Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2024

February 1-7 is Canada’s Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW). Every year, the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) collaborates with organizations across Canada on a campaign for EDAW. This year’s theme is Breaking Barriers, Facilitating Futures.

There are immense barriers when it comes to accessing the proper treatment for an eating disorder. Research around eating disorders is underfunded in Canada compared to other mental health conditions, leading to inadequate funding and resources for prevention and treatment. Wait times for publicly-funded eating disorder treatment in Canada can be up to two years, meaning many people seeking treatment have to wait while they are suffering. Some private eating disorder treatment is available but is inaccessible financially for many and may not be adequate for those needing higher levels of care.

In the healthcare field, eating disorders are often seen as a “niche” practice, meaning only some healthcare providers will see patients with eating disorders. However, this view is harmful, as eating disorders affect people of all ages, genders, racial and ethnic identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, and body sizes. Eating Disorders are severe; they have the highest overall mortality rate of any mental illness in Canada. Healthcare providers need to recognize that they will be working with patients with eating disorders, no matter where they work, and be trained to detect eating disorders. People with eating disorders in our culture may be mistaken for being “well-disciplined” with food, and a healthcare provider not well-versed in eating disorders may inadvertently congratulate and encourage eating disorder behaviours. This creates a barrier to recognizing that treatment is needed and finding the appropriate help.

Some under-recognized barriers to eating disorder treatment highlighted in the EDAW campaign include food insecurity, trauma, co-occurring mental health conditions, as well as gender-affirming care. The EDAW campaign includes social media materials for people with living and lived experience of an eating disorder, as well as people supporting them, the general public, and healthcare providers. As part of the campaign, there are also community rooms, where people with living and lived experience with an eating disorder will connect and work together to map out their journey to accessing help.

To learn more about these barriers and the EDAW campaign, check out https://nedic.ca/edaw/

Where to get help:

Call the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) helpline at 1-866-633-4220
(18+ only) Call Women’s Health Clinic in Winnipeg for information and referrals at 1-866-947-1517 ext. 137
(All ages) Make an appointment with your family doctor and ask for a referral to the Health Sciences Centre Eating Disorder Program
Register for Body Peace, a FREE online program for anyone in Canada 14+. Whether you’re living with an eating disorder or are concerned about your relationship with food, your body, and/or exercise
To see a Registered Dietitian in PMH call 1-877-509-7852
To see a Mental Health professional in PMH visit our website to find the Access Guide

Blue Monday

Have you heard of “Blue Monday” but are not entirely sure what it is or means? Blue Monday is a term applied to the third Monday of January (January 15 this year!) and has been labeled “the most depressing day of the year.” Its origins, however, had little to do with mental health. A travel company in the UK initially conceived the idea in the early 2000s. A psychologist was commissioned to generate a formula to promote this day as the most depressing time of the year. Obviously, the travel company’s goal was to sell more vacation travel packages to warm and sunny destinations. The formula looked at factors such as shortened daylight hours, Christmas bills coming due, gloomy winter weather, and the point on the calendar where most people tend to give up on their New Year’s resolutions. Though there’s little scientific evidence to claim that it is the most depressing day of the year, in the years following, many mental health organizations jumped on the idea to promote awareness about seasonal depression and the need for support and other self-help strategies to beat the winter blues.

Manitoba’s winters are long, dark, and cold. People must take care of their mental health this time of year. Research suggests that up to 35 percent of the general population experience the “winter blues,” which can include changes in appetite and increased lethargy as the daylight hours grow shorter. The winter blues differs from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, which affects about three to five percent of the population and is a serious form of depression. Symptoms of SAD include feeling significantly depressed most days, decreased energy, difficulty concentrating, weight gain, and disrupted sleep patterns.

