Research/ change agents - Children's Emotional Well-Being
We are passionate about being proactive when it comes to children’s mental health. We have become accustomed to waiting for symptoms for our physical and mental health. We know much more than ever that children can learn strategies at a very young age and have them for life.
This page provides links to evidence based research and studies specific to child and youth mental health.
Jon Kabat-Zinn is an American professor emeritus of medicine and the creator of the 'Stress Reduction Clinic' and the 'Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society. A compilation of his research is included in this blog post.
We are passionate about being proactive when it comes to children’s mental health. We have become accustomed to waiting for symptoms for our physical and mental health. We know much more than ever that children can learn strategies at a very young age and have them for life.
This page provides links to evidence based research and change-agents with expertise in child and youth mental health.
Simon Sinek Millennials in the Workplace Video Interview
“Simon Sinek is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Simon has devoted his life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and return home fulfilled at the end of the day. Every day is an opportunity to inspire someone.”
Wait Until 8th
The Wait Until 8th pledge empowers parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least 8th grade. Banding together helps decrease the pressure to have a phone at an early age. Ten years old is the average age children get their first smartphone and the negative impacts are clear.
More than 50,000 parents have said yes to waiting on the smartphone for their families. Why we should wait, resources, research, smartphone alternatives and more are found on this site.
Science Daily - New Treatment For Childhood Anxiety Works by Changing Parent Behavior
Excerpt … click above for full article. “A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), published by Elsevier, reports that an entirely parent-based treatment, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), is as efficacious as individual cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders.”
Boston University: Moms Using Mobile Devices During Mealtime Interact Less With Children
According to the researchers, nonverbal interactions are a primary mode through which emotional content is communicated between parents and children, so its frequent displacement could represent a significant decrease in emotional connection. “We theorize that mobile device use was associated with a decreased number of maternal verbal and nonverbal interactions through decreased awareness of the child’s social cues while the mother’s gaze and/or attention was directed at a device,” explained corresponding author Jenny Radesky, MD, clinical instructor in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at BUSM and a former fellow in pediatrics at Boston Medical Center.
ResearchGate - Jon Kabat-Zinn's Research While Affiliated With University of Massachusetts Medical School and Other Places
Jon Kabat-Zinn is an American professor emeritus of medicine and the creator of the 'Stress Reduction Clinic' and the 'Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society. This is a compilation of his research.
What Does the Research Say? Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
The benefits of social and emotional learning (SEL) are well-researched, with evidence demonstrating that an education that promotes SEL yields positive outcomes for students, adults, and school communities.
The findings come from hundreds of independent studies across multiple fields and sources that show SEL leads to beneficial outcomes related to: social and emotional skills, academic performance, mental wellness, healthy behaviors, school climate and safety, and lifetime outcomes.
CAMH Research Impact Report 2019
Excerpt.. Click above for the full report. “Compared with 15 years ago, there is now widespread public understanding that young people can experience depression and other mental illnesses, and that addressing mental health early is key, says Dr. Peter Szatmari. It has been shown that half of all cases of mental illness begin by age 14. Intervening in childhood and adolescence may prevent mental illness or lessen its impacts over a person’s lifetime.”
Children’s Mental Health Quarterly - Prevention: Reaching More Kids
Excerpt “ne of the most effective ways to help children and youth is to reach them with prevention efforts before mental disorders develop. Yet to build prevention capacity and to reach more young people, approaches are needed that do not rely solely on direct provision by practitioners. We therefore aimed to identify effective self-directed prevention programs.”
Children’s Healthcare Canada - Child and Youth Mental Health
Excerpt… Click above for the full document “Research conducted by SickKids (2021) involving 350 children and youth reveals that over 70 per cent reported the pandemic had evoked symptoms of depression, anxiety, irritability, reduced attention span, hyperactivity, or obsessions. Among children identifying as visible minorities, almost 28 per cent reported poor mental health symptoms, and 30 per cent experienced symptoms consistent with “moderate” or “severe” generalized anxiety disorder.”
Child and Youth Mental Health in Canada - Library of Parliament Research Publications
Excerpt … Click above for reference “This Background Paper briefly examines current mental health issues faced by young people in Canada, highlights the role of the federal government in addressing these challenges and describes some recent federal initiatives and investments.”
SickKids Releases New Research on How COVID-19 Pandemic has Impacted Child and Youth Mental, Physical Health
Excerpt … Click above for full document “While the COVID-19 pandemic has occurred in a series of waves, the heightened levels of depression and anxiety among children and youth seen at the start of the pandemic has remained consistent. This is one of many new preliminary findings from the ongoing COVID-19 mental health study led by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Taken together, the latest findings demonstrate a serious, sustained negative impact on the mental health of Ontario children, youth and their families.”
Simon Fraser University Children’s Mental Health Quarterly - Children’s Mental Health, the Numbers and the Needs
Excerpt … Click above for full volume Spring 2022. “How many children are affected by mental disorders? What are the most common disorders that children face? And what is the impact of these disorders? We address these and other questions in this overview.”
National Library of Medicine … The Importance of Early Bonding on the Long-Term Mental Health and Resilience of Children
Excerpt… Click above for full journal article “The evidence on the powerful role of loving nurture in the emotional, social and cognitive development of children is powerful. Parenting is therefore more important than we could ever have imagined.”
BMC Psychology - Mindfulness in Primary School Children as a Route to Enhanced Life Satisfaction, Positive Outlook and Effective Emotion Regulation
Excerpt … Click above for full research article. “Taken together, this study provides preliminary evidence that the Living Mindfully Primary Programme is feasibly delivered by school staff, enjoyed by the children and may significantly improve particular components of wellbeing. Importantly, higher levels of mindfulness as a result of training may be related to effective emotional regulatory and cognitive reappraisal strategies.”
MINDFULNESS GOES TO SCHOOL: THINGS LEARNED (SO FAR) FROM RESEARCH AND REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCES
Excerpt … Click above for full research article. “Limited research with youth has shown promise for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based programs in schools to improve attention and executive functioning, bolster social-emotional resiliencies, and help teachers and students manage school-related stressors. Many schools have begun to integrate these programs into their curricula…”
The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Childhood Anxiety | Literature Review
We are at the core of an anxiety epidemic (Russell, 2014), with roughly 4.4 million (7.1%) of the world’s children diagnosed with anxiety, an increase from 5.5% in 2007 and 6.4% in 2012 (CDC, 2020). This phenomenon is on the rise. Additionally, one-third (37.9%) of children aged 3-17 diagnosed with anxiety have also been diagnosed with behaviour problems or depression (32.3%). Anxiety disorders, such as social phobia, separation anxiety, and generalized anxiety, are among the most common mental health affliction present in children (CDC, 2020; Elseviere, 2020; Polanczyk et al., 2015), often emerging before they reach eleven (CDC, 2020; Kesler et al., 2005; Reardon et al.,2018). Additionally, many children go undiagnosed (Russell, 2014), and only 59.3% of children aged 3-17 formally diagnosed with anxiety received treatment (CDC, 2020; Reardon et al., 2018). Childhood anxiety is distressful for both children and their families (Elsevier, 2020) and without early intervention and effective resources, anxiety will follow children into adulthood (Copeland et al., 2014), often resulting in adverse outcomes coupled with the related financial burden toll on society (Reardon et al., 2018). Therefore, it is essential, now more than ever, to develop resources for parents, teachers, and the like to assist in supporting anxious children (Klein, 2009). The evidence says it is important to speak openly about the realities of anxiety and educate children on how to tolerate anxiety to learn they can manage their anticipatory fears (Goldstein, n.d.). Children turn to their parents for support and guidance in managing things that scare them (Elsevier, 2020), and the modern contemporary parent will seek resources to help them (Russell, 2014). Literature can provide techniques for facing anxiety is a practical, enjoyable way for guardians looking to teach their anxious children how to cope with life’s struggles. The act of reading out loud with children can be soothing for anxious children (Barr, 2020), and when a guardian is involved in the healing process, it leads to more robust skill development (Brendel, 2011). The content of literature can provide children with the vocabulary and self-awareness needed to understand and express themselves in an otherwise tricky circumstance (Barr, 2020). Ultimately, developing a series of children’s books that offer evidence-based approaches to coping with everyday situations known to cause anxiety in children would be beneficial for children, guardians, and society.
