Thank you for reading our july newsletter!

 
Here are some great articles from our practitioners
about what they've been doing this summer - including
a low carb recipe, a 10 minute work-out, travel tips and more!
We hope you find them informative, interesting and helpful,
and hope that you're having a safe
and happy summer!
 
To your health,
Central Family Practice
 

Summer Circle of life
By Connie Ryan, WHNP

Central Family Practice was opened by myself, Carol Cody, and John Day in 1998.  My vision, which was years in the making (in my long nights awake as a midwife), was to have a family practice where people could come and bring their children to get care that was high quality, open minded, and personal. The other part of the vision, which I think is one of the most important ingredients, is having a family practice where the people working there love to come to work every day.  I like my work and really wanted to be somewhere that everyone else felt the same.  The biggest part of healing for all of us happens in the relationships we have with each other.  

One of the qualities that many people remark on at Central Family is that it does not feel like a medical office or clinic.  There is great thought and effort that went into that at the inception, as well as in an ongoing evaluation of care.  The experience you have at CFP is not just the relationship you have with any individual person, but the whole visit from start to finish.  Our staff sees their relationship with you as the most important part of their job in addition to drawing your blood or making your next appointment.  

When Dr. Day left to travel the world with his family in 2004, I wondered how we would replace him, and his patients wondered the same thing.  We went through a few changes before my long time friend and favorite physician, Dr. Trester decided to come to work with us.  He and I, through the years, have cared for families that we have taken care of from the births of their children to now, the births of some of those “children’s” children.  I helped his second daughter, Emma, come into the world at home.  He has taken care of my children and now my grandchildren.  The circle of life is very rich.
Kate Wanstrom, FNP, a long time friend, came to us from the wild west of Marfa.  She started and ran the Marfa Clinic for people who previously had to drive to Alpine to get care.  For those of you who have been out there, it is truly the wild west and it is a trek to get anywhere!  

We are once again going through a change.  Dr. Connor has left to pursue her own plan.  Dr. Trester,  Kate Wanstrom FNP, Peggy Ghorbani L.Ac.   and I are here to see you and your family.  Julie Lack, our esthetician and Ideal Protein weight loss coach, is also here to keep you healthy and glowing. We have a new Family Nurse Practitioner, Leslie Preston, starting with us in August, as well as another weight loss coach, Christy Martin.  We are very excited to have new people join us and know that you all will like them as much as we do.   
 
We are at our most vulnerable when we are discussing our fears, joys, and difficulties with our bodies and lives.  At Central Family it has always been our goal to make sure that you can have that conversation in a safe, open, non judgemental environment with a practitioner who will spend the time it takes to help you plan the best course of action for you and your family to stay healthy and strong.  We will continue to do this.  

If you have any questions about the changes at Central Family please feel free to call and talk to me.  I know many of you have never met me, but all of the qualities that you love about Central Family or ones that you do not, are important to me and are in the end, my responsibility to address.  

Beginnings and endings are always ripe with possibility and are sometimes bittersweet.  Such is life and what makes it interesting and so lovely.  If you have been getting medications from Dr Connor,  your medical records (chart) and medication renewals remain a part of Central Family.   If you need a refill of medication, you can use the same process you have always used and have the pharmacy send a refill request to us.  If it is time for a follow up visit, you are welcome to call and make an appointment with another practitioner here.  If you have any questions about this, please feel free to call and discuss this with the staff or a practitioner.  
 
Connie
 

 

Traveling Tips
By Elliot Trester

I was just filling my pill containers for the next couple of weeks, and that reminded me of getting ready for an upcoming sailing expedition.
 

It used to be that I didn’t need to plan very far ahead, but being older and taking a handful of pills twice a day (well, it’s not that bad) makes you think a little more.  It also reminds me about the need for health care.

