So where did the last 2 ½ months go?  I remember declaring my New Year’s resolutions only… what… 2 ½ months ago already?  They (my New Year’s resolutions) have all faded into oblivion.  How about yours?  (Join the club.)  But that doesn’t mean they are lost forever or that we have to wait until the next New Year.

Spring is the time for rebirth.  Everything held stagnant over the last few month bursts forth with new life and energy.   From the colorful butterflies flitting through the air and the fragile new buds on the trees, to the sunlit daffodils dancing gently in the breeze; all in awe of their journey from the depths to the life giving warmth and light of the sun.

Ah yes… Spring.   One of my favorite seasons.

I always look forward to waking up to the songs of nature.  The birds singing outside my window, the buzzing of bees in search of newly opened pedals and the thunder of hoof beats running around the fields.  I go to my window and watch life unfold before me.

For me, there is nothing better than watching babies experience their first few hours/days/weeks of life.  Pretty much baby anything.  I can sit and watch new foals for hours on end.  The transition from birth to standing in about an hour still amazes me.. .to their curiosity and playfulness and not days old.

Yes, Spring is upon us, and a great time to think about Spring Cleaning.  And I don’t mean your home.  I consider Spring cleaning a wonderful opportunity to do some heavy duty soul searching to find out what you really want.  What do you really need?  Everything is anew and this is our chance to start over.

Whether it is to implement those rascally New Year’s resolutions that fell off the wagon, start that hobby or project that you have been putting off, connect with that long lost friend or relative, start that self-improvement course, quit a bad habit, learn a new language, take yoga, ask that hot neighbor over for dinner… (this list could go on and on…), there is never a better time than right now.

It’s time to renew yourself, renew your soul.  Take a deep breath… embrace the newness of the season… and live.

Some great quotes to help you on your way…

“Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.”- From Vanilla Sky

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOOHOO - What a Ride!"-Attributed to an octogenarian named Mavis Leyrer, of Seattle

“May you live every day of your life.”- Jonathan Swift

“This life is yours.  Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well.  Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly.  Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature.  Take the power to control your own life.  No one else can do it for you.  Take the power to make your life happy.” - Susan Polis Schutz

“The worst thing you can do is to look back and wish you had.  Have no regrets.  LIVE life.” - Wally Chapman

Colleen Gaudet
President & CEO

The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) Privacy Rule was established to protect an individual’s medical record and personal health information, while the information is being distributed to necessary medical professionals in order to facilitate a high quality of health care.  The Rule provides a balance that allows the necessary use of patient information while protecting the privacy of the person seeking care.

As a medical transcriptionist, you must always remember that the medical record is a legal document.  When you are transcribing these sensitive documents, you must do so with complete confidentiality.  Each medical record MUST remain absolutely confidential.  The information in each of these documents is based on a confidential relationship between the physician and the patient.  As a medical transcriptionist, it is very important that you take the security of the patient record seriously. Failing to do so could result in termination of employment and even possible legal recourse.

Below are some HIPAA compliance guidelines, tips, and information for medical transcriptionists:

1. Ensure that a proper confidentiality agreement exists between you and your employer.
2. As an at home MT, ensure that your office space and computer are secure. If possible, have a separate computer for work.
3. Make sure that your workstation is protected by a password.
4. Ensure that you adjust your settings so that your transcription platform will auto shutdown after 15 minutes of inactivity. If you are going to be away for more than 5 minutes, log off the platform.
5. Never leave confidential information on your computer while you leave your office.
6. Create strong passwords. Passwords with upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols are ideal.
7. If you are on a home wireless network, ensure that the connection is encrypted. Wireless signals can extend more than 300 feet from your wireless router. Therefore, neighbours can access your wireless network. People who can connect to your wireless network will be able to view files on your computer, monitor the web sites you visit, read your email, and copy your user names and passwords as they move across your unprotected wireless home network.
8. Strictly no revealing of any patient details, sending voice or transcribed files, patient logs, or any such individually identifiable patient health information material through an instant messenger, as these could be intercepted.
9. If you are storing a copy of normal reports on your computer, remove any personally identifiable information in them. It should be just a normal report with no patient demographics contained in it.
10. A virus scanner with spyware protection and up-to-date virus database is a must.
11. Do not write down any patient details on any papers or sticky notes on your table. If a need exists to write down any patient information on a paper, take due care to destroy the paper with no trace left behind at the end of the day.
12. Do not discuss any individually identifiable patient health information with friends or family members, in the public, with outsiders, or in front of outsiders (even over phone).

