Seeking a Registered Massage Therapist for our team at Carp Ridge

Carp Ridge Natural Health Clinic is a holistic clinic seeking a Registered Massage Therapist for our team.

We offer full administrative support with bookings, billings and follow-ups. We also provide in house referrals and welcome outside clients in.

Requirements:

We need a competent RMT who is available to work part time.

• Graduate of accredited massage therapy course
• Training and experience with craniosacral massage techniques
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary setting
• Good interpersonal/communication skills
• Registration and Insurance.
• *New grads welcome
• RMT’s working at another location and who are looking for additional hours will also be considered. Please detail your availability with your application.

Assets

• Availability in the evenings.
• Cupping experience and training.
• Ability/interest in public speaking and participating in lunch and learn sessions, open houses and other community events
• Spiritual awareness and desire for a more compassionate and sustainable planet
• Other clinical training, or additional certificates

Interested RMT’s can apply to Carp Ridge Natural Health Clinic:

2386 Thomas Dolan Parkway, Carp, ON, K0A 1L0.

Phone: 613-839-1198
Fax: 613-839-3909
or email info@ecowellness.com.

About Carp Ridge Natural Health Clinic:

The clinic offers a holistic approach to health and the use of naturopathic medicine and homeopathic remedies to help deal with any health condition, addressing the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, social and environmental aspects of health and disease.

Carp Ridge boasts many features and provisions for practitioners, including: a fully furnished treatment room, administrative support, infrared sauna, shower, wheelchair accessibility, wireless internet, parking, full kitchen and an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere for relaxation and healing.

We are located 35 minutes northwest of downtown Ottawa, and 5km north of the village of Carp. Our 190 acres of wilderness offers forests, naturalized areas including a pond and a seasonal creek rich in wildlife. Walking trails lead through woodlands of mixed brush, bird-filled wetlands and majestic white pine.

Katherine’s monthly diary: Settling into the process

It’s April and there’s icy snow outside.  I’m sitting at Alice’s Cafe in Carp, sipping green tea and listening to very good background music.

The past month has been intense, but much calmer on the inside after processing my last terror episode.  My mind is sleepy though and probably will be for a while as I transition from overworking and being revved for most of my 55 years to allowing myself time to rest and recharge.  In the past, slow time brought up feelings of acute anxiety and horrible visions, so being able to even start relaxing is a minor miracle.

As part of this process I’ve decided not to build any more homes at the centre, to gradually withdraw from being active in the charity, to put the healing house initiative on hold and to refrain from starting new projects—my biggest and final addiction.  It’s in direct opposition to the rest of my workaholic life and feels very strange but right, with a letting go of wanting to be so important.  My focus is now solidly on my own healing (which I’ve done my best to avoid until recently), helping to raise grandson Felix and improving services at the clinic — with a small side of community service, smile.

In synch with this new direction, Felix had an interesting episode a few weeks ago.  His mom Coral called me around midnight on a Saturday, saying he had an earache.  I could hear him shrieking in the background.  Julie had taken the car so I couldn’t run to the rescue.  I passed on some tips and reassured her that this would pass and didn’t require drugs.  The next morning they called at 6am with Felix’s voice bright and cheerful.  It had been a healing crisis, different from a congestive earache in its quick onset and conclusion.

When he came home that evening I could see in his face that he had matured overnight.  Two days later his kindergarten teacher mentioned how much better he was with the other kids, seemingly out of the blue.  An ear infection, if it’s emotional, is the resolution of something shocking you heard, maybe someone yelling if you are a child.  When that is resolved, you are less likely to yell at others.  Drugs would have suppressed the deeper healing in this case.

On another front, the healing relationship Stephen and I have had over 4 1/2 years came to a thoughtful and caring end last weekend.   He has done much to help me see my delusions of grandeur and face my fear of emotional intimacy (isn’t this usually the guys?!), leaving me with clear internal work ahead to continue becoming aware of and releasing old fears through my meditation practice combined with therapy. 

Then, on the day that Stephen left, a close friend was unexpectedly dropped off at my home after a serious heart episode, being told he couldn’t be alone.  Nothing like a new house-mate to distract from the grief of a separation!  After a couple of days of transition (and much refuge in my breathing), we have come to a harmonious flow.

It has been a true joy to watch this man make major shifts in thinking and lifestyle and go from feeling at death’s door to having a future again.  Seeing this makes me  look forward to coming back to working on the healing house program.  But not yet. . .

