THE PRACTICE OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS March

1

The Practice of

Health and

Wellness

Dr. Pamela Cipriano

MARCH NEWSLETTER

We Are Credentialed with Connecticare! IN THIS ISSUE

Connecticare!

After waiting one year and 4 months, we are thrilled to announce that Connecticare updated their bylaws and credentialed the first solo nurse practitioner in the State of Connecticut! This is exciting news for our patients and our practice! Please spread the word. Many people have been calling since November 1, 2016 waiting for Connecticare to credential us!

Insurances Accepted

To date, we now accept most major insurance companies including Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Medicare and Medicaid, Connecticare, Harvard Pilgrim and many smaller health insurance companies. We will be credentialed with United Healthcare sometime in late April. Call the office and ask if we area credentialed with your insurance company. If we are not, we will start the credentialing process!

Cancellation Policy Beginning November 1, 2017, we changed our no-show policy requiring at least 24-hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. Since instituting the $30 no-show fee, we are happy to report that the number of patients who do not give notice has declined considerably. Unfortunately, the number of patients that were not calling to cancel or reschedule their appointment was becoming problematic. Not only is it not fair

to the other patients who needed to be seen, but also to the practice.

By law, we are not allowed to fine patients who have State Insurance, (Medicaid, Husky), with a no-show fee. Therefore, 3 missed appointments without 24 hours’ notice will result in discharge from the practice. The number of providers who accept State Insurance is declining at a rapid rate. I sincerely do not want to leave any patients without a primary care provider, and we do not want to lose any patients due to this no-show policy. I encourage everyone to call at least 24 hours of your appointment to reschedule or cancel if necessary. New Staff Members Our staff is changing and growing! They live and practice healthy habits and many are certified in the healing arts! They are available for any questions you may have about healthy living. Please join us in welcoming them to the practice!

Fun in the Sun Summer is right around the corner! Use the Spring time to get yourself back in shape. This is the time to put the comfort foods away and choose fresh fruits and vegetables. Staying active will keep you strong and healthy! Get outside! Get a walking buddy! Walking is one of the easiest and most effective exercises we can do to keep our bodies balanced and strong.

Lyme Disease Dr. Cipriano is now a member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). With Spring just around the corner, along with Spring flowers, we will also be welcoming more deer ticks and Lyme disease. Many people are affected by this insidious disease. Most do not know why they do not feel well. The symptoms can be vague and point to other causes for the feeling of un-wellness. Most providers test for Lyme with a screening test. If the test is negative, no further testing is performed. This type of testing abides by the CDC guidelines. According to these guidelines, when the western blot is tested and shows less than five bands positive, the results are

negative. However, according to Lyme disease experts and ILADS, the CDC guidelines are incorrect. The ILADS is dedicated to research, correct diagnoses, treatment successes, and eradicating this debilitating disease.

Dr. Cipriano does not agree with the CDC guidelines as they pertain to Lyme disease, chronic Lyme, test results, or treatment protocols. In her experience, patients can have one reactive band or no reactive bands present and still be infected with Lyme disease. Ongoing and active infections with the organism Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) is prevalent in the setting of chronic untreated or inadequately treated individuals. Individuals who present with joint pain, chronic fatigue, nerve involvement, or cardiac anomalies are tested and treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics kill germs during their growth phase. Because Borrelia have a four-week growth phase, giving antibiotics for 2 or 3 weeks misses out on much of the bacteria that is still in the dormant phase. This treatment protocol increases the probability of chronic and inadequately treated Lyme disease. Depending on the length of time the Borrelia bacteria has been in the body, the more extensive the treatment. Following the ILADS guidelines, Dr. Cipriano has been able to help many patients to regain their strength, decrease their pain, and return to a life of health and wellness. If you, or someone you know is experiencing symptoms that may be related to Lyme disease, call the office for an appointment. You may be one phone call away from a life without chronic illness.

Antibiotic Resistance Watching the news leads us to believe that healthcare providers are prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily to patients, creating antibiotic resistance. What is not discussed is the amount of antibiotics that are used on our livestock. Antimicrobials are delivered to animals for a variety of reasons, including the treatment and prevention of disease and to enhance growth. Antimicrobial growth promotants (AGP), have been used in animal feed since the mid-1950s. Research has found that farms using AGP had more resistant bacteria in the intestinal floras of the farm workers and farm animals than in those for similar people and animals on farms not using AGPs.

Low dose antibiotics are added to the livestock feed and water to promote rapid weight gain without eating more food. This is a cost savings for the farmers in two ways. First, the cost of feed is decreased. Second, the animals can be slaughtered sooner. By using low dose antibiotics, they are growing drug-resistant bacteria. Eating meat from animals that come from farms that use AGP increases antibiotic resistance in the human body. Unlike humans, who need a prescription for an antibiotic, farmers are not kept to the same regulations and can administer the antibiotics to livestock without any sign of illness.

“Bigger, faster, cheaper” is the mantra of the commercial meat industry, and one key to their success has been the widespread use of antibiotics.

Labels to Avoid

Antibiotic-Free: The USDA has never legally authorized the use of the term “antibiotic-free”, so if you see it on packaging it has no legal meaning.

Natural: The USDA meaning of natural is very loose, and only implies that the final product is minimally processed and does not contain added colors or artificial ingredients. Antibiotics are fully allowed in “natural” meat, making the term meaningless if you are trying to avoid them.

No Antibiotic Residues: Though this is not a USDA-approved claim, it is often used on labels to refer to the fact that antibiotics were not used for the last days or weeks of the animal’s life so that traces of the chemicals would have time to naturally work themselves out. However, the label “No Antibiotic Residues” usually implies that the animal was fed significant amounts of antibiotics earlier in life.

No Antibiotic Growth Promotants: Not only is this claim not approved by the USDA, it is intentionally misleading. Animals may not have been given antibiotics to promote rapid weight gain, but they were still given antibiotics regularly to prevent disease due to overcrowded living conditions.

Labels to Look For

Country of Origin: Depending on where your meat is sourced from, it might automatically be safe from antibiotics. Since 2006, European Union has banned farmers from using antibiotics to promote growth and instead regulates their use to treating disease only.

USDA Organic: When organically-raised animals become sick, they are treated with antibiotics and sent to a conventional production system where they are no longer labeled as organic. This means that any meat product with the label USDA Organic is guaranteed to be free of antibiotics, both for promoting growth and for treating illness.

‘Raised Without Antibiotics’, ‘No Antibiotics Administered’ and Similar Variations: These labels signify that the meat in question came from animals raised without antibiotics, often in conditions comparable to organic (but uncertified). For extra reliability, look for labels accompanied by a “USDA Process Verified” shield, which ensures that the company in question paid to have their claims verified.

You have one body to last you potentially 100 years! Treat it with dignity and respect

Working together

to keep you healthy