Reading Time: 3 minutes Migraines affect eight per cent of Canadians, but that estimate may be low because people don’t necessarily report them. They may just wait out the headache or they may self-treat with a non-prescription pain reliever, believing that nothing can really be done for their migraine. Headache itself is a common complaint, and sometimes it is a […] Read more
Guide Health: When do you know it’s a migraine headache?
Understanding the difference is the first step in approaching the problem with proper treatment
The flying bishop
As he celebrates his 20th year as Country Guide columnist, Rod Andrews remembers that he only ever wanted to be an Anglican priest. And a pilot
Reading Time: 4 minutes Rod Andrews knows what it is to be forever connected to a chunk of land and a way of life. There’s a special quality in his voice when he talks about the family farm, on Alberta’s Coal Trail between Delburne and Red Deer. “It was a magic place. I loved to go there,” Andrews says […] Read more
Farming better through yoga
Set your skepticism aside. Just check out the science and these benefits of yoga on the farm
Reading Time: 5 minutes Across the country, yoga is catching on as a way to strengthen muscles, reduce pain and increase energy. “Yoga is good for injuries, work-related soreness and tiredness,” says Kate Stevely, a certified instructor who teaches yoga in Stratford, Ont. and surrounding communities. It’s enough to make you think yoga should be universally prescribed on the […] Read more
Guide Health: Causes of gout, and what you can do to avoid it
Guide Health: The condition is not limited to the rich and famous
Reading Time: 3 minutes You probably think you need to be royalty like King Henry VIII of England to have gout. Not so! About two per cent of Canadians have gout, and even that number may be under-reported because gout is often mistaken for other types of joint pain, leading many people to just treat it themselves with a pain […] Read more
Avoiding intergenerational conflict in farm families
The generation gap is coming back with a vengeance, and farm families need to watch out
Reading Time: 6 minutes The concept called the “generation gap” might not have become a buzzphrase until the ’60s, but undoubtedly there have been generational differences as long as there has been history. So why should today be any different? In fact, however, today may be exactly that — different. With the current speed of cultural and technological change, […] Read more
‘A Bigger Prize’ author ruthless in the race to get attention
Competition isn't everything, differentiation holds the key
Reading Time: 3 minutes A Bigger Prize: How We Can Do Better Than the Competition (Doubleday Canada, 2014, 391 pp.)$ 32.95. It’s the bedrock of economics, and it’s all about how you compete in markets to sell at the best price you can get, and to buy at the lowest price you can pay. Two centuries ago, Adam Smith […] Read more
Guide Health: Warts – more than skin deep
Applying tree sap under a full moon may not work, but what about duct tape?
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’ve ever had a wart, you will know that they are embarrassing and inconvenient, but not usually harmful. All warts are caused by viruses, specifically the human papillomaviruses. There are many different strains, and because these viruses are easily transmitted from person to person, childhood warts are a common result from contact when children […] Read more
Set them up for success
So your son or daughter wants to take over the farm. How can you help them succeed?
Reading Time: 5 minutes With more than half of Canada’s farmers over the age of 55, it’s estimated that $50 billion worth of farmland will change hands in the next 10 to 15 years. What will it take for the next generation to be successful? How important is education? What skills will be essential? How can young people best prepare […] Read more
Grow from within: Three timely reads for farms at a crossroads
Sometimes, that streak of independence in farmers is simple bullheadedness. Other times, it’s business smarts at their sharpest
Reading Time: 6 minutes Books Reviewed Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success (HarperCollins, 2010) By Matthew Syed Chasing Stars: The Myth of Talent and the Portability of Performance (Princeton University Press, 2010) By Boris Groysberg Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less (Random House, 2014) By Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao When the big […] Read more
Guide Health: A short history of blood thinners
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you or anyone you know takes warfarin, you may feel that you are being treated like a rat, but not so! Warfarin reduces blood clotting and it also prevents thromboembolism or blood clots. As well, it reduces the risk for conditions such as strokes caused by atrial fibrillation. It does the same, but is […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