More change: healer-nanny Julie and children are leaving for Germany for an unknown time period next week and Sandy Rawson, who used to be one of our healing house hosts, has come to help in Julie’s absence.

Even with all of this turbulence, life feels calmer than I’ve ever felt it.  This comes with an underlying fatigue, a sort of let-down from constant adrenaline.  Looks like a lot of early bedtimes in the near future and detox episodes that typically come with healing.  I’m deeply grateful to understand this process.

That’s enough for now.  I’m going to get an x-ray for my continuing back pain that gets better and worse, but hasn’t gone completely away, most likely a hanging healing as part of my overall transition.  You may find it strange that I would get an x-ray, but I like information from many sources for both myself and my patients.  It’s a nice integration of different levels of health and awareness.  And there are many remedies to protect against radiation (just google ‘natural radiation protection’).

here’s to patience on our path and the possibility of warm weather ahead. . .

katherine

‘Upon feeling healthy in Mexico’ ~ a poem from a client

by Lorna E. Klassen

There’s a power in those earth-quaking waves
Pounding the beach
Slamming the land
So insistent it wakes me and takes me
Far away from sleep and dreams.

Adjectives begin to pale as
Huge, giant, massive are over-used
And under-perform.

Sleep seems lily-livered now
The weak way out.
The sea says listen, listen
Makes those changes
Don’t disappoint your soul
Don’t let your mind trick you back into the old ways
And fool your body into dis-ease.

Paradise pounding, pounding.
Insistent.
Don’t go back.
The way home is a vision quest,
A scared path.

Be mindful of the pits, the fears,
And choose better, choose differently.
No more passive longing
Or suffering, defeating language.
We can do it, say the waves,
So can you.

Going from calm to wild surges
Because the tides, the winds,
The currents say now is the time.
The great salt sea feverishly insists
Get her attention!
Stop the madness!
Repeats the divine declaration
You were born for this. 

Thy will can be done.
Believe as never before.
Listen to your blood, your cells, your breath,
They want health and balance.
They heed not to anything other than the best for you.

Quieter for a few minutes
Letting the Pacific roll and swell again.
Then pounding, the pounding.
You are forgiven
Have always been forgiven.
You are divine
Have always been divine.
Human form is a complex arrangement
Of simple needs.

Melt the fishhooks of the past
Cut the nets
Set the buoys free from stagnant ways.
Swim with the mermaids
Sing with the whales
Ride the surf surges
Laughing all the way.

You are awake now,
Alive,
And there is more aliveness to discover.
Listen again.
The waves will repeat and pound
Until you recognize
Your birthright and salvation.

____________

written Thursday, March 23, 2013
About 3 am
Punta Perula, Mexico

(Baby birth art by Nancy Bright)

FAQ: What is Naturopathic Oncology? (and other related questions)

Dr. Leesa Kirchner, ND, FABNO
Carp Ridge Natural Health Clinic
2386 Thomas Dolan Parkway, Carp, ON
613-839-1198

Scientifically grounded, evidence-based natural cancer care

What is Naturopathic Oncology?
Naturopathic Oncology is the application of naturopathic medicine to the field of cancer care & treatment. Naturopathic doctors who specialize in naturopathic oncology understand both the standard treatments employed by medical oncologists and how best to work with them in a collaborative model of cancer treatment.

They have a clear understanding of conventional treatments (including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and surgery), and are leading experts on the multitude of natural therapies promoted to be beneficial in cancer care. They are thus able to help patients understand which of these treatments might be to them useful and why.

What does FABNO (Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology) mean?
Naturopathic doctors (NDs) who meet standards of advanced experience & knowledge in cancer care are eligible for board certification in Naturopathic Oncology. Qualifying NDs must pass stringent exams to be awarded the status of Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology.

FABNO certification means an ND has demonstrated competence in both naturopathic & conventional medical oncology. FABNO certi􀏐ied NDs meet the highest standard of the profession as specialists in Naturopathic Oncology. Dr. Kirchner is one of a handful of NDs in Canada to be awarded the FABNO designation.

It is safe to use integrative treatments during chemotherapy or radiation?
Definitely. Dr. Kirchner has a solid understanding of chemotherapeutic agents & radiation therapy. Any recommended treatment or therapy is well researched to prevent potential drug-herb & drug-nutrient interactions.

