October 2020 Newsletter
CHFA Connect 2020 | Article | Featured Brand
CHFA Connect 2020
COVID-19 has seriously impacted the demand for most products in the organic food and supplement industry in Canada. Between panic buying, shortages and logistics challenges, what we have seen is unprecedented in modern times, excluding wartime scenarios.
The industry usually gets together in Toronto every September at CHFA East but due to this year’s challenging circumstances, CHFA hosted an online event with several features for both exhibitors and visitors. The show ran from September 29th – October 1st and iLevel was present representing three of our brands: Dr. Hauschka, ShiKai and Swerve. Visitors were able to learn more about products and deals and also had the opportunity to interact with the vendors’ teams and iLevel reps in a more personal fashion which enables our team to provide retailers, health practitioners and distributors with the customized care and level of detail and attention we are known for.
As governments continue to impose limitations on public gatherings, physical events such as CHFA are likely to continue to be on hold for the foreseeable future and online events will play a big role in industry dynamics for the time being.
Sleep and Immunity
Modern technology such as tablets, smartphones, computers and the internet is a double-edged sword: on one hand it has democratized access to information and knowledge (and turned every consumer of information into a de facto content creator, too) and expanded the horizons of what we think possible when it comes to interaction with other people, created new and unique professions and hobbies; and it certain ways made the world a better and safer place. On the other hand, such devices can be so entertaining and provide seemingly instantaneous access to other people and news from around the world that it is hard to put them down for longer than a few minutes. That facet of modern life brings with it a few undesirable side-effects and in this article we are focusing on the ways in which you can make better use of your phone and computer in order to minimize the negative impact these tools can have on one of our overall health’s best friends: sleep.
Overall health/sleep correlations:
According to Matthew Walker (professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and who also serves as the Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science), sleep prepares the brain for information input and storage. Additionally, sleep impacts the formation of long-term memories: “The intake and storage of mere short-term information are insufficient for optimal learning, however. The final, and perhaps most critical, way in which sleep aids in learning is that it provides a mechanism by which new information can be permanently stored – the formation of long-term memories via transfer to the brain's cortex, where they can be retained and then retrieved for future use. Without this transfer phase, we run the risk of hippocampal-associated memory impairment – a problem readily observed in older adults who experience loss of slow-wave sleep and subsequently demonstrate difficulty retaining memories overnight” (Patrick, R. 2019).
Furthermore, sleep has a great impact on glucose regulation: sleeping less than seven hours per night has been correlated with having diabetes or later developing it. (Patrick, R. 2019). Additionally, lack of sleep might increase chances of developing heart disease, as sleep loss is directly correlated with higher levels of C-reactive protein which is a marker of inflammation which in turn may play a role in heart disease (Mann, D. 2010).
So, what about technology, then? Data review from more than 125,000 children found correlations between using smartphones and computer including not getting enough sleep, reduced sleep quality and daytime sleepiness (NHS, 2016). We all know how ‘sending that last email or text’, ‘ordering that last thing from Amazon’ right before bed sometimes turns into 15, 30 min – if not longer – and it is hard to ignore the effect that lights and colors emanating from a screen have on our brain, putting it into ‘task-solving’ or ‘pattern recognition’ mode and making the process of slowly getting the body and mind ready to ‘turn off’ for the day longer than desired.