Following these guidelines will ensure that the privileged information between doctor and patient remains that way.

Deb Albert
Instructor

Rapport is like money.  You only realise you have a problem when you haven’t got enough of it.  Rapport is not a technique you turn on and off at will.  It should flow constantly between people. Rule one of communication: Establish rapport before expecting anyone to listen to you.  And this is the case with anybody and any situation, whether with a teacher, pupil, spouse, friend, waitress, taxi driver, coach, doctor, therapist, or business executive.

Rapport is an essential ingredient that leads to successful communication between two individuals or groups of people.  You do not need to like someone to build rapport with him or her.  It is a mutually respectful way of being with others and a way of doing business at all times.

Don’t kid yourself that you can pull it instantly out of the bag for a meeting or problem solving session.  True rapport is based on an instinctive sense of trust and integrity.

Rapport is about making a two way connection.  You know you’ve made such a connection when you experience a genuine sense of trust and respect with another person, when you engage comfortably with someone no matter however different they are to you, and when you know that you are listening and being listened to.

While you may like to spend your time with other people who are just like you, the real world is full of a wonderful variety of different types of people with special skills, opinions and backgrounds.  Rapport is the key to success and influence in both your personal and professional life.  It’s about appreciating and working with differences.  Rapport makes getting things done much easier.  It means you can provide good customer service to others and enjoy being on the receiving end of it, too.  Ultimately, it preserves your time, money, and energy.  What a great stress-free way to live!

Samantha Carnegie
Director of Admissions and Student Services

Are you afraid of something?  Is it so intense you would call it a phobia?  In researching the definition of phobia, according to Cambridge Dictionary online, the definition a phobia is " an extreme fear of a particular thing or situation, especially one that cannot be reasonably explained.

I have one distinct phobia.  I have a fear of heights which is known as "altophobia" or "acrophobia."  I do not want to be higher than the 2nd or 3rd floor of a hotel or else I am hugging the wall.

I didn't really think I was claustrophobic until I had an MRI.  I really felt enclosed and had to try to distract myself by thinking of pleasant things.  Also, oftentimes they give you music to listen to as well.

In researching this topic, there are hundreds of phobias which people suffer from and can really affect their daily living.

Listed below are just a few phobias that are related to the medical field:

• anginophobia - fear of angina, choking, or narrowness.
• vaccinophobia - fear or vaccination.
• trypanophobia - fear of injections.
• bacteriophobia - fear of bacteria.
• cancerophobia or carcinophobia - fear of cancer.
• rhypophobia - fear of defecation.
• rectophobia - fear of rectum or rectal diseases.
• dentophobia - fear of dentists.
• emetophobia - fear of vomiting.
• pharmacophobia - fear of drugs.
• phobophobia - fear of phobias. (How about this one?)
• iatrophobia - fear of going to the doctor or of doctors.
• menophobia - fear of menstruation.
• neopharmaphobia - fear of new drugs.
• nosocomephobia - fear of hospitals.

Phobias can be mild or they can be severe.  They can be so severe that they affect a person's ability to function normally.  Take the person who suffers from agoraphobia.  Some of these people never leave their house.

Phobias affect more than 6 million people in the United States and that the average age to develop a phobia is around 10 years old.  Phobias also can include illnesses that are not unusual and can affect up to 28 out of every 100 people.  Women are twice as likely to suffer from phobias than men.

Another interesting fact is that alcoholics can be up to 10 times more likely to suffer from a phobia than nonalcoholics.  Also, people with phobias can be twice as likely to suffer from being addicted to alcohol than those who do not have phobias.

There is no known cause for phobias.  Some suggest that it is hereditary and that phobias run in families.  Some suggest that phobias are related to your culture and can be brought on by life events.

Phobias can be treated with psychotherapy or medication or a combination of both.

