Wellness Detective Comments: I was first diagnosed with breast cancer on December 20th, 2011 and started Chemotherapy treatment on January 27th, 2012.  I was scheduled for 6 cycles of FEC-D over the past 3 months.  My last Chemo treatment was on May 11th, 2012.   Overall, I have tolerated the Chemo medicines well and it’s been a pretty smooth experience.    I have had visitors throughout most of my Chemo sessions and company has been really good.

During this period of time, I have listened to music and youtube videos to sooth my soul.  The power of sound has a certain impact.  I first learned about the bravery bell from some cancer survivors a few weeks ago.   The bravery bell is a bell that you ring once you have completed your last Chemo session.

On May 8th, 2012, I had my appointment with my Oncologist and then waited for the reception staff to give me my papers.  He called me to the front desk and gave me my papers and said, make sure you ring that bell loud and proud as we hear it on our floor as well.  He made me teared eyed as I realized the end was now so close.  It certainly has been quite the journey and the support of these amazing angels who work at Princess Margaret Hospital meant so much.

The big day of May 11th, 2012 came and I headed downtown by subway at Princess Margaret Hospital.  I arrived downtown early and headed to Tim Horton’s where I ran into my aunt who came down to the hospital to be there with me, so we had our morning snacks, and tea.  We then headed over to the hospital and I bought the rest of my medication, picked up my medical forms and headed to Chemo daycare on the 4th floor.  A new friend Prasad arrived promptly at 12pm and then Samita arrived at 1pm, so both of them kept me chatting and were great company.

I did not get into my Chemo chair for my last treatment til 1:30pm and I finished everything at 3pm.  We then all walked over to the Bravery Bell, and rang it with pride.  The nurse then kindly took photos of me and the bell and with my friends and the bell.   Then for some crazy reason, the phone decided to freeze on me.   It really was like a sign that this indeed was the end of this part of the journey and a new beginning for me.  The sound of the bell was powerful, as it touched my soul and the others in the hospital and they started clapping.   It was my way of the telling the universe, I am here and ready for the next chapter, so let it begin now!

Wellness Detective Comments: I first heard about Life Time Fitness in April 2012.     It is company from the USA that has opened up a new gym called Life Time Atlethic in Mississauga, Ontario located at 3055 Pepper Mill Court near Winston Churchill and Eglinton Ave. West.  I was excited when I first heard about it and booked a a gym tour and scheduled it for May 9th, 2012 at 1:15pm.  Since I am moving to Etobicoke in Fall 2012, it’s always good to learn of other facilities west of Toronto.  With traffic and driving all the way from east end Toronto, I arrived a few minutes late for my tour.  The gym is actually an entirely stand alone building and quite impressive looking from the outside.

I waited on the couch and Cara, a membership representative, greeted me and gave me an overview of the club benefits at her desk.  Cara then proceeded to give me a  tour of the club and the facilities of Life Time Athletic.  It was extremely amazing!  I enjoyed checking out the pool, sauna and  the steam room with Eucalyptus oil.  There were also family change rooms and a place for child care.   I also saw a Hot Yoga Studio, basketball courts, squash courts, an area to play soccer, rock climbing, machines, weights and other fitness studios for various class offerings.  It truly was a health paradise and Life Time Fitness is known as the Healthy Way of Life Company and that is indeed very true.

If you live in the Mississauga area and would like to become a member of this wonderful new gym that has just opened up, and has 105 locations in the United States and Canada, please go to  http://clubs.lifetimefitness.com/ for more information.

Wellness Detective Comments: Natasha Narayan who has studied at the Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine had sent me a message in early March 2012 and suggested I try out Osteopathy as part of my healing journey.  Osteopathy is energetic work that uses the hands to manipulate the body.  I had my first Osteopathic appointment at the end of March and the second one scheduled for April 26th, 2012.   Both appointments were very soothing and easy to go through.

The Osteopath explained her process and it was extremely relaxing that in my first appointment, I think at some point, I actually fell asleep for a few minutes!  Here’s a short video outlining “What is Osteopathy?”:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQyPvZv3UI

I plan to continue having Osteopathic treatments as part of my healing process.

