Total Body Health

11/06/2025

Dr. Hayley Owens, ND here….

Have you noticed how stress and emotions can show up as physical symptoms in your body? Imagine yourself giving a speech in front of a big crowd and notice the butterflies in your stomach, or the heat that rushes to your head when you are really angry, or the warmth in your chest when you feel joyful. These emotions trigger physiological responses in the body, and, normally the physiology (eg. heart rate, blood flow, breathing etc.) goes back down to homeostasis (aka a balanced state) afterwards. However, many times in our life, without us being consciously aware of it, the physiology does not go back down. Now, this “stuck” emotion continues to “trip the wire” in your physiology leading to physical symptoms of all kinds eg. pain, digestive disturbance, skin irritation, cognitive disturbances, sleep disruption etc.

Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) offers a unique way to address these mind-body patterns. NET is not talk therapy; it’s a gentle process that combines body awareness and emotional responses to help identify and release stress that gets stored physically.​

This method recognizes the powerful connection between emotional experiences and physical health. Gentle muscle testing, holding certain acupuncture points and mindful breathwork help surface and clear what the body is holding onto, supporting physical and emotional wellbeing in a holistic way.​

Why try NET?
- Works with both the mind and body, not just one
- Safe, gentle, and suitable for all ages
- Helps you find and let go of root causes of stress patterns
- Can complement other therapies or stand on its own
- Supported by research (I've attached one of the studies but there are more)

NET is deeply supportive for anyone interested in holistic health. If you’d like to learn how mind-body medicine can help you feel your best, ask about NET at your next appointment. I can’t tell you how profound it has been for my patients.

Link to one study on to effectiveness of NET: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28181091/

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween Everyone, stay safe out there!

10/31/2025

10/30/2025

Book in for acupuncture with us and find your peace

10/28/2025

🚀 Dive deep into health and longevity with insights from Dr. Peter Attia's recent 60 Minutes feature. Discover actionable steps to enhance your well-being and learn about Attia’s unique philosophy on life and training. Don’t miss out on these vital lessons! Read more here: https://wix.to/RZh5U2w

In a world where health and longevity matter more than ever, Dr. Peter Attia emerges as an exceptional guide. Recently featured on a 60 Minutes episode, Attia shared powerful insights on life, training, and the science behind maintaining good health over time. This blog post unpacks the main lessons...

10/25/2025

Total Body Acupuncturist Victoria S. is a big fan of a cozy treatment table. The weather outside may be frightful but room 11 is quite delightful!! Come see for yourself!!

10/18/2025

Hi friends 🍁

I’ve been really feeling how this season invites us to slow down- a quiet return to breath, body and soul. As the air changes and the light softens my body naturally seems to want to spend more time in the exhale (metaphorically and physically).

Still, slowing down isn’t always easy. For those of us with a "let's go" attitude our pattern may be to do more, force, push or strive- even if subtly. Even with the work I do I often catch myself wanting to rush through the discomfort- to try to make things happen, to be in control, or to resist a challenging situation.

One of the biggest spiritual lessons is to trust that even the contraction is sacred.
That the pauses, the resistance, the in-between are part of the growth itself. The challenges we face are the portal to our expansion.

So lately, I’ve been practicing a new kind of connection.
When things feel tight or uncertain, I stop and say, “I trust this is good.”
Not because it feels easy or to bypass feelings or the impact of the situation, but because I trust it’s shaping me into someone softer, more grounded and more alive. I am expanding into the truest expression of who I am and how I am here to serve.

✨ Try this:
Before your next task or in the midst of a challenge, pause.
Take a slow breath in through your nose, and exhale twice as long.
Whisper to yourself, “I trust this is good.” (no matter if it feels positive or negative).
Here's to serving your expansion.

How are you finding connection in this season of change?

10/17/2025

Hey there, Hayley here :)

One of my favourite escapes is hiking through the trails at Mt. Doug (PKOLS). It has such a rejuvenating and revitalizing effect on my body and mind, that’s so palpable. Can you recall how you feel walking in nature amongst the trees? Do you know one of the reasons why that is?