Robin Reynolds
Instructor

When I was in about 5th grade our teacher gave us a test.  I think most kids get this test at one point or another.  The first instruction was to read all the instructions before starting.  The last instruction was to ignore all the other instructions, put your name at the top, and turn it in.  There were about 3 of us that did that right.  The rest of the class, including some of the smartest students, were answering questions in crayon, clucking like chickens, etc.  They all failed.

Reading comprehension is a critical skill for any MT.  The more obvious way is that we must understand what we are transcribing.  We have to research to verify our documents are accurate in content and form.  Patients and health practitioners rely on us to do this right, to help them get and give the best care possible.  We must comprehend what we transcribe to do it correctly.

There is another way that reading comprehension is critically important to our job security and longevity.  That's reading written information we are given by our employers and implementing it.  As distance workers, we do not have the benefit of in-person staff meetings where our employers can roll out different aspects of how we work verbally and then hand us the reference material.  We'll have a mountain of paperwork (reference material) telling us what to do and will be expected to follow it to the letter.  The upshot is that we don't have to sit through in-person staff meetings where our employers say the same thing reworded for each person that asks for further clarification.

In the course, there is a tremendous amount of information given to students.  This really simulates the work environment and gets you used to applying written information and instruction.  You will be expected to read what you are given, all of it, understand it, and apply it to your work.  When new information is given to you, you will be able to ask questions about it.  That's expected.  However, when asking questions, be sure you have read the material given and refer to what you don't understand in your question.

As an instructor, I have started seeing a lack of reading or comprehension of what was read with alarming frequency.  I get questions over very simple instructions and feedback I have sent.  Again, I'm not referring to asking questions to clear up what isn't understood.  I'm a teacher, answering questions and providing clarification is a calling.  An example of what I mean would be sending a student an email of only a couple paragraphs that includes login information, only to get an email back stating the student didn't have the login information so I have caused a delay in their ability to proceed.  Tone is also very important when communicating, especially if there is any chance you might be wrong.  You're not going to build a good rapport with your editor if you communicate in an accusatory manner even if they did forget to fill in that detail.

To give a work example, in one of my jobs, there was a directive to "use no automatic formatting, including super/subscripting".  It was quite clear and shouldn't have even needed the "including" part.  There would be no excuse to have this in a document.  Acceptable variation doesn't apply to clear directives given in your account specifics.

An appropriate point of clarification would be something like "the instructions say not to superscript or subscript, please clarify how to transcribe information that should normally be subscripted".  Make sure the answer isn't there before you send that question to your editor though.  Review the directive again.  The answer might be further in the reading.  It would even be acceptable to ask "why shouldn't we use auto-formatting".  It's a point of information about the programming you are using.  It's ok to ask.  You'll be more effective at your job if you understand the platform and some people just feel the need to have a "why" to things like this.  They won't mind telling you (assuming they know) if you want more detail than just "don't do it".  Chances are they were just trying to streamline the instructions by leaving why out of it.

At the job I'm referring to, subscripting, etc., would eliminate all text that followed it in the hospital platform upon import of my submitted Word document.  If this article were a transcription I'd sent them, they wouldn't have gotten one word after the 5 from 5th in the first sentence, and I wouldn't have gotten paid.  It might seem an annoying little detail in a job of never ending details, but nobody makes up meaningless rules just to watch people's scores go down and make their life difficult.  All you have to do is turn off Word's automatic super/subscripting, and you don't have to worry about it again.  ot turning it off and subscripting because you didn't see the clear directive or worse think it's an acceptable variation and you remember from high school chemistry that O2 is more correct anyway, is never ok.

Your editor is going to be very busy.  They have an entire team of MTs to take care of, as well as many additional clerical duties that are transparent to a home MT if they are taking care of them efficiently.  The materials sent are carefully constructed, even if you feel they could use some work.  They have evolved over time as other MTs have asked questions and your trainer/lead/editor has evaluated the process.  Chances are all the information you need is there.  You're the new one.  They aren't going to tell you to start working without giving you your username; if they do, read what they sent you 3 times to be sure before you ask for it.

Nobody minds clarifying something you don't understand, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from asking questions when necessary.  On the other hand, if the answer to your questions or the feedback on your work can be cut and pasted in from instructions you've already gotten, your editor will become very frustrated with your clucking and documents written in crayon very quickly.

