Inside The Polished Apple

Thank you to Margaret Kennedy, Acupuncturist with Elan Family Wellness Centre, for these words on Mindfulness for our May newsletter.  The whole world, as we have known it, our individual world has been rushing around for ages with little or NO MINDFULNESS. We have been so busy rushing around, cut off from ourselves. one another, our environment  and NATURE,  that it has affected our whole lives, our world  - negatively.    Now, a virus, something we cannot even see, has forced us  to slow down,  to isolate from “our NORM”. All our negativeness arise now, we become stressed, angry, anxious, worried,  agitated, depressed, fearful  - How to change this?    This is our time to BE MINDFUL of ourselves, our lives and our world. To CHANGE ourselves, our world. Mindfulness is being aware moment by moment of our thoughts,  emotions, where we hold our feelings in our bodies and our environment – locally and in the world. To...

Thank you to Margaret Kennedy, our Acupuncturist at Elan Family Wellness Centre, in Bowness, Calgary, for this article on SuperBrain Yoga. She will be leading classes in this in November and December.  In this day and age with so many problems we need to be grateful not only for what we have but what we are given. Our perception may have to be expanded when shown things that are “different”. Worldwide, people are grateful  to the Founder of Superbrain Yoga,  Mst. Choa Kok Sui.   With the rise worldwide  of both children and adults with various disabilities, professionals began research into Superbrain Yoga .   Parents whose children were challenged with Autism, ADD, ADHD, Depression, speech delay, compulsive disorders and behaviour problems started to use Superbrain Yoga with positive results.   The Research studies supervised by Medical Doctors showed both positive results and significant improvement in adults and children with a varie...

Welcome to the Elan family Megan! You'll be seeing her as you arrive at Elan for your chiropractic, massage or acupuncture appointment  or you may be speaking to her on the phone. We're looking forward to working with her!  A few words from Megan, "Hello, my name is Megan and I am really excited to be working at Elan Family Wellness. I moved to Calgary about 3 years ago from Saskatchewan and have been in Bowness the entire time. I have no plans of leaving either as I love the community and the people.  I am looking forward to getti ng to know more of you as time goes on. I frequent many businesses in the area, love going to local events and am now a member of the Bowness legion as well, so if you see me around please say hello as it may take me a little time to learn all your faces and names. Thank you and see you soon."

Thank you to Margaret Kennedy, Registered Acupuncturist with Elan Family Wellness Centre in Bowness, NW Calgary, on this article on the benefits of Mindfulness.  Mindfulness  is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. To be  mindful  is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing. There are many ways to practice Mindfulness and even more books that can be obtained either via the internet or library to learn more on the art of mindfulness. Some ways that mindfulness can help you: It reduces overthinking which damages the spleen meridian. It alleviates stress, improves memory, the ability to focus and improves learning. It helps one to be non-reactive to others, so that in the midst of crisis you can remain calm. It allows us to think differently, so de-stressing our lives It enhances our compassion, empathy and kindness to ourselves and others so increasing our ability to be happy. This lessens our...

For all of the women and moms out there! For all of the sacred ways that women create and mother. "She is the healer, the nurturer, the tender of the garden, the guardian of our future, the kitchen witch & magic maker, the creator, the lover, the mother...she is a woman and her work is sacred." ~Brooke Hampton.  We had these beautiful roses in the office this past week to honour our moms and the moms in our lives. A small token of the huge and sacred work that women do.  Thank you to the many women and moms out there who choose us for their chiropractic, massage and acupuncture care, and who trust us with their family wellness care. We value your trust! 

Thank you to Margaret Kennedy, Registered Acupuncturist and Reflexologist with Elan Family Wellness Centre, for these words about Mother Earth.  Men are born soft and supple; dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail. – Lao Tzu   Growth               Vision               Purpose               Anger/Benevolence The season of the Wood element is spring, when our Mother the Earth wakes from winter’s slumber and is reborn. Thus, Wood is the season of rebirth and new growth. The energy rises up and out of the ground with strong, creative force, exemplified in th...

Such a fun evening for our practice members and community members! We started the evening with a meditation with Margaret, our Acupuncturist at Elan. Lisa, Registered Massage Therapist, led us in stretches for Heart Openers-to help open up from our forward bending posture.  Next was Jodey Sharman, Registered Pyschologist, who spoke on the topic: People Pleasing... Is it OK to not be nice? Last up was myself, Dr Josephene Juell, speaking on 3 Myths about Women's Health that will SHOCK you!  We had beautiful gift bags with items donated by a number of local businesses. Thank you to Sage Traditions , Routine Cream , Rumina Naturals, Citrinity , Young Living/ Sandra Catania , Horse and Heart Connection , Naturally Unique and Dr Rob's chocolates! And of course, yummy food and drink and a photo booth.  Mizael from Real Organic Creations with samples of his raw cashew cheese.  Thank you for a wonderful ev...

