Therapeutic Drawing

Wondering how to calm down in the midst of overwhelming deadlines? Grab a pencil.

Mindfulness can be achieved by bringing attention to seeing or sensing, hearing or tasting, as is done in meditation, but visual art can offer a further tool by providing a focus for sensory perception. Drawing, for instance, can help us connect with our sense of sight, slowing down our seeing and making it more embodied. Sketching a peach, we can take note of the fuzzy texture of its skin, the subtle shades of pink and orange, and the late afternoon light tinting it. As we do so, we can become more fully present to the moment.

When it comes to releasing emotion, visual art has the advantage of being nonverbal, enabling one to express emotions that may be difficult to put into words. Creating a gestural painting by working with rhythmic brushwork or depicting images that evoke withheld feelings can be used as effective tools to release pent-up emotions.

Translating a problem into visual form or creating a visual analogue is a powerful way to reframe it and to see it in a new light. Creating an analogue can also help us visualize solutions.

We can work with scale, edge, and colour to explore further ways of shifting our visual interpretations. Shrink the large shapes that represent work overload. Lighten up the dark circles showing conflict. Or simply turn the analogue upside down to discover new possibilities and meanings.

Visual expression can help us get past our inner censor, less active in image-making than in language, and connect with parts of ourselves that may have been blocked off. Working visually, we can access our unconscious with greater ease, where we can find out more about our true selves.

Finally, taking time out to enjoy ourselves is crucial as it helps us exit the vicious circle of stress and recharge our batteries. The visual arts can help us regain our sense of play as we delight in colour or experiment with new materials. And when making art, we can bring about the profound satisfaction of activating the creative self, an essential part of our makeup as human beings.

Try these two art exercises to get started.

Dream collage

Access your inner life and enhance your self-knowledge by creating a dream collage.

Materials: magazines, paper, scissors, glue stick

How to: think of a dream. Select images in magazines that evoke it. Cut and paste, experimenting with composition and colour. Let the final image speak to you, writing down thoughts elicited from the work.

Photographic visual diary

Pay attention to the world around you and inhabit the present more fully by keeping a visual diary.

Materials: a camera

How to: photograph what you find intriguing, moving, or beautiful. Play with contrasts such as close/far; empty/full; and light/dark. Title and date your photos, arranging them in an actual or virtual diary.

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Ten benefits of meditation

As modern life becomes increasingly stressful, it seems there is never enough time for all we need to do. So the idea of carving out more time for a commitment to sit–and meditate–may seem absurd.

Take just a moment or two to consider some of the real benefits of meditation and you may be surprised at how much easier it can be to manage life’s challenges.

1. Costs nothing

Meditation costs nothing and you can practise anywhere–while walking to work, while in the office, or on a noisy bus. One way to do this is to focus all attention on your breathing. Concen-trate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly.

2. Reduces stress

Meditation reduces stress levels and alleviates anxiety. If we train ourselves to become more mindful, we can learn to observe our moods and thoughts before they spiral downward. We can, in other words, be more relaxed inside.

3. Improves concentration and mental focus

Meditation provides a way to train our mind to settle into a state of calmness and clarity. We will be less easily led into old mental habits such as irritability. When we learn to separate from our old habits of mind, we pave the way for clearer thoughts, improved memory, insightfulness, creativity, and the ability to learn and adapt to new things.

4. Facilitates mindfulness

Meditation is a state of being acutely aware of whatever thought, emotion, or sensation is present without reacting to it. In the process, we gain an understanding of how our mind functions. We discover that we do not have to follow every thought or emotion that arises.

5. Improves circulatory and cardiovascular systems

Scientists have discovered that meditation can affect the body in remarkable ways, including reductions in heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen consumption, blood flow
to skeletal muscles, perspiration, and muscle tension.

6. Increases appreciation for life

Meditation expands our awareness and opens us to a larger view of the life that is all around us.

7. Supports immune system

Scientific studies indicate that meditation increases defence against tumours, viruses, colds, flu, and other infectious diseases.