Marcia Gordon
Instructor

All through my childhood and teens years, I was always “too” skinny and had trouble finding clothes that I could fill out.  I never had to watch what I ate and never realized what a blessing that was!  I developed a DEEP love of food and was known for being the tiny girl with the big appetite who loved to eat.  Now before everyone starts to hate me, I realized a few years back that I was slowly filling out and finding clothes to fit was no longer a problem.  Then my clothes started fitting tighter, and tighter… Before I realized what was happening, it was too late.  I was about 20 pounds heavier than I was when I was 20 (I’m now 30 by the way).  Being 5 foot nothing, 20 pounds is a big deal!  My metabolism was just not the same anymore.

I immediately decided I needed to do something before things got really out of hand.  I started going to the gym, going to spin classes, Zumba classes, kickboxing…whatever got my heart rate and metabolism going!  I expected the pounds to shed off.  To my dismay, my weight barely budged.  Mind you, I still ate mostly what I wanted, but I was exercising so thought that was enough!  After months of exercise, I decided to blame my new weight to aging and convinced myself I could never possibly weigh what I weighed when I was 20 – no matter how much I worked out.  The exercising slowing faded away.

After some personal changes in my life, I decided it was time to revisit my weight because I was just not comfortable in my own skin.  Instead of exercising, I decided to drastically lower my calorie intake per day.  I took in the recommended number of calories for my height and age, but not much more than that.  Finally, after a few weeks, the weight started to drop off.  Seeing a few pounds disappear gave me the motivation I needed to stick with it.  The first couple of months were tough while I waited for my stomach – and appetite – to shrink!.

I’m happy to report that I’m now the same weight as I was when I was 20 – perhaps a few pounds lighter.  I can now comfortably control my appetite – except when we have our monthly potluck lunches at work.  Now my old problem is back, finding clothes to fill out!

Point of the story is, losing weight IS possible!  It’s just a matter of finding what works for you.  For some, it might be exercise and for others it might be changing your diet or perhaps both.  Good luck to everyone! !

Jacky Hughes
Admissions Advisor

When you work at home, there are many advantages and perks.  You save money on gas and auto expenses, you have a better level of comfort, and you can wear your slippers if you want.  You get to be there more for your families.  These are all just a bonus part of working at home.

Many people, especially those in the transcription industry and those new to the transcription industry, like the idea of working at home.  The largest percent of the MTs in the industry are very people oriented and enjoy interacting with people.  When we work at home, we can fall into a pattern of “being at home after work” and our interaction with the outside world diminishes significantly.

You are now in the realm of Isolation Effect.  In many ways it can be much like seasonal affective disorder, but unfortunately Isolation Effect will not improve with the seasons, it may even become worse.

Isolation Effect is harder to fight because it is the opposite in some ways for your work day.  When you work outside the home, you end your day and scurry home and just want to relax.  It is your home; however, when you work from home, then subconsciously it begins to feel like you are living at the office.

The good news is, we know about it and we can develop individual ways of letting it take over our lives.  Here are some simple ideas to try.  The sooner you begin to practice them, the easier it is to eliminate or at least control feeling isolated.  You may already be doing some of these things so….keep doing them.

• Schedule a night out with friends.
• Run to the store at least 2 times a week just to grab a small item, but take your time.
• Schedule an outing with your kids..
• Schedule at least 1 hour a week just to spend time alone away from home.

All of these things are time spent out of the home, but truly they are not many and it is necessary to get in to that habit to balance the need for human contact with the lack of it we get when we work from home.

If you find that you need one more thing, try my personal favorite.  Just go out where there are people, smile at them and say hello.  It will amaze you at how good it feels.  Who knows?  You might get a few smiles in return.

Lori DeVaney
Instructor

Zoltan was born in Budapest, Hungary and moved to Canada with his parents when he was 15 months old.  He is fully bilingual, but for some reason there does not seem to be a huge demand for his Hungarian language skills.  Go figure.

He loves to travel and meet people and has visited over 20 countries, as well as all of our Canadian provinces as well as most of the United States.

