CHANGE?! It sucks! Or does it?

By this time, most of you have received the letter about Insight Family Health Center no longer accepting insurance as of December 18, 2014 and officially closing.  Rest assured, we are staying open as Restore Health & Wellness Center and forging ahead with helping people change their futures by changing their health.

This closing and reinventing of a medical practice is a HUGE CHANGE for all of us.  I do not like change any more than the next person, but I know it is vital for life and growth.  A pond that has no water flowing in or out stagnates.  That’s how life is.  If we stay in the same spot doing the same thing over and over again never changing never growing, our lives stagnate; and we die before our time.  And we all know, I am all about living healthily and fully until the day we die!  I personally don’t want to stagnate, and I don’t want that for any of you.

I have fought this change for a long time knowing it would be difficult for all of us.  But, I’ve finally been backed into a corner where I either have to change things or it all dies.  I 100% believe that what we have been doing at Insight to help people change their health and lives is worth saving.  Even if it has to take on a different form.  No matter how difficult that change may be.  I hope you believe the same thing.

I originally started this practice as a self pay practice.  I had no restrictions and could help people however I thought might best help them.  I then decided to start accepting insurance in order to help even more people.  At the time, I had no clue what that would mean to this practice and how it would eventually come to this point:  being in a completely broken health care/insurance system that is trying to control the amount of time I spend with patients and how I choose to treat them with lifestyle change and natural treatments.

I don’t believe staying in this country’s broken health care/insurance system is the best care that I can provide for my patients.  I really don’t believe any of us should ever be trapped in that system.  This past year, I have been urging patients to get as healthy as they can be and stay that way so that they never need or become dependent on the health care system in this country.  I believe things are only going to get worse, and it behooves all of us to get healthy and stay healthy and only use the system in an emergency!  I’m always looking for ways to optimize my health and your health in natural ways so that we aren’t dependent on the system.

I urge each of you to evaluate your current health status.  Are you on synthetic prescription medications that are treating conditions that you could heal with lifestyle change?  For instance, are you on a blood pressure medication but are overweight and don’t exercise routinely?  Could you lose weight and exercise and work towards getting off of your synthetic medication?  Would these changes more likely help you live and age healthy?

NOW is the time to make some personal changes with your life and health.  I urge you to quit gambling with your health and hoping any synthetic prescription drug will help you feel good and age healthy and prevent the repercussions of not eating right, losing weight, sleeping well, stress reducing, drinking water or exercising.  I urge you to start investing in your health now.  It is NEVER too late to make health changes that will alter the course of your future and how you age.

We are still here to help each of you make better health choices that lead to life and healthy aging.  We are stepping out of a system that truly leads to death and poor health as we age.  I hope you understand that this change must be made.  The very mission of Insight and Restore is about life and helping people prevent disease and maintain optimal health until the day they die.  We choose to CHANGE rather than be forced to rush with you and prescribe synthetic prescription medications for each issue you have. 

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” – Marilyn Monroe

I love that quote!  Insight was a really good thing.  It has helped a lot of people.  Its time has come to an end.  But better things are coming with Restore and with your personal health if you decide today to go in a different direction and CHANGE.

Sincerely,

Tabetha L. Smith, FNP-C

Relinquisher of Control, Investor in Change

Special Guest Blogger: Kathy’s Blog: Living Well- Not as hard as you think!

Health and wellness has always been my thing.  Even before I became interested in nursing I was drinking the Kool -Aid of what ever was healthy at the time.

I come from a very active family.  My whole family played tennis growing up.  We rode bikes, swam in the summer, did our own yard work.  My parents who are in their 80’s still walk, play tennis, and ride bikes.  It is just who we are.  Back as a teenager I don’t think we exercised to be fit.  We did all those activities because they were fun and we were with our friends. 

Eating right was also just what I did.  In college, I was more of a hippy with hippy ideals.  I did Outward Bound for 3 months mid way through my college education.  There I learned how to make yogurt and bake my own bread and continued to be interested in food preparation.  Cookbooks have been one of my collectables.  So, while kids were hitting the fast food joints, I was seeking out the vegetarian restaurants.

My thoughts on nutrition have evolved over the years but I am still eating a diet that, for the most part, I have prepared and is what I consider to be pretty healthy.  My down fall, like for many of us, is an over active sweet tooth that surfaces way too much!

So fast-forward 30 years from that Outward Bound semester to today.  I’m still exercising and still eating what I think for the most part is a healthy diet.  For someone who just turned 55, I think I feel pretty good.  This is the way I live and I hope I can encourage others to do so too!  Stay Tuned!!!!

BIOIDENTICAL HORMONE PELLET THERAPY

TAB’S BLOG:  BIOIDENTICAL HORMONE PELLET THERAPY

Some of you may know that we have started providing Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) through pellets.  But you may not know the details of why so I thought I’d share my thoughts in this week’s blog.

