Sent to my patients on 3/12/2015.
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Are you ready for spring? The snow is melting away about as fast as it fell.
Enjoy the change in seasons, it's good for the soul...
→ Heart Health
February was National Heart Month. While
February may be over, taking care of your heart is a year-round commitment.
This is a reminder that, while heart disease is the number one cause of
premature death and disability in the US, the risks
of developing heart disease can be reduced significantly by
making important changes in lifestyles, medical treatment, and early detection.
The most important modifiable risk factors for the development of premature
heart disease include: Smoking, overweight, uncontrolled high blood pressure,
uncontrolled diabetes, excess alcohol consumption, high "bad
cholesterol" and lack of physical activity.
Heart disease can be delayed by many years by paying attention to your
particular situation, and by "doing the right thing." We recently
adapted for use in our office a heart risk calculator, which can give you an
estimate of your risk for developing heart disease. This can be used to see how
the risk changes if certain changes were made, such as achieving better blood
pressure control, losing weight, etc.
Give us a call today; we'll develop a personalized program to help you reduce
your heart related risks.
→ Alpha Lipoic Acid
Does the alpha lipoic acid supplement,
available over the counter, have any value? Several patients asked me about it,
and the answer may interest you.
Alpha lipoic acid is an antioxidant that plays an important role in several
bodily functions. It helps eliminate free radicals, which are the harmful waste
products of metabolism and which are contributing to the aging process. Alpha
lipoic acid also helps convert nutrients into energy within body cells. With
these qualities, it is thought to be helpful in two important instances:
- In people with
diabetes, it may help reduce the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy
(burning, pain and/or numbness, usually of the feet), and lessen the
detrimental effects of diabetes on the heart, kidneys and small blood
vessels. It may also improve insulin sensitivity, which then allows the
body to burn sugar more effectively. Alpha lipoic acid has been
officially approved in Germany for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy
for many years.
- In patients who
are trying to lose weight, and who are already on a reduced calorie diet,
alpha lipoic acid supplements may enhance weight loss, especially when
combined with EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid. This has been shown in a small
study of women, and probably holds for men, too.
As with many other supplements, don't just go and buy it. Let's make sure first
that this is what you need, and that you take the right preparation and dose
and minimize the chance of side effects. Call today for a quick an easy
assessment.
→ High Deductables Got
You Down?
As
always, we're doing our best to make medical care affordable. Many patients now
have a high deductible. In many instances you may have to spend $5,000-12,000
before your insurance kicks in, and you are charged "retail" fees for
services such as office visits and labs. In order to make medical care more
affordable, we limited our self-pay basic office visit to a minimum (usually
$85-95, and scaled down in cases of financial hardship), and have made
arrangements with two labs for very reasonable fees for blood tests that are
not covered by insurance.
Please take care of yourself and don't deny yourself of necessary medical
services!
Stay well,
IS