Whenever anyone travels, especially to the Third World (watch out Edward Snowden), they always think about getting malaria or some intestinal bug. Certainly those are possibilities, but the most likely cause for your vacation to end is an accident, and almost always some sort of car or bus accident. You can worry as much as you want about your plane falling out of the air, but your bus going off the side of a mountain road is much more likely.  So, having insurance for foreign travel (or even travel in the US, but the whole insurance issue is another thing) is essential, and pretty cheap. I like a company called Wallach and Company (http://www.wallach.com/) because I have used them many times and have never had to file any claims.  The most important insurance feature, however, is paying for being airlifted out of a country back to the United States. If you are really ill or hurt, you probably want to be where you can at least speak the language well.

Of course, you can’t get to the country unless you have a passport.   

 
 
If you’re off to Uganda next week and don’t have your passport, you can have it expedited and get one fairly quickly.  However, you’ll have to postpone your trip due to the fact that expedited requests at this time are taking 2-3 weeks. There is a passport card, which allows you to get into Mexico and Canada (and Bermuda) by land.  And if you think I don’t know my geography, you can get to Bermuda by boat (which I guess is like driving).  I wonder if you can get into Havana with a passport card if you sail (well, maybe, but could you get back to the US without too much trouble?).  Americans have the smallest proportion of passports for our population of any developed country.  What does that mean??  Why go to a foreign country when we have it all here? 



While I refuse to join the social media crowd, and will make friends with people I meet, I just will not be anyone’s “friend” on Facebook and I am yet to have an account and probably never will. I do enjoy staying connected with people, though, and when traveling outside the US, it is fun to be able to use your smart phone for a reasonable price.  If you are in the United States and have a smart phone, you are pretty much connected.  If you want to use your lap top and don’t have access to Wi-Fi, you can tether your smart phone to your computer and use the phone as a Wi-Fi hot spot.   
 

 My set up at a public library in Sunrise, Florida 
 
While lots of people can use their smart phones to do Internet searches and look at their mail and answer it, I need a real keyboard and screen, so my laptop is much more useful.  If you travel abroad and get a SIM card for the country you are in, you will have very cheap phone service, access to data, and a local cell phone number.  To do this you have to have your cell phone unblocked, but now AT&T will do that for you, and here is the link to contact them: (http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB414532&cv=820#fbid=Ad582spFZ7I), and it can be done by phone.  It’s nice to be able to get cheap and accurate information for the museum hours of, let’s say, the Louvre.  
 
Or for the Musée d'Orsay 
 
It’s always fun to Skype to people while you are on vacation, to show where you are.  I’m going to be sailing in Maine soon, and I might have to Skype from my phone while I’m at the helm. All you need to do this is to download the Skype app, and it’s free.  Then you can make all your coworkers, friends and family even more jealous of your vacation than they are already. 
 
There are lots of other things that are important, like a comb (did I really write that?) but one last thing I might mention is if you rent a car in the United States, you should use a credit card that will pay for an accident along with your usual car insurance.  Getting insurance from a car company can double your cost.  Just something to check into. 
 
Bon voyage,  Elliot
 
 
 

Flight Anxiety
By Kate Wanstrom, FNP

Do you love to fly or dread and fear it like catching Eboli Virus? I dread flying. I don't have to do it very often but when I do, it is not fun. I am not fun to sit next to, the flight attendants mark me as a potential problem, and I might just freak out and get off the plane before takeoff. So, I have figured out how to deal with flight anxiety, on those rare occasions when I must get on a plane.
 