I’ve been investigating providing BHRT in pellet form for years.  It always seemed to make common sense to me that this type of therapy might be easier on the patient (don’t have to remember to do as much each day) and more consistent in results (24 hour release with no ups and downs).  Bioidentical Estradiol (for women only) and Testosterone (for women AND men) are placed in a tiny pellet that is then inserted by a medical provider into the fat of the buttock cheek.  The hormone is slowly released over a 3-5 month time period based on cardiac output – if active more released, if less active less released.

I had talked to many patients who had used this therapy and the majority of them loved it.  Their only problems were finding a provider who offered it and getting consistent results.  Most reported that each time they went to get the pellets something had changed – the labs recommended, the ranges recommended, the dosing recommended, and the quality of the pellets.  Because the system seemed to keep changing so did their symptom relief.  One time they’d feel great and the next time they’d get minimal relief if any.  However, they all said when the pellets worked they felt the best they had in a long time and that the therapy was well worth it.

I also had looked into several companies that provided the BHRT pellet service.  Each company seemed to have inconsistent strategies, systems and pellet quality.  I chose not to go with any of them because I didn’t think I would get consistent results for my patients.

I then discovered BioTE Medical.  What impressed me from the beginning was the system and controls that they had in place.  I immediately felt I could trust the quality of the pellets but also the system for providing and dosing the pellets.  After talking with other BioTE providers, I decided to go with that company.

Our passion at our office is to coach people to make better permanent health choices in order to prevent premature death and aging.  We have always focused on hormone balance, weight loss, stress reduction, exercise education and gastrointestinal healing.  Many call this anti-aging medicine.  The BioTE company put it a different way:  healthy aging. 

I like that phrase “healthy aging” better.  We want to partner with you to help you obtain your optimal level of health and personal peak performance level.  We want you to be functional and healthy with your brain working right up until the day you die.  I truly believe we can help you take another step up to your personal level of optimal health and peak performance with the BioTE hormone pellet therapy.

We’ve worked with hormone balancing for years; however, I truly had no idea of the extra health benefits BHRT pellets could offer to my patients (or myself!) until my mind was blown at my certification training.  I have been providing BHRT to my patients and using it myself since 2005.  I have been to multiple training conferences and had never seen some of the research presented at this training.  The research on and benefits of testosterone in particular blew me away!

Some of the benefits of pellet therapy are:

1   1. Consistency of dosing – you don’t have to remember to use it!

2   2. Relief of hot flashes and night sweats

3   3. Improved sleep

4   4. Better brain function

5   5. Better energy

6   6. Better mood

7   7. Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and cancer

8   8. And the list goes on….

I have never seen the same benefits they proved with research that testosterone in pellet form can provide with using testosterone creams, patches, gels or injections in either men or women.  The research, the providers who use it, and the patients all say that it can help improve memory (you won’t forget why you walked in a room anymore!), improve mood (many get off anti-depressant/ anti-anxiety meds!), improve stamina and muscle, improve weight loss and especially decreased belly fat (!), improve sex drive, etc.  

If you have been feeling like you are working really hard on your health but not seeing enough results (effort level ≠ results obtained), then the testosterone pellets may be the answer.  Getting more bang for my efforts on my health and improved memory are the 2 main reasons I had the testosterone pellets inserted while I was at the conference.

The actual procedure was not bad at all.  I felt a little sting for a few seconds when the numbing medicine was given then nothing but the tug of the buttock skin being moved.  Afterward, it was a little sore for about 2 days (I’m a pain wimp so I took some ibuprofen!) then just felt like a bruise for not quite a week.  You are supposed to start feeling different about day 7.  I started noticing some increase in memory (when I walked in a room, I still couldn’t remember why but remembered quickly before leaving the room! J) and in energy about that time.

I actually chose to get the maximum dose of testosterone I qualified for based on my age, weight, symptoms and lab results.  I could have reported that I had a history of acne and received a lower dose, but I always experiment on myself (and sometimes my staff!) with the therapies we recommend.  I wanted all of the benefits of testosterone in pellet form as quick as I could get them!  Yes, I was running the risk of developing acne but thought the benefits would be worth it.  Starting about day 7, I did develop a slight increase in acne but not enough to make me regret the decision.

My patients definitely receive health benefit from the BHRT creams, gels, patches and injections.  Maybe not as much as with the pellets but still improved.  These days the alternatives to BHRT that traditional medicine offers (now that we live for 30 or 40 post-menopause and post-andropause) are not that great. 

Your mood goes down; they give you and anti-depressant.  Your blood pressure goes up; they give you a hypertension drug.  Your bones thin out; they give you a bone-building drug.  Your cholesterol goes up; they give you a statin drug.  You start not sleeping; they give you a narcotic drug to induce sleep.  Your memory starts declining; they give you an Alzheimer’s drug.  By the time you are done with menopause or andropause, you are on 5-10 synthetic prescription medications!  And how do you think they make you feel with their side effects and interactions?