8. Reduces and manages pain

Studies show that meditation relieves symptoms in patients with anxiety and chronic pain; further, those who meditate heal almost four times more rapidly than those who do not meditate.

9. Cultivates inner peace and equanimity

Meditation cultivates insight and understanding through a capacity of moment-to-moment, nonjudgmental awareness. In this way, we become healthier, more peaceful, and more balanced.

10. Improves knowledge of self

Meditation facilitates self-discovery. We realize that we can understand and improve ourselves as human beings, not through a theory, not through a concept, but through direct experience.

Quick Guide to Meditation

You can adapt this introductory meditation technique to fit the time you have available.

• Ideally, find a place that is quiet and comfortable where you will be undisturbed.
• Find a posture that works for you–either on a chair or cross-legged on the floor. It is important that the spine is upright and that your body is relaxed. Rest your hands comfortably on your lap or thighs.
• To minimize outward distractions, close your eyes, but do not allow yourself to fall asleep. Become aware of your breathing by focusing on the movement of air in and out of your body.
• Be aware of the thoughts that come into your mind. Do not try to ignore or suppress them; just observe them while remaining calm and anchored to your breath. Do not let your frequent wanderings discourage you.
• Simply observe what is taking place in yourself as though you were an interesting stranger. If you become distracted, refocus on your breathing.
• After 15 minutes, slowly open your eyes. Take a few minutes to allow yourself to come back to where you are. When you are ready, gently lift yourself up to a standing position.

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Treat Your Brain Well, Your life depends on it

If you can use an ATM machine, set your alarm clock and remember why you set it, write a cheque, go back to work after a coffee break, and remember to pick up groceries on the way home, then the chances are you don’t have a brain injury.

The things that you and I do almost without thinking can cause severe difficulty for those with traumatic brain injuries.

A heavy personal cost

Head injuries are the fourth leading cause of death for Canadians of all ages, and the leading cause of death for Canadians aged one to 44 years. Although the death rate from brain injury has declined in the past decade, 13,906 Canadians died as a result of their injuries in 2003. Sadly, the high death toll is only one devastating consequence of a traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury survivors may be faced with many disabilities, depending on the area of the brain affected: from short-term memory loss to the inability to walk—the challenges are often significant and devastating.

Remember me?

Typically, brain injury survivors—or survivors as they like to refer to themselves—lose their short-term memories to the point where they cannot remember the very things you and I take for granted.

Paradoxically, survivors often retain their long-term memories and thus can remember only too well how they used to be, what they could do before, and thereby recognize—but have difficulty coming to terms with—their limitations.

Quebec resident Ted Philips ran his own very successful construction business. Coming home late one night, he hit a patch of black ice. He wasn’t wearing his seatbelt and was thrown through the windshield. Normally a safety-focused man, he had jumped in his truck, been distracted by some papers that had fallen on the floor, and forgot to buckle up.

After his accident, Ted was unable to concentrate for any length of time and had increased anxiety, severe depression, and dreadful mood swings. His short-term memory was almost nonexistent and his long-term memory haunted him.

While the toll of his injuries was terrible for Ted, it was almost unbearable for his family. Eventually his wife left him, taking his two young daughters with her. Like so many survivors faced with seemingly impossible odds, Ted turned to alcohol to cope.

Sadly, this often happens to survivors of brain injury. In Ted’s case, with the dedication of a brain injury life-skills worker and a supreme effort on Ted’s part, he now works part-time, is at peace with himself, and is reconnecting with his family.

A brain injury is forever

It was once assumed that nerves could not regenerate themselves; therefore brain injuries were permanent. However, more recent science suggests otherwise. While survivors are unlikely to return to their pre-accident level of function, most can relearn enough to lead purposeful lives.

James Passmore crashed his motorcycle in 1987. His frontal lobe was damaged. With extensive life-skills coaching and a lot of hard work from James, he slowly learned to control his now-volatile emotions.

After several years of therapy, James recognizes when his emotions are getting out of control and he can now walk away rather than resorting to violence. Many brain injury survivors react with inappropriate emotion, and overcoming this problem is extremely difficult.