References
Barr, A. (2020, October 29). How Reading Aloud Can Help Children with Anxiety. Demme Learning. https://demmelearning.com/reading-aloud-children-anxiety.
Brendel, K. E. (2011). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of child-parent interventions for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders (Order No. 3454900). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (871109324). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ledproxy2.uwindsor.ca/dissertations-theses/systematic-review-meta-analysis-effectiveness/docview/871109324/se-2?accountid=14789
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020, June 15). Data and Statistics on Children's Mental Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html.
Copeland, W. E., Angold, A., Shanahan, L., & Costello, E. J. (2014). Longitudinal patterns of anxiety from childhood to adulthood: The great smoky mountains study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 53(1), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2013.09.017
Elsevier. (2020, April 2). New treatment for childhood anxiety works by changing parent behavior. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 12, 2021 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200402110133.htm
Goldstein, C. (n.d.). What to Do (and Not Do) When Children Are Anxious. Child Mind Institute.
Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity of 12-Month DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62(6):617–627. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.617
Klein, R. (2009). Anxiety disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(1‐2), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02061.x
Polanczyk, G., Salum, G., Sugaya, L., Caye, A., & Rohde, L. (2015). Annual research review: A meta-analysis of the worldwide prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(3), 345–365. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12381
Reardon, T., Spence, S., Hesse, J., Shakir, A., & Creswell, C. (2018). Identifying children with anxiety disorders using brief versions of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale for children, parents, and teachers. Psychological Assessment, 30(10), 1342–1355. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000570
Russell, A. (2014, december 16). Today’s children struggle with major anxiety [ Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEyWsa-mblc
Current Opinion in Pediatrics - Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Adolescent Health
Excerpt “Research has shown positive effects of mindfulness across several health conditions commonly encountered during adolescence. Mindfulness-based Interventions can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.”
Some Bursaries and Awards For KDHS Grads Had No Applicants Last Year
If you know of a student graduating in June, please read on!
There are over 130 scholarships and/or bursaries available in our community alone that range from $300 to $10,000.
Thousands of dollars go unawarded every year. It’s more than worth the time to look at all the options as things have changed in recent years. Essays are not always required. Some allow submissions which include video, audio, podcast or artistic representations. Reference letters are also not required by many.
Specific details about each application are posted for the grade 12s in the Greater Essex County District School Board’s Edsby folder titled “Scholarship Applications 2022/23.” Deadlines for applications begin mid-April.
There are applications for students who are pursuing studies in horticulture, health care, food service or hospitality, entering law or emergency service, science, history, public relations, civics, technology, engineering, math, criminology, law, agriculture, border services, education, business and more.
I hope this article that I wrote brings light to unclaimed funding for graduating students not only in the town of Kingsville but provincially. It was published by The Kingsville Times
If you know of a student graduating in June, please read on! There are over 130 scholarships and/or bursaries available in our community alone that range from $300 to $10,000.
Thousands of dollars go unawarded every year. It’s more than worth the time to look at all the options as things have changed in recent years. Essays are not always required. Some allow submissions which include video, audio, podcast or artistic representations. Reference letters are also not required by many.
Specific details about each application are posted for the grade 12s in the Greater Essex County District School Board’s Edsby folder titled “Scholarship Applications 2022/23.” Deadlines for applications begin mid-April.
There are applications for students who are pursuing studies in horticulture, health care, food service or hospitality, entering law or emergency service, science, history, public relations, civics, technology, engineering, math, criminology, law, agriculture, border services, education, business and more.
Students do not always need to have an academic standing to apply for many scholarships or awards. Some are based on other factors such as:
Having a financial need
Exemplifying kindness, compassion, optimism and living each day to its fullest
Achieving a level of excellence in Drama
Having overall involvement in KDHS including music and sports
Consistently displaying exemplary citizenship (and does not have to be going to college or university)
Having overcome personal challenges (physical health or emotional health)
Having experienced the impact of cancer either personally or within his/her immediate family
Being a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident of Canada diagnosed with Crohn’s or Colitis
Having a learning disability
Being of African descent
There are many more memorial awards to review as well as those from the Town of Kingsville and financial institutions.
Community organizations such as the Rotary Clubs of Cottam, Harrow and Kingsville, The Royal Canadian Legion, Knights of Columbus, the Optimist Club, Kingsville Horticultural Society, COPPS for Charity, local businesses and churches are also very generous in supporting our graduating students.
Additional options are posted on the Board’s website.
As a community, Kingsville thanks every local organization that supports the future of our students by opening doors to funding opportunities.
This would also not be possible without the dedication of the K.D.H.S. staff. A special thank you to our senior secretary, Madeleine Kirzinger for sharing this information.
Taking a Proactive Approach to Children's Emotional Well-Being
What’s working? What’s not? I’m throwing out one theory of my own. We act when we recognize symptoms in our children. When something seems “off”, we seek help. We’ve got it backward! We do the same thing when we make an appointment with our doctor – we’ve had an illness or injury and a reason to call! We’ve become accustomed to being responsive rather than proactive with all aspects of our health.
This world is more complex than ever. Our growing number of struggling children demands an urgent response. How can we, as adults, understand and be able to provide what the children of today need for their own emotional well-being when we weren’t raised with the challenges they now face? I’m suggesting we need to seek out resources and learn for ourselves so we can model for our children. The first step is to admit that we need help to do this.
I’ve seen early years and primary classrooms practice mindfulness or yoga activities daily, children who understand and embrace closing their eyes and breathing to calm their minds and bodies.
As a parent of an adult child who lived with, and has learned to cope with what was once debilitating anxiety, trust me, it’s not a place you can even imagine being in. When our children are born, we have nothing but dreams for them. As they begin to struggle, we blame ourselves and question what we could have done differently. We can’t turn back time, but we can help others learn from our experiences and theirs.
"In 2019, 301 million people were living with an anxiety disorder including 58 million children and adolescents … Symptoms are severe enough to result in significant distress or significant impairment in functioning." (1)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030 based on the predecessor of 2005. Yet, many countries do not have a national action plan that can be implemented, measured for success, and revised. How powerful it would be to have programs and services that are researched, evidence-based, and consistently supported throughout a country, from state to state or province to province.
We don't need to reinvent the wheel but learn and adopt aspects of what is working elsewhere. Thankfully, we do have countries in the world with national policies in place for children. There are many, but I'll cite two. Australia has Headspace, a National Youth Mental Health Foundation that provides early intervention mental health services to 12-25-year-olds. It includes online and phone counseling services, vocational services, and presence in schools. Ireland has Jigsaw which can be seen in session rooms, classrooms, lecture halls, on sports grounds, workplaces, homes and more, both physically and digitally. What do these two models have in common? From my perspective, they are available across the whole country, integrated and working well beyond the restricted umbrella of “The Ministry of Health”.
What’s working? What’s not? I’m throwing out one theory of my own. We act when we recognize symptoms in our children. Early Intervention is engrained in our minds, and so it should be. When something seems “off”, we seek help. We’ve got it backward! We do the same thing when we make an appointment with our doctor – we have an illness or injury and a reason to call! We’ve become accustomed to being responsive rather than proactive with all aspects of our health.