Thank you to Margaret Kennedy, Acupuncturist at Elan Family Wellness Centre in Bowness, NW Calgary, for this advice on Self Care. Hello Everyone, Spring is coming, the time of year to start nurturing oneself for the coming year. What Self-Care do you make for yourself? You are in charge of your life, so choose to be kind to yourself, make the time for YOU. Value yourself – your time, set limits and priorities, make the time for what is important for YOU. Where are you going with your life? Look at all aspects of your Life: Health, Physical, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Relationships. Leisure time - fun, adventure, how do you like to spend  your  leisure time? Career/work related issues. Do you like what you do? List your likes, dislikes, ambivalent – then examine them, and eliminate those that are not necessary. Take one hour per day, quiet time for you and be by yourself – Go for a walk   Meditate Relax Have a bath with candles and music around you Fin...

We hope you can join us for FIKA in February! As part of our February Warmth Theme, we thought celebrating FIKA-the art of taking the time for a break, would be a good way to bring more warmth to your day! Once a week we will be brewing the coffee, so please join us after your Chiropractic, Massage, Acupuncture or Psychology appointment!  In honour of February, a month where we all can use more Warmth, join us for a morning or afternoon of  What is Fika? Swedes consider Fika as an essential part of the day. It is about setting aside time in the day to enjoy a cup of coffee (or tea) as well as snacks with family, friends and colleagues. We look forward to spending time and getting to know each and every one of you!

Thanks for Marguerette  Kennedy, Registered Acupuncturist at Elan Family Wellness Centre in Bowness, for this share for the New Year.  Hello Everyone, I hope that you had a very nice Christmas. Now let’s look at how YOU are going to going to look after YOUR health in 2019. Acupuncture can be the Fresh Start you need to maintain your health. Getting Acupuncture on a regular schedule can stop imbalances within your body, before they create problems in your overall health. Acupuncture works by balancing energy in the body, and correcting imbalances before they grow into a pattern of disease. Acupuncture treats health at all levels – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Each session is tailored to the individual for preventative health maintenance and treatments should be once or twice monthly. Do come visit with me to discuss your 2019 Fresh Start for YOUR health. ~ Marguerette

Elan was excited to participate in the first Courageous Self Care Festival held at Mount Royal this past weekend. It was a day dedicated to Women's Health and Self Care~more then just chocolate and bubble baths! Here's some photos of the day.  Margaret, Registered Acupuncturist, ready to offer NADA ear needling.  Christina Marlett of Courageous Self Care Kim, Elan Office Coordinator and Jodey Sharman, Registered Psychologist ready for the afternoon! 

Thank you to Marguerette, Registered Acupuncturist with Elan Family Wellness Centre in Bowness, NW Calgary, for this information on how Autumn effects our body.  AUTUMN: ELEMENT – METAL, Emotion – Grief. Autumn is the end of the growing season(summer), now is the time to clean out Old Negativity. As Nature lets go and everything goes bare, so with our life cycle, it’s time to eliminate, turns inward, rest, release what we no longer need and look at what is important in our lives.   Failure to let go, hanging onto the past and things that no longer serve us, how we can be open to a healthy future with a new vision of who we are. Grief, the emotion of the Metal element, is healthy and cleanses us of our losses. Inappropriate grieving or not grieving(holding on) results in a blocked metal energy and imbalances. Organs: COLON – Letting Go Eliminates all waste from the physical body, the mind and spiritual garbage. It releases toxicity, constipation, allowing us to see the...

Thank you to Margarette Kennedy for this information on Reflexology. She is a Registered Acupuncturist and is also offering Reflexology at Elan Family Wellness Centre.  Reflexology is an ancient art used in Asia for over 5000 years. Reflexology is a natural and drug-free way of stimulating the internal organs and increasing circulation to all organs. It works to relax the entire body and restore its functions to normal. In the feet are mirrored all of the organs of the body. Reflexology performs the following functions:- Removes waste deposits from the feet, allowing the energy to be grounded. Removes congestion and blockages from the energy pathways, allowing unobstructed flow of energy through the organism Balances polarity Improves blood circulation Normalizes organ and gland function, activating or inhibiting their performances, so improving the cooperation and coordination of organs. Relaxes the whole system, including the mind. Stress, tension and st...

What a fun month! Here's a few of the highlights!  Yum! Have you ever heard of FIKA? We thought it was something we should implement on a Saturday morning. FIKA is fancy for coffee and sweets. Conveniently, we have Sweet Home Bakery just around the corner from us. We had P.I.E. and FIKA-that means Pain Integration Experience followed by coffee and sweets.  We had a ball for Father's Day!  Elan was set up at Run Bowness. Here's Scott with MLA Deborah Drever, and a photo of our team of Margaret, McKenzie and Scott. Scott was doing on-site massage to help the runner's injuries, and Margaret was there offering advice on how Acupuncture can help those concerns.  It was a busy month! Last up in June was Patient Appreciation Day. 