Our brains—more than the sum of the parts Although our brains are protected by a strong, bony skull, trauma to the brain can occur without major damage to the skull, because the brain can be smashed against the skull on the inside, as happens in many auto accidents. While some sensory areas appear to be specific to particular lobes, many of our control centres involve several areas of the brain.

Part of the brain	Areas involved	Injury symptoms
Frontal lobe	emotional control centre; motor function; problem-solving; memory; language; impulse control, social and sexual behaviour	memory loss; poor problem-solving abilities; loss of speech; impaired learning; emotional instability
Temporal lobe	smell; taste; perception; memory; musical ability; aggression; sexual behaviour; may contain language centre	loss of the senses of smell and taste; memory loss; inability to control aggression; inappropriate sexual behaviours; difficulty recalling words
Parietal lobe	the left lobe controls sensation and perception; the right interprets sensory input and integrates it with visual cues; understands where our bodies are in the physical environment; matches the written word with speech	difficulty in understanding left and right; poor writing and mathematical skills; diminished understanding of body and space; dramatically altered personalities; cognitive impairment
Occipital lobe	vision and perception lobes make sense of movement and recognize colours; allow us to understand shadows and colours so we can judge the distance and size of objects	hallucinations, illusions, and seizures; word blindness; writing impairment
Cerebellum	fine-tunes movement, balance, and equilibrium as well as muscle tone	uncoordinated movement, staggering, and swaying; muscle weakness; falls easily; slurred speech; abnormal, uncontrolled rapid movements
Brain stem	breathing; heart rate; swallowing	damage to this area usually results in death

Prevention is the only cure According to the Canadian Brain Injury Association, the majority of brain injuries are preventable, so wear the gear buckle up drive sober look first

The economic burden

Accurate information on the true economic burden of treating survivors of traumatic brain injury in Canada—and helping them return to society with meaningful lives—is difficult to come by. Most statistics come from the US and are extrapolated to Canada.

However, the SMARTRISK Foundation produces a paper, The Economic Burden of Injury in Canada, which looks at the estimated cost to Canadians of intentional and unintentional injuries. It states that in 2004 the cost was $19.8 billion. So obviously, the more we can do to prevent injury the better.

To that end, SMARTRISK and brain injury associations across Canada provide education and prevention workshops to schools, service clubs, and the general public. See sidebar, “Prevention is the only cure,” for some tips.

The main causes of brain injuries
Cause	Incident rate
motor vehicle accidents	45%
falls	3%
assaults	9%
other, including suicide attempts	10%

Real brains; real people

Unless we are personally touched by brain injury, we often know little about it—after all, brain injuries just don’t get the press that other diseases such as cancer or heart disease do.
Recently however, more information is being presented in the press about the risk of brain injuries, particularly in sports. The National Hockey League mandates helmets, and the American Football Association is considering changes to its rules to help prevent brain injuries.

The judiciary committee of the House of Representatives in the US met in January to assess the threat of brain injuries to players, particularly at school and college levels. As John Conyers, chairman of the committee, said, “Clearly, we have reached a tipping point in our understanding of the causes and treatment of brain injuries in football.” Let’s hope all sports reach that tipping point soon.

Yet, we must never forget that behind every statistic is a real person—along with their family and caregivers. Brain injury survivors are so much more than the sum of their injuries.

Jim Boulton’s car accident happened 20 years ago—he had been drinking at the time—and resulted in trauma to his cerebellum. Although Jim has now recovered enough to hold down a job and is a teetotaller and an avid skier, he still staggers when he walks and his speech is slurred.

As a result, he is regularly reported to the police because observers believe him drunk. Jim understands why this happens, but he wishes people would take a minute to talk to him, then they would realize he isn’t drunk at all; he is a brain injury survivor.