This world is more complex than ever. Our growing number of struggling children demands an urgent response. How can we, as adults, understand and be able to provide what the children of today need for their own emotional well-being when we weren’t raised with the challenges they now face? I’m suggesting we need to seek out resources and learn for ourselves so we can model for our children. The first step is to admit that we need help to do this.
I’ve seen early years and primary classrooms practice mindfulness or yoga activities daily, children who understand and embrace closing their eyes and breathing to calm their minds and bodies.
I walk daily, where my thoughts become clear, and I am totally present in nature. One cold snowy day, I stopped and called my niece Amber Raymond (a studying social worker at that time) and threw some crazy ideas at her. I then excitedly asked her if she would like to write a children’s book series with me. She jumped right in and so it began!
We’ve taken evidence-based strategies that clinicians use to support struggling teens and adults and simplified them to create children’s books as teaching tools. In each of the books we’ve titled, The Power of Thought, we beam children away to a fictitious planet where childlike beings glow in the colour they are feeling. They haven’t learned to recognize or deal with their emotions yet. A conflict is introduced that any child can relate to and by the end of the book, the situation has been resolved using a fun, step-by-step process. Imagine children learning to integrate these strategies into their own daily practice while they are still sponges, soaking everything up around them! We’re developing a resource package for parents and educators.
Taking the Helm, the podcast I’ve been hosting for three years is shifting its focus to children’s emotional well-being. Our guests are going to help us all flip to a proactive state of mind. What’s working out there? What can we do to PREVENT our children from developing symptoms of anxiety or depression? I can’t wait to learn from and with them.
Our focus is now crystal clear. We're passionate about reaching children before they finish the primary grades. Tools, strategies and a positive mindset can only serve them well. It’s a piece of this very complex puzzle but a critical one.
The icing on the cake? Learning to be proactive for our kids gives us tools that we can begin to use for ourselves. I for one, have learned so much while writing with my niece, including self-compassion. Imagine a world where children learn to embrace their emotions at a young age, are self-confident, empathetic, can self-regulate, and develop strong social and problem-solving skills! Our children are the future – our future.
(1) Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Global Health Data Exchange (GHDx),
Would the Life Story of a Parent or Grandparent Change Your Perspective?
Just about a year ago, I spoke to my father (then 82 years of age) about a writing platform I had discovered called StoryWorth. He had mentioned after I published my last book that he had written a great deal during his life but never did anything about it. Over the years he had told many stories to us but they were never recorded in any way, only engrained in our memories.
11 months later, at our family Christmas, the book he had finished writing titled, “Pappa Pete, My Journey” became a Christmas gift for the family. It was a moment in time I’ll never forget and I don’t think it would have been possible without StoryWorth.
StoryWorth is the easiest way to record family stories and print them in beautiful hardcover books. I became his “partner” and every week sent him a question to respond to. I took on the editor hat and everything flowed beautifully. We searched for photos and easily added them into the chapters. When my father needed a break, we paused the questions. Dad simply replied with his story via email or the website, and at the end of a year, it became his book.
My father was a child in Scotland and recalls hiding in the bomb shelters. His recollections of the family emigrating to Canada, his teenage years, shenanigans, triumphs and tragedies are a treasure for each of us now. My daughter said, “I’m so happy he shared his journey! I will cherish it forever and loved hearing his story!”
This was the perfect gift and we kept it a secret between us for almost a full year (other than my husband). I learned so much about him and my ancestors. Of course, some of his memories differ from mine. We see things from different perspectives as children. How fascinating it was to have these regular conversations with him over the year. This will now be an heirloom for generations.
On a side note, I wish I had thought of creating such a program myself! It’s user-friendly, holds every entry, allows edits at any time, has a question bank you can use (or you can write your own), and support is readily available.
In today’s world, our grandchildren won’t even have handwritten letters to hold on to for memories. Don’t hesitate to capture the life stories of the people you love by beginning the conversation. There is nothing more magical than seeing them hold their own book in their hands, knowing that generations to come will walk in their shoes.
Just about a year ago, I spoke to my father (then 82 years of age) about a writing platform I had discovered called StoryWorth. He had mentioned after I published my last book that he had written a great deal during his life but never did anything about it. Over the years he had told many stories to us but they were never recorded in any way, only engrained in our memories.
11 months later, at our family Christmas, the book he had finished writing titled, “Pappa Pete, My Journey” became a Christmas gift for the family. It was a moment in time I’ll never forget and I don’t think it would have been possible without StoryWorth.
StoryWorth is the easiest way to record family stories and print them in beautiful hardcover books. I became his “partner” and every week sent him a question to respond to. I took on the editor hat and everything flowed beautifully. We searched for photos and easily added them into the chapters. When my father needed a break, we paused the questions. Dad simply replied with his story via email or the website, and at the end of a year, it became his book.
My father was a child in Scotland and recalls hiding in the bomb shelters. His recollections of the family emigrating to Canada, his teenage years, shenanigans, triumphs and tragedies are a treasure for each of us now. My daughter said, “I’m so happy he shared his journey! I will cherish it forever and loved hearing his story!”
This was the perfect gift and we kept it a secret between us for almost a full year (other than my husband). I learned so much about him and my ancestors. Of course, some of his memories differ from mine. Everyone sees things from different perspectives and our memories cloud over time. How fascinating it was to have these regular conversations with him over the year. This will now be an heirloom for generations.
On a side note, I wish I had thought of creating such a program myself! It’s user-friendly, holds every entry, allows edits at any time, has a question bank you can use (or you can write your own), and support is readily available.
In today’s world, our grandchildren won’t even have handwritten letters to hold on to for memories. Don’t hesitate to capture the life stories of the people you love by beginning the conversation. There is nothing more magical than seeing them hold their own book in their hands, knowing that generations to come can take a walk in their shoes.
TRANSCRIPT OF MARGARET WALLIS-DUFFY | WHAT'S NEW IN YOUR PREVENTATIVE TOOLBOX? BECOME THE CEO OF YOUR OWN HEALTH
Margaret Wallace Duffy has been through a lot in her life. She was a competitive gymnast as a child and was in and out of the hospital for years with severe abdominal pain. She was finally diagnosed with endometriosis in her early 20s and has since had ten surgeries. She is now an advocate for preventative medicine and empowering people to be proactive about their health.
For a full transcript go to: https://lynnmclaughlin.com/blog-list/margaret-wallis-duffy-transcript
Margaret is the founder of Wallace for Wellness, an integrative health clinic, an award-winning business owner, author, and integrative health practitioner. She has over 30 years of experience in the health and wellness industry and is passionate about empowering people to take control of their health.
If you're looking for a way to take control of your health and become the CEO of your own body, then this episode is for you. We'll go through the steps you need to take to achieve optimal health.
Key points of this powerful conversation:
💥 The importance of being proactive about one's health, rather than reactive
💥 Becoming a strong advocate for one's own health and well-being in a complex health care system
💥 What you can have in your own toolbox including access to new bone-scan technology and more!
[MUSIC INTRO 00:00:04]
Are you facing a crisis in your life or business? It's time to steer yourself in the right direction through the real experiences, passion and courage of our guests. We're taking the helm with your host, Lynn McLaughlin.
[00:00:20]
Hello to you and thanks again for joining us as we take the helm today, we're going to become the CEO of our own health with our guest, Margaret Wallace Duffy. I am beyond excited to be talking about health in a proactive way as opposed to a reactive way, which is what we've all been trained to do, haven't we? Margaret has been in business for over 30 years. She is going to introduce us to some new home health monitoring technology that is new and approved by Health Canada so that we can move ourselves into a proactive place. If I knew when I was 20 years old what healthcare challenges I might be having now or later in my life, would I have done things differently?
[00:01:00]
I think so. Margaret's going to take us to a place where we can be proactive. Margaret, we have so much to talk about. I really don't know how we're going to do it in half an hour. You know what?
