PTBOCanada Featured Post: Dr. Brenda Tapp With Cold & Flu Mythbusters
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Promoted post by Dr. Brenda Tapp
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Peterborough Blogs
Peterborough Father Andy McArthur Is In The Fight Of His Life & Needs Your Help
/***UPDATE No. 3 (October 29th): Organizer Carley Stensen informs us that due to the overwhelming response and support surrounding Andy's benefit, they have had to change the location to a larger venue: Market Hall. It will still be November 21st starting at 7 p.m. Also, there is going to be a huge silent auction including a 2 for 1 trip to Vegas.
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UPDATE No. 2 (October 29th): More than $8,000 now raised!
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UPDATE (October 28th): More than $7,000 now raised!
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ORIGINAL POST: October 27th
Andrew McArthur and his partner Jaime-Lyn Grant
Peterborough's Andy McArthur is fighting for his health.
Andy & Melina-May
The young father of a 5-year-old girl, Melina-May, recently discovered that he has an extremely large brain tumor on his pituitary gland. The news has come very suddenly Andy's friend Carley Stensen says on a fundraising page she's created for him. And it's beyond devastating for him and his family—including his fiancée Jaime-Lyn Grant (the mother of his child).
At the moment, Carley says Andy's sight has almost gone, he is awaiting surgery, and the doctors are unsure if his sight will ever fully return.
Andy does not have any form of medical compensation or benefits as he tries to beat this traumatic and life threatening situation. The fundraising campaign Carley has started goes toward medical expenses, bills, food—and everyday family expenses that arise.
The goal of the fundraising campaign for Andy—which ends November 21st—is $3,000 and they've already raised twice that amount. But let's keep it going. Contribute what you can here.
As well, there will be a "Kick This Tumors ASS" benefit on Friday, November 21st at Market Hall at 7 p.m. to raise more money for Andy.
If you would like to help by donating gifts for the silent auction portion of the benefit, or want more info on it, contact Chris Newmaster at 705.868.3035, or Carley Stenson at 705.930.0376 or via email.
Prayers for Andy and his family.
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Peterborough Police Issue Special Letter To Public From Chief Murray Rodd Regarding Shooting In Ottawa
/UPDATE No. 2: The soldier killed has been identified as Cpl. Nathan Cirillo. R.I.P.
UPDATE: Tragic news, the soldier shot on Parliament Hill has died...
A just released media release from police regarding the shootings in Ottawa today...
"The Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service is aware of the current situation unfolding in Ottawa.
Our officers are trained and ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice to any given emergency situation. Our Service also has an Emergency Response Team to provide a heightened level of response depending on the situation.
We have plans regarding events such as these, the details of which are confidential.
We want to ensure our community and the citizens that we serve that we are ready to deal with emergency situations as they occur.
We work closely with our colleagues provincially, nationally and internationally with respect to sharing of information and matters of intelligence and potential threats to national interest.
At this time, no threat to public safety in Peterborough has been identified. However, citizens should always remain vigilant when it comes to their personal safety.
As with any situation, concerned citizens should contact their local police service and describe the activities or behaviours that they are witnessing.
We remain vigilant at all times.
Chief Murray Rodd"
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UPDATED: Here is video from the shooting in the Parliament Building..
Stay Strong Ottawa
Breastfeeding Welcome Here Campaign Launches In Downtown Peterborough
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Window signs and information sheets are part of a new initiative by Breastfeeding Welcome Here and the DBIA to let nursing mothers know that downtown businesses welcome families in their stores, restaurants and offices.
Breastfeeding in public is natural—and it’s protected through law under the Ontario Human Rights Code. “Forty-nine percent of local women told us that they were quite uncomfortable breastfeeding in public spaces such as restaurants, so we know that we had to do something to make them feel more welcome, and as well to let the general public know that this is normal and okay,” says Dawn Hanes, chair of the Breastfeeding Coalition.