People experiencing the winter blues or SAD can benefit from:

Maximizing exposure to sunlight. Spend more time outdoors during the day and arrange indoor environments to receive maximum sunlight. The use of therapy lamps has proven benefits as well.
Exercise. Exercise relieves stress, builds energy, and increases mental and physical well-being. Make a habit of taking a daily noon-hour walk. The activity and increased exposure to natural light can raise spirits.
Social support and connection. Strong social networks reduce isolation, a key risk factor for depression.
Stress reduction. Make changes in your life to help manage and reduce stress. Too much stress exacerbates depression and puts you at risk for future depression. Take the aspects of your life that stress you out, such as work overload or unsupportive relationships, and find ways to minimize their impact.

While it may not be scientifically accurate to designate the third Monday in January, or any day of the year for that matter, as the most depressing day of the year, it does offer the opportunity to engage in healthy conversations about mental wellness, especially at this time of year. Talking openly about seasonal depression and the support that is available for those who struggle helps reduce the stigma around mental illness and opens pathways for support and recovery. This year, several special events have been planned in the region to highlight the effects of seasonal depression and the support available. Check out the list below to see what’s happening on January 15 in your area:

Dauphin: The Dauphin HERO Club will spread cheer with uplifting inspirational quotes and blueberry muffins in the community. If interested in helping, contact Lori at 204-638-7104 or e-mail [email protected]

Swan River: The Canadian Mental Health Association will set up a display from 9:00-4:00 at the community booth in the Swan Valley Co-op food store. Drop by to pick up information on mental health and chat with a CMHA representative.

Roblin: The Roblin HERO club will be sharing blue treats in their community

Ste Rose: Spiritual Care & Health Promotion – We will share a “sweet“ blue treat, to brighten people’s day. Encouraging everyone to take extra care of themselves by connecting with others, doing something special for someone else to help brighten these winter days. If interested in helping out contact Susan Denhard at 204-447-4360 or email – [email protected]

Brandon Regional Health Centre announces the arrival of its New Year’s Baby

Pictured is mom Ashley, new baby girl Eden and Ashley’s mom, Divona Pinder

The Brandon Regional Health Centre is pleased to announce the arrival of the 2024 New Year’s baby!
Baby girl Eden was born at 11:53 am January 1, 2024. She weighed 7 pounds 4.6 oz and was 21 inches long.
Proud parents are Ashley Blaylock and Simon Brock of Brandon.
Eden was given a lovely gift basket with books, picture frames, stuffed animals and much more donated by the Brandon Regional Health Centre Gift Shop. Mom Ashley also received a beautiful bouquet from Carolyn’s Florist in Brandon.
Prairie Mountain Health and the Brandon Regional Health Centre congratulate the family and their new daughter!

Cabbage

According to Half your plate “cabbage is one of those under loved and misunderstood veggies”. There are many different types of cabbage available in the grocery store all year. Half your plate recommends choosing green cabbage heads that are firm, solid and heavy with bright fresh colour.

Cabbage is a low-calorie vegetable, which contains a variety of vitamins and minerals and a good amount of fibre. It is a versatile vegetable that can be used in many different ways. We often associate cabbage with cabbage rolls. If you don’t have time to roll the cabbage, try this unstuffed cabbage roll recipe.

Cabbage can also be purchased pre-shredded in a coleslaw bag. While coleslaw is a quick and easy side dish, the sky is the limit on uses for the coleslaw mix. Here is a quick and simple recipe for Fried Rice, which is a one pot meal using leftovers.

The Canola Growers have published this delicious recipe called Veggie Loaded Noodles, which is a regular request from my family. To make this dish a full meal, we cut up a package of firm tofu that we marinate in the sauce, for 1-12 hours prior to making the recipe. However, it would also work well if you used cooked chicken, turkey or pork.

Ann Thurlow is a retired CBC broadcaster and writer in Charlottetown and wrote “My PEI Cabbage Cookbook”. She recommends a favourite way to cook cabbage is to chop a cabbage into quarters and roast it for 30 minutes, with “a whole bunch of olive oil on it — and garlic salt, if you’re feeling a little racy.” She notes that “cabbage is a little gift from the universe that far too many Canadians are overlooking.” (CBC The Current from March 10, 2023) So next time you are in the grocery store, don’t walk past the cabbage display but stop and pick one up for your next meal!