Recently, I flew to Colorado for a long weekend. It was a surprise with only my brother in on it. As time drew near, dread was setting in, irrational fear taking the place of excitement for a vacation. I really needed to go and wanted to see my family desperately, so I figured it out. First, I have some L-Theanine with me and take some the night before I leave and again when I leave for the airport.  L-theanine is from green tea extract and helps increase GABA in the brain and that calms you down.  It is a safe, non habit forming help for anxiety and focus and can be used as needed.  Second, I always have a tin of Rescue Remedy, a Bach Flower Remedy for stress. It is safe for anyone to take. Third, I have a prescription for Xanax.  It is an anti-anxiety medication, which is a controlled substance, and must be prescribed by your practitioner. A small dose of Xanax, taken right before boarding the plane works to calm the jitters, slow the heart, and make the airplane your friend. You have to talk to your doctor or nurse practitioner about it, so plan ahead. What worked for me on this last trip (no Xanax needed!!!) was leaving early, early in the morning. If you are up and out and at the airport before you have time to really wake up, the anxiety takes a backseat to sleepiness. I also had very little time to catch my connecting flight so there was no waiting around. That was useful too. A really good book is priceless, as are comfortable traveling clothes and a jacket or sweater if it gets cold on the plane. Water and a snack in your bag are good ideas. Also, not looking out the window, deep breathing, and eyes closed make taking off pretty darn easy. While not great fun, this last trip was fine, and I was proud of myself for not needing medication. However, there is no shame in a small dose of medication if that is what one needs to successfully get to your destination.

I arrived in Colorado, refreshed from a nap on the plane, and surprised the heck out of my family. It was great! The flight was easy overall and so worth the effort and anxiety of getting on a plane. I could not have gotten there any other way due to time constraints and hey, flying is safer than driving. I personally, however, am waiting for transcontinental trains, zipping across the U.S., traveling in style and comfort. Maybe in my lifetime, but in the meantime, I will book early, sleep on the plane, take my handy Rescue Remedy and L-Theanine and have my backup Xanax, just in case. 
Kate
 

The Ten Minute Walk improves Blood Pressure

 
 

(Click image to read the NYTimes Article)

This is another reason to look at ways to work a couple of walks or any form of exercise into your day. This study found that one 30-minute afternoon walk improved blood pressure readings for 24 hours among adults with borderline hypertension, BUT, Three 10-minute walks spaced throughout the day improved overall blood pressure just as effectively, but unlike the single session, they also blunted subsequent spikes in pressure, which can indicate worsening blood pressure control. So, the 7 min workout, the four minute workout, the 10 min walk to the furthest bathroom from your desk, the quick spin around the block with your dog, it does not take much to make a big difference in your health. Even moderately elevated blood pressure over time is stressful on your heart, kidneys, blood vessels. So, what is keeping you from the 10 minute walk?
 
 
Connie
 
 
 

We offer same-day appointments not only for our established patients, but for new patients, friends and families. For minor mishaps, as well as illness symptoms, come see us.
 
Call us today for appointment availability: 512-371-9260
 
 


Walk-in Vaccine Hours
8:30 - 11am | Monday - Friday
1:30 - 4pm | Mon, Tues, Thurs.
 
Please bring a maximum of two children at a time to walk-in hours and arrive 15 minutes before the end of these posted times. Must be current on well checks to use the walk-in hours for vaccines.

 
We are now offering a wonderful, medically-supervised weight loss program. It is very doable and it works!
 
Click the image for more information or come to one of our free informational workshops any Tuesday from 6-7pm.
 

Leslie Preston, FNP, is joining us in August!

 "I am so excited to join Central Family Practice and become a part of this integrative health care team that is personally invested in working together with patients to improve their health. I have found that I have learned just as much from my patients as I have taught them, if not more. I look forward to meeting you and your family, and developing a relationship that promotes trust and healing as your healthcare provider. My experience and knowledge as a Nurse Practitioner allows me to fully appreciate you as a person - whether you want to be more educated about the "why" of health promotion and participate in healing yourself, or just to provide you with a treatment for what ails you - I am honored to get to know you and hope to see you soon!"

Leslie is an AANC Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner who has been practicing in the Austin area. She received her undergraduate degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and her graduate degree from Texas A&M.
 

Central Family Summer Specials

Esthetician Special  

Buy a series of 6 facial treatments for the price of 5 ($475) AND get a free goodie bag of Image Skin Care products valued at $150 OR 
30% off any Obagi system in stock with purchase of series. Your choice!
 
 
 

Well Child Check Special
 

From the week of 8/12 - 8/16 only, with our new Family nurse practitioner, Leslie Preston:
 $15 off regular price ($60 for returning patients, $70 for new patients). Special available until appointments filled for the week.
 