Wellness Detective Comments: I started taking probiotics a couple of years ago at the recommendation of Wayne Gendel,  a Life Extension Specialist to assist with my digestion and to help dissolve a cyst I had at the time.  Probiotics definitely assisted well, as the cyst disappeared and my digestion has been smooth.  Since, I have been in Chemotherapy, I have increased my intake of probiotics as much of my good bacteria will be wiped out with the treatment, along with the antibiotics I take to prevent any infections.   I have felt great during Chemotherapy and I know this in part due to my supplementation of products such as probiotics.

Here’s an article that outlines “what is probiotics?” and “why you need to take probiotics?”

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Corman

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6721444



hat is probiotics? They are live microorganisms present in your body that are considered to be good bacteria. They create a balance in your digestive system. This article will tell you all you need to know about probiotics.

The human body is home to a lot of microorganisms. These microorganisms found in the body are called commensal microbes. Their presence in the body is normal and they do not have harmful effects. However, while there are good bacteria in the body, there are also bad bacteria present. The gastrointestinal tract is home to most of the commensal microbes. These microbes have the tendency to mutate and result into a pathogenic relationship with the human body wherein the corresponding results could be fatal to the host, which in this case, is your body.

So what is probiotics then? What benefits does the body get from them? First and foremost, probiotics effectively fight harmful bacteria enzymes to prevent the growth of carcinogens. They can also boost your body’s immune system.

There are certain dietary habits that affect the balance of the good and harmful bacteria in the body; hence there is a need for probiotics supplements. Some of these are listed here:

• If you drink too much alcohol, the natural probiotics in the body are killed, thus paving the way for the rapid growth of yeast and harmful bacteria.
• When you are taking antibiotics to treat certain ailments, there is a tendency that even the good bacteria in the intestinal tract are killed.
• An imbalance in the good and bad bacteria ratio in the body results in constipation and intestinal toxicity.

The benefits of probiotics are fast becoming known to a lot of people. Aside from being naturally present in the body, probiotics can also be present in fermented foods, most popular of these foods is yogurt. This is why yogurt is a good dietary supplement that helps improve your intestinal tract flora. Some of the health benefits of probiotics are the following:

1. Improves your digestive system
2. Enhances the production of enzymes like lactase
3. Improves the body’s absorption and reaction to vitamins and minerals
4. Improves your immune system, making your body more resistant to infections and diseases
5. Kills harmful parasites and viruses
6. Inhibits the growth of bad bacteria in the body
7. Enhances the production of lactic acid that regulates the pH value of the intestine and the female genitalia to prevent the growth of yeasts

Probiotics are known to help treat some of the most common medical conditions:

1. Vaginal infection
2. Yeast infection
3. Diarrhea
4. Lactose intolerance
5. Irritable bowel syndrome
6. Colon cancer
7. Urinary tract infection, mostly in women

Aside from foods that contain probiotics, doctors also recommend dietary supplements that contain probiotics. When choosing probiotics supplements, you should consult your doctor on what is the best for you to take. The supplements that are out in the market today have varying levels of potency and contain different species of bacteria. Your doctor will be able to help you choose what is best for you.

I hope that this article answers your questions about probiotics.

Wellness Detective Comments: I signed up for Art therapy class at a Cancer Support Group in downtown Toronto as a friend Asma, had mentioned about art when she came to visit me for one Chemo session early on in my treatment.   Art was actually my strongest subject in high school and I even attended a special art program in 1988 during that time for print making.   Cartooning, doodling and painting were some of my favorite Artistic activities.   I started the Art therapy class in March and I was nervous about connecting to my creative side once again after so many years.  One class allowed me to discover that art indeed allowed me to connect to my heart and fully express my emotions.

During the class, I used paints, chalk and markers to develop my artistic creations and then we would share our thoughts and feelings about our art.  It was extremely therapeutic and we released both our good and bad emotions during the process.  One powerful activity we did was to create a piece of art of something challenging us all and that we wanted to get rid of.  So we created the piece of art, shared ourselves and then ripped up the art and put it in the centre of the table.  That activity alone, was one the most powerful actions I have ever taken to completely heal myself emotionally.

This video gives an overview of what my Art therapy experience has been like in the past few months:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t18BPegIWhQ

Wellness Detective Comments: To continue my healing journey, I felt detoxifying my body was important. I have been using nutrition to dextoxify, but needed to take this one step further.   In India there are steam like sauna baths, which I had experienced while in Pondicherry, India in August 2010 after one Ayurvedic massage treatment.