Submitted by: Sandra Smith, Registered Dietitian

Good Food For A Good Mood

Written by Candy Irwin

Well, who knew? Eating cookies for breakfast is A-OK! As a matter of a fact, it’s a ‘thing!’ There’s a proviso, though. (Of course, there is)! A breakfast cookie (or two), mindfully chosen, provides a whole lot of nutrition – loads more than a simple piece of whole grain toast!

As an example, everyone present at ”Good Food For A Good Mood,’ jointly presented by the Municipality of Harrison Park Age Friendly Initiative Committee (HPAFIC) and Prairie Mountain Health (PMH), sampled a Pumpkin Cookie that required no special or unusual ingredients.

Each bright orange cookie included carotenoids, betacarotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, all powerful nutrients for the health of our eyes. Additionally, the recipe invited you to make the cookies ‘your own’ with the inclusion of dried fruit and nuts, seeds or dark chocolate chips.

Then (are you ready for this?), we washed it down with a mug of steaming hot coffee, which is good for your brain health! (Really)!

So, on that Monday afternoon at the Sandy Lake Drop-In Centre, Chantal Morais, Registered Dietitian with PMH Community Health Promotion, focused on having a healthy relationship with food, most definitely eschewing fad diets of every description.

“Normal eating,” she said, “is welcoming all foods without guilt or fear.”

“So many things can influence our food intake – shortness of time (ie. Grab a bite and run.), loneliness, budget, what’s available at certain times of the year and so on.”

Morais’ advice to us all is to eat ‘mindfully,’ as often as we reasonably can. ‘Mindful eating’ is, in part, defined as “choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body and using all your senses to explore, savour and taste,” which, by the way is difficult, if not impossible, to do in front of the television. Tsk. Tsk.

To punctuate this, we all sampled a prepared-on-site ‘Raspberry-Spinach Twist Smoothie,’ which included milk, raspberry yogurt, raw spinach, unsweetened frozen raspberries, ground flax seeds and vanilla.

“No flax seeds? Well, don’t worry,” said Morais. “Don’t put them in!” Don’t have any raspberries? No worries. Substitute with any berries you have on hand. (A blueberry smoothie with a touch of almond extract, is dee-licious)! No spinach? How about a bit of kale?

Truthfully, the smoothie was lovely and you couldn’t tell there was any spinach in there, unless you peered (mindfully) into your little sample cup — in my case, while wearing your reading glasses! Ha!

After that fun, the conversation changed and was rather sobering. “North Americans get almost half their calories from ultra-processed foods, a dietary pattern linked with poor overall mental health.”

“Not good, but something easy enough to overcome.” said Morais, handing all 30 attendees a list of Brain Healthy Foods, “rich in nutrients that your brain loves.”

“Your brain,” she said, “is mostly water, so stay hydrated.” Easy enough. Then, look at your list and make some small swaps. Making an egg dish? Add some leafy greens, like beet tops, maybe. (Puree them and picky eaters won’t even know they are in there). Love your morning cereal? Maybe switch to baked oatmeal. There are many delicious recipes on-line and one 8” x 8” pan can set you up for a whole week.

Nothing like a demonstration! So, Morais, with HPAFIC Chair, Doreen Stapleton as her trusty assistant, fired up her frying pan and made ‘Spinach and Black Bean Quesadillas.’

First you saute a few handfuls of chopped spinach with a chopped onion, a minced garlic clove, a cupful of canned black beans and a pinch each of cumin and hot pepper flakes (optional). Easy peasie! Assemble your quesadilla with a few spoonfuls of shredded cheese, pan fry in a skiffle of olive oil and chow down as is, or, perhaps with your favourite salsa or guacamole.

Tasty and brain-healthy to boot! Why not get adventurous and add some new foods to your diet – such as lentils, quinoa or plain fermented dairy such as kefir. Clam chowder, anyone? The kids at school like dried seaweed as a crispy snack. How about that? (I didn’t like it so I stuck it on half a sandwich and now I do it all the time). Grin.

