HealthWise – Fall 2016, Fad Diets, Safe Holiday Drinking and Health Benefits of Music

Welcome to the fall edition of HealthWise As you enjoy the cooler weather and autumn landscape, we want to help keep your family healthy with this issue of HealthWise, the newsletter of Maryland Primary Care Physicians. In it, our providers discuss fad diets and weight loss, safe alcohol use during the holidays, and the health benefits of live music. Please read on and feel free to share these health tips with friends and family.

In this issue: Fad Diets | Safe Holiday Drinking | Health Benefits of Live Music

Fad Diets and Holiday Weight Loss by: Janice Rutkowski, M.D.

The holiday season is approaching, filled with parties, family and, for many of us, a few extra pounds. If you stand on the bathroom scale January 1 and see a higher number, you may resolve to take off those pounds ─ fast. If that’s the case, be careful how you do it. There are fad diets on the market that promise quick weight loss, but many of them take an unbalanced approach to diet and nutrition.

Cheers! Tips for Safe Alcohol Use During the Holidays By: Ariel J. Warden-Jarrett, M.D., FAAFP

The holidays are a time for family, friends and celebration. Unfortunately, it’s also when people sometimes drink too much, with consequences ranging from fights and falls to serious traffic accidents. People often put themselves at risk because they believe myths about alcohol use ─ common but incorrect beliefs...

Health Effects of Live Music Go Beyond ‘Feeling Good’ A Q&A by Daniel J. Konick, M.D.

Q: Listening to music can make you feel good. What else is there to know? A. For the first time, a study has demonstrated that live music can produce beneficial physical effects in listeners ─ it reduces the level of the hormone that causes stress...

MPCP News:

Welcome to Our New Providers We welcome two new caregivers to our growing staff:

Rafeena Bacchus, M.D., has joined our Columbia office.
Leslie Lawson, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner, has joined our Bowie office.

Prepare For Flu Season Flu season has arrived and so has our flu vaccine. Contact your MPCP office today for an appointment to get your flu shot. Did you know MPCP offers: DOT Exams: The U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) requires drivers of commercial motor vehicles to get physical examinations. MPCP has NRCME-certified clinicians in our Arnold, Arundel Mills and Pasadena locations, so if you need a DOT exam, please contact us to schedule it. Medicare Part B (medical insurance) 'wellness' visits: If you’ve had Medicare Part B for longer than 12 months, you are entitled to an “Annual Wellness” screening visit. Your MPCP provider will help you develop or update a personalized prevention health plan. This visit is covered once every 12 months (11 full months must have passed since the last visit), so contact your MPCP office to schedule an appointment.