The program, organized by the local Breatfeeding Coalition, includes:
- A window cling that businesses post on their front doors or windows to let families know that they support their choice
- Information sheets that businesses are sharing with their employees to give them practical suggestions to welcome breastfeeding families, and to create a supportive atmosphere
- Encouraging conversations with business owners and their staff about breastfeeding to help normalize breastfeeding in public.
If your business would like to sign up for the program, contact Dawn Hanes here.
This is World Breasfeeding Week. Learn more here.
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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Dr. Brenda Tapp On Cancer Fighting Foods
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Dr. Brenda Tapp
Everyone has someone in their life that has been affected by cancer in some way, shape or form. It is almost unavoidable.
What if you knew there were some simple dietary changes you could make to help prevent it from affecting you? Dr. Brenda Tapp of the Peterborough Centre of Naturopathic Medicine specializes in complementary cancer care.
She is the only naturopath in town registered with the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians (learn more about her in her first feature post with us here). In this column, she teaches us about cancer fighting foods supported by scientific research.
Nutrition therapy is playing a bigger role in cancer prevention and treatment. Research indicates that genetics causes only 5-10% of all cancers, while diet/lifestyle causes 90-95%. Diet alone accounts for up to 35%, which surprisingly surpasses tobacco as a cause. This means that 35% of cancers can be prevented by dietary changes alone! Specific cancers such as breast, prostate and colon cancer can be reduced by an even higher percentage of up to 75%.
Also, the National Cancer Institute states that patients who are well nourished before and during cancer treatment have a better prognosis, recover faster and reduced rate of complications. This is something so simple to work on and take control of.
7 TIPS FROM DR. TAPP ON CANCER FIGHTING FOODS TO TRY:
1. Consume Brassicas Daily: The brassica family of veggies includes cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, turnip, radish, watercress, etc. All of these veggies contain several phytochemicals (plant based comounds) that reduce the risk of hormonally driven cancers, improves liver detoxification, and prevents DNA damage.
How much is needed? 1 cup per day is all that is required to benefit from these veggies.
2. Do Not Avoid Soy: Soy contains compounds that act as phyto-estrogens (plant based estrogens). Soy acts as a hormone buffer by displacing the body's stronger estrogen, reducing the risk of hormone sensitive cancers. Soy also contains a compound called genistein which inhibits the growth of blood vessels in tumours helping to starve them of nutrients.
How much is needed? 100 grams per day of organic soy (tofu, tempeh, soy milk).
3. Garlic, Onions, and Leeks: The garlic family of plants can actually prevent the initiation, promotion and recurrence of various cancers. The high concentration of selenium can inhibit cancer growth, and the high concentration of sulfur-compounds aids in liver detoxification.
How much is needed? 3 cloves of raw garlic per day. Try it in a salad, or mix things up with a stir fry!
4. Consume Flaxseeds: Studies have shown flax to reduce breast and prostate cancer cell proliferation, increase apoptosis (cell death), and decrease tumour size. It is also capable of increasing the success rate of Herceptin and Tamoxifen (medications prescribed in some cases of breast cancer). How much is needed? 2 tbsp per day. (Note: Seeds must be ground and can be added to cereal, smoothie, salad or yogurt.)
5. Consume Shiitake Mushrooms: This particular mushroom contains a compound that increases the number of macrophages, T-killer cells, and T-helper cells (3 different types of white blood cells), and prolongs the life of some cancer patients.
How much is needed? Consume 3 to 4 mushrooms per day.
6. Spice up Your Life: NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa B) is one of cancer’s master switches. These spices should all be incorporated into your daily diet to prevent this gene from being turned on: basil, pepper, caraway, cardamom, chilli pepper, cinnamon, clove, coriander, fennel, ginger, mint, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, rosemary and turmeric.
How much is needed? 1 tbsp per day.