[00:01:10]
I'm so excited to be here, and if we can't get it all in, I can come back. That's right. That's fantastic. I want to start by thanking Marilyn Farnworth. She's a previous guest on Taking the Home.
[00:01:19]
She's also the person I've been going to take yoga in the pool classes with here in Kingston, Ontario. She's very active and very fit, and she is the one who connected the two of us. So. Thank you, Marilyn. I know you're listening because you listen to every single episode every time it's published.
[00:01:34]
All right, let's jump into it because, Margaret, when you told me your story, it's not even the right word. Journey is not right the word. I don't know what we're going to find it here, but when you told your story of illness from childhood all the way through into your adult years, we got to go back to that time so everybody can understand why you're doing the proactive things and becoming the CEO of your Own Health today. Sharing my story is something I'm very passionate about. It really was a gift.
[00:02:01]
I didn't know it at the time, but it really was the foundation that set my career going from a very young age as a very young girl. I was a competitive gymnast. I have amazing parents. I'm an only child. And I went for years undiagnosed, in and out of hospitals with severe abdominal pain, distension in my belly, and I was labeled everything from a drug seeking teen to a hypersensitive only child to a competitive athlete with a nervous stomach. And thank heavens for incredible parents like I had. They continued to advocate for me because they knew it wasn't in my head. They knew there was something wrong. But here's the thing. Lynn I didn't look like my story.
[00:02:44]
I didn't look like the picture that I was projecting or saying that I had. And that's because my disease was internal and it was severe. And it wasn't until university, three years in a row, that I ended up in hospital. I mean, I was in hospital more than out for a good part of my teen years and even into my mid 20s, until I finally said, I'm not leaving this hospital until you find out what's wrong with me. There's something wrong.
When I was diagnosed with very severe endometriosis where there were lesions on my bowel, there was a lesion on my lung that caused a lung collapse. I've had four bowel obstructions as a result of this ten surgeries. When I finally got married and was hoping to get pregnant, it's a major cause of infertility. I had many surgeries before I could have my first child. Hormonally I've been through a lot and what I knew from this really difficult journey, and since then, even since after a diagnosis, I went through menopause.
At the age of 39, I had a fecal transplant. Yeah, a poop transplant, because I had C. Difficile, a hospital borne infection that almost killed me, yet I had a poop transplant to save my life. Here's what I know from my journey and why I'm so passionate about preventative and integrative health, and that's this if it wasn't for conventional medicine, I wouldn't be speaking to you. I'm a science geek.
[00:04:09]
I needed to have surgery when I needed it. But equally, and is profoundly true, if it wasn't for complementary medicine notice I didn't say alternative medicine, because I don't. Let'S talk about that in a minute. Yeah, it wasn't for complementary medicine, I wouldn't be speaking to you either. And so it sparked a spark in my belly that fired me up to want to bring an integrative preventative health clinic to the world long before the world was ready for it.
Because 30 years ago, as a massage therapist, massage therapy wasn't even in the consciousness of most people. I mean, I wouldn't hang my postgraduate diploma, my undergrads in kinesiology, because it said masseuse. I didn't see myself as a masseuse. I saw myself as a preventative health practitioner that was going to change the health and well being physically and emotionally of the people I had the honor of treating. I've earned that respect over the course of the last 30 years.
[00:05:09]
And I've built and I'm sure we'll talk about that wallace for Wellness, an award winning integrative health clinic. But it came from my story, which I feel has given me the experience, the skills, and the ability to be able to educate and empower people to get into the driver's seat of their health and become the CEO of it. Okay, we have a lot to unpack. I want to go back just a little bit because it's a very important piece I think about the diagnosis of endometriosis. So what tools are used right now if someone is experiencing symptoms and you can all look them up online or meet with Mark to find out what that was like.
[00:05:45]
But what diagnostic tools are physicians using to get to that diagnosis now? Well, that's a very interesting question. It's kind of timely because do you know, Lynn, sadly, 30 years, almost 30 years later, just last year, just last year, was there a national strategy put together for endometriosis? For years, women have been suffering and continue to to this day. I went undiagnosed for so long because my ultrasounds were normal, because I didn't always present showing and I had significant disease.
And it wasn't until they went in laparoscopically and could see it for themselves. It's also about training physicians to what to look for. They used to call it chocolate cysts and be looking for these dark blood type lesions where I had pigmented lesions. So even when they did go in, they didn't see them, they didn't know what to look for. I'll be candid, I don't know all the latest and greatest what the new strategy is.
[00:06:41]
I just found out about it. In fact, I got a call from my mom who was in tears saying, turn on the television. You're not the biggest newscast. Tears streaming down both of our faces as we watched the television. And I feel like I had some part in that because I've been an advocate for years, not just in endometriosis, but in preventative medicine and empowering people to be accountable for their health and to be listened to.
They have more technology now, ultrasounds, laparoscopics, therapeutics, the importance of nutrition and diet, the importance of exercise, the importance of mental health and how that connects to chronic pain that I was experiencing. I pushed myself, Lynn, as a young girl, an ambitious girl, an athlete. I was told everything was in my head. So I push, push, push, push, push. Which made me sicker.
[00:07:30]
Sure did. Right now, if we're listening and we're empowering people with a whole toolbox of tools, whether it's endometriosis or any other chronic disease, we have more knowledge now to support people, to prevent disease from progressing, to manage disease when it's here, and even to cope with disease when you have it so you can feel the best you can. That's what I love about what I do. Whether you're going through cancer, whether you've had a brain tumor, whether you're having mental health issues, even when we're sick, we deserve to live as well as we can by being supported by all kinds of measures that support our mental, physical, emotional, spiritual. Wellbeing, all right.
[00:08:13]
So the second thing I wanted to unpack from your introduction, because even we're just going to keep going on is the advocacy piece. When you were in the hospital and said, I am not leaving, I hate to say it, and I don't want to put any more pressure on medical practitioners right now or emergency rooms. There's a big push in Ontario and in many municipalities to have nurse practitioner clinics more expanded, which takes away some of that pressure. But we're still in a responsive, reactive state, right? We are getting our tests when we get those letters from the Ministry of Health saying, it's time for your PAP smear, it's time for your mammogram, it's time for your colonoscopy.
What we're trying to do, Margaret, and I'm so thrilled about this, is how do we find out about these possible diagnoses much, much sooner in our lives, right? How do I find out that maybe I was predisposed to a brain tumor? I don't know. I'm going off on a tangent. But it is about stepping it back.
[00:09:07]
If you could have found out when you were ten years old that you had endometriosis and then maybe that would be a little bit young in most people's eyes, think about the trajectory of your life that you could have changed. You know, it's a very big point and this is a very big discussion, and it's not I'm passionate about this. I could talk and I talked to everyday people about this. I talked to a radiologist about this week in a program that I'm offering right now on bone health. I'll talk to anybody who will listen.
But here's the biggest challenge and the onus is on us. Which is why I use the word or the phrase become the CEO of your health. We have lived in this pill for nail, wait till it's broken, responsive sick care system for so long, where everyday people like you and I are disempowered because we wait possibly until something is broken, or till that diagnosis happens before we take action and take accountability. You're going to hear it from me because we've been taught to be passive and go to our doctor and say, fix me, Doc. I've got many friends that are doctors, that are specialists that I have tremendous respect for.
[00:10:19]
They're important, but so are we. And so are we responsible for listening to our bodies, for articulating. But here's the problem, because we've had a system that doesn't empower people and teach people to listen, to honor that, and to find a way to communicate and work better together with their healthcare team. Because at the end of the day, you're the most important person on your team. Your health care team is you, because it's happening to you.