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “free radical damage” or “oxidative stress” that causes tissue damage, inflammation and disease? At a bio-molecular level, this is a result of an electron being stripped away leaving a highly volatile molecule, usually “reactive oxygen species (ROS)”. This free radical will scavenge for an electron to fill that spot, and it will target your tissues for that, leaving damaged tissue behind. Our bodies produce free radicals all the time from regular metabolic functions, which is why we need to eat a nutrient dense diet full of all the colours of the rainbow that provide us with nutrients like vitamin A, C, E, Zinc etc. that take the hit from free radicals, sparing our tissues. Stress, as well as a lot of things in our environment will increase free radicals in our body, but I’ll save that for another post, as well as what you can do about it.

So what role do the trees play in this? Well, trees give off negative ions (electrons) that donate to those free radicals scavenging for electrons. The same is true when you get your bare feet on the ground or go swimming in the ocean. Pretty cool right? The Earth is always providing us with ways to heal, if we can just let it. Even 10min in nature has shown to dramatically reduce cortisol (our main stress hormone) levels in the blood leading to better sleep, mood, lowered blood pressure and enhanced immune function. That’s the power of nature! Time to go hug a tree :)

Warmly,

Dr. Hayley Owens, ND
http://www.drhayleyowens.com

10/16/2025

🦴 Today is ! 🌍

This global health awareness day reminds us of the importance of spinal health, encouraging healthy habits, good posture, and optimal movement throughout life.

We also shine a light on common spinal disorders like back pain, neck pain, scoliosis, and disc degeneration — issues that affect millions and can significantly impact quality of life.

📉 Did you know?
🔹 Low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide (Global Burden of Disease, 2010).
🔹 Back pain is the second most common reason for doctor visits, surpassed only by upper respiratory infections.
🔹 Up to 80% of people will experience a back problem at some point in their lives.

Let’s take this opportunity to:
✅ Stay active
✅ Practice proper ergonomics
✅ Support access to spine care
✅ Educate ourselves and others

Every spine counts. Let’s protect it. 💪

Total Body Health offers comprehensive health care from a multidisciplinary team of allied health practitioners, including: Chiropractors, RMTs, Naturopathic Physicians, Clinical Counsellors, Acupuncturist & Kinesiologists.

10/16/2025

Hi friends, Melissa here

Lately I’ve been noticing how sneaky old stress patterns can be. You think you’ve “let something go,” and then—poof—it’s back again, disguised as overthinking, control, or that familiar tightness in your stomach.

For me, letting go has become less about doing something and more about allowing something.
Allowing the pause.
Allowing the discomfort of not fixing it right away.
Allowing life to re-organize itself without me micromanaging the process.

Every time I actually do—when I stop trying so hard—I feel my nervous system exhale.
That’s when clarity and peace start driving the bus again.

So this week, I’m practicing letting a higher intelligence run the show- releasing the “shoulds” and pausing before responding.

What about you? What’s one thing your nervous system is asking you to release?

Can you imagine what might shift if you co-created with life — with nature, with the intelligence that animates all things — instead of pushing so hard to control it?

When we surrender the struggle, clarity and peace tend to find us.

10/15/2025

Hi, It's Melissa here.

I’m noticing more and more that as nature begins to slow down, so too my body is reminding me to do the same. I wonder if you are feeling it too?

As a therapist and mother who loves her work and is devoted to helping others live a more conscious, connected life, it’s sometimes easy to overlook that my mind-body may be pushing too hard. And that I’m also part of nature’s rhythm- not separate from it.

Lately, my body has been speaking louder than my mind, inviting me to rest, recalibrate, and listen more deeply. What I’ve come to see is that rest isn’t resistance to growth; it’s a sacred part of it.

Yes, we all experience constriction when we’re expanding- the moments when life asks us to pause, breathe, and let the old structures soften before the new ones take form.

Rest is not a sign of weakness or slowing progress. It’s how we build capacity to hold more love, more life.

✨ A gentle reminder:
You don’t need to earn your rest. You only need to honour it.

How is your body inviting you to slow down this season?