Healthy lifestyle choices
Hey guys today we are going to just have a quick chat about making simple healthier lifestyle choices throughout the day. There are many choices throughout our day that can make big differences over time that we can make to help get us a little bit more exercise or eat a little better.
Fitness
One thing to do is when you go to the grocery store resist the urge to park in the closest spot or due online pick up. Park in the furthest parking spot and get your groceries yourself.
Whenever the situation presents itself take the stairs if possible
Do cardio for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. This can help aid in weight loss, regulate blood pressure
Add in weight lifting 2-3 times a week this helps body composition
If you are at a desk stretch every hour or so for a few minutes. This helps with blood flow
Nutrition
Eat out less and use whole foods when preparing meals
When eating meals eat 2-3 less bites
Drink more water. This helps control weight, boost energy, and improve quality of skin
Lower your sugar intake. High sugar affects our mood, ages our skin, and negatively affects digestion
Eat at least one dark green leafy vegetable a day
Drink green tea. Green tea promotes weight loss and improves mental alertness. It has also been linked to reduction in cancer rates and heart disease
Take vitamins. B vitamins, vitamin C, and zinc
Use more herbs and pepper to season food and less salt. Salt leads to high blood pressure leading to a number of health issues.
We all like eating out for lunch but replace most lunches with a high protein smoothie. We have great smoothies right here in MBS fitness
Mental
Perform a quick session of deep breathing in the morning
Try yoga
Reduce the amount of time on social media
Do something you love. Read a book, certain hobby, eat a certain food.
Plan a future event. Whether that is going out with friends, going out to dinner, or a vacation. This gives us something to look forward to
Before bed try to wind down by either reading a book or taking a bath. Stay off screens
If you are in need of assistance, you can reach out to Maple Leaf Health and Wellness. If you need that initial boost, feel like progress has stalled, or if you just don’t know where to begin, Maple Leaf Health and Wellness can help guide with life coaching, nutrition counseling, and weight loss therapy with GLP-1.
How to Schedule an Appointment with Maple Leaf Health and Wellness
To make an appointment with one of our providers head over to our scheduling link. After you submit the information, we will reach out and offer appointment times.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day,
-Dan and Janae with Maple Leaf Health and Wellness
Physician Assistant Janae Wilson set to join staff at Maple Leaf Health and Wellness.
We’re excited to welcome Janae Wilson, PA-C, to Maple Leaf Health and Wellness.
Janae has been a physician assistant for 10 years with a strong foundation in exercise physiology and advanced training in functional and nutrition-focused medicine. Her passion lies in hormone optimization, preventative wellness, weight loss, and longevity-focused care.
She has experience across urgent care, primary care, orthopedics, and currently practices in a health and wellness clinic-bringing a well-rounded, patient-centered approach to care.
Janae lives in Starke County and is especially excited to serve her local community, offering access to wellness-focused care in a small-town setting where options are often limited. She truly believes in practicing what she preaches, both personally and professionally.
Outside of the clinic, Janae enjoys life with her husband and daughter. Together they love to adventure, ski in the winter, and care for their growing backyard petting zoo-including a donkey, pony, goats, and two new puppies.
We are thrilled to have Janae bringing her heart for wellness back home.
Why should I try direct primary care in Knox and Northwest Indiana?
Direct primary care is a growing trend in the healthcare industry that works outside of traditional insurance-based care. Direct primary care eliminates many of the complex issues that arise with insurance, most notably offering unlimited access to your provider for a fixed monthly rate with no co-pays. The direct primary care model focuses on providing high quality health care that is accessible and affordable. But what truly makes direct primary care stand out? Here are a few reasons why you should try direct primary care in Knox and Northwest Indiana.
Affordable, transparent pricing
One of the biggest benefits to direct primary care is it’s cost effectiveness. With traditional health care there are often many hidden fees, confusion on what is covered and how much, as well as unexpected bills. In direct primary care, patients pay a fixed monthly fee that covers many services including primary care and urgent care services. If you are an individual looking to avoid some of the financial stress of traditional insurance-based health care, direct primary care provides a solution. The answer to “Why should I try direct primary care in Knox and Northwest Indiana?”, because it offers quality care that is friendly on the budget.