But our system has not been set up to encourage that. We don't invest in preventative medicine, we invest in reactive medicine. I want to jump in about daughter's physical health, mental health, too. Let's put in more supports. Let's put in more supports as people are getting close to her, falling off the cliff.
[00:11:06]
And I'm with you. It's all of us. It's our whole selves. We have to move back to a proactive mode and here's another link you and I have in common. We have health care navigators.
You and I talked about this, and I get to know you healthcare navigators who actually sit with families and say, well, this is where you need to go for this. If you need speech, you go here. If you need physiotherapy, you go here. That is just crazy. And so you're making a lot easier for us, Mark, at least trying to.
[00:11:32]
Open your awareness and empower you to recognize that you can do this. It takes work. There's going to be a lot of headbutting moments, but find your voice. Break down some of the silos. Find your integrative health team that wants to support you in moving your health and well being forward and your family's health and well being forward, and take some responsibility and recognize that it takes some work, that what we eat matters, if we move matters, what we think matters, all of it works together.
[00:12:06]
Yes. The conventional medical model is we're very lucky to be a candidate and be here when we need that brain surgery, or I have a bowel obstruction and I need surgery. But what about the role we're playing in our day to day, where we're pretending that the onus is on the healthcare system to fix us, but in our day to day living, we're not doing anything to help ourselves. What I want to do is stock people's toolboxes to educate and empower them and encourage them to build the toolbox so that they can go in and start to help themselves find their voice, so they can communicate to their team, health care team, which should be a wide range because we know we live in a siloed healthcare system. You go to the gastroenterologist, but we should all be working better together.
It starts, however, with the everyday person pushing up. We can't wait for the system to completely change and push it downwards. If we're waiting for that to happen, it's going to be a very long time. Have I seen tremendous change in 30 years of my practice? You bet I have.
[00:13:09]
My clinic was 80% doctor referral. I'm partnering with radiologists and other specialists to bring preventative health modalities education to the masses. That's what this next phase of my career is about. When I closed Wallace for Wellness in April of this year, I had a big dream to bring this legacy project so that I could change the way Canadians think about healthcare. It starts with us.
And don't underestimate what each individual person can do because it spreads to their families, to their communities. Oh, yeah. And to be empowered so they can have conversations with their doctor. Not through Doctor Google. Not going on Google and trying to diagnose yourself, but rather taking some ownership, empowering yourself with strategies, taking action and having the conversations in a respectful way.
[00:14:02]
With your proactive way. In a proactive way. So you can get the answers you need, because there isn't one answer for every person.
It's time to take a short break.
When a child you know is feeling worried or scared, do they have the tools they need to make positive decisions? The power of thought. Children's book series is what you've been looking for. The children on the planet Casrock cannot hide their emotions because they haven't learned how to control them yet. I have choices.
The first book in the series begins with a conflict that every child can relate to and teaches an evidence based strategy that adults can model for everyday use. Children will learn in a fun way how to problem solve and find positive solutions to everyday situations. The Power of Thought Children's book Series has been developed alongside clinicians, educators, and parents to use as a proactive resource in teaching children emotional literacy. We're Tasmanians who hover and live on a planet made of crystals. Join us and have some fun.
You can become an alien too. Read this imaginary fun and practical book to your child, your grandchild, or to your students so they can start practicing the strategy of I have Choices right away. Check it out at Lynn Mclaughlin.com under the books tab. Now let's get back to our guest.
[00:15:24]
Okay, three tentacles again. Let's go to the toolbox. First of all, I'm going to pull everybody. Everyone is listening or watching. Let's all move ourselves into a proactive mode. Wherever you are in your life, whatever age you are at, whatever ailments you have or don't have, let's go to the toolbox.
The toolbox should be customized, because when I think of health care and preventative medicine, it has many silos, doesn't it? It's mental, it's physical, it's emotional, spiritual, it's financial, and all of those matter. And so we need to stock our own toolboxes with what we need as people. What do I mean by that? Well, movement is really important.
[00:16:01]
So what have we got in our toolbox for movement? What have we got in our toolbox for nutrition? Do we have someone in our corner that can help us? Whether it be a dietitian or a holistic nutritionist? And there are tons of resources online, credible resources.
That's one of the positive things about social media is that if you can get connected to the right accounts and the right people, they give a lot of education away for free. There's a lot of resources out there, but you have to dig for them. And I'm trying to work and find ways to help streamline that. It's a big thing to do. But slowly, community by region by region, we can do that regionally to help each other.
[00:16:45]
What's in your toolbox in terms of pain management? Somebody like me, that's a massage therapist. Do you have a massage therapist on your team? Do you have a physio on your team? Do you have a psychologist on your team?
[00:16:57]
A social worker on your team? Who's in your community. So what I'm trying to do is, through education, both preventative health education, perhaps sometimes actual products, state of the art technology. I'm constantly letting my followers and viewers know what I'm finding out. Evidence, informed, health, candidate approved reality that you can get your hands on, but then taking it into their communities so that you can build your toolbox that's going to suit your needs at your stage of life.
Because I got to tell you, Lynn, and I'm sure you'll agree, what I had I needed in my toolbox when I was 25-year-old woman versus what I need now at 55, completely different. Two very different things. Okay, so we talk about mobility, we talk about nutrition. Let's go to the mobile part. You have just had something very exciting happened in the last week.
[00:17:48]
A mobile unit that can change the trajectory for our bone health. Oh, my gosh. I am so honored and beyond excited. I'm still vibrating from this inaugural preventative clinic. Isn't it wonderful than what you're doing just invigorates you and gives you more energy and more drive every time?
[00:18:05]
You're absolutely right. Just like anticipating this podcast today, I get really excited because it's another opportunity to connect, to educate and empower. And that's my mission. I feel blessed. So I was approached by an incredible team of professionals.
[00:18:22]
One who happens to be a funny story, happens to be an ultrasound technician. Her name is Megan Burnester and her partner are cofounders of Sonohealth Inc. They have brought a technology from Italy to Canada that is going to be a game changer when it comes to bone health and bone health prevention. In terms of prevention of osteopenia and osteoporosis, the current standard is DEXA, a bone scan that's done to test the bone architecture and to let you know if you're osteopenic or osteoporosis. Here's the problem.
You don't get access to it until you're a certain age. And doesn't it involve radiation? It involves radiation. And you're absolutely right. Either you don't get access to your 65 or have high risk.
[00:19:12]
But here's the problem. We lose bone mass from peak. Bone mass happens in about 25, and then it starts to decline for all kinds of reasons. Hormonally after giving birth, perimenopause and menopause. Many medications that people are on that they don't even realize are having an impact on their bone health.
So we know that it starts to decline after 25, but we can't qualify for a bone scan until we're in our 50s or 60s. Unless of course are you ready for this? You have a fracture. Yes. So you have a fracture like the patient I had two weeks ago at 58 who fell and fractured her wrist.
[00:19:50]
And guess what? Then they did a DEXA. Well, here's the problem. She now found out she's osteoporotic. But what if we had technology that doesn't have radiation that we could put you into the driver's seat of your health proactively.
So you could find out your bone health and have knowledge so that you could put a treatment plan in place with nutrition, with supplements, with exercise, and with medication if needed. Because here's what we know about osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures, especially in the aging population. But once you have the fracture, it dramatically impains and impacts quality of life, independence, and even mortality. Don't we want to find out that we might be osteopenic and then or osteoporotic and do things to prevent us from worsening? Or do we want to wait till we have the fracture?
[00:20:45]
Do we want our mother that's in a senior's home to fall and break her hip and find out only then? Or do we want to have the knowledge so we can empower ourselves to make a difference? They came to me to help me to bring this to Canada. We did our first one in collaboration with Health Span Wellness here in Georgetown and Holton Hills, where I live in practice with a naturopathic doctor called Dr. Julia Fountain.
