|
|
|
An e-health newsletter brought to you by the doctors and staff at Virginia Women's Center Spring 2011 |
| Happy Spring from Virginia Women's Center! Whether you are hitting the pavement for the Monument Avenue 10K on April 2 or taking a walk outside to enjoy the beautiful weather - we hope that you are making it a point to nourish healthy habits. As a partner in your health care, we hope that this newsletter will keep you informed, engaged and encouraged as you take charge of your health. |
|
|
|
|
|
Wellness and well-being: Healthy relationships
 | |
Mary Polce-Lynch, Ph.D., L.P.C. |
Healthy relationships with others begin with a healthy relationship with yourself.
Do you have a kind and nurturing relationship with yourself or is it critical and perfectionistic? Does your inner voice say "congratulations" when you've done your best or does it only point out your mistakes? An important way to develop a healthy relationship with yourself is to practice good self-care. One self-care tool from Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is self-soothing, which can help to improve distress tolerance and can involve any number of activities that are comforting and reassuring. Examples include practicing positive self-talk or engaging your five senses by listening to a favorite song, taking a bubble bath, talking to a friend, exercising or making a pot of healthy soup and savoring the smell as it cooks. Setting limits is another way to self-soothe. We often underestimate how comforting and empowering it can be to say "no" to another volunteer project or responsibility when we are already overwhelmed. Generally speaking, when we take care of ourselves, we are better able to maintain healthy relationships with others.
"Sweetheart" relationships
 While experts are not always in agreement, there is consensus about this: all romantic relationships require time and attention. The term 'date night' no longer applies just to singles. Parents must also kindle their relationship by setting aside time to be with each other. This can include movies and dinners, but can also be as simple and inexpensive as each person asking the other, "How are you?" or "How was your day?" over a cup of tea - and then listening. In addition to sexual intimacy, which is important in healthy relationships, other ways to stay connected can involve spending time together in nature or sharing a hobby. It does not matter the activity you do or the length of time you do it for, just be sure to do it together!
Family relationships
A recent UCLA study examined "secrets" to happy and low-stress families by observing 32 families in their homes. Couples who reported happiness while managing the demands of work and family practiced these behaviors on a regular basis:
- Find small moments of togetherness. It is these moments that can infuse your life with value and they are just as important as the perfect family vacation. Folding laundry, watching a show or playing a video game together all count as "quality time."
- Take at least 5-10 minutes of "me time" each day. Women who take care of themselves this way significantly contribute to lowering family stress.
- Approach chores with a "we" mentality as opposed to a scorecard mentality. This allows family members to see their efforts as part of a team and can help reduce some of the resentment that may accompany chores.
- Treat your partner or spouse with respect. This is not only good for your relationship, but also it models healthy relationships for your children.
- Embrace daily rituals and routines as special time. Sharing a cup of coffee in the morning, eating a meal together, reading bedtime stories or dropping off and picking up at daycare or school all have the ability to count as life's special moments if we choose to look at them this way.
Creating and maintaining healthy relationships involves taking care of ourselves, nurturing relationships with our partners through time and attention and being creative about how we define quality time with our families. |
|
In-office surgical procedures
At Virginia Women's Center, in-office surgical procedures provide you with the uncompromised medical expertise and dedication to patient safety that you've come to know and expect from us. Board-certified anesthesiologists work in tandem with VWC physicians to care for our patients with advanced anesthetic techniques and monitoring equipment. In addition, in-office surgical procedures can help you avoid a trip to the hospital, as well as the anxieties and costs that may be associated with it. These procedures are performed at our familiar and convenient Virginia Women's Center locations.