Naturally brainy Dr. Alan Logan, author of The Brain Diet (Cumberland House, 2006), insists that those suffering from a brain injury need a healthy diet, perhaps even more so than do uninjured people. “The research is making it clear that nutrition can influence the generation of specific nerve growth factors which are responsible for repair, growth, and maintenance of nerve cells,” he notes. The foods most recommended for survivors include the anti-inflammatory foods—deeply coloured fruits and vegetables, green tea, and seafood. Culinary herbs and spices such as turmeric also get the thumbs-up. Recommended supplements Supplement Benefit omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA have been shown to limit post-traumatic brain injury and can increase the production of BDNE (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E crucial to prevent further damage and support and repair pathways; vitamin E limits damage after brain injury; vitamins A and C stimulate nerve growth curcumin (from turmeric) antioxidant and anti-inflammatory; stimulates nerve growth in the brain bilberry (European blueberry) high in antioxidants; stimulates nerve growth factors

Brain facts

The brain is divided into two distinct halves:

Left side	Right side
controls the right side of the body	control centres for speech, logic, and cognitive functioning
controls the left side of the body	controls mathematical ability and thinks three-dimensionally

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The Truth About Sports-Enhancing Supplements

Here’s the lowdown on the most popular sports supplements.

Caffeine

Claim: improves athletic endurance

Research:

• enhances performance of trained athletes when low to moderate doses (3 to 6 mg/kg) are taken in supplement form
• enhances performance when taken 15 to 30 minutes before exercise
• Benefits high-intensity exercise such as soccer and rugby

Risks:

• can cause insomnia, nervousness, irritated stomach, nausea, vomitting, increased heart rate and respiration; large doses may cause irregular heartbeats and even death

DON’T take caffeine with ephedrine.

Creatine

Claim: improves exercise performance and builds muscle mass

Research:

• builds lean body mass
• improves athletic performance during brief, high intensity activities such as sprinting
• works best for young, healthy athletes
• does not improve strength or body composition in people over 60

Risks:

• safe at recommended doses
• can cause stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, weight gain, and muscle cramps
• draws water to muscles from other parts of the body; drink extra water to stay hydrated

DON’T take creatine with caffeine and/or ephedrine; this may cause serious side effects such as stroke.

DON’T take creatine with nephrotoxic drugs that can cause kidney damage.

Protein

Claim: supports muscle growth, mass, and strength

Research:

• dairy and whey sources of protein appear to be most effective
• enhances muscle size (hypertrophy) when ingested shortly after exercise

Risks:

• safe for most adults when taken appropriately
• high doses may cause thirst, bloating, cramps, nausea, and increased bowel movements

DON’T take if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have milk allergies.

Ephedrine (ephedra)

• DON’T USE
• Health Canada has issued several notices warning consumers not to use products containing ephedrine (ephedra), either alone or in combination with caffeine and other stimulants, for purposes of weight loss, body building, or increased energy.
• Ephedrine (ephedra) may be listed on products by names such as “Ma Huang, Chinese Ephedra, Ma Huang extract, Ephedra, Ephedra Sinica, Ephedra extract, Ephedra herb powder, Sida Cordifolia or epitonin, all of which indicate a source of ephedrine.”
• Use of products containing Ephedra or ephedrine in combination with caffeine and other stimulants may have serious, possibly fatal, adverse effects. Health Canada advises consumers that these products are not authorized for use.Before taking any fitness supplements, consult your health care practitioner.

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10 Exercise Benefits for Men

Listing the benefits of exercise sounds a bit like the start of a late-night infomercial for some gadget that sounds too good to be true. Feel happier? Live longer? Stop memory loss and help prevent cancer? But it is true … and all this could be yours for just three weekly workouts of 50 minutes each!
While weight loss is an important result of exercise for many people, exercise has far broader effects on overall health; understanding its consequences just may motivate you to make better friends with your gym membership.

1. More energy and better sleep

A common reason for not exercising is a lack of energy. This can be a tough hurdle to cross but once you get those first few workouts under your belt, it’s much easier to continue. Physical activity builds physical capacity, meaning that the more you exercise, the easier those same activities will be in the future. Outside the gym this also means that you will experience less fatigue when going about your daily activities. Of course, this means that at the end of the day, you’ll have that much more energy to exercise!