“Thinner,” continued Morais, doesn’t equal happier or sexier or morally superior.” “Did you know,” she asked, “that our bodies are genetically inclined to be at a body weight that they’re comfortable with?”

Normal eating is giving some thought to your food selection so that you eat nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you eliminate the joy of eating.

PMH Programs to start your health journey

Welcome to a new year! A clean slate, full of hope for the year ahead. January is a time of resolutions – often focused on improvements in health. Too often, New Year’s resolutions are well-intentioned but set goals too high to be attained, are not action-specific, and lack insight into why an individual is seeking Change. Resolutions made without clearly defined steps and understanding of barriers to success lead to frustration and abandonment of the plan before seeing any success. Long-lasting change starts with discovering why changes have not yet been made. Goals are attained when solutions to barriers are considered before they arise, and an alternate plan is ready to implement. Finally, sharing your plan with others provides accountability and leads to greater success.

The Health Promotion team offers programs that provide information and techniques to guide participants on their health journey. By delivering virtual programs, the barriers of winter weather, road conditions, and transportation have been removed while offering contact with others during the winter months. Three programs that align well with health goals are Get Better Together, Craving Change, and Strive to Thrive.

Get Better Together is a session-based program (6 sessions over 6 weeks) suitable for people with a range of chronic health conditions. Program goals include improving personal skills as a self-manager of health concerns through goal setting, communication, problem-solving, healthy eating, physical activity, sleep, and medication use.

The focus of the Craving Change® program is to help individuals understand their relationship with food. The program takes a look at our eating environments as well as explores how emotions and learned behaviours influence the decisions we make around food. By understanding why it is hard to change how you eat and identifying personal triggers, participants can learn to respond differently and maintain changes in eating habits. The program is one weekly session for three weeks (two hours per session).

Are you thriving or just surviving? Through the Strive to Thrive program, participants will develop skills, knowledge and practices to thrive. The five-session program covers how physical and mental stress is related, thriving versus surviving, life transitions, resilience, and building connections.

If this is not the time to participate in a structured program, there are many free and accessible options that meet the goals of improving physical, mental, or financial health. Look for these programs and individualized programs on the Prairie Mountain Health website under the “Programs and Services” tab. Additionally, find a link to “Public Classes and Activities” on the home page. Find out more about loaner kits for Physical Literacy and geocaching to put the fun into movement for kids and families. This year, make your health a priority.

Reference: GBT-Pamphlet-ENG-2019-WEB.pdf (wellnessinstitute.ca)

Reference: I’m a Member of the Public – Craving Change®

Healthy Together Now – Grant Intake Deadline February 1, 2024

Healthy Together Now (HTN) is a community-led, regionally coordinated, government-supported initiative to help prevent chronic disease in Manitoba. Communities within Prairie Mountain Health can apply for funds to implement programs focusing on healthy eating, physical activity, mental well-being and tobacco prevention and reduction. Grants are awarded for up to $5000 per organization.

Quarterly Intake Deadline Dates: May 1, August 1, November 1 and February 1.

Steps to take to create a successful grant application:

Take time to read the funding guidelines. The approval committees prioritize grants that have strong partnerships, aim to support under-served populations (such as improving access) and have planning or input from the community and end user of the program
Engage community partners. Partners can play a small (advertising) or significant role in the project (financial contribution, venue, staff time).
Contact a Health Promotion staff member. They can assist you in developing your project idea (see contact information at the bottom of the article)

Note: Applications that may have been approved for one area may not be funded in another area. The approval committees consider several factors when approving grants.

To learn more, visit our Healthy Together Now page on the website.

Please enjoy learning about three successful projects from this past year!