7. Lycopene: Lycopene is a compound found in tomatoes, watermelon, and grapefruit. Lycopene is more bioavailable when lightly cooked. Tomatoes can worsen arthritis, so increasing other lycopene containing foods is beneficial.
How much is needed? 1 cup of lycopene containing food per day.
With all of this info, how can you not want to make even a few small delicious changes to benefit your health?
This is the second in a series with Dr. Brenda Tapp of of the Peterborough Centre of Naturopathic Medicine. Read her first column here.
If you have any questions about your health or about naturopathic medicine, Dr. Tapp would be happy to answer them. For more info on Dr. Tapp, go to:
Phone: 705.761.6596
Website: drbrendatapp.com
Twitter: @PtboNaturopath
Facebook: PeterboroughCentreOfNaturopathicMedicine
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/drbrendatapp
**If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email our Sales Director Aaron Elliott at aaron@ptbocanada.com for info!
Peterborough's Ann Douglas Documents Her Dramatic Health Transformation In New Issue Of Canadian Living
/Peterborough-based writer/author/speaker/community activist Ann Douglas has gone through a dramatic personal transformation that she documents in the new October issue of Canadian Living. Douglas lost 120 pounds on her weight loss journey, but the transformation runs much deeper than that for her. Read her inspiring, empowering article and what it's done for her physical and mental health in the latest issue, which hits newsstands September 8th.
Photo via Ann Douglas Facebook page
PTBOCanada Featured Post: A Look At Premiere Studio Of Dance
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With the end of the summer upon us, parents and kids alike are in scramble mode. Gone are the leisurely days, replaced by hectic school schedules and after school activities.
This has many parents looking to get their children involved in something each season to keep them engaged and active. If you’re searching for something new to get your children into, look no further than Premiere Studio of Dance and all it has to offer!
Located at 1046 County Road 19, on the outskirts of Peterborough, the studio offers three beautifully renovated studios with professionally sprung hardwood floors and mirrors to fully enhance your child’s experience.
Opened originally in 2000 by Robyn Carter who is the head instructor, Premiere Studio of Dance is celebrating its 15th and most exciting season yet!
Easily the city’s largest and most prestigious dance school, it is now home to 10 fully certified B.A.T.D. instructors (British Association of Teachers of Dancing) who are continuously learning and updating their qualifications as well.
Offering classes for all ages (toddlers to adults) and skill levels (beginner to competitive), this season Premiere Studio of Dance is offering more classes than ever. The classes you’ll find are:
• Ballet
• Tap
• Hip hop
• Jazz
• Acro
• Modern
• Contemporary
• Musical theatre/Broadway
Whether they are a beginner student who simply wants to have fun and stay active, or a seasoned veteran who is looking to hone their skills and further a future career, each pupil's needs are catered to in order to create an unforgettable experience.
With a proven record of success, Premiere Studio of Dance is second to none. Dancers from the program have gone on to do some pretty incredible things, including being accepted into elite post-secondary arts schools, winning prestigious competitions at high levels, teaching and choreographing as a career, and even going on to a career as a professional dancer!
If a dancer is looking for more of a challenge, Premiere offers a competitive dance program which is the strongest in Eastern Ontario.
The competitive team offers 2 levels based on the amount of classes offered each week. Dancers can participate by taking as few as 3 classes per week.
Competitive dance classes can be quite demanding, but in the end are incredibly rewarding for both the student and parents alike!
At the season's end, there is a final recital which is a celebration of all things learned throughout the year. Each student receives a progress report with important feedback to aid in their growth as a dancer.
1046 County Rd 19
After the regular season comes summer camps and refreshers before another great season commences all over again!
For more info on Premiere Studio Of Dance (1046 County Rd 19), contact:
Email: info@premieredance.ca
Phone: 705.741.6545
Website: Premieredance.ca
Facebook: Premiere Studio Of Dance
Twitter: @PremiereDance
Instagram: premierestudioofdance
YouTube Channel: PSDdance
Watch this fun Premiere Studio of Dance promo video below for more info...