My personal goal is to never be on any synthetic prescription drug as I age.  I plan to exercise, eat right, learn new things, sleep, drink water, stress reduce, AND use BHRT until the day I die.  I absolutely refuse to go down the traditional medical path as long as I can do natural things to keep me healthy.  I was already using progesterone cream, and I have now added testosterone in pellet form to my arsenal of health promotion and disease prevention strategies. 

I encourage each of you to evaluate your health right now.  What are your long-term health goals?  How do you want to feel as you age?  What strategies do you want to use to reap the benefit of healthy aging?  How can we help you reach them?  Can changing to or starting BHRT in pellet form augment and optimize your healthy aging plans?

Modern medicine has presented us with a Faustian bargain: Our aging bodies can bankrupt our children and grandchildren. We have run into the 'law of diminishing returns' in health care, where we are often doing more and more, with higher and higher technology, at more and more cost, for less and less benefit.

--Richard Lamm

What helps with aging is serious cognition - thinking and understanding. You have to truly grasp that everybody ages. Everybody dies. There is no turning back the clock. So the question in life becomes: What are you going to do while you're here?

--Goldie Hawn

Sincerely,

Tabetha L. Smith, FNP-C

Fellow Seeker on the Journey of Health Aging

Is Balance In Life REALLY Possible? (Installment 4)

TAB’S BLOG:  IS BALANCE IN LIFE REALLY POSSIBLE?

October 27, 2014

This blog will be my final thoughts on balance in life.  I don’t think we’ve come to a final conclusion on whether balance in life is a possibility.  But I do think we’ve opened our minds to some new ways of thinking and looking at situations so they don’t seem so overwhelming.

I’m personally still on the journey to a balanced life; but I’m not giving up!  Every day I look for ways to bring peace, order and balance to my life.  However, I don’t let my striving towards balance stress me out even more.  There are things in life that we can control and things in life that we can’t control.  No matter how organized you are and no matter what your plan, circumstances that you have no control over can arise to change “the plan”.  We have to go with the winds of life but always try to steer ourselves back to the right course.

We are fortunate that we were created human and that the human brain has amazing potential.  We can actually improve our brain health and longevity by creating new neural pathways on a daily basis.  The only 2 ways to create new neural pathways is to learn something brand new (like new ways to control your thoughts!) or to exercise.  Yikes!  Back to the exercise thing!  I can’t stress enough the importance of making exercise a non-negotiable part of your life.  J

As part of the balance in life, we all have to try to learn new things and find new joys in life.  We can’t stagnate in the sameness of day to day life.  Our lives have so much potential for hope and change in ourselves and in those with whom we come into contact.

“We are not disturbed by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens to us.”

--Epictetus, Greek Philosopher

Our thoughts are about the ONLY thing we actually can control in our lives.  I believe that balance starts in our thoughts.  That is why I have stressed doing a gratitude journal so much.  It is hard to be sad and depressed when you are daily reminding yourself of your blessings.  Our thoughts rule our lives and actions.  We must control and direct them or else we will never be balanced.

“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”

--Mark Twain

The Terman Longevity Project demonstrated that people who worry about things they CAN control but DO NOT worry about things they cannot control have the best mental AND physical health and longest life expectancies.  Those results are worth pondering and worth causing us to evaluate every thought that pops into our heads.  Can we control the situation?  If no, then why worry?  Prayer might be a good option but worry is not worth the effort!

When a stressor (even if it’s just a worry or thought) confronts us, follow this four step process recommended by the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine.  This process can help to derail the stress, anxiety, and depression that come from negative thoughts.

11.  STOP.  Consciously call a mental “time out.”  Tell yourself, “Stop!”  This will stop the negative thought cycle in its tracks and give time to formulate different thoughts.

22.  BREATHE.  Now, it’s time to create a relaxation response.  Take a few deep breaths to help you relax.  Focus on the breathing and calm yourself down.

33. REFLECT.  Ask yourself the following questions:  “Is this thought or belief true?  Did I jump to a conclusion?  What evidence for the thought or belief do I have?  Am I letting negative thoughts balloon out of proportion?  Is there another, more realistic, way to view the situation?  What would be the worst that could happen?  Does it help me to think this way?  What would be the best that could happen?”

44.  CHOOSE.  Decide how to deal with the source of your stress.  Ask yourself the following questions:  “How else can I think about this?  What could I do to cope more effectively with this situation?  How could I view this more positively and more accurately?”  These restructuring thoughts should be practiced until they become automatic when facing stressful situations.

Doing the above process does not mean ignoring reality or putting a false happy face on an unpleasant situation.  However, it is just as easy to focus on the positive side of things as it is to focus on the negative side.  It is OK to acknowledge a painful truth but still understand that there may be positive aspects to the bigger picture.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

--Melody Beattie, Author of Codependent No More

I think that quote sums up perfectly how we can choose to control our thoughts and help bring more balance and peace to our lives.  I’m still working on my personal balance and peace and encourage you not to give up! J

Sincerely,

Tabetha L. Smith, FNP-C

Fellow Peace & Balance Seeker