Here are Ann’s recommendations for other health-related practitioners, services and products, nutritious supplements, benefits of exercise, and good health tips.
HEALTHLY TIPS
Exercise and Hormones What is the direct relationship of hormones to exercise? Moderate amounts of exercise produce positive effects on hormones, while excessive amounts of exercise can actually harm the body by throwing off normal hormonal patterns. Women who exercise can experience fewer bouts of anger, depression and other PMS symptoms, including stress. Women with PMS could exercise 20 to 45 minutes daily or at least three times a week to help with their symptoms.
HEALTHLY TIPS
Stress and health… The key is balance
• Avoid stimulants such as caffeine. Caffeine raises levels of stress hormones.
• Eat a wholefood diet. This is your best source of ingesting the natural nutrients and minerals found in fresh fruits and vegetables. The more processed your food is the less nutrition your body will receive.
• Notice what foods you reach for during times of stress. Contracting foods are salt-based and are sometimes unconsciously used to draw your energy inward. This is not unusual for those of us who have to be outwardly focused all day. Expanding foods are sugar based. These are foods that expand our energy but with too much can bring us to burnout very quickly.
• Recognize when stress is out of control and take positive moves to lower it, such as deep breathing exercises, a soak in the tub, meditation or regular exercise.
• A positive outlook is one of the most powerful controllers of stress.
About Nurse Practitioners
Nurse practitioners can write prescriptions in Pennsylvania as well as other states. In collaboration with physicians, we can use our advanced practice skills to help patients through education, affirmation and listening.
Insurance Information
In my practice, I am “out of network” and do not participate with insurance because of the time I spend with my patients. Very little can be done to help patients in 7-15 minutes except when relying on drug therapy alone.
Due to the constraints of insurance companies on medical practice, I have chosen to treat the causes rather than symptoms and spend 45 minutes with all my new patients and 30 minutes for return visits.
All patients are given an invoice to submit to their insurance company for reimbursement. Every aspect of what I provide in consultations and exams is considered “billable” by the insurance companies!