The goal is to provide complementary therapeutic programs that do not interfere with standard treatments but instead, help to enhance overall effectiveness of these treatments while also minimizing associated side effects.

What if I’m not getting conventional cancer treatment?
If conventional treatment is not an option for you, there are numerous well-studied treatments that can help slow disease progression, strengthen the immune system, and increase overall quality of life.

I’ve nished conventional treatment — how can Naturopathic Oncology help?
If conventional treatment has been completed, a program can be developed for you that focuses on preventing disease recurrence and maintaining optimal overall health. In addition, treatment plans can be developed to assist in helping you regain your energy and get back to ‘normal’ following conventional treatments.

I am told that I am at high-risk, or have a pre-cancerous condition. Can Naturopathic Oncology be helpful for me?
Now is the best time to intervene. There are a number of well-studied treatments and therapies that have been shown to lower risk factors for cancer development. Simple lifestyle modifications including dietary changes, the inclusion of exercise regimes, and identifying & reducing environmental risk factors can be incorporated to reduce the overall risk of developing cancer. Dr. Kirchner strongly believes that a “watch & wait” approach should be replaced with “active prevention.”

Will Dr. Kirchner work with my oncologist?
Absolutely. Dr. Kirchner believes in open communication and collaboration with medical and radiation oncologists, surgeons and other allied health professionals in order to best support patients, and to help them cope with treatment-associated toxicity & side effects.

What should I expect in a naturopathic oncology consultation?
An initial consultation lasts up to 85 minutes, in which medical history, physical exam, relevant test results, and current health status are all assessed and a treatment plan is put in place. Follow-up blood tests may be requested to look more closely at vitamin/mineral status.

The treatment plan varies for each patient but will consist of nutritional guidelines, vitamin & herb supplementation, and lifestyle changes. Patients return for follow-up sessions as needed (from 15 mins to 1 hr in duration).

The overall goal is to improve quality of life. Dr. Kirchner uses scientifically grounded, evidence-based natural cancer care to support the body’s inherent healing ability, to strengthen the immune system, and to help maintain health.

It is a ‘whole person care’ approach to cancer care that takes into account each individual’s
unique circumstances to customize treatment programs to ultimately help patients improve their quality of life (psychological, spiritual and physical), cancer outcomes, and overall health.

What is Intravenous Vitamin C?
Use of IV (intravenous) vitamin C in cancer care is growing in popularity around the world as positive research continues to accumulate and build a strong case for its effectiveness.

Recent studies have shown it to significantly reduce side effects of chemotherapy/radiation therapy (including fatigue, loss of appetite, depression, and sleep disorders). Laboratory studies have confirmed that high-dose vitamin C is cytotoxic (has a cell kill effect) to a wide variety of cancer cell lines, and that it also boosts the anti-cancer activity of several common chemotherapy drugs. References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22021693
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18678913

What is Mistletoe therapy?
Mistletoe is one of the most widely studied integrative therapies for cancer. In certain European countries, extracts made from European mistletoe are among the most prescribed therapies for cancer patients.

Laboratory studies suggest that mistletoe may support the immune system by increasing the number and activity of various types of white blood cells. Results of a few animal studies have suggested that mistletoe may be useful in decreasing the side effects of standard anti-cancer therapy, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy and may have an anti-cancer effect on certain cell types.
________________
Art image credit: Cancer Woman by Sarah Dees.

The universe inside your body: a breathtaking video

XVIVO is a scientific animation company — they created a video for Harvard University that takes cellular biology students on a journey through the microscopic world of a cell.

But anyone can be amazed by it.

It’s gorgeous and the music makes it simply astounding. Another level of the extraordinary, multi-layered universe that we usually forget about in our crazy, 24/7 lives. . .

Click here to watch it.

Or see longer version on YouTube: Click here.

Holistic Approach to Menopause Workshop: 1-4pm, Sat, April 6th

From a Naturopathic & Yogic Perspective:

A Holistic Approach to Menopause Workshop
with Katherine Willow ND & Navjit Kaur RYT
1-4pm, Saturday April 6, 2013

Fee: $60 + HST (includes handouts) – save 10%, register by March 30.

Only 20 spots available! Register online, in person or by phone (scroll to end of post).