Accessibility
I am sure most can relate to the frustration of waiting in the traditional health care system. It often takes weeks to sometimes months to see your provider and then when you finally see them the access is usually limited to 15 minutes or less. Actually the average time spent with your provider is 7 minutes. This access is further limited by having to go through a phone tree and talk to everyone except your provider. Direct primary care removes these barriers by establishing direct communication with the patient via phone, text, or email any time of day. Direct primary care also guarantees same day or next day appointments. In this ever increasing busy world, the ability to quickly reach your provider for medical advice is huge!
Preventative care
Direct primary care and preventative care go hand in hand. Traditional health care often focuses on treating illness rather than preventing it. In direct primary care we take time to build relationships with our patients allowing us to proactively address potential health issues. For Indiana residents this approach can lead to better health outcomes.
More time with your provider
As discussed above, one of the major frustrations with traditional health care is the lack of time spent with your provider. Traditional health care providers often carry large patient loads leading to rushed visits. In direct primary care, your provider intentionally has a smaller patient panel size to ensure your appointments are 30-60 minutes. This additional time allows the relationship to build mutual trust and make sure all concerns are thoroughly addressed. If you are in Indiana and value a deep collaborative relationship, this is a great reason you should try direct primary care.
Comprehensive care tailored to you
While physical health is important, in direct primary care we do not just focus on physical health. We take a holistic approach focus on emotional and mental well-being as well. If you are looking for a comprehensive care model such as this, direct primary care may be for you.
No more insurance hassels.
Insurance is one of the biggest sources of pain in traditional health care. Whether it be prior authorizations, denials, co-pay structures that are confusing, making sure things are in network, etc. it can start to feel overwhelming. This entire system is bypassed in direct primary care as the patient pays their monthly fee directly to the provider.
Better health outcomes
The direct primary care model often leads to better health outcomes as there is a big emphasis on the provider-patient relationship. This focus on preventative care and personalized attention often leads to patients being more likely to address concerns and adhere to treatment plans, as they feel like a partner and supported by their provider.
Ideal for uninsured or underinsured
For individuals with high deductible health plans or no insurance at all, direct primary care offers an affordable alternative. Since the monthly fee covers a wide range of services, costly out of pocket expenses are greatly reduced.
How to Schedule an Appointment with Dan
To make an appointment with Dan head over to our scheduling link. After you submit the information, Dan will reach out and offer appointment times.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day,
-Dan with Maple Leaf Health and Wellness
Cholesterol
High Cholesterol, also known as hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease including heart attack and stroke. Total cholesterol is composed of many components including bad cholesterol and good cholesterol.
When looking at cholesterol for patients we evaluate both bad and good cholesterol. We need cholesterol for proper functioning but too much bad cholesterol, or too little good cholesterol can lead to adverse events. When we talk about bad cholesterol we are referring to LDL, triglycerides, among other forms of cholesterol. When we talk about good cholesterol we are referring to HDL. While there are ranges of normal for these levels, your provider will often look at the whole picture including a LDL/HDL ratio and a risk score to determine the likelihood you may experience an adverse event within the next 10 years.
Let’s talk about risk factors:
Diet high in saturated fats
Lack of exercise
Smoking
Excess alcohol intake
Aging
Genetics
Diabetes
Kidney disease
Being overweight
Women after menopause
Treatment of high cholesterol
For all patient we recommend lifestyle changes. The Mediterranean, DASH, vegetarian, and vegan diets have all been showed to lower LDL and or risks of a cardiovascular event. The importance of aerobic exercise is stressed. We recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity exercise. We recommend maintaining a healthy weight. Lastly, aggressive management of any other medical conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Some dietary supplements that may benefit include: omega-3 fatty acids, red yeast rice, berberine, and probiotics. Omega-3 fatty acids can be taken as a supplement or found in foods such as fatty fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, trout), flaxseed, and some nuts among others.
If dietary and lifestyle modifications alone do not lower cholesterol levels sufficiently, medications can be added. There are multiple classes of medications used to lower bad cholesterol. These include statins, zetia, PCSK9 inhibitors, fibric acid derivatives, and bempedoic acid.
