The team at Nordic would like to thank you for your support over the past 12 months & welcome you to our first newsletter for the year. Do hope you all feel rested & refreshed to take on the joys & challenges that 2003 will bring.

We as a family bundled up the kids & headed for a white X’mas to Canada (obviously Ballarat isn't cold enough for us!). The little town of Banff in the Rockies was picture perfect with snow piled high, fairy lights & tons of holly and X’mas decorations. (Removing the snow from the driveways is like lawn mowing. To make matters worse it has to be done at 6 am). We then caught the train to Vancouver, on which we all were spoilt. The train had a live band, the kids had a carer & a carriage for activities. Even Santa made it aboard. Relaxing & looking out at the pristine of the national parks with frozen rivers, snow capped mountains, family & listening to ‘What a wonderful World’ there were some priceless moments we collected during the course of our holidays. Of course we also had moments when Ethan our 13 month old son, along with his mother (me) literally spat the dummy. Holidays are meant to be times when we get time to reflect & appreciate the little joys or gems that life hands out. However we don’t need to go to Canada or win lotto to have precious moments. We can gather them by smiling at someone, watching our kids/partners, by appreciating the weather (would love some rain though!) or even remembering something joyful in our life. Life is precious, embrace it!!!

For something practical we have enclosed wallet calendars. Do hope you like and use them.. We are frequently asked by people about our logo, and have been given many and varied explanations. The logo is left to be interpreted by the individual, and goes further to emphasize the fact that as individuals we are all different & we all have the potential to see the same thing differently. In the same way Naturopathy excites us & we love it, because it forces us to respect & treat the individual. It provides us with various tools like diet, lifestyle, supplements, herbal medicine, massage, meditation, homeopathy & gentle flower essences. However our body is a truly amazing and complex gift. It has the ability to heal itself if we listen, respect & care for it. We wish you all an excellent year. 

Dale and Jacqui

Leave cow’s milk for calves - Dairy Alternatives

Ice Cream - Tofutti, Vitari, Ice Blocks/ Fresh juice ice blocks, frozen bananas, Fruit based sorbets and gelatos

Milk - Soy Milk—Vita soy, Bon soy, Almond Milk, Rice Milk, Goat’s / Sheep Milk, Coconut Milk

Cheese - Goat’s / Sheep’s Cheese, Soy cheese, Tofutti, a range of flavours is available, Fresh Parmesan, in small amounts

Butter - Nut Spreads, almond, cashew, brazil, etc, Tahini, Homous,
Unsalted butter is better, Avocado

Yoghurt - Avoid the flavoured brands - unflavoured biodynamic—Jalna

Depression - Lets talk about it……...

What does it do: Depression takes an enormous toll on an individuals life. It affects the whole body, nervous system, moods, thoughts, behaviour, eating and sleeping patterns, the way they feel about themselves and the way they react and think about the people and things around them. Depression has been described as a black dark hole, the blues, heart-break, dejection and involutional melancholia. Perhaps the greatest cost of depression is the loss of quality of life and lost time, because when you are depressed life passes without meaning or enjoyment.

Causes of Depression: They are not fully understood but seem to be many and varied from

• Genetic factors can contribute, so know your family history. In some genetic cases this is caused by a chemical imbalance.
  
• Personality types, people who are more pessimistic or have low self esteem / prone to excess worry. Also when anger is denied & turned inward depression can set in.
  
• Environment— past & present. Abusive relationships, isolation, poverty & limited access to resources, sickness & certain drugs.
  
• The loss or non achievement of something that is very important to the individual.
  

• The sense of not being in control of ones life & destiny can lead to depression.
  
• Hormonal imbalances can lead to depression especially for women. (Learn & understand your body & cycle & appreciate the intricate role of hormones in a woman's body)
  
• Prolonged stress in any form or shape.

or excessive sleeping, fatigue, loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities, lack of concentration, indecisiveness, inappropriate guilt, hyperactive or lethargy, nervousness, suicidal tendencies, decreased sexual drive, feelings of doom/gloom, irritability & grumpiness, anxious, withdrawal from friends & social activity.

(Caution : depression can masquerade as different illnesses & symptoms vary, if in doubt see your health care professional)

What can we do: Be supportive & not critical. Try to understand the root cause, with out blaming or being judgmental. Arrange life so that pressures do not build up to intolerable levels. Learn awareness, coping & action skills. Set boundaries so the same negative patterns do not repeat themselves, introduce some fun into life .

Revaluate your lifestyle & include time for light exercise, relaxation, close & meaningful relationships & find an interest or passion in life.

Diet: Eat breakfast, and small regular meals. Snack from nutrient dense foods like nuts.

Eat more foods like Alfalfa, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, sweet potato, spinach, cabbage, potatoes, dark green vegies etc.

Fruits like bananas, strawberries, watermelon, apples, rockmelon, berries, stone fruits. Good quality protein like chicken, beef, lamb, fish, turkey, nuts, beans, tofu, eggs, shrimp, cottage cheese, yoghurt. Good oils like flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, salmon or tuna oil, sesame/sunflower/pumpkin seeds.

Avoid or reduce caffeine, refined sugars, alcohol, recreational drugs & any other stimulants.

Naturopathic Treatments: Depends on the individual it can be herbal medicine, nutritional supplements, flower essences, massage & lifestyle changes depending on symptoms & signs.

Should you require further information contact Jacqui at Nordic.

Naturopathy - Herbal Medicine, Nutrition, Massage, Iridology, Counselling, Stress management

Helping in the treatment of ailments such as anxiety, depression, asthma, stress, headaches, women's problems (PMT, Menopause), Men's problems (Prostate), digestive problems, bowel problems, immune deficiencies, etc.

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