She's incredible. We sold out Dr. Christopher Guest, a radiologist from Royal Victoria Hospital. Barry was there. It was an incredible night of empowerment, of education.
[00:21:21]
And do you know, Lynn, that two or three women that were there and men are welcome to come to didn't know they were osteopenic and two were osteoporotic? And now they can do something to be proactive and you can take this context and apply to so many different things. I'll tell you, bring that mobile unit to every community across Ontario and let's get going. And maybe, Margaret, as people hear about this, they're going to say, I want in, I want in. I want in.
[00:21:47]
Okay, so that's our plan. I get excited. So it says our plan. And in fact, the fact that people now have this report now, do they have to pay for it? Yes, but it's accessible.
[00:22:04]
It's not outrageously expensive. What's the cost? I always say invest in your health now or your illness later. $150 scan. I know many people that are going out to dinner or getting their hair done or whatever, and they're spending that and have nothing to show for it.
You invest in your preventative health and you get this information, not only are you going to get the scan, you're going to be able to hopefully get a team together to help you with your bone health. But here's the other thing we're doing. We're putting together a doctor's package so that the patient can now take it to their physician and say, I have this bone scan. Here's the information that it told me. You read my mind.
[00:22:47]
I was about to ask that exact same question. Is this new technology going to be recognized by doctors? So they look at the scan and say, okay, now what are we going to do about that? And then they're on your team, right? It absolutely is, because it's showing the gold standard currently is DEXA, which is in a lead room.
It's big, it's difficult. This is a mobile device that can go anywhere. If there are clinics out there that want to have it, that's a model as well. We would love to get clinics, other clinics having this, but we'll also bring a mobile clinic to you. But here's the thing, doctors are going to pay attention because the results are as accurate and in some cases, and I'm going to share this, so what was really interesting at our inaugural bone scan day this week is one of the patients brought in her DEXA scan that she just had.
[00:23:37]
And then we did the echo light scan with her and it was really interesting. And the radiologist that was there was quite intrigued to see that because of this REM technology, this new echo light scan that takes ultrasound and instead of ionizing radiation, we were able to depict Osteopenia and the decks ahead and picked that up. Oh my gosh. Wow. How exciting is that?
[00:24:05]
Exciting. And for that person too. My goodness, how much? Now they've got this information that they can advocate for themselves and go forward. All right, I've got to ask you the question, Margaret, because right now in Ontario doesn't matter.
It's around the world. So this is approved by Health Canada, to be clear. Yes. So the challenge between private health care and public health care, this is a proactive measure. Yes.
To pay cash, to get some information, to then go to your provider to get all of the treatment shot, you say, looking at the options that are available to you through the publicly funded system. So to me, you know what, it's just a difficult conversation to have with people because of that privatization of healthcare. You know what, I think I'm going to maybe be a bit controversial here. But do it, go for it. Let's do it.
[00:24:58]
I think one of the gifts that Covet is given, and there's not been many, because it's been a very challenging time for all of us, for our world, for our system. And I don't want to minimize in any way the people that have been lies have been lost and the stress that everybody's been under. What I've seen as a practitioner in preventative health that COVID has done is has woken people up to their wellness and sadly has made them actually recognize and pay attention to the fact that this already strained health care system long before the pandemic was here, this safety net of a hip where we thought it was the saving grace and it would always be there for us. You could go to your doctor, you could go to emerge, you could get your surgery. They're realizing, oh my goodness, that may not be the case.
[00:25:50]
It's not the case. Listen to our medical practitioners alone, our nurses in the emergency room who are at their burning point or at their breaking point, medical practitioners who are taking their own lives because exactly. We can't do it. That's why we have to take some ownership of our own health. And if that requires us to invest a little bit in it now, don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong.
I want to advocate for insurance companies to cover this, just like they cover my services for massage therapy or physio or whatever it may be. But let's be candid. Are we not willing to invest, in this case, $150, if it means the difference between your health, your independence, your longevity, your quality of life, but you'll spend $150 going through Starbucks for a month drinking stuff that perhaps could reduce your well being or through the McDonald's drive through or wherever it will be. It is a mindset and a choice. And I think the hard work has to happen.
[00:26:55]
And when I said a gift from COVID, people are waking up and changing their mindset, recognizing, oh, wait a minute, I need to be more accountable. And I feel for people because our system has taught them to be passive and they don't know where to start. Which is why I'm so excited and passionate about this next phase of my career in advocating and educating and empowering everyday people to get in the driver's seat of their health. And yes, sometimes you may need to invest. I'm going to continue to advocate with people like you and others in our system so we can help our system be healthier, help ourselves be healthier, and as a result, be better together.
[00:27:34]
It's long overdue. I think Covid just highlighted how bad. It was, and I think our youth are pushing back and saying, no, I'm not working 80 hours, weeks anymore. And if you don't figure it out, guess what? You don't have enough employees.
And how many help wanted signs do you see around? I'm totally with you, Margaret. You know that. That's why we're here together. I can afford the $160 to have this bone scan done.
[00:27:55]
I can drive to wherever there's going to be a clinic if I really feel this way. Is there something, some type of a subsidy that's available for people who are stealing from Peter to pay Paul with an expression my mother used to use, what's available? Because that's the equity piece, right? When we talk about the private and the public. This is brand new.
[00:28:14]
We just had our first inaugural clinic. Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say. I remember when I started 30 years ago, massage therapy, I wouldn't, like I said, hang my diploma because it said masseuse and there was no coverage for massage therapy. We've come a long way. Sure.
Still more to go. A lot more to go. So as of right now, subsidies? No, certainly. Could it be a write off on your taxes?
[00:28:40]
Absolutely. Am I going to advocate strongly for getting some insurance covered? Yes. Currently, I'm not aware. Of anything, you'll be the first to know.
If stuff like that comes down the pipe, I recognize in my heart bleeds because I do understand that the $150 is a lot of money. I'm not saying it's trivial, without a doubt. That being said, sometimes even if someone has to wait to save up some money and put $5 aside, we spend money. And this is coming from a place of love and support and advocacy, and I know people are struggling to put food on the table, so I'm not minimizing that at all. But I do think that it's amazing how much and I've done exercises with some of my patients about this and tracking what they're spending during the month on whatever.
[00:29:36]
Maybe it is just going through Tim Horton’s drive-through and they're shocked to see at the end of the month how much has gone through the drive-through door window and they're looking at that disposable income. Well, if we shift our mindset and say, okay, you know what, I really want to take some control of my health because it's important, I'm going to put $5 aside away until we can find those subsidies or insurance or changes in the legacy of healthcare in this country, which isn't going to happen overnight. It's just not. Then maybe we can. But I hear you.
I'm also thinking, how can we do fundraisers? How can we help communities fundraise so that marginalized populations can have access to things like this? When there's a will, there's a way, but when technology in our hands and a passion and fire in our bellies to make a difference, there's solutions. Are they here right now? I love your idea of tracking your expenses, too.
[00:30:27]
And I just saw this online a couple of days ago, I thought, brilliant. I haven't looked into it. I'm not going to say the name of the app, but basically if you go to Starbucks and spend oh, I don't know, because I'm not a Starbucks shopper, what is it, $7 a drink? Then when you spend that $7, you put $7 immediately into this account on this app. Or don't spend that $6 or $8, instead, put that in, do that immediate deposit.
[00:30:50]
And maybe it takes a little bit of time, but $150 could be there for your health, for your future, because all of the things that you went through growing up, man, if we could go back 20 years to say what are some indicators and what we can we do differently? And I'm not suggesting that we wait for a diagnosis, right? We all know about nutrition, we all know about exercise, we all know about vitamin intake and those kinds of things. But you're right, Margaret, we do have this way of thinking that, yeah, with a problem. I'll deal with it right now.
