X-ray Department contact information Frequently Asked Questions links to other sites patient forms newsletter & articles insurance information about us home page

Penn Elm Medical Group
488 E. Valley Parkway
Suite 411
Escondido, CA 92025
(760) 745-2000

NEWSLETTER:
NOVEMBER 2004

VISIT
NEWSLETTER
ARCHIVE

 

 

 

News You Can Use
Medicare Drug Program: HOW TO...
You may be asking how to navigate the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, which includes the Medicare Part D prescription coverage that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2006. See the new Families USA report, Gearing Up: States Face the New Medicare Law (PDF format). Contents include an overview of the major changes ahead for state Medicaid and pharmacy assistance programs, a breakdown of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit and how it will work for low-income beneficiaries, a review of the Medicare-approved drug discount card program that began in June, and information for advocates and policy-makers. (For help with PDF files, go to http://www.aafp.org/pdf.xml.)

Vioxx Recall
Vioxx, the stomach-saving pain reliever, was pulled off the market in October due to associations between the use of the medication and worsening heart disease. Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx, has reported that they will reimburse patients for unused Vioxx. For reimbursement and questions about the simple return process, contact the National Notification Center at 1-800-805-9542. For medical questions about Vioxx contact Merck’s National Service Center at 1-800-672-6372. For more info click here.

Holiday Weight Gain
Whether you're counting carbohydrates, watching calories, or just trying to eat healthy, the holidays don’t have to derail your dieting efforts. With a little planning, experts say, you can satisfy your holiday cravings and enjoy a guilt-free holiday season.

Thanksgiving is just the beginning of an entire season of temptation, and dieters should have realistic expectations going into the holiday blitz. A healthy approach is to just try to maintain your weight. Dieters shouldn't view Thanksgiving as a day of extreme excess or extreme restriction. Instead, the best plan of attack is to eat a variety of protein, fat, and carbohydrates throughout the day. If you try to eliminate any one category, you'll likely end up feeling deprived and may compensate by overeating.

A successful strategy starts at breakfast. By adding some protein to your breakfast, you’ll feel fuller earlier and be less likely to eat heavier later in the day.

Fortunately, roast turkey gets high marks from dietitians for overall nutrition. Turkey is a lean source of protein, making it fair game for low-carb dieters, but beware of "self-basting" turkeys, which are injected with extra fat to keep the meat juicy. Also, although the meat itself, especially white meat, is low in fat, the skin and gravy that are not. You can skim off some of the excess fat from turkey drippings with a spoon or by refrigerating it before making the gravy. Dieters should treat gravy like they do fatty salad dressings, and avoid drowning their food in it. As an alternative, try pouring a little gravy in a corner of your plate and dipping your food into it, rather than pouring it all over your food.

When it comes to selecting your sides, experts say there's lots of room for creativity. Mashed potatoes are one of the traditional foods where there is perhaps the greatest leeway. You can make them pretty high in fat by adding butter and sour cream, or you can make them very reasonable in terms of calorie content by using chicken broth or turkey broth as a liquid, or using 1% or 2% milk instead of cream. Another way to add a lot of flavor to potatoes without adding extra calories is to mash them with a few cloves of roasted garlic, which adds a mellow garlic flavor.

You can add nutrition to stuffing by using whole-wheat or reduced-carbohydrate bread, and adding other ingredients to take some of the bulk away from the bread, or even replacing it altogether, such as:
• Chopped vegetables (onion, celery, mushrooms, and eggplant)
• Nuts (toasted walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
• Fruits (fresh or dried cranberries, apples, apricots, or pears)
• Wild rice
• Oysters

And for dessert, consider:
• Pumpkin mousse or soufflé is a lower-carb and -calorie alternative to pumpkin pie.
• Pie crust is a major source of fat and calories. Opt for one-crust pies rather than two-crusts, or eat only the filling.
•Use nonfat or reduced-fat whipped topping rather than full-fat whipped cream.