**If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email our Sales Director Aaron Elliott at aaron@ptbocanada.com for info!
Look At The Sinkhole On Millbrook's Main Street
/[UPDATE: King Street is open again after repair crews worked overnight to fix it.]
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A water main break in Millbrook on Friday (August 22nd) has caused a portion of the main street in the town to buckle. Millbrook is now under a boil water advisory, and residents are advised to boil the water for one minute before using it for cooking, drinking, and teeth brushing. Engineers are working to repair the infrastructure. Check out these pics below via Millbrook Bia on Facebook on the flooding yesterday on the street and the resulting sinkhole...
PTBOCanada Featured Post: Dr. Brenda Tapp On The Vital Importance Of Naturopathic Health Care
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Dr. Brenda Tapp
The past 20 years have seen an overwhelming increase in consumer demand for safe and effective natural health care. Doctors trained in the science of natural health care at accredited medical schools are known as naturopathic doctors.
Why would you see a naturopathic doctor? Well, according to Dr. Brenda Tapp of the Peterborough Centre of Naturopathic Medicine (PCNM), the core of naturopathic intervention is to treat the root cause of illness instead of relying on bandaid solutions. More than 75% of all disease is a result of poor diet and lifestyle which conventional medicine fails to address. Improving one's diet can significantly improve one's health. Doctor comes from the latin word docere which means "to teach". Dr. Tapp takes this to heart and spends time with each of her patients, teaching them about their health.
NUTRITION AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES
The majority of family physicians just do not have the time to spend with their patients discussing nutrition and lifestyle changes pertinent to their health. This is where naturopathic doctors come in. Their training allows them to use food as medicine with their patients. Don't have a family physician? Naturopathic doctors are able to fill the gap in the physician shortage. They have 8 years of post secondary education at university and naturopathic medical school. They use industry standards for patient history taking and physical exams, as well as ordering blood work and referring for appropriate diagnostic imaging when indicated.
HOW TREATMENT WORKS
With regard to treatment, naturopathic doctors rely on natural therapies that are validated by scientific research. In fact, most pharmaceuticals on the market today come from plants. Naturopathic doctors prescribe these plants, which in most cases are just as effective with fewer side effects as a result of being consumed in their natural state. By adding naturopathic medicine to their health care options, patients are experiencing increased satisfaction and improved recovery time.
Dr. Tapp
DR. BRENDA TAPP'S APPROACH
Dr. Tapp is incredibly passionate about this form of medicine and has dedicated much of her time to educating the community about it. Born and raised in Peterborough, she graduated from Trent University and then went on to Toronto to attend naturopathic medical school. After completing her schooling and internship, she wrote her board licensing exams and moved back to Peterborough to open PCNM—the city's only clinic that specializes in integrative cancer care as well as family medicine.
Dr. Tapp is a member of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians. She has brought back many therapies only available in integrative clinics in Toronto to improve the health of the Peterborough community. Dr. Tapp strives to promote local by integrating local organic farms, butchers, herbalists and the farmers' market into her treatment protocols. She wants health care to be sustainable, to support the local economy and to not harm the environment.
This is the first in a series with Dr. Brenda Tapp of of the Peterborough Centre of Naturopathic Medicine.
If you have any questions about your health or about naturopathic medicine, Dr. Tapp would be happy to answer them. For more info on Dr. Tapp, go to:
Phone: 705.761.6596
Website: drbrendatapp.com
Twitter: @PtboNaturopath
Facebook: PeterboroughCentreOfNaturopathicMedicine
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/drbrendatapp
**If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email our Sales Director Aaron Elliott at aaron@ptbocanada.com for info!