Classes for pre & post-natal families in Swan River

Elbert Chartrand Friendship Centre in Swan River hosted a successful series of classes for pre and post-natal families using Healthy Together Now grant money. The Friendship Centre provided a healthy snack each week as parents learned from community partners who presented on Infant CPR, labour and delivery and Crisis Centre programs. Activities with literacy, Indigenous components, and hands-on cooking sessions promoted an interactive program. To continue learning at home, families received simple grocery items to create a snack or light meal with proteins, grains and various new and familiar fruits and vegetables. Emma-Leigh Rusk, a facilitator, reported that the program was able to sustain the number of participants through the program and was pleased that fathers were drawn to attend as well. Partnerships and weekly feedback from participants also led to the success of this program.

The Brandon Men’s Resource Centre received HTN funding to expand healthy recreational activities for men and help them balance their minds, bodies, and spirits through physical activity, traditional teachings, cooking classes, and cultural activities. My favourite activities were playing bocce ball, learning how to fish, fillet and cook pickerel and attending a Powwow. Participants learnt new skills and met other like-minded men in a safe and positive space.

Activities at Brandon Men’s Resource Centre

This past year, Neepawa and Area Settlement Services used HTN funding to provide cooking classes to new Canadians in the area. Participants learned healthy eating, meal planning and budgeting, and recipes using locally sourced and affordable ingredients while also learning English at the same time! Neepawa and Area Settlement Services partnered with the Neepawa Salvation Army Food Bank to ensure participants were aware of the services available and ensure recipes aligned with everyday food bank items.

For more information, please contact one of the following Health Promotion staff members:

Deb Wilson
PMH NORTH
Phone: 204-937-6277

Tara Smith
PMH SOUTH
Phone: 204-328-6215

Nikki Dean
PMH BRANDON
Phone: 204-578-2194

National Non-Smoking Week 2024 – Keeping Children and Youth Nicotine-Free

National Non-Smoking Week, including Weedless Wednesday, began over 40 years ago as a way to raise awareness about the risks of smoking and to encourage smokers to quit smoking. The collective efforts of many health agencies, non-profits and governments have seen substantial reductions in smoking rates from roughly 50% of Canadians smoking in 1965 to about 10-15% today[1].

Since the mid-2000s, the tobacco industry has been trying to harness a new group of customers to maintain and even grow their bottom line. Naturally, their target audience is children and youth to maximize their long-term purchasing potential. Cigarette smoking amongst 15-19-year-olds has declined from roughly 11% a decade ago to about 4% today; however, the overall nicotine use in this age group has stayed relatively stable, hovering around 15-17%[2]. The percentage of never-smokers using nicotine products has jumped from 9% in 2013 to 19% in 2023, with an obvious increase occurring the year after vaping was legalized and heavily marketed in Canada. This suggests that youth who were not likely ever to smoke have become addicted to nicotine via vapes and other nicotine delivery systems such as nicotine pouches (i.e., Zonnic). Most would agree that these candy-flavoured products are being marketed directly to children and youth under the guise of tools to help smokers quit.

Vaping is not harmless, and evidence of harm continues to mount against these products, especially for children, youth and other non-smokers. A 2019 article from Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada suggests that instead of comparing the harms of vapes to the harms of cigarettes, they should be considered “differently harmful.” There is good evidence to suggest that vaping causes harm to the lungs and cardiovascular system. Additionally, there is growing evidence that nicotine has negative effects on teen brain development. We must continue to work collectively to ensure youth are aware of these harms and fight back against Big Tobacco’s nasty tricks to market their harmful products to children and youth.

Staff in PMH continue to work on smoking and vaping prevention efforts with presentations in schools and the community, as well as working with staff in education to get the message out to youth. The target age of these prevention efforts is students in grades 5-8.

What can parents or others who work with youth do?

Familiarize yourself with the risks of vapes or other emerging nicotine products such as nicotine pouches. Health Canada Tip Sheet
Find the right moment and start the conversation.
Recognize how tobacco companies market these products to young people and point them out to youth.

