HealthWise – Summer 2015 Keeping Hydrated, Bicycle Riding and Sugars Q&A

Welcome to the summer edition of HealthWise.In this issue of the Maryland Primary Care Physicians e-newsletter, our providers offer great advice on staying hydrated in hot weather, bike riding for exercise, eliminating unwanted sugar from your diet, and more. Please read on and share these health tips. If you need help scheduling a summer appointment, please click the appointment link or visit www.mpcp.com. Have a safe, healthy summer!

In this issue: Keeping Hydrated | Bicycle Riding | Added Sugars | Patient Portal

Keep hydrated, stay safe By: George Cavanagh, M.D.

Summer is here. Time for picnics, sports, working in the yard ─ and the risk of dehydration.Our bodies normally lose fluids in the form of exhaled water vapor, in sweat, and in urine and stool. Along with water, small amounts of salts are also lost. However, we become dehydrated when we lose more water than we take in, and our bodies don’t have enough water to carry out normal functions.

Hop on a bike to get fit, lose weight By: Jose Zarzuela, M.D.

When it comes to exercise, it’s hard to beat bicycle riding. Biking combines cardiovascular fitness with building strength and stamina – and it’s fun. You can get a good workout while enjoying a ride in the park. And people of all ages and fitness levels can do it.There are many benefits to biking:

Limiting sugars in your diet A Q&A with Dr. Pio Poblete of MPCP’s Columbia office

Q: How much sugar do people typically consume?A: On average, Americans get about 16% of their daily calories from added sugars, according to the Food & Drug Administration. While many foods naturally contain sugar, a lot more sugar is added to processed foods.

MPCP News:

MPCP named best family doctors Maryland Primary Care Physicians was voted the best family medical practice in the Capital’s 2015 Readers Choice awards program. This is the fourth straight year we received the honor. Thanks to everyone who showed your confidence in us by voting for MPCP.
Back-to-school physicals Many schools, daycares and sports teams require physical exams or immunizations. Make sure your child is ready to start the new school year. Contact your MPCP office today to schedule an exam or immunizations.
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)