[00:31:19]
I'm just going to live my life. I love to give this analogy because it resonates with my patients and it is a mindset shift, and I understand that it's well entrenched for decades in our system, in our culture, but we do ultimately have control. And when I explain this to people, we have wellness and we have sickness, and typically in our healthcare sick care system, if I had a penny for every time somebody that I treat says to me, mark, I just don't feel right, or I don't feel well, but my doctor says everything is within normal range. When we get quiet and we quiet down the noise and we truly listen to our bodies, when we get real about our actions or inactions that we do day to day, our choices, I don't make all the right choices. I'm not here standing on his rope box because I'm not perfect.
[00:32:19]
But if we get real about what we choose to put in our bodies, on our bodies, whether we move or don't move, the stress, wind or all of those things, and we get real about it, we realize and this is what I say rather than waiting until you finally get a diagnosis, because your levels have gone to a point where medical science can detect it. And that's what we value because we invest in this country in reactionary medicine and diagnostics, which is important, but we as people the body knows. There's a great book called The Body Keep Score, and I suggest your readers listen for the auto book or read it. I have laid my hands on people for 30 years. The mind and body are connected, and when we listen to our bodies, it tells us a lot.
[00:33:04]
What I like to refer to this middle wellness sickness right in here is the opportunity gap. Right in here is a chance to make a difference. This is where I've lived and where I work in this preventative medicine area where it's empowering, where you can still change the needle. And maybe rather than get to this diagnosis, you either starve it off longer or we don't get there at all. And what does that do?
[00:33:34]
Not only does it not tax our system as much, it doesn't cost health care as much, but more importantly, it increases and improves the health and well-being of everyday Canadians, mentally and physically, day in and day out. So we can live well until we don't. And that is so important. Rather than wait till it's broken, let's patch you together and, oh, when you've got a symptom, let's give me another pill for that symptom. Now, don't get me wrong. I've taken many medications in my life, and they've saved my life. But numbing society and wanting a quick fix is not the answer. I work with so many pharmacists. We need pharmacology when we need it. But what about taking action and accountability and utilizing that opportunity gap?
[00:34:22]
CEO of your own health, as you say? Yeah, that's it. Okay. I want to go back to the very beginning I still have these little things in my mind, these tentacles. Wait, wait, we gotta get to this, get to that, because I was using, until you and I had a conversation, the term alternative health choices.
When we talk about naturopaths and you have cautioned me that that's not a term I should be using. Let's help everyone understand so they can learn with us, with me. Yeah. And I understand that everybody's vocabulary and the way they present themselves may be different, but words matter. Especially when it comes to changing mindset and culture and human behavior.
[00:35:05]
It matters. So when we think about the word alternative medicine, in my mind, I think you either do this or you do that. You see your doctor or you see your naturopath, you see your doctor, you see your chiropractor. I like to think of the word complementary medicine because at the end of the day, the person in the center is you. The ones that are living in your body and know your health the best.
We're surrounding you with a health care team of, I hope, like-minded professionals all within their own right, both from conventional and complementary medicine. So your doctors, your surgeons, your dietitians, your naturopaths, your physios, your massage therapists, all of them, to link arms and work better together with one purpose in mind, to educate and empower you, to take action in your health and to make sure that you are part of that health care team that's going to help to move you forward. So just by changing the word that we use, the connotation that that brings, that you have a choice to make. And this isn't only from the patient perspective, but I challenge my health care professionals, all that alternative thing. And I'm not saying, listen, I want things to be evidence-informed.
[00:36:22]
I want things to be proven and shown in research, without a doubt. But I earned the respect to have 80 plus percent doctor referral. I'm working with radiologists and optometrists and all kinds of people that a lot of massage therapists don't because they've earned a respect. Why? Because I know what I'm doing and I stay in my lane.
[00:36:42]
I respect what they're doing and they stay in their lane. But I'm the connector to bring them both together, which is the role I'm playing in this new phase of my career, to say, no, we're better together as one rather than to be an alternative. So I cautioned you because if we can change the way we speak about this neuroplasticity, we're going to lay down new pathways of thinking and doing and changes in behavior that I think will serve our children and grandchildren in years to come. And that's interesting because when I use the word alternative, I never, ever thought of it as this or that. To me it was.
But obviously people interpret things in different ways. A lot of people this is like pie in the sky, but it's not pie in the sky because you're already making it happen. You're already helping us change our perspective. You've already got a mobile lab that's ready to go that can put people in there in that driver's seat for bone health. And every one of my podcast interviews now with my guests, I always want to talk about children's mental health.
[00:37:46]
You've had personal experience yourself, talk about your qualifications and some of the really awesome things that are now available that we probably don't even know about. I sure didn't before I spoke with you. Well, thank you. Yeah. With my background in kinesiology from the University of Waterloo, my postgraduate massage therapy, I've gone on to do my international certification with infants and children's with special needs.
I've done several research workshops at the Jackson Medical Center, University of Miami School of Medicine, and I even did my professional designation as a consultant in aging because that's how I treat every age and stage of life. And it excites me to really be able to give a practical, hands-on approach to stocking your toolbox. So whether I'm speaking at a workplace wellness event. Whether I'm speaking at a senior's home or in a community or on a podcast. I literally have a toolbox.
Because what better way to engage people and to make them feel like they can practically do something than to pull it out into a toolbox and pull it out to say. Hey. Listen. If you're willing to fix your car. Fix your home.
[00:38:54]
Fix everything in your life. Why don't you have a preventative health toolbox? Now, depending on what we're talking about or the population that I'm speaking with, I'll put different things in my toolbox or your toolbox, but some consistent things that I talk about when we're talking about children's mental health, it's something I'm crazy passionate about. As a massage therapist, I have seen more in the past two to three years with depression, anxiety, and panic in children than I care to admit. And the laying on of hands is such a powerful, healing way.
And the one thing that the pandemic taught us is that we are frontline health care professionals as massage therapists because touch is powerful. When a global pandemic said we couldn't connect, we couldn't touch one another, the failure to thrive for all human beings was rooted in our inability to have connection. That's what I do for a living. I lay hands on. I see that in children.
[00:39:54]
All right, Margaret, let's go from children to seniors. And I don't think my aunt would mind me using her as an example. 85 years old, I think my aunt is now, and, oh, my gosh, she's broken so many bones in her body and recently eight ribs. I don't know. I would like to think that there's something else that's available to her right now that can get her through.
I don't know how long it takes ribs to heal. But I can imagine it's a very long time due to her age as well. It's probably going to be longer. Yeah, I'm so sorry to hear about that. And this is something I hear and see in my practice and also in my life.
[00:40:28]
My father, rest his soul, broke his femur at 84, his arm just months before he died, and ribs, as well as compression fractures. And that's one of the reasons why we're so passionate about this new echo light scan and why the radiologist, Dr. Christopher Guest, was so excited about it, because he's the guy that's seeing these fractures in the hospital and watching the suffering that's happening. And when people live, seniors are living in retirement homes or long-term care, if we know that someone is osteoporotic. And in terms of this echo-like scan, what's incredible about it, not only does it give us a score and tell us about the bone architecture, but it gives a fragility risk score for a fracture, or osteoporotic fracture within the next five years.
[00:41:14]
Why should we care about that? Well, it's critical because if we understand, say you work in a long-term care facility or in a retirement home, if you know that Mrs. Smith has a high risk of a fracture in the next five years, well, we might approach her care day to day. Maybe she's not showering by herself. Maybe we're going to make decisions differently, because we know that she's at a high risk of a fracture that could change drastically, change her life, her health, and even her lifespan by knowing in advance.