Our facilities at Virginia Women's Center allow our physicians to perform a wide variety of in-office surgical procedures. Below are some examples:
- NovaSureŽ Endometrial Ablation
- Adiana Permanent Contraception
- Hysteroscopy D&C
If you are interested in learning more about any of the in-office surgical procedures, we recommend that you speak with your Virginia Women's Center provider to determine whether or not you are a candidate for the procedure. |
Focus on Health video series 
Here at Virginia Women's Center, we deeply care about the health of you, our patients - so much so that we want to keep you informed and engaged about every aspect of your health. That's why we are proud to introduce the newest resource: a video series titled Focus on Health. Through the medium of video, our VWC physicians and nurse practitioners will provide you with an informative resource to help you stay engaged in your health. In 2011, Focus on Health will concentrate on helping those of you who are expecting better understand your options for prenatal testing. The first video, wherein Dr. Love discusses the First Trimester Screening (more commonly referred to as NT Testing), has been posted to VirginiaWomensCenter.com as well as Virginia Women's Center's YouTube channel. Stay tuned as our Focus on Health video series continues to develop! |
|
Introducing Online Bill Pay
Have you received your bill from Virginia Women's Center? We are now offering the ability to pay your bill online at VirginiaWomensCenter.com. When you go to pay your bill online, make sure you have your statement handy as you will need the account number listed in the upper right of your statement under the heading ACCT. # to process your online payment.
We accept VisaTM, MastercardTM or DiscoverTM.
If you have inquiries about your bill, please contact our billing office at 804.282.1095 or via email at vwcbo@vwcenter.com.
|
Boot Camp for New Dads
Boot Camp for New Dads is a program, by men and for men, in which veterans (new fathers who bring their 2-12 month old babies) orient rookies (fathers-to-be) on the realities of fatherhood. During the three hour session that takes place on a Saturday morning, discussions will focus on caring for babies and new moms, balancing work life with fatherhood, financing a family, following conflicting advice and dealing with your mother-in-law. The workshops are held at Richmond area hospitals and our St. Mary's office location is excited to host our first boot camp on June 11. For more information or to see the class schedule, visit the First Things First of Greater Richmond Web site.
The workshops emphasize the unique strengths and creativity that men have in caring for their children. When dads get involved in caring for their children in addition to moms, their children benefit greatly.
|
Healthy fare: Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart
Jean Kressy, Cooking Light, APRIL 2003
Prepare the crust and filling up to two days ahead; assemble the morning of your brunch. You'll have extra glaze--try it on ice cream or pound cake. Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 36 honey graham crackers (about 9 sheets)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 4 teaspoons water
- Cooking spray
Filling:
- 2/3 cup light cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Topping:
- 6 cups small fresh strawberries, divided
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add two tablespoons sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist. Place mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell.
To prepare topping, place two cups strawberries in food processor; process until pureed. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook one minute. Remove glaze from heat, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Combine four cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use). Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill three hours.
Note: You can use either an 8 x 12-inch rectangular pan or a 9-inch round tart pan. The recipe also works with a 9-inch spring form pan and a 10-inch pie plate.
Nutritional information:
Calories: 289 (28% from fat)
Fat: 8.9g (sat 4.2g, mono 1.7g, poly 0.5g)
Protein: 4.5g
Carbohydrate: 48.7g
Fiber: 3g
Cholesterol: 15mg
Iron: 1.3mg
Sodium: 242mg
Calcium: 59mg |
|
Connect with VWC on Facebook and Twitter
Do You Like Virginia Women's Center? Let Us Know.
If you haven't already chosen to "Like" our Facebook page, do so today. Plus, Virginia Women's Center is now on Twitter - @VaWomensCenter - so be sure to follow us. By connecting with us on Facebook and Twitter, you will receive up-to-date information about our practice and women's health and be able to engage with your Virginia Women's Center community. Our social media platforms are also great resources  for recipes and family-friendly activities to do in Richmond. |
|
| *****
Centerpiece contains health information for women of all ages and news about Virginia Women's Center. It is not meant to be substituted as medical advice from your doctor. If we have your email address in our electronic medical records system, you should receive a copy automatically. Virginia Women's Center will not share your email address with anyone outside our offices. Be sure to set your email filter to accept mail from vwcnewsletter@vwcenter.com.
To ensure the privacy of our communications with patients of Virginia Women's Center, you are unable to reply to this newsletter. Should you wish to connect with us, please utilize our secure patient portal or contact us by phone at 804.288.4084. |
|
|
