HealthWise – Spring 2015 Iron Deficiency, Gardening, Allergy Q&A

Welcome to the spring edition of HealthWise.

In this issue of the Maryland Primary Care Physicians e-newsletter, our providers discuss how to tell if you have an iron deficiency, keeping fit by gardening, and allergies and allergy testing. You'll also learn what the new Patient Portal can do for you. Read on and feel free to share these articles with family and friends. If you need help scheduling an appointment or flu shots, please click the appointment link or visit www.mpcp.com.

In this issue: Iron Deficiency | Gardening As Exercise | Allergy Q&A | Patient Portal

Tired & weak? You may have an iron deficiency
By: Andrea Cuniff, M.D.

Do you feel weak and tire easily? Are you short of breath? Look pale?

When I see patients with these symptoms, I suspect they may be suffering from anemia caused by an iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is due to too little iron in your body. It is the most common nutritional deficiency and the leading cause of anemia in the United States, especially among women.

Iron is important because your blood needs it to carry oxygen through your body. If you do not have enough iron, your body makes fewer and smaller red blood cells, and you cannot get enough oxygen.

Gardening as exercise
By: Clare Ross, CRNP

Working in the garden on a pleasant day is certainly good for the soul, but how about your body ─ does it count as exercise?

Yes, indeed. Gardening is similar to other moderate to strenuous forms of exercise like walking and bicycling. Gardening works all the major muscle groups: legs, buttocks, arms, shoulders, neck, back and abdomen.

Bless you!
A Q&A about allergies and testing
with Dr. Janice Rutkowski

After the winter season of 2014-2015, we are enjoying the onset of beautiful spring days, but unfortunately not everyone is enjoying the good weather. Maryland is one of the most allergy-prone states, both in air-born allergens and those in food. In this article, Dr. Janice Rutkowski answers questions about allergies and testing for them.

MPCP News:

Patient Portal opens the door to improved communication

Our new Patient Portal is a secure online website that allows our patients 24/7 access to their personal health information by using a secure login and password. Through the Patient Portal, you can schedule appointments and request prescription refills, and receive information to your portal account, including clinical summaries of your visit, patient education, lab letters and referral requests. Once you receive our email invitation, it’s easy to enroll as a Patient Portal user on our MPCP website. Now that the Portal is available for all of our practice locations, all patients for whom we have an active email are being invited to enroll, so make sure your correct email address is on file with your MPCP office. (Please note that your email invitation will be sent from patientservices@ medfusion.net)

MPCP provides DOT exams

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) requires drivers of commercial motor vehicles to get physical examinations. Medical providers who give these exams must complete training from the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) to understand the regulations and screen a driver for medical issues that can affect the driver’s ability to safely drive a commercial vehicle. 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 to develop or update a personalized prevention plan to prevent disease and disability based on your current health and risk factors. This visit is covered once every 12 months (11 full months must have passed since the last visit), so contact your MPCP office to see if you qualify.