Right now, I reside near the Danforth in east end Toronto and discovered infrared sauna sessions at Inspired Life Health Centre. I stay for about 45 minutes in the sauna and hydrate well with at least 3 litres of water.  I use a towel to wipe out the toxins. I have had two sauna sessions so far and will continue on.

Here’s a video outlining the benefits of infrared saunas:

Wellness Detective Comments: I first learned about Emotional Release body work treatment on Saturday, January 28th, 2012 from my friend Rebecca who came to visit me after my first Chemotherapy treatment.  She explained about the process of how releasing one’s emotions work through this type of treatment.  It was very fascinating to hear about the process and she suggested I try it out.

So, I did contact the therapist, who did one remote energy healing treatment for me—where I would lie down for an hour.  This happened in mid February and then I got busy.  I was also a bit tired due to the Chemotherapy and took awhile to follow up with therapist.  I then decided one weekend it was time to continue to do the healing work, and I booked an appointment for Tuesday, March 20th, 2012.

I ventured to downtown Toronto mid day and went to the home of the therapist where she practices.  She gave me an overview of the process, offered me tea and made me feel comfortable.  I then undressed to my undergarments and covered myself with a towel on the massage table.  She pressed hardly on certain points on the body that corresponded to chakra points.  It was painful and at times, I would cough, scream or even cry.  I released many pent up emotions that day and the toughest one, was at the heart chakra.   I told the therapist, I can’t take it, but she reminded me that it was old emotions and memories connected to childhood.

I’ve experienced many types of massages and healing treatments, but this is one of the best sessions I have ever had.  If you’d like more information about this therapist, contact us here and I’ll share the information.

Wellness Detective Comments: Last night, I performed my body monologue at the Canadian Naturopathic College as part of Women’s Health Week.   I spoke about getting psoriasis–a skin condition at age 10 and how it lasted the course of my life, but now it’s pretty much gone. So during intermission, this beautiful young blonde girl came up to me, asked to speak to me in private, took me to the restroom, and showed me her body and how psoriasis covers pretty much 60% of her body. She asked me what I did to heal myself, as she is studying to become a Naturopathic Doctor and this is one thing she has not overcome yet. I shared with her  my journey and we bonded over something we’ve both experienced in this life! It was truly a special moment, and I understood the importance of sharing one’s own story, as it can help a great many people out in this world.

The only time, psoriasis disappeared from my life, is when I lived for one year in Japan from 1997-1998 and after I spent time in Kochi, Kerala and underwent Ayurvedic treatm ents.  I highly recommend Ayurvedic treatments to restore your health back to complete wellness.

Wellness Detective Comments: I have been on Facebook since 2007 and made some interesting connections.  I put a request out recently asking for referrals to healing practitioners to highlight on my blog posts.  Orion Mott was one those suggestions from a friend.  We connected on Facebook in January 2012 and recently exchanged a few Facebook messages.   He came over and worked with me on an intuitive healing session for an hour.  We both closed our eyes and it was very much a talk out session.  He checked my Chakras and conveyed messages based on our interaction.  It was very informative and provided good guidance overall.  The key message was to access my voice and divinity within.  I came up with a game plan after our session and was extremely grateful to have met Orion.  To connect with Orion Mott, go to:

http://www.harmonyintuitivehealing.com

Wellness Detective Comments:  It was sometime in late January 2012 that someone I’ve worked on an event with in the past, sent me a Call for Proposals about bodies for consideration in the Body Monologues upcoming show.  I submitted my proposal in a short summary and received a reply back in early February. A Skype Call for a meet and greet with the organizers was booked for February 16th, 2012.  The call was informal and I further explained what I intended to feature in my body monologue.  My second chemotherapy appointment was the next day, so it actually took me a week before I began writing my monologue.  It took me 2 days and I submitted my final copy on February 27th, 2012.   I got the news on February 28th, 2012 that I was selected as one of the individuals set to share their story and perform a body monologue.  I will be covering everything that has occurred in my body over the past 30 years.  I hope to see many people in the audience and look forward to meeting the other performers.

Please join us for:

Body Monologues On Stage, Thursday, March 15th, 2012, 8pm-10pm

@ Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1255 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto, ON M2K 1E2

Body Monologues Performance Poster Winter 2012