| By Dr. Emilie Perras, Downtown Chiropractor |
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It's a longer newsletter this month - lots going on! (I'm sorry ahead for all my exclamation points but I'm excited!) And please read to the end - Catherine's 2 questions are worth thinking about!
In December, we have a goal to help others, more than we usually do! 🙂
I want to talk about 3 missions we have right now:
1 - At Oaktree we always have an ongoing MISSION OF HELPING OUR PATIENTS thrive in health and life. You cannot imagine all the stories he hear of pregnancies, healthier babies, function restored, better health, chronic pain alleviated. It is so great to see people get healthier and it inspires us more!
2 - In December, we have an EVEN BIGGER MISSION! It’s GOLD! We want to help more people who are suffering, unsure where to turn or what to do with their health challenges.
Everyone at the clinic will be given a GOLD CARD. This will give the receiver a discounted new patient exam for chiro (x-rays included if needed) or a new patient exam for acupuncture + a first acupuncture session included.
As a thank you for sending someone, you get a GOLD thank you gift! | | Please share this card with someone you know - so many people are at a loss for how to help their health. We can help! It’s our favourite time of year because we get to meet some of your friends and family (or your Uber drivers, lol)!!!
Also, many people who are already patients in chiropractic or acupuncture use the Gold card to try the other discipline. It's a great opportunity to try it out. So pass out the card, and get more if you need 😀
A special aside to any federal public servants: July 1st you finally got acupuncture in your benefit package. You can use a Gold card to get started if you're new to acupuncture! Woo hoo!
3 - Finally, in December we have a MISSION TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY. Each clinic is helping out their community in their own way.
Downtown and Orleans have an angel tree with two families sponsored. These families are in very high need for basics (winter coats, gloves, etc...) plus a few ideas for gifts for kids. You can take an angel from the tree and it tells you a need/gift for that family. Bring it back wrapped and all the gifts will be brought to them right before Christmas.
Stittsville is sponsoring the food bank to help families in need in their community. Please consider helping out!
We wish you all a very merry holiday season!
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| We asked some of the kids of Oaktree what they like about the clinic, and what they think chiropractic adjustments do! Watch to find out, and see some cute answers :) |
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| | | By Dr. Vanessa Jalbert-Caputo, Downtown Chiropractor | As a chiropractor, looking to the spine can tell us a lot about a patient’s overall health and pressure being put on the nervous system. Every spine is different, and some are worse than others. Sometimes we see abnormal curves that have developed over time, some of them being diagnosed as scoliosis.
When a patient is diagnosed with scoliosis, a common question we get asked is “Can this be corrected?". Unfortunately, once someone reaches adulthood there is only so much structural correction that can be done. A big part of treatment and goals with scoliosis is prevention. Preventing the curves from getting worse along with making sure the spine is mobile, not allowing stressors to build up and cause more damage within the spine and nervous system.
This particular patient that I would like to share has seen some great results thus far! We worked on balancing out her pelvis and center her spine as much as possible since she had a significant lean to the left side. Because of this, it was putting even more stress on her body. Now she functions so much better, even if we could not 100% correct her spine. |
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The X-ray on the left was taken on her first visit. As mentioned there is a significant lean to the left.
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The X-ray on the right is after 12 months where we can see her spine is closer to the center and her pelvis is balanced. She no longer has left sided hip pain, has more ability when doing yoga and working out, she has more energy throughout the day and is sleeping much better! What a win!! | |
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Two End-of-Year Questions! | By Catherine Collier, Stittsville Acupuncturist | As the year ends, it is a beneficial time to reflect on the year that has come and gone. Last year, on New Year’s Eve, I used Jay Shetty's "7 powerful questions to successfully reflect on 2022". You can find details about his full list of questions here.
While answering these, it gave me space to relish in the joys that occurred throughout the year, and it provided me a clear view of areas that I felt needed more of my attention for 2023. There are a couple of his questions I wanted to share my reflections on with you as we head into a festive season.
The first question was: What is something you bought this year?
Shetty elaborated on the importance of how and where we spend our money, and how it can be an important reflection to review our “investments”. When I was answering this question, I genuinely struggled to find something I spent my money on, besides day-to-day living. As a naturally frugal person, and someone with mall anxiety, I really didn’t purchase much. What I did realize was that previously throughout my life, I did spend my money on various appointments dedicated to self-care – mind, body and spirit.
