Caduceus Courier
                          

                            January 2015
New Beginnings....
                 
It's just a few weeks into 2015, which generally brings high hopes when it comes to improving your health and wellness. Worldwide, millions upon millions join gyms, swear off soda and processed foods, and commit to making this the year they turn things around. But by February, many have already abandoned their goals, and with each passing month, more follow.


How can you turn 2015 into the year you keep your health resolutions? 

TIME magazine recently featured seven tips for making your New Year's resolution stick.  Unlike most goal-setting advice, these tackle your resolutions from a psychological perspective, helping you to alter your mindset for lasting success.
  • Start on a Monday- Monday is the most popular day of the week for starting a diet or quitting smoking, and for good reason. It's easier to commit to a goal when it's started with a concrete benchmark in mind. New Year's day is a good one, but Monday, the fresh start of a new week, is also effective.  
  • Make an Actual Plan- Your good intentions probably aren't enough. You need a concrete plan in place on how you're going to achieve your resolution; those who make such a plan have far more success.
  • Nix Your Backup Plan- People who have a "plan B" are less likely to attain their original objectives, perhaps because using a backup plan seems less like a failure and more like a reasonable alternative. Do yourself a favor and avoid giving yourself this option.
  • Choose a Round Number for a Goal- Let's say you want to lose weight or increase your salary. Choosing a round, even number (such as 20 pounds or $400 a month) may work in your favor. Research in marathon runners suggests that "individuals evaluate outcomes as gains or losses relative to a neutral reference point."  It stands to reason that this theory might work for other goals, too, and setting a round number goal might make you work harder when you get close to the proverbial finish line.
  • Make a Monetary Commitment- People who agreed to pay cash if they didn't meet their weight-loss goals lost 14 more pounds than those without a financial incentive. You can apply this to any resolution, but if getting fit is your goal, try the free GymPact app.  First, you set goals, such as how many times you'll go to the gym in a week, as well as set a monetary amount you'd be willing to pay if you don't. If you reach your goals, you earn a cash reward. If you don't, you "donate" your money to a community pot that pays others who reach their goals.
  • Break Your Goal Into Manageable Parts- Making one massive goal can be overwhelming to the point that you don't know where to start. Breaking larger goals down into smaller parts makes them easier to achieve and is more gratifying, as you can check off each achievement as it occurs. For example, if your goal is to donate 100 hours to volunteer work this year, break it down into about two hours a week instead.
  • Use Your Willpower Wisely- Willpower is like a muscle in that you can only use it so much before you need to give it time to rest and recover. This is why you may have a harder time sticking to your goals at the end of the day, after you've already been putting your willower to the test all day long. In order to better resist temptations and keep your resolution, do your more challenging tasks first thing in the day when your willpower is fresh.
Medicare 101 
If you are turning 65 and newly enrolling in Medicare, dissatisfied with your existing Medicare Advantage plan, or just have general questions regarding your coverage... we are here to help! Medicare consultants are available to meet with you and help you choose the plan that best suits your needs.

Below is a summary of what Caduceus offers our seniors at NO COST:

  • We sit down with you and show you how Medicare works
  • We educate you on ALL of your plan options
  • We teach you how each plan benefit will work
  • We input all of your drugs into the Medicare.gov system to see which plans will cover your prescriptions at the lowest cost
  • We make sure that you choose a plan that your physicians accept
  • We make sure you are placed with a network that will allow you to use the hospitals of their choice
  • We answer any questions that you have
  • We will help you apply for extra help if needed (low income subsidy)
  • We give each senior an annual benefit review to ensure you are always on a plan that fits all of your needs
We offer this service at all office locations.  Click the link to your preferred location to email us for an appointment with a consultant or just walk in during these hours:

Yorba Linda- Fridays 11-1
Irvine- Fridays 9-12
Laguna Beach- Mondays 9-12

Stay tuned for an upcoming Medicare 101 event at TLC(The Life Center).  Details to be announced soon!
New Test Now Offered to Maximize the Efficacy of Your Prescriptions
In a continuing effort to provide our patients a completely unique patient experience and an innovative approach to your medical care, we are excited to announce Vantari Genetics, an industry leader in personalized genomic testing, has chosen Caduceus as one of the first in Southern California to offer this cutting edge genetic testing.

What is pharmacogenomics?

 

Pharmacogenomics uses information about a person's genetic makeup, or genome, to choose the drugs and drug doses that are likely to work best for that particular person. This new field combines the science of how drugs work, called pharmacology, with the science of the human genome, called genomics.

What might pharmacogenomics mean for you?

Until recently, drugs have been developed with the idea that each drug works pretty much the same in everybody. But genomic research has changed that "one size fits all" approach and opened the door to a more personalized approach to using and developing drugs.

 

Depending on your genetic makeup, some drugs may work more or less effectively for you than they do in other people. Likewise, some drugs may produce more or fewer side effects in you than in someone else. In the near future, doctors will be able to routinely use information about your genetic makeup to choose those drugs and drug doses that offer the greatest chance of helping you.

 

Pharmacogenomics may also help to save you time and money. By using information about your genetic makeup, doctors soon may be able to avoid the trial-and-error approach of giving you various drugs that are not likely to work for you until they find the right one. Using pharmacogenomics, the "best-fit" drug to help you can be chosen from the beginning.

How is the test administered?

This the the best part... there is no blood draw needed.  A painless cheek swab is taken at the time of your visit.  

What is the cost to you?

This service is provided to all PPO and Medicare patients at NO COST.  Vantari is currently in negotiation with other HMO plans and we hope to expand the offering to these patients soon.  In the interim, we do offer discounted cash pricing for this service.  

 

Have questions about this service?  Email us at [email protected].

We Like You... Do You Like Us?
Did you know in addition to offering a full range of both primary and specialty medical services we also offer on-site physical therapy at Back in Motion? This month if you like our Facebook page @backinmotion you will be entered in our drawing to win a complimentary one hour massage.  The winner will be announced Feb. 1st.  
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Book Your Own Appointment
Book Your Own Appointment:

Yorba Linda- (Primary Care, Caduceus for Women, Caduceus 4 Kids) 
Yorba Linda- (Specialty and all other services)

Directions:
18300 Yorba Linda Blvd. Ste 204 Yorba Linda 92886
18210 Yorba Linda Blvd. Ste 404 Yorba Linda 92886


Book Your Own Appointment:

Irvine- (Primary Care)
Irvine- (Specialty Care and all other services)


Directions:
19742 MacArthur Blvd. Ste 100 Irvine 92612                                                 

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Laguna Beach-(Primary Care) 
Laguna Beach-(Specialty Care and all other services)


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How Are We Doing?
A Message From Our Medical Director
It's the start of a new year and new you!  We hope our tips for sticking to your resolutions will be helpful to you and remember...progress not perfection!  It's also a perfect time to take "inventory" for you and your family and make medical checklists of any needed vaccinations, physicals, screenings, etc. for 2015 to keep you all in optimal health!

Gregg DeNicola MD
Medical DIrector
Caduceus Medical Group