PMMA is a rare drug, and one which hasn’t been routinely tested for in B.C. coroners’ investigations. Following information from Alberta that PMMA was detected in relation to several deaths in that province, toxicology findings were reviewed in all 16 of B.C.’s 2011 ecstasy-involved deaths and two of the three 2012 deaths. PMMA was found in five cases. As with MDMA (ecstasy), there is no known safe dose of PMMA. 

The B.C. Coroners Service warns that although PMMA was detected in five cases, there were 13 other ecstasy-related deaths in the same period that did not involve PMMA. The most recent death is still being investigated.

“Ecstasy is in our community and, you don’t know where this stuff is coming from, so we could have ecstasy that’s no problem this week, but a great deal of problem next week,” says Constable Bernie Ward, Tk’umlups Rural RCMP. “It’s how it’s made. There’s more than one recipe that can kill you. You’re just an idiot to try it, that’s what it comes down to.”

The Coroners Service concurs saying, “There’s no guarantee of purity in a drug that’s concocted for profit in a clandestine environment and every ingestion of ecstasy is a risk.”

How powerful is this thought/feeling connection that can move us from tears to laughter so instantly? We seem to be at the whim of each thought, or each act, as it’s under the spotlight.

Things aren’t, however, what they seem. We’re neither a captive audience nor an unwilling participant in this mental big top. We’re the circus master, the creator of every moment. And, as much as it may seem otherwise, we truly write the script, not of the events but rather of our experience of the events. As much as we might resist the idea that we have a choice and can change our perception, truth is that we can. We have free will.

It’s easy to point to worst case scenarios and “what if’s.” Of course life is a series of ups and downs, of wins and losses. It’s not that we’re likely to walk through this journey without some adversity. What we do know, however, is that we have an innate resiliency and a profound capacity to choose well-being and wisdom regardless of past or current circumstances.

When we feel gripped by worry or anxiety, by self-doubt and insecurity it’s the perfect opportunity to see how seriously we’re taking our thinking. We’re believing the script. We’re seeing the world through the lens of a thought. It’s then that we can see the myriad options available to us. We can recognize the habits that we’ve innocently developed and we can let them go.

It’s a lifelong discovery that continues to surprise and delight as we realize that we can free ourselves from thinking that doesn’t serve us. We can recognize the feeling that tells us, loud and clear, where we’re going with an unwanted thought. We can continue to peel away the layers that keep us from our true nature, one of compassion and love.

We can feel deep gratitude for the gift of our innate health, that capacity to live in a good feeling more of the time. And we can decide where our thinking will take us.

As Sydney Banks reminds us in The Missing Link, “We are all just a thought away from a good feeling.”

Women 40 to 79 who are asymptomatic can self refer to the Screening Mammography Program in Kamloops to go that step further from the self-preformed physical breast examination.

“Screening Mammography is the Gold Standard for early detection,” explains Dr. Christine Wilson, Medical Director of the Screening Mammography Program of British Columbia. “Seventy per cent of the cancer detected is considered to be early stage cancer, so it is effective.”

A mammogram is a low dose X-ray of the breast. According to Health Canada, the images that seen through a mammographic test can show abnormal growths or changes in breast tissue, before they can be felt leading to earlier detections, fewer treatments and shorter recovery times possible.

Any woman under 40 who is concerned with abnormality of the breast (redness of the skin, a lump that can be felt, some nipple discharge or changes in the skin of the nipple) should schedule an appointment with their doctor for further testing and a diagnostic mammogram.

Wilson explains that a diagnostic mammogram is “an investigation which is directed towards the symptom that (the women) are having.” Results found therein could lead to more concentrated testing and imaging such as ultrasounds. These tests are used to isolate the possible affected areas, leading to more effective treatment geared towards each individual case.

Whether a woman is asymptomatic or showing signs of abnormalities, Kamloops is equipped to properly test and diagnose issues associated with breasts.

Women from Sun Peaks can visit Kamloops’ Screening Mammography clinic located at 300 Columbia Street, Suite 102. Women between 40 and 79 can schedule an appointment either in person or over the phone.

“The whole purpose of this is to improve the utilization of the health clinic and offer more health care to the locals,” she says.

Staffed by a nurse practitioner experienced in women’s health issues, the clinic will offer Pap tests, pre-natal assessments with referrals to Kamloops physicians, as well as pre and post-menopausal consultations. The nurse practitioner will be able to order and assess blood work and write prescriptions for birth control as well as provide education about sexually transmitted diseases.