In 2022, I didn’t spend any money on this, at all. To me, in the realm of self-care I include a variety of things. Some as simple as a haircut (my patients can attest that my hair is naturally a little unruly); others include perhaps more meaningful contributions to care like energy healers, acupuncture, health retreats, massage etc.
So, in 2023, I set myself on a quest to reclaim my self-care. Although still unruly, I did finally get a haircut. I went away for a retreat weekend with my partner. I saw an osteopath, a shaman, and sought regular acupuncture treatments, to name a few. To me, spending money on this sort of thing really is invaluable, and I feel better for it. I hope that you confidently can look back (and forward!) on the investment you’ve made for yourself by choosing treatments with Oaktree. | | While my intention of this reflection is for self-care, I also know that when we are caring for ourselves, we are more present, calm and intentional for those around us. Many of us at Oaktree have had patients who have thanked us on behalf of their family/friends for the benefits of their treatments. One particular story that comes to mind was when my patient's husband asked her to thank me for helping to get her libido back! While I was pleased for both about the results of her treatment, she is the one who invested her time and money seeking treatment, and sticking with it had benefits that surpassed her chief complaint of “stress”.
The second question I want to highlight is: What made you the happiest this year?
While there are many things that I feel happy and grateful for, I want to elaborate on one aspect of my answer. Some of you know from my bio, or from talking with me that I used to work at a job that was very unfulfilling to me. I had the classic golden handcuffs (not a pretty festive kind!) – a great salary, a secure retirement plan, all the paid sick days that one may need.
I was miserable.
One of the intake questions I typically ask when I meet a new patient is “do you like your job?”. The reason I ask goes far beyond getting to know you. For me, when I was unhappy and stuck, I was also sick. I had headaches and body pains. My sleep was disrupted. Even though I sat at a desk all day, I’d come home exhausted. When I finally took the leap and quit my job to pursue acupuncture full time, I feel like I haven’t worked a day since. Don’t get me wrong, there are days I still arrive home tired, or days where we are discussing difficult topics that are heart wrenching and leave me feeling emotional. But when I looked back on my year to answer what was one of the things that made me happiest, it was YOU!
I could not be more grateful to do what I do every day. To talk with you, to get to know you. I am privileged to practice this medicine. I am grateful that you have entrusted yourself to my care. I truly am happy to go to work every day and spend our time together. As our final newsletter of the year, I want to express my overwhelming gratitude that we have connected!
As I have done a poor job linking this long-winded message to Oaktree's annual holiday GOLD theme, I googled quotes about gold. This one I found by an author named John Gardner which stood out. He said, “My advice to you...is to seek out gold and sit on it!” I can assure you, in working with all of you through Oaktree, I have done just that.
And finally, to all of you, THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for contributing to my happiness this year.
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Acupuncture Throughout Pregnancy | By Veronique Savoie, Downtown and Orleans Acupuncturist | Did you know that acupuncture throughout your pregnancy can be beneficial? And how, you ask? Receiving regular acupuncture treatments before giving birth has been shown to reduce labour time, minimize the need for artificial oxytocin, aid in cervical ripening, decrease perception of pain, diminish stress, and help with postpartum recovery. Patients report decreased need for epidurals and statistics show decreased need for cesareans, as well as increased spontaneous vaginal delivery. Depending on where you’re at in your pregnancy journey, we will shift the focus on what is most needed at that time. We might address health concerns from a TCM perspective, treat any musculo-skeletal tension, boost endorphin production, bring down stress, focus on softening the cervix, stimulate contractions and help descend the baby. Ideally we would see you throughout your pregnancy, but even just a few treatments in the last few weeks before labour has been shown to improve the birthing experience. | | Veronique Savoie RAc has recently taken an intense prenatal focused course by Rebecca Bergeron RAc and Doula, and she is ready to share some of the techniques and introduce new protocols to our Oaktree patients. If you have any questions regarding your pregnancy and acupuncture feel free to contact us and we can set up a complimentary Q&A session with our Acupuncturist. If you are ready to dive in and book your first appointment you can either go online or contact us over the phone! |
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