Health

Lack may increase risks

According to a new study, Vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk for metabolic syndrome* after menopause.

Researchers looked at 463 postmenopausal women with cardiovascular disease who weren’t taking vitamin D supplements. More than two thirds of the women had vitamin D levels lower than 30, which was considered insufficient. Of these women, 58% had metabolic syndrome, compared with 40% of women with sufficient vitamin D. When the vitamin D level was below 20, the odds of metabolic syndrome were doubled.

This observational design can’t prove causation, and more studies are needed. But because metabolic syndrome is a major risk factor for CVD, maintaining adequate vitamin D levels in postmenopausal women may be an important preventive measure.

Charles Vega, MD, clinical professor of family medicine at the University of California at Irvine.

*Metabolic syndrome is a very common and dangerous complex of disorders noted primarily in overweight individuals who develop high blood pressure, diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels.

PCPs Are Becoming Rarer As Healthcare Business Models Change.

On the front of its Sunday business section yesterday the New York Times reported that “in this new medical age of urgent care centers and retail clinics… primary care” physicians are becoming “increasingly scarce.”

The article examined how changes in the healthcare industry have changed how patients receive medical care and interact with physicians.

Fortunately, our “business model” is growing and expanding to meet the complex needs of people who need and value more personal and comprehensive care that urgent care centers and retail clinics cannot and never will, by design, offer.

Do you or someone else you know need a primary care provider that really cares about you and your family? Just call us to set up an appointment. We look forward to serving you!