up of Canadian Bands on the Riverfront Stage, a Food Truck Roundup, and to wind up the evening, an amazing fireworks display.

For more information visit: http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Recreation/Pages/Events/Canada-Day-events-listing.aspx

Happy Birthday Canada!

Injured? Try Low Level Laser Therapy

When you’re active in sports, or even in the garden, strains, sprains and injuries are inevitable, a by-product in fact!

When injured, the key is to act quickly to minimize downtime. Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) treats inflammation, provides deep-tissue therapy, and accelerates pain relief to help you get back in the game quickly.

Low level lasers have been proven to be a remarkably safe, effective, painless, and medication-free therapy option for many decades now.

With low level laser therapy, a visible coherent light is applied to specific acupuncture points of the body (ears, hands, feet, etc.). Acupuncture points are access points to the body’s energy path ways called “meridians”. This light energy passes through the layers of the skin at these points and is received within the cell membrane by specific receptors. This causes an increase in the energy in the cell which jump-starts changes that positively stimulate the body’s natural healing mechanisms to restore energy and re-balance the body.

Low level lasers are also known as “cold” lasers, meaning that they do not have a thermal effect and are used to stimulate tissue rather than destroy it. The “cold” laser does not cause any tissue damage because healthy cells exhibit weak or no effects from the low-power laser while unhealthy cells exhibit strong effects. Low level lasers have been used for many years on sports injuries, arthritic joints, neuropathic pain syndromes, back and neck pain.

These treatments usually take about 10 minutes and should be applied two or more times a week. The ease of using the laser and the speed with which injuries respond are key features of LLLT.

Next time you find yourself on the sidelines with an injury, check out low level laser therapy. This non-invasive, sterile, drug-free treatment will have you back on track in no time!

Questions? Call 403-301-3730.