How To Deal With Trolls Online In Your Community & Beyond
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Beth Visser (photo credit: Rebekah Littlejohn)
For the most part, social media is an incredibly positive, rewarding experience. Yet most everyone online—including us at @Ptbo_Canada—has experienced some form of trolling from time to time. That is, those who try to bait you with mean-spirited, manipulative, vindictive and disruptive tweets that far cross the line over "debate". We conducted an email interview with Beth A. Visser, Ph.D., a personality psychologist who teaches at Trent University's Oshawa campus, to learn more about troll/bullying behaviour and how to deal with them. Read our Q & A below...
PTBOCanada: Beth, is trolling/bullying more pervasive online? What is a good definition of an "online troll"?
Visser: Bullying is pervasive on- and offline. It’s more difficult to think of an offline equivalent to trolling. It would be like going to a party in disguise and making obnoxious and inflammatory comments, hoping that the party-goers would turn on each other and the gathering would be ruined. Internet communities give such a person far more opportunities to spread the chaos. There are lots of definitions out there, but basically, an online troll is someone who uses deceptive, disruptive, and inflammatory tactics to create unpleasantness and chaos in an online community.
PTBOCanada: Is there a significant difference between trolling/bullying or are they one in the same really?
Visser: People sometimes use the terms used interchangeably, but there is a difference— particularly in motivation. Trolls like causing havoc. These individuals will seek to create disruption in online communities, and some research has suggested that they will do so to alleviate boredom, get revenge on a community, seek attention, and gain pleasure. The damage that a troll causes often seems pretty pointless. Online bullying, on the other hand, tends to be about targeting and hurting a particular person or persons.
PTBOCanada: OK, say you are being "trolled" online. What is the best thing to do in that case? Ignore them? Block them? Repond to them in any way?
Visser: The standard advice is “don’t feed the trolls”, and that’s a good course of action. Blocking them can work, with the troll simply moving on to an easier target—but of course, a motivated troll can always come back under a new name. Trolling isn’t fun when no one engages. (Note that the situation would be different if you are the targeted victim of cyberbullying/harassment. We’re starting to see more arrests in these cases.)
PTBOCanada: How does one distinguish between debate/negativity and when it crosses the line into "trolling"? What's the rule of thumb regarding knowing when to "disengage" and not reply to them on Twitter or block them altogether?
Visser: That’s an interesting question. From the perspective of the “troller” or debater, there is a motivational distinction. Trolls want to have fun at the expense of the rest of us, whereas the passionate debater may be highly invested in a particular point of view. If you know anything about the posting habits of the other person, you might look for whether they have a history of creating havoc everywhere they go and on a variety of topics (or conversely, no history at all because they constantly change identities), or whether they simply have a strong point of view on one particular topic. For a troll, the fun ends when you disengage. Even with a sincere debater, it’s reasonable to let the other person know that you’ve both made your points and you won’t be discussing the topic with them any further.
PTBOCanada: What personality trait(s) cause a person to troll? Are they generally like that "offline" as well? Is an alter-ego created for some reason online?
Visser: In my research, I investigate the so-called “Dark Triad” of personality—that is, psychopathy (callous, manipulative, irresponsible people who lack empathy), narcissism (grandiose sense of personal importance, entitlement) and Machiavellianism (cynical world view, willingness to use deception and manipulation to achieve one’s goals) in “normal” people. Recently, some researchers have made a compelling case that everyday sadism (i.e., sadistic personality traits that don’t warrant clinical attention or assessment) should be added to make a “Dark Tetrad.” Recent research out of the University of Manitoba has shown that Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and everyday sadism were related to enjoyment of trolling in their student and community participants. Sadistic personality traits were the best predictor, suggesting that people troll because they like it. The Dark Triad/Tetrad of personality is associated with social malevolence offline as well, so it doesn’t seem to be the case that our mild-mannered Dr. Jeckylls turn into Mr. Hydes once they have access to the internet and a little anonymity. Mr. Hyde may have a whole lot more opportunity to express his social malevolence online though.
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For more information on Beth Visser's research, check out her website Bethvisser.com. You can email Beth here or follow her on Twitter here.
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