Hot flashes? Interrupted sleep? Hormone roller coaster? Discover holistic ways to empower yourself during this important transition! For women of all ages – whether you’re at the start, middle or end of this transition, we’re here to support you and offer a holistic approach!

In this workshop you will:

• Learn about the possible symptoms of menopause for various stages and body types
• Discover holistic methods to prepare, go through and thrive with menopause
• Do yoga, meditation and breath work to support this transition
• Connect with other women for support during this transition!

No previous yoga experience necessary, beginners welcome!

TEACHERS:

Katherine Willow ND has been practicing naturopathic medicine and yoga for thirty years and loves to share the benefits! She currently directs the Carp Ridge EcoWellness Centre, sees patients and runs monthly retreats, and yes, has successfully transitioned through menopause, symptom-free!

Navjit Kaur RYT has been practicing yoga for over ten years and is the owner and director of Yoga & Tea Studio. She enjoys sharing the science and benefits of yoga and empowering women to take charge of their health and wellbeing!

Yoga & Tea Studio
211 Donald B. Munro Drive, Carp, ON

613-304-6320
www.yogaandtea.com

Movement Awareness & Integration Workshops

from Anny Rose

These workshops are designed to facilitate body awareness, transformation, and healing for yourself and/or your clients (ie, coaches or counsellors).

Rolfing can release fixations and compression in your body. . . opening new space.

These workshops can teach you how to own, maintain, and expand this space.

Learn to recognize postural patterns and movements that are causing you pain and compression.  Then learn to replace these dysfunctional habits with optimal patterns and sequences that allow you to lengthen and strengthen with your daily movement and to function easily and effortlessly.

You will learn new ways to perform everyday functions and activities like walking, standing, sitting, lying down (sleeping), and bending (gardening, dancing, yoga, etc.) that will not only lengthen your body (especially your spine), but will also protect, strengthen, and heal your bones, muscles, and connective tissue.

In order to create a new map of natural structural integrity, we will explore and incorporate  the following principles:

• Core Awareness and Strength
• Dynamic balance
• Support and Grounding
• Responsiveness and Fluidity
• Harmony with Gravity
• Integrity of Movement
• Natural Alignment

First Module:  Saturday, March 23, 10 am – 5 pm,  Cost: $100

Second Module: Saturday, March 30, 10am – 5 pm,   Cost: $100

(**You need to attend both workshops to receive all the material)

For more information or to register, call Ann at 613-795-4836

Or email her at annyrose@embodyment.org

News from Carp Farmers’ Market

Saturday Mar 30th:
Easter Market
The first event of the season will be the Easter Market, Saturday March 30, 8 am to 2 pm.

There will be 50+ vendors located in the two buildings and even a few outside. We will have a 50-50 draw and non-perishable food collection for the West Carleton Food Bank, and a free draw for a couple of Easter gift baskets loaded with items donated by our vendors.

Saturday May 11th, 8am to 1 pm:  Mothers’ Day Saturday
This marks the start of the regular season, and we hope you will join us for a celebration of mothers – a small gift for the 1st 100 moms who visit our hostess booth in the Rotunda.

Summer Season: May 11th through to October 26th, including the Garlic Festival August 10-11th

Visit www.carpfarmersmarket.com

Greetings from the underbelly: Katherine Willow’s monthly diary

It’s a Saturday evening with a last attempt at winter cold out there.  Even so, we have been tapping our friendly maples in the yard and drinking half-boiled sap as a pre-spring cleanse.  It works — my body started craving lighter foods like salad and fruit, very unlike me who lives on a high-fat, cooked diet in order to keep my emotions at bay.

I’m cooking beets for our family retreat meeting tomorrow and easing myself into writing.  It’s been an intense time, dipping further into my reservoir of trauma and coming out a little more whole.

It started several months ago when a boyfriend from 40 years ago (!) emailed that he would like to “drop by” for a visit on his way from China to Europe.  Sure, I emailed back, curious.  I didn’t notice the underlying anxiety.  And then it was the Saturday of his visit, expecting him any minute in his rented car, beside myself with nervousness, which I figured was only normal.

The visit was lovely, reminiscing, sharing philosophies we’d put together from living almost six decades apiece.  He had just remarried with a new baby and brought wedding and family pictures.  There had been no reason to be anxious.