After Living in Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto he moved to Kelowna in 2000 and loves it.  Zoltan’ s background is in customer service and sales He is also a Saturday mechanic and enjoys working on his old Subaru and very old Datsun 240Z.  He lives in Kelowna with his wife.  He is an automotive enthusiast, loves skiing, travel, reading, movies and activities in or on water.  He and his wife can often be found canoeing around lake Okanagan in the summertime.  He is looking forward to traveling more around the Pacific Coast in a travel trailer.  So far he has been on some beautiful road trips, most notably along the Oregon coast.

If you would like to speak with Zoltan about CanScribe’s courses, or just to have a chat about automotive topics, please feel free to contact him at 1-800-466-1535.

Zoltan Fellegi
Admissions Advisor

Stretching, because it relaxes your mind and tunes up your body, should be part of your daily life.  You will find that regular stretching will do the following things :

• Reduce muscle tension and make the body feel more relaxed
• Help coordination by allowing freer and easier movement
• Increase range of motion
• Help prevent injuries such as muscles strains. A strong, flexible, pre-stretched muscles resist stress better than a strong, stiff, unstretched muscle
• Make strenuous activities like running, skiing, tennis, swimming and cycling easier because it prepares you for your activity; it’s a way of signaling the muscles that they are about to be used
• Helps maintain your current level of flexibility, so as time passes you do not become stiffer and stiffer
• Develop body awareness; as you stretch various parts of the body, you focus on them and get in touch with them; you get to know yourself
• Help loosen the mind’s control of the body so that the body moves for “its own sake” rather than for competition or ego
• Feel good

When to Stretch

Stretching can be done any time you feel like it; at work, in a car, waiting for a bus, walking down the road, under a nice shady tree after a hike, or at the beach.  Stretch before and after physical activity, but also stretch at various times of the day when you can.  Here are some examples:

• In the morning before the start of the day
• At work to release nervous tension
• After sitting or standing for a long time
• When you feel stiff
• At odd times during the day, as for instance, when watching TV, listening to music, reading or sitting and talking

Carolyn McEwen
Manager of Student Services

At one time or another, we have all felt demotivated. It can sometimes feel like everything is a chore, and when it comes to studying, it can be a challenge to even start the process.  As a result, it can become very easy to allow other everyday things to distract us and cut in on our study time.  It's human nature.

When you are feeling this way, it is important to snap yourself out of it as quickly as you can.  If you don't, it can snowball.  Your studies can suffer.  You may start getting behind schedule.  You could miss important concepts resulting in the feeling like things are more challenging than they used to be, and this, in turn, can cause frustration, discouragement, and even more demotivation.

Understanding some of the causes of why you are feeling this way may help to overcome the feeling.

1. Do you lack confidence that you will be successful?  If you don’t believe you can succeed, what’s the point in trying?

Think about this: Motivate yourself by realizing how competent and successful you already are.  You've come this far and it's a huge accomplishment!

When you truly believe that you deserve success, your mind will generate ways to achieve it.  The power of positive thinking will amaze you.

Keep your eye on the prize.  Remember the big picture.  Be inspired by what it will be like when you finally reach your goal.  Ask yourself how your life is going to change once you have accomplished what you have set out to do.

If faced with a difficult challenge, have the courage to try.

2. Do you lack positive focus?  Are you focusing on possible failure rather than on success?  Are you learning from your mistakes or dwelling on them?

2. Think about this: How badly do you want this?

Why did you make the decision to take this on?

Visualize your success.  Imagine your future and go for it!

Remember that every mistake is a learning opportunity.

Don’t compare yourself with others.  Be the best that YOU can be.

3. Are you lacking a sense of direction?  If you don’t know what to do, how can you be motivated to do it?

Think about this: You need to make a plan to achieve a goal, even if it is a small one each day.  It is a move in the right direction - a step closer to being where you want to be.  This will initiate the positive momentum you need to go even further.

At the end of your day, let it go.  You did what you could.  Tomorrow is a fresh start!

"If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed." - David Viscott.

"Above all, challenge yourself.  You may well surprise yourself at what strengths you have, what you can accomplish." - Cecile Springer.