Adding physical activity into your daily life will also improve your energy levels by supporting healthy sleep. Sleep is intrinsically tied to circadian rhythms—the cycles of hormones within our bodies that drive many of our physical processes. Regular exercise improves sleep quality and has been shown to improve even chronic insomnia. In addition, exercise can help the body adapt to changes in the sleep/wake schedule resulting from travel or shift work. Better sleep will lead to less daytime fatigue and greater energy reserves in your day-to-day life.

2. Pain management

Pre-existing injury or generalized pain is another important factor preventing some men from becoming more active. Although extra care is warranted when exercising with injuries, physical activity can reduce pain and the limitations that it may pose.

Chronic back pain is one complaint that may be markedly improved by exercise-based therapy. However, musculoskeletal pain is not the only discomfort to be relieved by exercise. A recent investigation into the role of aerobic exercise in men with chronic prostatitis showed significantly decreased pain levels in the study group.

Prioritizing physical activity can also help to ward off future discomfort. In a recent study of exercise and back pain, participants with the poorest fitness levels at baseline were those most likely to have developed back pain in follow-up visits six years later, meaning that poor fitness may be considered a risk factor for back problems. Other research shows that targeted stretching and strengthening exercises may help to prevent the occurrence of specific injuries altogether.

3. Immune workout

The preventive benefits of exercise extend to other body systems as well. Engaging in just 20 minutes of daily exercise has significant impacts on the strength and activity of the immune system. Increased immune surveillance reduces the risk of respiratory infections such as the common cold.

Intensive training has been shown to decrease immune activity but as this is really only of concern to elite athletes, this is no reason to skip the gym!

4. Sexercise!

If you need another reason to get active, could the promise of a more fulfilling sex life motivate you? Regular activity builds endurance and strength, making all other physical pursuits that much easier. A study of men with sexual dysfunction showed that exercising for 180 minutes per week improved their satisfaction with their sex lives. In a similar study erectile function was specifically improved in active participants. Regular exercise has also been shown to decrease the risk of sexual dysfunction before it starts.

Pelvic floor exercises, or Kegel exercises, play an important role in men’s sexual health. Men struggling with sexual dysfunction after prostate removal report significant improvements after incorporating exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Beginning these exercises shortly after surgery intensifies their benefit (check with your health care practitioner first). Some experts recommend that all men perform regular Kegel exercises to preserve and enhance their sexual function.

5. Brain building

In addition to promoting a healthy and happy sex life, regular exercise will also help to preserve the function of another organ of concern to men as they age: the brain. Regular moderate-to-vigorous exercise over the lifespan reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease by as much as 40 percent. Exercising at least three times per week may cut the risk of dementia by 21 percent. While the connection between these conditions and exercise habits is not yet fully understood, physical activity is protective.

Even without a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, cognitive function tends to decline over the lifespan. Regular physical activity can preserve the ability to perform mental tasks such as recalling dates and locations over time. If you are noticing deficiencies in your memory, introduce a plan of moderate exercise to increase memory and benefit brain function.

6. Movement for mood

Simple but regular exercise strategies will support other key functions of the brain. Committing to an ongoing routine of physical activity can reduce your risk of developing depression. If depression has already been diagnosed, introducing regular activity may provide substantial support to other care you may be receiving. The mood-balancing effects of exercise are thought to result from endorphins and other brain chemicals that are released during physical activity.

If you are not clinically depressed but just feeling bogged down by the pressures of your daily life, you will also benefit from exercise. Physical activity provides many opportunities for the expression of frustrations and stresses as you run, pedal, and crunch your way to fitness.

In addition, physical training actually changes the body’s response to psychological strain. Compared to their untrained counterparts, trained athletes have lower heart rates, decreased cortisol levels, and calmer mood states in the face of pressure. Blunting the stress response through activity may shield the body from the effects of chronic stress.

7. Quality (and quantity) of life

Aside from helping with specific issues such as depression and the management of life stressors, exercise has significant and positive effects on the overall health-related quality of our lives. This hefty claim is borne out by research showing that the more time a person spends exercising in leisure time, the more likely they are to have better mental health, less pain, and a higher level of social functioning. Those who don’t exercise show comparable declines in these indicators of life quality.