Thank you to Marguerette Kennedy, Registered Acupuncturist, for this information on the Nada Protocol. Have you ever heard of the 5-Point Ear Acupuncture Technique? These 5 points calm the spirit, open connections to one’s heart, increases the ability to love oneself and others. They remind us of our will and intention to hear the positive. They help the connection with the internal self and help us to find direction in life and provide inspiration. Acupuncture is part of an ancient medical tradition that originated in China over 3,000 years ago, and is an integral part of primary health care for hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide. For most of this history, the practice of acupuncture was confined to Asia. But since the 1950's, it has been increasingly accepted in the United States, Canada and Europe as an effective, low-cost, simple, safe therapy for pain control and substance dependence. Research in the past decade has shown that acupuncture is a helpful somatic ther...

Beautiful pregnant bellies and a mix of birth support professionals-so perfect for a Friday night! We were excited to host a Birthing in Bowness night at our office to support our community of birthing moms in our little town in the city.  Look how lovely the evening turned out! It was largely in part due to support from local businesses and individuals. We had both gift bag and door prize donations, with contributions from local businesses Rumina Naturals , Routine natural deodorant , Peaceful Slumber Paediatric Sleep Solutions (Ali) , Ryder and Reece, Ellie Ears , Tuscany Hot Mama Fitness , and Young Living Essential Oils (Sandra Catania) , local doulas Emilie Sanmartin , Kate Hunter and Amanda Ernewein, and Elan 's own practitioners Lisa Chepil (Registered Massage Therapist), Sandra Catania (Holistic Reflexologist), Margaret Kennedy (Registered Acupuncturist) and myself for Prenatal and Paediatric Chiropractic care. (Links included for those with websit...

News from Marguerite Kennedy, our Registered Acupuncturist at Elan!  I have some exciting news to share with you! From April 12th to 16th I will be in Toronto attending two amazing seminars with  Dr Suzanne Robidoux . The first is Scalp Acupuncture for Neurological and Psychosomatic Disorders, and the second is Chinese Medicine for Parkinson's Disease. I'm looking forward to being able to take these opportunities to further my acupuncture skills in neurological disorders. I can't wait to share with you all the new techniques I've learned! ~Marguerette

Elan would like to welcome  Marguerette Kennedy ! Marguerette was initially trained as a State Registered Nurse in England and received a BScN from the University of Western Ontario and now is a Registered Acupuncturist in Alberta. Introduces to the Healing Arts through her parents' Healing Practice in England, she followed in their footsteps. She is trained in various Acupuncture Practices which includes her studies with world renowned Professor J.R.Worsley, in Classical 5-Element Acupuncture in Florida and then his Advance Training in England. She has since continued her Acupuncture Studies in Korean Hand Acupuncture Therapy, Post-graduate studies with the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute and Dr.Steven Aung, Non-Needle Acupuncture and Tissue Healing Techniques with Micro-Current, Japanese Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, scalp and ear Acupuncture. Marguerette says, "Each patient is unique and has the potential to heal. My Practice is to help patient...

D id you know that acupuncture can help with more than just back pain?   In fact, acupuncture can even help with burns and scars left by burns! Pain, infection control, and scars are the most important issues when it comes to burn injuries and acupuncture treatments can solve all these difficulties at once without using medication or surgical procedures. Acupuncture can remove the feeling of burning pain. Between five minutes and one hour after treatment, depending on the severity, the pain subsides. Usually patients feel the cooling effect of acupuncture needles. The acupuncture treatment (which is around 30 minutes) should be once per day until the site is dry and the scar begins to form. Eventually, the scar will fall off naturally. The major functions of acupuncture for burn care are: pain control without painkillers stimulating the body’s own healing power to generate new tissue and skin infection control without using any antibiotics not needing surgeries (ie. skin gra...

We are excited to welcome our new Acupuncturist, Dr. Stella Choi , to our family here at Elan. She will be available to see patients on Mondays and Thursdays starting Monday July 10th. Dr.Stella Choi (DTCM, R. Ac.) is a graduate from Canadian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a member of the College and Association of Acupuncturists of Alberta .  Dr.Stella is also registered nurse in South Korea and has more than 10 years of experience in Western Medicine. Combining acupuncture treatments with traditional diet therapies, Dr.Stella guides clients to discover their own potent healing power and encourages clients to develop a lifestyle that both creates and supports a healthy body that is immune to disease. Using a variety of modalities, such as acupuncture, cupping, bleeding techniques, electroacupuncture, and moxa, Dr.Stella helps clients deal with pain, insomnia, emotional issues, autoimmune conditions, weight control, burn injuries, and more.