Rather than worrying too much about dessert, it's a better idea to go out for a walk between Thanksgiving dinner and dessert. It'll help burn off some of the calories you ate at dinner, and leave you in a better mental and physical state to face the dessert table and the rest of the holiday season.

Important Announcements
Is FluMist For You?
 Unfortunately, FluMist nasal spray vaccine, which should be available soon, is not for everyone. The vaccine is recommended only for healthy persons who are 5-49 years old and not pregnant. This includes health care workers (except those who care for patients with severely weakened immune systems in special care units) and persons caring for children less than 6 months old. Note that certain children under 9 require two doses of flu vaccine if they have not previously been vaccinated. Click for more information about FluMist.

What’s New at Penn Elm?
 Flu Shot Update...
Currently, there is no available injectable flu vaccine for high risk patients. Penn Elm has ordered several doses of the FluMist nasal spray vaccine, which should be available in the second week of November for certain individuals (see "Is FluMist for you?" above). Experts hope that healthy people who aren't in a group considered high priority for getting the flu shot will consider this alternative.

Preventing the Flu Without Shots
Short of getting the flu vaccine, there are many steps you can take to lower your risk of getting the virus. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has joined with a raft of other medical professional groups to recommend three easy steps to prevent infection with the flu, especially during a time when there is a shortage of flu shots:

  • Clean your hands for 15 seconds. Soap, warm water, and a period of vigorous rubbing will wash viruses down the drain. Do this every time you sneeze or cough, and especially before meals. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also good to have around the house or in your pocket or purse.

  • Cover your nose and mouth when you cough. Use a tissue, rather than a cloth hankie, or cough into your sleeve in the crook of your arm. Then wash your hands. This advice is aimed at keeping viruses off your hands.

  • Avoid close contact, including crowded public places. And if you or your child do feel ill (rapid onset of fever, chills, and aching bones), stay at home or keep your child at home. Do not go to work. Do not even run to the emergency room unless you have trouble breathing or a sky-high fever develops. In the hospital, you and your family will be surrounded by infectious people!

  • Other recommendations include getting plenty of rest, eating a healthy diet, drinking plenty of fluids, and getting plenty of exercise. According to the American Council on Exercise, research has shown that moderate exercise (such as brisk walking) brings about measurable changes in the immune system, sending white blood cells zipping around the body to find intruders and kill them. But after a few hours, the immune system returns to normal, so it's best to exercise regularly. Rita Beckford, MD, a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise, also cites studies that show that those who exercise four to five times a week are less likely to get colds or other viruses.

What to Do With the Flu
Most healthy people will recover from the flu in 7 to 10 days, and luckily, the worst symptoms go away within four days. Most drugstore regimens aim to lessen these symptoms.

If that's not enough for you, consider an antiviral medicine. Most people are not aware of four antiviral medicines (Amantadine, rimantadine, Relenza, and Tamiflu) available from your doctor, which can cut the severity of flu and shorten the duration of symptoms. But these only work if you start them within two days of contracting the flu virus.

There are also several over-the-counter herbal and homeopathic remedies (preparations of molecules of disease encouraging the body’s own immune system to fortify itself against exposed illnesses). Although these are frequently top sellers, they are typically not endorsed by most physicians due to scant evidence showing lack of any measurable effect. These products have no FDA oversight and there is little or no quality regulation and monitoring. Products such as Echinacea, Zicam, and Vitamin C are also controversial and should be discussed with your doctor.

Once you get the flu, most experts recommend bed rest, plenty of fluids, over-the counter fever reducers and ache alleviators, a light diet, and good old chicken soup! Doctors also recommend that you not exercise until you are well.

home • about us • what is family practice? • scope of services • our physicians • office locations
emergency & after hours • referrals to specialists • insurance • newsletter/articles
patient forms • links • f a q • patient instructions • radiology • contact us • privacy policy
SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTER

© 2004, Penn Elm Medical Group (760) 745-2000
design by Intelligraphics