I hope that this issue of the newsletter will help improve your medical knowledge. Please feel free to contact me with any feedback or questions you may have about any of the topics.

WELCOME DR. TURNER !!!

Family Medicine Associates of Texas (FMAT) is pleased to announce the association of Carrie A. Turner, M.D., to our Carrollton, Texas office.

Dr. Turner attended Texas A & M University from 1993-1997, and received her Medical Degree from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, Texas in 2002. Her residency program was done through the Baylor Family Medicine program, caring for patients in an inpatient setting, including patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), as well as providing continuity of care to a diverse patient population in an outpatient setting. Prior to joing FMAT in December 2005, she was a staff physician at a high volume urgent care facility in Garland, Texas.

Please welcome Dr. Turner. She is available to see new patients as well as established patients, including infants as well as persons up to age 65. Call 972-394-8844 to schedule your appointment.

INFLUENZA...FLU...INFLUENZA...FLU!!!

It is that season again! The Flu season is near. A yearly flu shot is recommended for the following groups of people who are at increased risk for serious complications from the flu:

• Persons age 50 and over;
  
• Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities that house persons of any age who have long-term illnesses;
  
• Adults and children over 6 monhs of age who have chronic heart or lung conditions, including asthma;
  
• Adults and children over 6 months of age who need regular medical care or have had to have been in the hospital because of metabolic deseases (like diabetes), chronic kidney disease, or weakened immune system, including innume system problems casued by medicine or by infection with HIV or AIDS;
  
• Children and teenagers (age 6 months to 18) who are on long-term aspirin therapy and therefore could develop Reye Syndrome after the flu; and,
  
• Women who will be more than 3 months pregnant during the Flu season.
  

No appointment is necessary for your flu shot.

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY EVENINGS & SATURDAY MORNINGS!!!

Our Carrollton office is open every Tuesday and Thursday evenings until 7 p.m. We are also open every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

HOW TO MANAGE ANGER

If we are constantly "blowing our stack", it will not only alienate others, but can contribute to health problems, including headaches, stomach upset, and heart attack.

Here are some ways to take control of your anger:

• Count to 10
  When something angers you, give your body time to defuse before you eact. Take three or four deep breaths. Ask yourself "Will this really matter a year from now?".
• Walk it off.
  Go for a short stroll until you calm down. Helpful; Find a quiet place where you can think out loud and take a second look at how you are reacting to a situation. As was heard in the film Napolean Dynamite, "a walk will clear your head and do you a lot of good".
• Distract yourself
  Example; in a traffic jam, play soothing music or listen to a relaxing prgram instead of pounding the horn. At work, dive into a task to turn negative energy positive.
• Keep a log
  Monitor your angry thoughts. Most of the time the anger are often things over which we have no control.
• Ask for Help
  If managing outbursts seems impossible, do not be afraid to seek medical help, counseling, meditation, or lifestyle change. Your health may depend on it.

SIMPLE TIPS TO SLIMMER WAISTS

Everyone knows that eating right and exercising are the keys to weight control. But not everyone knows these tips to make your efforts pay off fast:

• Eat breakfast
  It is true...regular meals and occasional low-calorie snacks help prevent the "famine-then-feast" syndrome. Great start: fill up first thing with high-fiber cereal, whole-grain bread or fresh fruit.
• Brush your teeth
  Doing brushing periodically throughout the day will give you a refreshed feeling and less likely to eat with "clean breath and teeth".
• Post a List
  Place a list of small projects on your refrigerator. Then whenever you are bored and tempted to snack, tackle an item from your list. Result: it you help you ride out "crave attacks".
• Portions
  Serve yourself half the amount you usually eat if you tend to eat whatever is in front of you. And make food look like more by using smaller plates.
• Exercise
  Exercising anytime during the day is better than not excersizing at all! Exercising in the morning after not eating during the night burns calories stored from fat. Carbohydrates are the main energy source in afternoon workouts.
• Calories
  Keep calories burning with aerobic exercise, like bicycling, swimming, walking or jogging. The advantage is that a single aerobic exercise session burns calories during the workouit and for several hours afterward.
• Take your time
  It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to receive the signal that you are full. So gulping food quickly may lead to overeating. Strategies: Set your silverware down between bites...chew slowly...savor each flavor and texture. And play soft, soothing background music, which tends to slow the meal.

AESTHETICS CENTER

Do not forget that just adjacent to our Carorollton office is the Aesthetics Center. Skin care, as well as Microdermabrasion, is available. Microdermabrasion is a non-chemical, non-surgical alternative that can reduce or eliminate the superficial effects of:

• Sun-damanged skin
• Age spots
• Superficial pigmentation
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Enlarged or oily pores
• Blackhead and whiteheads
• Acne scars

STOPPING GERMS AT HOME, WORK AND SCHOOL

The main way that illnesses like colds and influenza are spread is person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. This is called "droplet spread".

This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and are deposited on the mouth or nose of people nearby. Sometimes germs also can be spread when a person touches his or her eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands. We know that some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, desks and even dollar bills.

How to stop the spread of germs?

• Cover your mouth and nose
• Clean your hands often
• Remind your children to practice healthy habits, too.

When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find these in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends rubbing your hands until the gel is dry. The gel does not need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...?????

...Breast cancer does not just affect women? Consider the families and friends whose lives are also changed. In the U. S. alone, 211,300 women and 1,300 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 40,000 will die. Be sure to do monthly self-examination along with annual medical check-ups.

...20% of American workers get to work by carpool? 27% of American teenage girls bought at least 10 pairs of shoes and boots in the last year. 38% of Americans die of heart disease. 56% of Americans are at their best in the morning. 85% of Americans think that, all in all, one can live well in America.

...the top 5 Health Risks for Men are 1) Heart Disease, 2) Cancer, 3) Accidents, 4) Stroke, and, 5)Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?

...our own Dr. Richard Honaker and Dr. Gary Sackrison were both named to D Magazine's Top Doctor in the Metroplex?

..the best inheritance a parent can give to their children is a few minutes of their time each day?

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