"Build upon strengths, and weaknesses will gradually take care of themselves." - Joyce C. Lock

Susan Cunningham
Instructor

When asked to write an article for our newsletter, I thought about what I should write about.  Accounting isn’t that interesting to most, although I love it, so I thought about a topic that others would find interesting.  Two of my other passions are my family and wine.  The thing that I love most about the wine industry is the passion, from the passion the winemakers put into creating the wine to love that is celebrated while enjoying a glass.  Here are some basic food pairing tips that I follow, hopefully these tips help you enjoy your evening with that special someone even more.

The Basics

Invariably, the first thing one hears from wine experts when discussing wine and food pairings is that there are no rules.  This isn’t very helpful.  So with that in mind, these are some elementary guidelines for basic wine and food pairing.

1. Light-bodied wines with lighter foods and, you guessed it, fuller-bodied wines with heartier, more flavourful foods.  Generally, a robust and full-bodied wine will overpower a delicately flavoured dish.  Conversely, a light wine won’t even register when matched with a substantial and flavourful meal.
2. Consider the method of preparation.  Grilled, roasted, fried, or poached, all cooking methods change the texture and flavour of a dish.  As well, the sauce or spice can be a significant factor.  Think lemon butter versus tomato cream.
3. Wine alone is not the same as wine with food.  This concept is simple enough, but you may be surprised how a wine’s flavour and feel can change when taken with a bite of food.
4. Match elements in the wine to elements in the food.  Sweet wine with sweet foods, acidic wines with acidic dishes, and tannic wines with bitter or fatty cuisine work well together.  Or try matching a prominent flavour, Gewurztraminer with ginger for example, or dark chocolate with Cabernet Franc.
5. When in doubt, add wine.  The cheater’s guide to wine and food pairing is to add some (by some I mean a lot) of the wine you intend to drink into the dish you are preparing.  This has the added benefit of allowing you to drink throughout the preparation of your meal.

Kevin Blucke
VP of Operations

True or False:

Anyone can intercept cell phone conversations within a block radius using a stainless steel bowl, an old TV remote, a piece of duct tape and an old headset speaker.
Answer: True

You can learn to make a cell phone rector on YouTube.
Answer: True

For $100, you can purchase a cell phone receiver and listen to your neighbors conversations.
Answer: True

If someone borrows your cell phone, they can install a program on it (which is a hidden appplication), allowing them to listen to your conversations on a different phone, even when you cell phone seems to be off.
Answer: True

Cell phones are a secure form of communication.
Answer: False

When you use your cell phone camera to take a picture, your current location may be contained within the image.
Answer: True

Cell phones may cause brain cancer.
Answer: Probably true, is depends upon usage and transmitter strength.

Please consider the following each time you use your phone:

Do I need to make this call? (health concerns)

Is someone listening? (Be careful of what you say)

Is my cell phone password protected? (protect information stored on the phone)

Gary Campbell
Director of IT

Managing your stress is all about taking control - taking control of your emotions, your thoughts, your environment, your schedule and the way you deal with problems.  The ultimate goal is for you to have a balanced live with time for work, relaxation, relationships and fun in addition to being able to meet challenges head on and hold up under pressure.

The first step in managing your stress is to find out what is causing the stress in the first place.  This might not be as easy as it sounds.  You might realize that you are really busy, have trouble meeting deadlines and just too much to do, but is that the real trouble?  Perhaps you might be putting off doing certain tasks you don't like and then they all seem to pile up.

When we are trying to figure out what the source of our stress is, we need to look at our habits and excuses.  Frequently people will say things such as:

• I just have a hundred things all happening at once.
• I'm just a nervous person with lots of energy, I can't sit still.
• Things are always nuts around here; it's just like a zoo!

We all need to take responsibility for the role we play in maintaining or creating our stress.  If we don't do that, our stress level will continue to spin out of control.

A good first step is to start a stress journal.  This can help identify what stresses you and how you deal with it.  Each time you feel stressed, jot it down in your journal.  By keeping a daily log, you will begin to see patterns.  Things to write down in your journal:

• What caused your stress? Make a guess if you aren't certain.
• How you felt at the time, emotionally and physically.
• What your response was, how did you act?
• What did you do to make yourself feel better?p>

We all know there are many unhealthy ways to deal with stress such as eating too much, not eating enough, taking stress out on others and so on.  We need to find healthier ways to cope with stress, but in order to do that we might have to make some changes.  We might need to change the situation or change how we react to a situation.  We all handle stress in a different way and what works for one person may not work for another.

