Current Issue

Garlic — Our Saskatchewan Favourite
by Stacey Tress

Hello, my lovely friends. With gratitude, I am writing again for WHOLifE Journal. My article submission is on garlic, and as I write this, I look out to my gardens, I see it’s almost ready for harvest! (it’s early this year!) I want to share a fun backstory on how we stumbled across this fantastic gem of a garlic, and share some of the health benefits, recipes, and more. My father-in-law got his first garlic seed, from a friend, who got it originally from Anna Schaab (The Garlic Garden), at least 20 years ago. “The variety is Music, a hard neck porcelain, which averages 4-6 big cloves and a good keeper.” Says Anna. My father-in-law grew his garlic in Swan Plain. Every year, we’d go up to see their big harvest (top harvest was 1500 heads!) and help plant in the fall. One year after the fall planting, they gave us the remaining cloves, as we wanted to try and grow ourselves, out here in Rhein. In the fall of 2019, I planted about 40 cloves. First scape harvest was July 2, 2020 (according to my Facebook pic on my Garden Therapy Yorkton page) and this 2025 harvest will be 600 heads! Crazy how 40 cloves can turn into 600 heads in 6 years!

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Top Women’s Health Issues in 2025
by Pam Fichtner

Change is critical in women’s health. There has been progress in terms of women being able to live longer with their pregnancies, yet there is a high proportion of women that do still die in labour. This year on World Health Day, the World Health Organization’s spotlight was on maternal and newborn health – to improve the survival rates for women and their newborns. Progress has also been made with breast cancer, since more women than ever live after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, yet we still need to find out why breast cancer occurs for so many women. In 2024, it was estimated in Canada that 30,500 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer – 25% of all new cancer cases. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Women need to be pro-active and learn more about how they can minimize their breast health risks. Whether you are a woman with both breasts still intact, a partner supporting someone with breast cancer, or a woman going through your own cancer journey, you are your own best advocate for your health.

Common Nutrient Deficiencies and Guidelines for Healthy Eating
by Dr. Louise Gagné

What is so bad about the standard North American diet? It’s really about how much processed foods people eat. Processed foods, for the most part, are depleted of nutrients. We can fill up on them, but we aren’t necessarily going to meet our nutritional needs. Therefore, people can end up with multiple nutritional deficiencies, if they eat a diet that is heavy on processed foods. Surveys in Canada have shown over 40% of total calories consumed by Canadians come from ultra-processed foods. (soft drinks, instant noodles, packaged cookies and snacks, fast food, frozen meals). Children over the age of 5 and adolescents were found to be the highest consumers of these foods.

A Natural Approach to Aging Gracefully
by Andrea Kehler

How do you feel about aging? It can be both a challenging and beautiful time in our lives. Looking in the mirror we may see physical changes that include sagging skin, wrinkles that are more pronounced, and folds of skin that now cover our eyes. On the other hand, our face also reflects years of wisdom, our life experiences, and inner beauty. A face that we can be proud of! As we age, we are invited to ask ourselves the tough questions, “How do I feel about aging? How much value do I place on my appearance? Do I still care what other people think about me?” These are all important questions to consider, as they will impact how we carry ourselves into this next chapter. We have spent years discovering our authenticity, developing self confidence, and now is the time to allow all of our wisdom to shine through.

The Truth About Healing: Why Therapy Matters More Than Time
by Giti Caravan

There’s a quiet myth that many of us live by — that time will heal all wounds. It’s a comforting thought. A way to keep moving forward when we don’t have the strength to look back. But the truth is, time doesn’t heal emotional pain. Time just passes. What actually heals is processing — not avoiding — our hurt. And for many, that journey begins in therapy. You can wait months. Years. Even decades. Hoping that the ache will dull, that the memories will lose their grip, that the sadness, anger, or numbness will quietly fade into the background. But without intentionally working through what hurt you, it doesn’t go away. It just gets buried. And buried pain doesn’t die — it festers. It shapes the way you see the world, the way you treat others, and the way you treat yourself.

The Truth About Detox: What They Don’t Tell You
by Lorrel Elian

THEY SOLD US A CLEANSE—BUT KEPT US DEPLETED. Why the Trendy “Reset” Can Backfire, and How to Honour Your Body’s Real Wisdom.

You bought the teas, chugged the charcoal, counted the drops of oregano oil…You followed the checklist, skipped the coffee, sweated through the headaches, waited for the promised glow. And when the scale didn’t budge—or the fatigue came roaring back—you wondered: What’s wrong with me? It’s not you. It’s the detox culture we’re being sold.

Play as the Gateway to Joy
by Chris Wood

There’s something magical about watching grown-ups rediscover play: the laughter, the lightness, and that spark of pride when they see the beauty of something they’ve created with their own hands. As adults, we tend to trade playfulness for perfection, even in moments of creativity, and the courage to be messy, or imperfect, is often lost. But when we make room for play, we also make room for joy. I’ve witnessed this many times in the groups I’ve worked with, and each time I’m reminded of how powerful play can be, especially in surprising place-like spa parties, which are so often thought of as just for kids. Here are a few moments that reminded me why play matters so much.

Editorial
by Melva Armstrong

It feels like time for a change, and that’s what is happening with this autumn issue. I’ve decided that WHOLifE will be published four times per year, a quarterly, instead of six times. It will go with the four seasons, and each issue will include three months. I’m looking forward to this new schedule, and I trust it will work well for all our beautiful advertisers, subscribers, and readers. Those who wish to be included may need to get their dates and events organized a little earlier than before. I’m sure we can always find ways to make everything come together nicely. The summer is nearly over, and I trust you created some exciting ways to enjoy the lovely prairie weather.

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Plus:

Dynamics of the Biofield
We’Moon 2026: Full Circle - 45th Edition
News of Note