 

Acupuncture without borders

We are so happy that Peggy made it safely back to us from her trip to Nepal and the Himalayas with Acupuncturists Without Borders! The group provided acupuncture treatment to around 500 people in this mountainous region during their 3 week trek. They reached them by horse, small planes, hiking and every other way known to man to travel. If you are interested in learning more about their work and the charity they were involved with, please see the link: www.maitinepal.com

She is still processing everything she saw and did and we will hear more about it later. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures from her trip:

 





Peggy has also
been nominated as Best Acupuncturist for the 2013 - 3rd Annual Austin Birth Awards!
To vote for her, click here!

 
 

I am a carb-o-holic
By Julie Lack, Licensed Esthetician

Cookies and cakes and ice cream—scrumptious and delicious! Tortillas and chips and crackers and bread—weak in my knees! I know I’m not alone here—it seems to be a universal love affair.
 
We tend to think of these foods as damaging to our waistlines, but did you know that what you eat affects your skin? Refined carbs—anything made from white flour, among other tasty treats-- are terrible for your skin.  These types of carbs create a spike in the hormones that cause acne breakouts. My acne skin care clients see a positive change in their skin once they eliminate dairy and refined carbs from their diet.
 
It’s not just acne sufferers who need to steer clear of those fun treats.  Sugar and highly refined carbs can speed the aging process by causing glycation. Glycation is the result of sugar breaking down in your body and connecting with protein molecules, creating sluggish cells and reducing the elasticity of collagen in your skin. This means fine lines, wrinkles, dull skin and uneven tone. Eeeek!
 
Rather than feel deprived, I have learned to find substitutes. I have recently become obsessed with this recipe for cauliflower tortillas.  I was skeptical, but gave them a whirl and was so happy with their taste, that I now make them at least once a week. I treat them exactly like a regular tortilla filling with meat and veggies or whatever I love. This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, Paleo and Ideal Protein friendly.
 
Cauliflower Tortillas (click image for original recipe)


Ingredients
 
  • ¾ of a head of cauliflower riced or 2 cups riced and packed
  • 2 eggs
  • salt and pepper to taste
     
Instructions
 
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. Rice your cauliflower slightly more fine that cauliflower rice. Toss ¾ of a head of cauliflower cut up and most of the stem removed and pulse until you get a texture slightly finer than rice. (Once it’s riced, measure it to make sure you have 2 cups packed.)
  3. Place riced cauliflower in bowl and microwave for 2 minutes and stir, then another two minutes and stir again, then place in a dish towel and squeeze excess water out as hard as you can. (You’re going to want to get out as much water as you can, and be careful not to burn yourself because it’s going to be very hot. I use silicon oven mitts or rubber dishwashing gloves on this step so I don’t burn myself.)
  4. Place drained cauliflower back in bowl and add two eggs, salt and pepper and mix until well combined.
  5. As a note it will be a little bit runny but shouldn’t be pure liquid either. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet into 6 small fairly flat circles.
  6. Place in the oven for 10 minutes then pull out of the oven and carefully peel them off the parchment, flip them and place back in the oven for 5-7 more minutes.
  7. Once they’re done place them on a wire rack to cool slightly.
  8. Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat and place the tortillas into the pan pressing down slightly and brown them to your liking. (Don’t skip this step because it gives them slightly crispy on the edges)

 
Enjoy!
Julie
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dress the kids in gold, tie up your sneakers, and join your friends on Saturday, August 17th 2013 for the Golden Hat Walk for Autism! This fun, gold-themed parade with also feature engaging kids activities and an interactive resource fair!
 
Date: Sat, August 17th 2013
Time: 8:30am - 12:30pm
Place: The Dell Diamond, Round Rock, TX

 
For more information, to register, donate, or volunteer, visit www.goldenwalkforautism.com
 
 
 
 

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Central Family Practice | 801 W. 34th Street, Austin, Texas 78705 | 512-371-9260
www.centralfamily.com