With all that said, here are a few tips to increase your ‘sleep hygiene’ around smartphones and other electronic devices (naturally, not all of these might be possible for you to implement as our circumstances vary greatly):
1) Incorporate a ‘winding down’ routine a couple of hours before going to bed: do less ‘brain activating’ activities such as games or action movies and try to replace those with reading, meditation, light entertainment, warm baths or showers, stretching and listening to soothing or relaxing music
2) Go to bed at around the same time every night
3) It is easier to fall asleep in colder environments than in warm ones so make sure you try the lowest comfortable temperature as well as the darkest you can make your bedroom
4) Avoid caffeine in the afternoons and evenings
5) Avoid large meals right before going to bed
6) If possible, keep smartphones and computers in a different room as sometimes the temptation to check the phone in the middle of the night can prove disastrous and prevent you from going back to sleep
7) Try to break the habit of using the bed for having meals, browsing the web, watching TV, studying and limit its function to sleeping as the brain might associate the bed to all those other activities and have a harder time interpreting it as a place for rest and turning off
8) Checking your phone/email right after you wake up can also increase anxiety over time as it conditions the mind to expect an influx of information as soon as one wakes up, so try to delay that to after 30 min or an hour upon waking up
‘Sleep on it’ is something we say often, and 8 hours of good sleep really can work like magic, both mentally and physically, and a consistent sleep schedule can mean a world of difference 1, 5, 20 or 40 years down the road with a smaller probability of developing a number of mental disorders and physical conditions and overall higher quality of life. Do yourself a favor and incorporate the sleep hygiene steps you can to make sure you are making the most of your sleep and in turn enhancing the time you spend awake.
Patrick, R. 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/matthew-walker
NHS. 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/smartphones-and-tablets-disrupt-childrens-sleep/
Mann, D. 2010. Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/immune-system-lack-of-sleep
Featured Brand: Acuproducts
In today’s health environment many people cannot go for regular treatments for their body aches and pains. Dr. Cohen’s HEATABLE acuProducts are a perfect fit for this, empowering users to safely and effectively relieve pain without ever leaving their home.
Doctor designed over 15 years of research, these patented self-healing tools work by body weight alone – find the tight spot and place the heated acuProduct underneath you – no effort is required. Within 3 minutes muscles and joints start opening. It’s that simple.
Dr. Cohen’s HEATABLE acuProducts are used by the WHO’S WHO of athletes from the Toronto Raptors to the National Ballet of Canada to the Washington Nationals as well as many health professionals, rehabilitation clinics and hospitals.
Free Online Training and APP
A free online CLICK WHERE YOU HURT training program allows users to click where they have pain on a body image to watch short videos explaining the best ways to utilize their acuProducts.
Everyone Benefits
From elite athletes to bed bound elderly patients the acuProducts’ quality construction allows years of
hassle-free use. Each acuProduct comes with a one year warranty and is fully portable.
Why Heat?
The HEATABILITY of acuProducts sets them apart from anything else on the market:
- stimulates blood and lymph flow dilating capillaries to flush out waste products that accumulate in tight muscles.
- calms nervous system allowing users to relax more deeply, facilitating healing (and indeed they do relax – watch someone on a heated acuProduct as they close their eyes and drift off within 3 minutes of use).
- in combination with the acuProducts’ nib design, releases natural pain-killers and sedatives from the
central nervous system.
How do the acuProducts hold their heat for such a long time?
Each acuProduct is filled with purified water – that gives them their unique feel.
The surgical grade phalate free PVC outer shell insulates the water allowing the acuProducts to hold their heat for a surprisingly long time.
Placing the acuBall in a microwave for 60 seconds – or boiling it for 10 min. – will create a full 60 minutes of deep, soothing heat.
1) acuBall – a powerful tool to release deep muscle and joint tension almost anywhere in the body. Features a central recessed grove allowing users to lie directly on their spine releasing tight spinal areas. Its’ nib design penetrates and separates tight muscle tissue
with minimal discomfort. The smaller nibs on the bottom are designed to release tight fascial and scalp muscles. A true self-healing work horse!
2) acuBall-Mini – created for the smaller muscle groups of the body – hands, feet, shoulders and sacrum. Say goodbye to plantar fasciitis.
3) acuBack – a more ‘easy to use’ tool that works well on the spine, legs, neck and shins. Less penetrative than the acuBall.
Great to heat up and use in bed. Perfect for travelling and creating upright sitting posture when placed behind the back.
4) acuPad – a softer self-healing tool for people that enjoy ‘comfort’. Comes as a set of two to use under two different body areas at the same time. Fantastic as a natural sleep aid by placing heated acuPads under neck and low back relaxing the autonomic nervous system. When placed under each buttocks notably relieves low back strain while sitting.
Find more about acuProducts at https://acuball.com/