Clinic hours, once finalized, will be posted on the health centre’s website but Kosolofski anticipates the biweekly clinic will be open for four hours. Women should schedule their half hour appointment in advance.

Classes are restricted to 15 students per class and cost $90 per person for the series, or $17 per class for drop-ins (providing there’s space). Yoga for Skiers is being held at Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Students are asked to bring their own yoga mat or towel to class.

For more information please contact Charlie Bruce at 250-579-5653 or Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge at 250-578-7454.

New Year’s Day has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to evaluate the state of your health and fitness and make small adjustments to improve both. Small changes gradually add up to a large shift in lifestyle and there are plenty of ways to kick-start a year of healthy living.

1. Skip the salt shaker. Excessive sodium consumption contributes to a variety of health issues including high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and kidney disease. Reduce your daily sodium intake by eating fewer prepared foods, cooking with herbs and spices rather than salt and substituting unsalted popcorn or nuts for salty snacks.

2. Switch to water. By eliminating or reducing consumption of sugary beverages, which often have as many calories as an entire meal and offer little in the way of nutritional value, you’ll be better hydrated and will consume fewer empty calories. It’s recommended that you drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day for optimum hydration and health.

3. Get moving. While it’s not always easy to find time to work out, you don’t need a gym membership to stay fit. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park your car at the back of the parking lot, increasing the number of steps you take in a day, or walk the Valley Trail instead of drive to the village. Small changes add up to big results.

4. Butt out. Smoking is so last year, so make a commitment to quitting this year. While it’s one of the hardest things one can do, quitting smoking provides immediate health benefits. After 20 minutes, blood pressure and pulse rates decrease and after a year, the risk of smoking-related heart attacks is reduced by half.

5. Keep in touch. Staying connected with family and friends is one of the healthiest things you can do. Studies show that social support is related to psychological well-being. This year find ways to incorporate physical activity to your social visits such as meeting up with friends for a skate, scheduling a coffee date and walk or pick a healthy recipe and invite the whole family to help make it.

6. Limit alcohol intake. It’s easy to get carried away during the holidays and the New Year is the perfect time to cut back on the over-indulging. Experts recommend you drink slowly and have no more than two drinks in any three hour period.

7. Become a mindful eater. Pay attention to what you’re eating and your portion sizes and by doing so you’ll cut back on sugars and calories. If you incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet you can reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

8. Balance work and play. Work to achieve a balance between your professional and personal lives. Leading a balanced lifestyle leaves you more rested, improves relationships and allows more time for physical and mental wellness.

9. Get your flu shot. There are serious health consequences as a result of catching the flu. By protecting yourself you’re also protecting others.

10. Take a nap! Studies show that not having enough sleep has a huge impact on your overall health and mental well-being. Maintain a regular bedtime routine, avoid caffeine before bed and staying physically active during the day all help you get a good night’s sleep.

To learn more about creating a healthy new you visit: healthyfamiliesbc.ca
For information on quitting smoking visit: quitnow.ca
For tips on healthy eating visit: healthlinkbc.ca/dietitian

If so, you need not look any farther than Sun Peaks. Beginning Thurs. Jan. 5, Catherine Dupont will be offering yoga classes from 5:15 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Dupont is a yoga instructor with more than 10 years of yoga practising and teaching experience, and is registered with the International Yoga Alliance.

“I have a lot of resort experience, so experience with a diverse (group),” says Dupont. “Some (participants) can be really athletic, and some not, and we can still make a really good class out of that.”

The yoga practices will be suited to all levels of experience, with Dupont offering different levels of intensity to suit differing needs.

The classes will be held in the Delta Sun Peaks, but the rooms will rotate depending on availability, so keep an eye on the events board in the Delta lobby for venue updates.

Yoga practices cost $12 per person, with $2 from each supporting Habitat for Humanity.

As I reflected on the content of the “New Year’s” articles that have been published in SPIN for the last few years it became clear that a common thread ran through them—the hope for dreams fulfilled, change for the better, potential realized. Out of that reflection came the question; “Why do we seem to have the same list year after year?” Why is learning to play the guitar and to speak passable French still on my list after so many years? Not to mention exercise more and procrastinate less. Then, as it so often happens, a casual conversation offered the pearl of wisdom; the “aha moment.”