It was only after he left that my body began to come apart at the seams, like an after-shock.  It took a full six days to even begin to feel normal again, as if I had come through colossal danger.  The damaged part in me felt unprotected and betrayed at having been put in the position of hosting a strange man overnight, alone.  And I hadn’t realized, not been aware enough, not paid attention to my inner messages, didn’t know how to manage them in any case.

This was not rational, adult behaviour but childhood terror.  My body was frozen, my chest locked into hardly being able to breath at times.  Meditations bounced off emotion and hyper-vigilant muscles refused to stretch out into yoga poses.  My mind retreated into novels, food and sudoku puzzles, dissociated from my relatively new connection with my body.  I found myself staying up late to avoid going into my bedroom.

I am amazed at the enormity of this reaction, chastened at my lack of care and listening to myself.  I’m still exhausted from the effort of continuing to function while navigating myself back to what is my normal these days — better than ever, but now I’m reminded that it’s a thin veneer.  I don’t feel the iceberg underneath because my life is geared to protect myself from these painful memories, living at a healing centre, taking care of Felix, doing what I need to do to maintain my balance.  A fragile balance. . .

The silver lining is that experiencing this healing journey first-hand helps me understand others recovering from similar pain, how difficult it is to grapple with, how it prevents living a healthy lifestyle, how it interferes with normal relationships.  Most of all, I see how this path is only possible in small steps for most of us, gradually learning inner safety, healthy self-talk, reconnecting to the body and trusting others again.  As my therapist put it, we learn to be with the terror. . .

I am extremely fortunate, blessed, somehow protected and lucky to be alive.  And as the layers slowly peel, I sense a deeper underlying purpose starting to emerge.  Not so different than what I’ve been doing, but with a power that is bigger than myself.  I believe this purpose is in all of us and that it is often trauma that leads us to uncover it as we seek to heal.

That’s about all for now.  I am going to walk Henry, my daughter’s big, gentle dog.  Coral is in Montreal with Felix and her partner, visiting her sister Sarala, my elder daughter.  It’s a welcome reason to be outside with the moon and stars and the bigger mystery.  Maybe there will even be owls; it’s their mating season and if you hoot they sometimes hoot back!

wishing you a graceful transition into early spring and kindness on your own healing path,
katherine

How do you know visceral manipulation is good for you?

by Aviva Cohen

I spent years with back pain, and I always thought I wasn’t working out enough. Meanwhile, I had eating disorders, and I was seriously backed-up. I hadn’t menstruated more than 3 times a year since I was 16 (when the eating disorders started).

I always knew something was wrong, but doctors humiliated me, prescribed Ex-Lax. Needless to say, I was an early convert to natural health care by the time I was 20. I benefited from colonic irrigation, nutritional awareness, energy work, yoga, shamanism, you name it.

I tried Arvigo techniques in Mayan abdominal massage, Thai yoga massage, acupuncture, chiropractic. . . .

And then I found visceral manipulation.

What I find amazing about visceral manipulation is that it goes to the source. All things being equal, one system alone can not cut it with overall health. However, have you ever felt someone go straight to the source of your pain, put a finger on it, and it felt good?

This was my experience with visceral manipulation. And you are a perfect candidate for VM if you experience long-term chronic digestive issues which seem to improve for a time, but then reach a healing plateau — and you never really improve further. Everything helps, but nothing really gets to the source.

The same with painful menstruations or no menstruations at all, difficulty conceiving, pain after giving birth. Or if you have acid reflux, kidney or gall stones, liver congestion and depression. Or you’re male, have an enlarged prostate and would rather not go through surgery.

My favourite: you have sugar cravings, or are hypo- or hyper-glycemic. Do you have irritable bowel syndrome? Hiatal hernia? Do you have anxiety?

Also, whenever the organs are impacted, they make us very sleepy. An unhappy organ just wants to shut us down so all our energy resources can go there. And meanwhile your back is aching and so are your hips, maybe your legs, too, and it’s difficult to breathe.

My wish for you is to know that it doesn’t have to be this way, and that there is a way out. Visceral manipulation has been around for 30 years in Europe and is only now gaining popularity in the rest of the world. Jean-Pierre Barral, the developer, has been named by Time magazine as one of the top healing innovators to watch in the 21st century.

___________________

Aviva Cohen practices Visceral Manipulation (Abdomen & Pelvis), Cranial Sacral Therapy and Healing from the Core. She would love to hear from you and what you are suffering from. You can reach her at happybodyworks@gmail.com