But the benefits don’t stop there: in addition to improving life quality, exercise contributes to longer life. Compared to mildly active men, those who are highly active cut their risk of death from any cause by 22 percent. Increasing your moderate-intensity physical activity by just one hour per week will decrease your risk of death from all causes by 4 percent. If you are searching for exercise motivation, consider these statistics.

8. Exercise your heart

The benefits of aerobic exercise to cardiovascular health are well documented, and a sedentary lifestyle is a known risk factor for heart attack and stroke. A recent study put this into perspective by demonstrating that owning both a car and a television increases the risk of heart attack by 27 percent. On the flip side, incorporating moderate physical activity into your life will significantly decrease the risk of heart attack or stroke by up to 63 percent.

Many risk factors contribute to cardiovascular risk, but high blood pressure (hypertension) and elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are commonly cited culprits. Whereas pharmaceutical therapies such as beta blockers or statins will address one of these targets at a time, exercise can modify several factors simultaneously (however, don’t stop your medications without consulting your health care practitioner).

A recent study using recreational soccer drills as a treatment (one hour, three times a week for three months) showed significant reductions in blood pressure and LDL in addition to causing a decrease in body fat. Definitely more fun than pills.

9. Curbing cancer

When considered collectively, cancers of all types are the leading cause of death among Canadian men. Cancer does not discriminate: it affects men of all ages and ethnicities. Nonetheless, some risk factors are within your control and may significantly decrease your risk of getting cancer. Exercise is one of these factors.

Population studies consistently show that exercise protects against many types of cancer. Leisure-time physical activity decreases colon cancer risk in men by 20 percent. Prostate cancer rates drop by almost 10 percent in exercising men, while trends in kidney cancer are similar. Physical activity is far from being a guarantee against a cancer diagnosis, but it does appear to provide some added insurance.

In men who have cancer, exercise is an important part of a recovery strategy. Brisk walking may contribute to delayed progression in clinically localized prostate cancer, while regular activity decreases the chance of dying from colon cancer. During prostate cancer treatment, exercise may reduce fatigue and other associated side effects.

10. Diabetes protection

Aside from cardiovascular disease and cancer, regular workouts help to protect against other chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Type 2 or late-onset diabetes occurs when the body becomes insensitive to insulin, preventing glucose from entering the cells. Left untreated, the resulting high levels of sugar in the blood can lead to severe complications such as blindness, limb loss, and kidney failure.

The goal of diabetic therapy is a reduction in blood sugar levels. Exercise can significantly reduce hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), a standard measure of blood glucose control. This improvement may be caused by a renewed sensitivity of body cells to insulin.

Physical activity also markedly decreases the risk of developing diabetes, by as much as 65 percent in some studies. It is interesting to note that the protective effect of exercise is not reliant upon weight loss: risk reduction is independent of body weight.

Although physical activity may never get its 15 minutes of infomercial fame, it holds tremendous potential for the physical and mental health of every Canadian man. Try some today!

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5 workouts at work

• Plan a 10-minute walk between your car and your office, bus stop, or client location.
• Always take the stairs.
• Walk to a colleague’s office instead of calling or emailing.
• Take a lunch break every day and get outside.
• Stretch regularly at your desk or elsewhere in your workplace.

Kegel exercises for men

Kegel exercises may help to preserve and enhance function of the male reproductive and urinary systems.

• Find your pelvic floor muscles by trying to stop the passage of urine midstream, or tighten those muscles that stop you from passing gas.
• Tighten these muscles and hold for 3 seconds.
• Keep breathing while holding and try not to use other muscle groups (buttocks, abdomen).
• Perform Kegels up to 10 times in 1 set; repeat up to 3 times per day.

How to get ahead in exercising: 5 tips to get you started

• Find a gym or yoga studio close to your workplace.
• Hire a trainer for a few sessions if you aren’t sure how to start.
• Commit to meeting a friend at the gym for your workouts.
• Set achievable goals. For instance, train for a race with a running group.
• Feel proud of yourself. Exercise can be perpetuated by a positive outlook.

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