From: Benefits, Retirement (DOA sponsored)
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 8:33 AM

AlaskaCare is looking for motivated employees who would like to be part of a grassroots statewide employee Wellness Committee. This is your chance to help create opportunities that can transform lives and help the state and all state employees save money.

Here’s what we know – health care is expensive in Alaska. The state is now spending close to a quarter of a billion dollars per year on state employee health care costs. Our employees are spending tens of millions more on top of that – and costs for all of us keep climbing.

Some health costs are avoidable if we take better care of ourselves. In the AlaskaCare active employee population, our top three disease conditions are high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. All are treatable and may even be reversed with diet and exercise. But untreated, they can lead to serious health problems down the road.

Most of us want to be healthier, right? But it’s often hard to transform that desire into action, particularly when we are so busy at work and in our personal lives. That’s where the Wellness Committee comes in.

The Wellness Committee will be charged with brainstorming opportunities in the workplace to encourage healthier living. You may have seen or even participated in some of these already – walks at work, weight-loss contests, exercise contests, etc. The Wellness Committee will also be charged with making recommendations to AlaskaCare how to improve the plan and support healthier living.

The Wellness Committee will not have access to private health care information. The Wellness Committee will not target individuals. Instead, the committee will help lead an effort to establish a culture that values and promotes wellness in our workplaces benefiting everyone.

If you are passionate about these issues, please apply! We need you and your enthusiasm.

Sincerely,

Jim Puckett
Director, Division of Retirement and Benefits
AlaskaCare Plan Administrator

Recently, while visiting with some of my naturopathic medical school classmates, my friend told us an interesting story. She had a patient who suffered with asthma for 35 years. The asthma had come on suddenly and was worsening despite all treatments, both medical and naturopathic. She asked herself what had changed 35 years ago. In her frustration she searched her memory for what behaviors she might have begun 35 years ago. The answer was her brand of toothpaste, and she had continued to use that same brand for 35 years. She changed her toothpaste and her asthma quickly disappeared. [Read more →]

This week, the USDA will decide whether to allow Monsanto and Dow to introduce one half of the chemical mixture Agent Orange into our food supply. Widescale use of Roundup has led to a new generation of
resistant weeds, and the next step in the pesticide arms race is 2,4-D — a chemical linked to cancer, Parkinson’s and reproductive problems. [Read more →]

For years, physicians and scientists have been aware that statins, the most widely prescribed drugs in the world, can cause muscle aches and fatigue in some patients. What many people don’t know is that these side effects are especially pronounced in people who exercise. [Read more →]

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you are not alone. Twenty percent of the US population (about 50 million people) make over 10 million visits to doctors every year for this common concern. Multiple factors conspire to create the dreaded days of runny noses, itchy and watery eyes, relentless sneezing, scratchy throats and just generally not feeling up to snuff. [Read more →]

Hello all, in particular my patients, I recently signed a “consent agreement” with the state of Alaska, with which I don’t agree and only consented to under duress, or else risk losing my license. Under this “consent agreement” which has a duration of 3 years, I may not give, prescribe or recommend in practice anything (anything AT ALL) that carries the Rx label. According to the Division of Professional Licensing [Read more →]

For several sessions I have worked hard, mostly with the help of Senator Bettye Davis, Representative Cathy Munoz and her former staffer Kendra Kloster, to expand the scope of naturopathic physicians so we may practice to the extent of our training. NDs are deeply educated over 6-8 years as primary care docs, but our hands are tied in Alaska. We have 20% more pharmacy training than advanced nurse practitioners, as an example, but have very little — none, according to the Division of Professional Licensing — ability to prescribe basic medications. We are thoroughly trained in minor surgery, though not all naturopaths will want to use this skill set. There have been political impediments to the modernization of our scope of practice bill, which unfortunately for me currently involves being targeted in an ill-conceived legal accusation (click on “Read more” below). Please stay tuned for legislative efforts (SB 175 and SB 266) to prevent erosion of the current, limited, naturopathic scope of practice in Alaska. We will continue to build with small gains, legislatively, so we can better serve our patients. Thanks for your support and interest! [Read more →]

Women now have a target heart rate formula specifically for them thanks to Cardiologist Martha Gulati,MD from Ohio State Medical Center. The usual standard calculation for exercise heart rate is actually based on male only studies. Women, as we all know, are different from men in many ways and exercise heart rate is no exception for sure. [Read more →]

Inner Peace Reduces Anxiety
1. Be good to yourself. This is not selfish. It’s the foundation for a more peaceful world.
2. Breathe. Deep, slow breathing creates an “alpha” state, which is an inwardly focused, relaxed, receptive awareness of reality. Allow the time daily for deep breathing and self-reflection.
3. Take care of your body. Move every day. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and junk food. Drink 1/4 your weight (pounds) in ounces of water daily. Always drink before eating, and never during meals. Choose vibrant, fresh, organic foods.
4. Honor your emotions. Acknowledge them, allow them, name them. Express them in a way that is not harmful to yourself or others. For example, write a letter or sing your pain instead of consuming sugar, alcohol or other drugs.
5. Create fun, loving relationships. Avoid judgment.
6. You get what you think about most. Think positively. Release negative emotions. Feel gratitude. Make a list of 5 reasons you feel grateful, every morning. [Read more →]

The top five foods for healthy skin

Americans are shelling out big bucks for expensive cosmetics to treat skin problems such as acne, wrinkles and dryness, but most consumers are overlooking the cheapest, safest and most effective remedies: healing foods. A host of healthy, natural foods offer potent healing and preventative powers to remedy a wide range of skin troubles. These foods can dramatically improve skin [Read more →]