The reason that so many of us have the same list year after year, decade after decade, is we believe or think that what’s on our list isn’t really possible. We believe that we have limits. We have innocently (and unconsciously) bought into the idea that we cannot change. How many times have you heard the old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” suggesting that we’re stuck with our habits. Our language betrays our self portrait. “I could never speak in public, carry a tune, play the piano, ride a horse, go back to school, live with you, live without you.”

Of course we do have certain limitations that cannot be denied. Some physical restrictions do exist. Some mental restrictions do exist. What also exists, however, is the potential to push our limits and reach unimagined heights. A 72 year old woman wrote her first book. A legally blind skier became an Olympic athlete. A young boy started a grassroots organization for global change. A grandmother got her BA. All around us is evidence, some small, some enormous, that the human spirit knows no bounds.

If it’s truly our thinking that creates our experience moment to moment, and if we do in fact have the ability to change our thinking then why don’t we? Why do we settle for less?

The aha moment that occurred, while seemingly obvious was, at the same time, very revealing and profound. The only thing standing between us and our amazing potential is a thought. The only thing keeping us from changing a habit or overcoming a fear is a thought. It’s the same for all of us all of the time. Is that really possible? You bet it is!

The problem with the “now” comes from the fact that we’re not always aware of or present to it. Have you ever noticed, when travelling somewhere, that you can be almost at your destination and yet completely unaware of the past several miles. Your mind has been wandering. Your thoughts were not in the moment.
When we’re in the moment we’re not thinking about the past or the future. We’re simply attentive to what we’re doing. For example, when we’re touched by the beauty of a sunset or a painting, or when we’re moved by a baby’s smile or a loved one’s voice we’re living in the now.

What happens, all too often, is that our thoughts wander. Perhaps when we’re touched by a sunset we might be reminded of another sunset in the past that was shared with a lost love and we feel sad. Or we might think of a sunset that accompanied a hilarious beach party when we were in our teens and we feel amused. In either situation we are drawing an experience from the past and giving it life through a thought. This will happen from time to time. It’s inevitable and part of our humanity. It would be impossible, I believe, to live constantly in the moment. What we can do, though, is become aware of what we’re doing, of where our thinking is taking us. We can see our thinking as the source of our feeling.

We have the amazing gift to choose where we’ll go with that thought. We can catch ourselves in our moment to moment creation and decide whether we want to make an elaborate web out of a single thought or simply let it go.

A group of us were passing a church recently and noticed the sign which read “Each day comes only once in a lifetime.” We might take it even further and say that each moment comes only once in a lifetime. How many moments are we willing to miss in the service of past events remembered or future events imagined? The answer is, as few as possible!

Did you ever imagine that it was possible to live most of your life in a good feeling? Did you think for a moment that you could let go of old insecurities and hurts? Did you really believe that you had within you a profound capacity to forgive and move forward?

Most of us do not believe we can. Most of us, I would guess, have grown up believing that it was outside circumstances and events that dictated our sense of well-being and that, other than the odd dash of “positive thinking,” we were at the mercy of our thinking. If someone criticized me and my feelings were hurt it seemed obvious to me that they’d caused my upset. It was with surprise, and some disbelief, that I first heard that I had a choice. I could choose to take my insecure thinking seriously or I could choose to see the bigger picture and take my thinking (and myself) more lightly. It was, for me, the most freeing experience of my life. I was no longer at the mercy of other people’s opinions and actions nor was I held hostage by my own insecure thoughts. I now knew, from personal experience, that I could let go of thinking that didn’t serve me and live in calm more of the time. Does that mean that I was guaranteed never to be gripped by low moods or judgment or fear? Not at all. What it does mean, however, is that once we are onto ourselves, that is, once we understand that we’re the creators of our moment-to-moment experience, we can never again be as gripped. We are able to catch ourselves sooner.

How do we do that? We do it by becoming more aware of our feelings. Every thought has a feeling attached to it. You can’t have an angry, or fearful, or joyous thought without experiencing a feeling that matches it. So, as we become more tuned into our feelings we can catch ourselves earlier in the game. We can decide not to make an epic out of a passing thought. We can decide not to go down the rabbit hole.

There are so many advantages to seeing the role of thought in the creation of our experience of reality. Not only are we free to choose, we’re also, through this understanding, able to access the deep source of well-being that lives within each of us. We can more readily move into gratitude, wisdom and forgiveness. We also can begin to see the innocence in those around us as they become gripped by their habitual thinking and insecurity. We can live in a good feeling more of the time. Road rage can become a thing of the past. Grudges can be seen as an almost comical waste of time. Life can become a journey of discovery that is truly beyond our wildest dreams.