Some things that will help all of us handle stress better include adopting a healthy lifestyle.  Find some time to fit in some exercise, working up to 30 minutes at a time, 3 times a week.  Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and stay hydrated.  Also, you need to have adequate sleep to fuel your body and your mind.  If you are too tired you will feel more stressed as you cannot think clearly.

.Make some time for yourself, laugh often and remember some things are just out of our control.  We can't fix everything, but we can learn to manage things better!

Jo-Ann Clarke
Senior Academic Officer

Fish: Herring, salmon, tuna, mackerel, halibut, anchovies, sardines, and other cold-water fish are your best source of Omega-3 fatty acids, the primary components of the brain, retina and other nerve tissues.  Studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids boost energy, enhance learning ability, improve problem-solving skills, and boost memory power and enhance communication between brain cells.

Soy: Foods made from whole, organic soybeans like soya milk and tofu are rich in choline, lecithin, and isoflavones.  Choline has been proven to positively impact brain development in addition to slowing memory loss, lecithin helps in preventing deposits of plaque in the brain, and isofavones help improve cognitive function, category fluency, logical memory, spatial cognition, and memory recall.

Citrus Fruits: Fill your platter with all the colours of the rainbow and a few more, and you’re guaranteed to improve your brain power.  Avocados are especially potent in increasing blood flow to the brain because of their mono-unsaturated fat content.  Other beneficial fruits that have a positive impact on your brain and help you recall information quickly include cantaloupes, watermelon, tomatoes, plums, pineapples, oranges, apples, grapes, kiwifruits, peaches, and cherries.

Berries: Blueberries are known for improving motor skills and learning capacity while strawberries are rich in fisetin, a flavenoid that improves memory recall.  Elderberries, blackberries, and raspberries have other brain power boosting benefits through their antioxidant content.

Chocolate: Chocolate is not only delicious, it’s also beneficial to our brain and can help enhance your mood.  Natural stimulants boost the production of endorphins that improve focus and concentration.  Milk chocolate has been shown to improve verbal and visual memory and boost impulse control and reaction time.  Dark chocolate is rich in flavanols that boost blood supply t the brain and help improve cognitive skills.

Nuts: Rich in Vitamins E and B6, folate, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, and antioxidants, these small food items boost your brain power and improve your mood.  The whole nutty family of cashews, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, Brazil nuts, and pecans brings some benefit to your brain.

Seeds: Flaxseeds are a rich source of memory-boosting Omega-3 fatty acids.  Roasted pumpkin seeds contain relaxing tryptophan and dry sunflower seeds offer thiamine, a form of Vitamin B that improves memory and cognitive functions.

Eggs: A rich source of Vitamin B and lecithin, eggs are good providers of essential fatty acids to the brain.  The yolk is especially rich in choline, a basic building block of brain cells that helps improve memory.

Calcium-rich foods: Yogurt, cheese, milk and other foods rich in calcium help in improving the function of nerves.  Studies have proved that tyrosine, the amino acid in yogurt, is responsible for the production of the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenalin.  In short, yogurt helps improve alertness and memory.

Iron-rich foods: A deficiency in iron has been proven to be the most common cause for poor concentration, decreasing intelligence, and slow thinking processes.  Iron is essential to supplying the brain with the oxygen it needs to continue normal activity.  Red meats and liver are the best sources of dietary iron.

Water: Nearly three fourths of the brain is water, which makes this life-giving liquid an essential component for the smooth functioning of the brain.  When dehydration occurs, the brain releases the hormone cortisol which shrinks dendrites, the branches in the brain that store information.  This leads to a decrease in memory power. Cortisol also produces adrenaline which affects mental and cognitive functions.  Make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to keep your brain active and quick.

Linda Kovacs
Student Services Advisor

We are so proud of all the CanScribe graduates and would like to congratulate you for a job well done!  Please keep in touch and share your experiences with us!