For people wanting to quit vaping, check out these apps and websites

App: Stop Vaping Challenge
App: Crush the Crave – Vape Edition
App: Quash – Quit Vaping
Website: www.smokershelpline.ca / Call: 1-877-513-5333 / Text: iQuit to 123456
Website: https://teen.smokefree.gov/quit-vaping (US-based)

References:
1. https://uwaterloo.ca/tobacco-use-canada/adult-tobacco-use/smoking-canada/historical-trends-smoking-prevalence

2. https://smoke-free.ca/2023/CTNS-CTADS%20-%20Any%20Nicotine%20Use.pdf

3. https://smoke-free.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/health-effects-of-vaping-2019-11-11a-2.pdf

Race, Ethnicity & Indigenous Identity Data

Let’s achieve health equity together.

We are gathering information from patients to help us understand and close existing gaps in health care access, experience and outcomes.

Race
Ethnicity
Indigenous Identity

Earlier this year, Manitoba became the first Canadian Province to collect Race, Ethnicity and Indigenous identity data as part of the admission process at all hospitals and at CancerCare Manitoba’s BreastCheck Program.

These questions are voluntary and your participation will not impact your care. Your answers are protected under the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA). The data will further help identify gaps that exist and actions to address them.

Q: What are you using my information for?
A: This data helps us make sure we can respond to the specific needs of our community by identifying and addressing any gaps in the services we provide.

Q: Who can see my answers?
A: Your answers are protected like any other personal health information. Your information will stay in your Electronic Patient Records and be accessible to members of the health care team taking care of you. Your responses will not negatively impact your care. In the future, researchers may also want to use this information. In such cases, anything that would identify you as an individual will be removed.

Q: Who is being asked these questions?
A: We ask everyone the same questions to make sure our data accurately reflects the people we serve.

Q: Do I have to answer these questions?
A: These questions are voluntary. Your participation will not impact your care.

Q: What if I have concerns about the way I am being treated because of my race or ethnicity?
A: Every service delivery organization has a Client Relations or complaint process you can contact to report any concerns about the way you are being treated in health care. If you need support in deciding whether or not to report something, or help in navigating the process, you can reach out to someone you know or a community organization you trust.

Click here to read a letter from Dr. Marcia Anderson, Vice-dean Indigenous health, social justice and anti-racism Project Lead, on behalf of Shared Health.

To learn more visit sharedhealthmb.ca/rei

December 2023 Donations for PMH

Parkland Rangers Hockey Fights Cancer Night another success

Members of the U18 AAA Parkland Rangers were on hand in three local communities December 14 to present proceeds from their ‘Hockey Fights Cancer Night’, which was held back on October 20 when the team played host to the U18 Brandon Wheat Kings. The annual recognition night raised a total of $4000 dollars, with a split of $1,338 presented to three Community Cancer Programs within the Prairie Mountain Health region. Cancer Care Units in Dauphin, Russell and Swan River were grateful to receive the contributions, which were primarily raised through game night donations, door prizes and a raffle draw.

Fuel Good Day – Birtle Gas Bar

Twin Valley Coop selected the Birtle Sunnyside Personal Care Home Activities Department as the recipient of their 2023 Fuel Good Day donations in September.

Accepting a donation of $700.00 is Kari Fouillard, Marketing & Community Relations Manager; Jenna Hohmann, Recreation Facilitator; Tracey Howe, Recreation Worker.

Grit Force Fitness Donates to Neepawa Chemo Unit

Grit Force Fitness donated $1000 to the Neepawa Chemo Unit from their Second Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser Workout. Kristi Friesen Cancer Care Nurse from Neepawa accepted the donation from Sheri Hockins, owner Of Grit Force.

Stuffy Donation for Pediatric Unit

Devan Bradley is a dedicated volunteer at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, he volunteers his time in the surgical suite and visiting long-term patients. Devon brings a smile to patients’ faces regularly and has now extended these smiles to the pediatric unit. Devan raised 800 dollars in donations through his YouTube channel @Headupthrottledown, he used these donations to purchase stuffed animals for the pediatric unit. Volunteer Services and Prairie Mountain Health would like to thank Devan for his efforts and generous donation.