[00:41:48]
And then things like, I think immediately of your aunt and my dad, this microcurrent point stimulation device for pain and helping to heal something caught, helping to heal bone and reduce pain and inflammation is so important, and it's natural, and it's not going to have often side effects, which is so important. So even though they may be medicated, there are other things like the microcurrent point stimulation therapy device and preventative things like the scan that we should know in our toolbox. And that's what excites me about what we're doing. Are there any cautions, people who should not use that device for whatever reason. Somebody with a pacemaker or less doctor permission?
[00:42:30]
Because there are cases where you can, and I would always say, talking, talk to your health care professional that has educated you about this and have that support. I have people at all ages and stages using the dolphin device. It's unbelievable. But connect with somebody like me so I can educate you and help you navigate the waters and find the best solution for you. But I always want to have different things in my toolbox.
And I'm excited to pull a couple of things out today because this particular device, Health Canada approved, FDA approved. I've been using this device for going on seven or eight years. I've been involved in some research behind it. Okay, so as you're explaining it, Margaret, remember that the large majority of our audience are listening and not viewing. So you're just going to have to be very articulate.
[00:43:21]
I'm going to show it and then I put it down because I could explain it. So this little device that kind of looks like a television converter is a remarkable device that I've seen jaw-dropping results in a wide range of populations. So what is it? This takes the principles of needless acupuncture so it doesn't pierce the skin needless acupuncture and combines it with microcurrent. Now not current like you would see in a ten machine, which is alternating current.
[00:43:53]
This device has direct current which mimics the current in our body. Why should we care? Well, we know through tons of studies and thousands of years of using acupuncture and acupuncture meridians, we can have a tremendous impact on the nervous system, which can impact inflammation, pain, anxiety, depression, healing. It can put the body or take the autonomic nervous system from a sympathetic overdrive state to one that's parasympathetic, rest and digest and heal state. When I was involved in some of the research and I've used this clinically and I put this in the hands of hundreds of Canadians, because that's the cool thing about this.
[00:44:38]
I can use this in my clinic, but then it can be put in the hands of everyday people like you and I. It even comes with for those that aren't watching video, it has actually a protocol book, almost like a paint by numbers. Like check this out, you got headaches. Here's where you put the device and this is what you can do to help with your headaches. Whether you are a child with anxiety, whether you're my mother who is almost 80 and was using it during the pandemic for her cluster migraines and to help with her COPD.
[00:45:13]
How cool is it that we get to put into your hands an evidence-informed Health Canada approved device that every day can have an impact on your autonomic nervous system, to decrease pain, to decrease inflammation, to improve circulation, to drop cortisol your stress hormone and to do so much more. And just this spring, an attachment for the device came out and it's been approved as one of the first devices to impact tone of the vagus nerve, the largest nerve in your body to be used for covert long-haul recovery. All right, why don't we know about this? Because it's not a secret. That's why people like you inviting people like me.
[00:46:01]
Get the word out is that I got top-notch new technologies. Whether it's the echolite bone scan or the microcurrent point simulation therapy device, this is my job. It's to educate and empower. And then guess what? Hundreds of my patients have had this covered through their extended health insurance plan now and then they're using it at home every day to help themselves to help their children to help their aging parents.
[00:46:27]
You don't know about it because it's so new and it takes time to penetrate. Which is why I tirelessly work at Media. At writing. At social media. At public Speaking. And every day. Hour by hour in my clinic to bring you the latest and greatest things out of your toolbox. Just like this. If I could. Because this is very accessible and I actually know the inventor in Canada.
[00:46:51]
This looks just like a regular mat, but oh, no, it isn't. This mat is called a spike mat, and it also comes in a cushion form. I sold so many of these through the pandemic and people are sitting at a computer and they've got back pain and sciatica. The mat is actually called Spike because for those that can watch, there's hundreds of spikes that move in 360 degrees, diffusing pressure over a larger surface area, taking pressure off nerves, increasing circulation, and proprioception. It's a game changer for so many conditions.
[00:47:27]
It's simple. It's closed-cell formulation. It's good for prevention of sciatica, prevention of flathead and children, helping with poststroke recovery, helping children with special needs with proprioception, helping when you're sitting at your desk and taking pressure off the spine if you have the nuclear disc. And at the end of the day, the seat cushion is $54. Okay, so I'm interested in all three.
[00:47:53]
I'm putting myself in the seat of everyone who's driving, listening, walking, watching, whatever. Where can I go? Because when we're advocating for ourselves, we're gathering information, we're making informed decisions. Where can I go and find all the information, not only about these three devices, about the toolkit, about the traveling mobile clinic. And hey, everybody, if you're listening, maybe reach out to someone in your own community and say, have you heard about what Margaret Wallace Duffy is doing?
Let's get this mobile clinic here. Let's start pushing it forward. Where am I sending people? Margaret? So thank you, first of all, for having me and for being an advocate with me.
[00:48:29]
I want to link arms and partner with people like you that share my vision because I can't do this alone and it excites me. So my website is going through a transition right now because I did own a multidisciplinary award-winning clinic for 30 years. And on April 1, I took the leap of faith and sold that so that I could have time to do more of this advocacy work. I'm still treating a little bit, but I'm doing more of this bigger-picture stuff. That being said, if you go to www.wallisforwellness.com. Wallis is spelled W-a-l-l-i-s.
[00:49:00]
You're going to see the website and you're going to see the transformations that are happening. You're also going to be able to go to become the CEO of Your Health.com. They'll be linked and you can reach out to me, send me an email. I am accessible.
[00:49:15]
If you are a practitioner, and you want a bone scan in your community, if you want information on the spike mat or the dolphin, if you want me to speak at your workplace, if you want to partner with me in some way. Because you share the vision of making Canadians more accountable for their health and becoming the CEO of It so we can together change the legacy of healthcare. You can even send me an email, become the CEO of Your Health@gmail.com, or give me a call, 647-577-4757. You can find me on social media, you can find me on YouTube, become the CEO of Your Health on YouTube. You can get me anywhere you want.
[00:49:51]
I will listen. And I am looking to partner with people that share my vision. Health care professionals and everyday people, corporations and government. Everyone needs to be at this table. We've got a lot of work to do, but I'm up for the challenge.
[00:50:07]
Do we have a cloning device? Well, you just put out there. I can't imagine how you could possibly keep up, but oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry. I'm not. Because I've already got partners like you.
[00:50:19]
Right? I've already got partners like you. I'm not doing this alone. I happen to be the center of Spoken, a wheel. But I've created a network over the last 30 years that it's spinning and catching different people as we go.
Which is why I was grateful for Marilyn to forward my information to you and for me to meet you and the amazing work that you're doing. We can do this better together as one. So I'm not alone. And I just know that the more we get this out there so thank you for allowing me, the better. This is going to be beautiful and very inspiring closing words.
[00:50:51]
Thank you so much, Margaret. It's been my honor and my pleasure to have you with me. And I know we'll stay connected. You bet you we will. And we're coming to Kingsville.
[00:50:59]
So let's find a clinical location, a community center, somewhere that we can come this fall to become the CEO of Your Health. Phone. Scan the echolite scan. Our team would love to come. I've put a couple of feelers out, so we'll just see. You may get a call in the next few days. All the best of health and happiness to you and yours. And to you, too.
Now, let's flip the switch to our next guest. It's Benjamin Yeh. Benjamin is the host of a podcast called Boom Vision, and he empowers entrepreneurs to gain clarity in their souls, purpose, and truly thrive in their business and their life. And you'll find out why Benjamin has moved in this direction because of the crisis that he faced himself. Stay healthy and safe, everyone. See you in two weeks.
[MUSIC OUTRO 00:51:52] Thanks for tuning in and posting your review of taking the helm on your favorite platform. We'll give you a shout-out in a future episode to be inspired by people who are steering us in the right direction. Go to Lynnmclaughlin.com, where you can search previous guests by the topic of your choice. And while you're there, download Lin's gift. There's more than one way to get through a crisis.