While lowering bad cholesterol is one are to decrease risks of a cardiovascular event, another way to decrease risk is to improve good cholesterol. Increasing HDL can be achieved through regular aerobic exercise 150 minutes weekly, consuming a diet of healthy fats such as fatty fish, avocadoes, nuts, and olive oil, losing weight, quitting smoking, increasing soluble fiber such as oats, fruits, and beans, drink alcohol in moderation, limit processed food, limit saturated/trans fats.
There are many ways to make sure your cholesterol is at optimal levels. Make sure to have a discussion with your provider. If you do not have a provider, we would love to take care of you!
How to Schedule an Appointment with Dan
To make an appointment with Dan head over to our scheduling link. After you submit the information, Dan will reach out and offer appointment times.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day,
-Dan with Maple Leaf Health and Wellness
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for bone health, mood, immune system, cardiovascular health, and more. Many people who live in colder climates such as Northwest Indiana experience vitamin D deficiency. In these colder climates vitamin D production through the skin virtually ceases. We tend to spend less time out in the sun because of the cold temperatures, on top of the fact there is less sunlight to begin with.
Vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency is defined as a 25-hydroxyvitamin D level less than 30. As discussed above low vitamin D levels increase the risk of fracture, negatively impact mood, lower your immune system, and increase risk for cardiovascular disease.
Causes of vitamin D deficiency
Decreased intake or absorption
Reduced sun exposure
Aging
Living in a northern climate
History of gastric bypass surgery
Liver disease
Kidney failure
Antiseizure medications
Vitamin D replacement
There are many ways to increase vitamin D if you are deficient. Before replacement through vitamin D injections it is required to obtain a lab value to know your vitamin D level and help determine the dose going forward. Some treatment options for increasing vitamin D include:
Vitamin D injection* lab values required
Vitamin D oral supplements-vitamin D3 is preferred over vitamin D2
Sun exposure-15-30 minutes a day
Vitamin D rich food sources-fatty fish such as salmon, egg yolks, mushrooms, milk, yogurt, some orange juices
There are many ways to make sure your vitamin D is at optimal levels. Make sure to have a discussion with your provider. If you do not have a provider, we would love to take care of you!
How to Schedule an Appointment with Dan
To make an appointment with Dan head over to our scheduling link. After you submit the information, Dan will reach out and offer appointment times.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day,
-Dan with Maple Leaf Health and Wellness
Managing blood pressure
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke and heart disease. There are many risk factors for high blood pressure such as:
Advancing age
Obesity
Family history
Race
Diet high in salt
Excessive alcohol intake
Physical inactivity
Less than 7 hours of sleep each night
Birth control
Anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, aleve, motrin
Drug abuse
Kidney disease
Sleep apnea
Thyroid disorders
Diabetes
Smoking
Complications
There are many complications associated with high blood pressure including heart failure, stroke, brain bleed, heart attack, and kidney disease. In fact, high blood pressure is the single most prevalent modifiable risk factor for premature heart disease, more common than smoking, high cholesterol, and diabetes. With increase in blood pressure comes an increased risk for a cardiovascular event. Risk for heart disease or stroke begins to rise once blood pressure is greater than 115/75. The risk of death from heart attack or stroke begins to double for every increase of 20 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 10 mmHg diastolic blood pressure, or every increase of 20/10.
Blood pressure staging
Normal BP- <120/<80
Elevated BP-120-129/<80
Stage 1 BP-130-139/80-89
Stage 2 BP->140/>90
Severe BP->180/>120
Treatment
Lifestyle modification is a treatment for all individuals with high blood pressure or at risk for high blood pressure. Some lifestyle modifications include weight loss. The most ideal scenario is to be at ideal body weight but even losing just 2 pounds can have an impact. Studies show that blood pressure can drop approximately 1 mmHg for every 2 pounds lost. Healthy diet, DASH diet, can lead to a decrease of 11 mmHg. Consume a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish, whole grains, and low fat dairy products, while limiting saturated and total fat. Reduce salt intake, this can lead to a reduction up to 5-6 mmHg. Optimal goal is less than 1500mg a day of sodium but try to reduce salt intake by at least 1000mg a day. A diet rich in potassium can reduce blood pressure up to 4 mmHg. Try to get at least 3500-5000 mg a day of dietary potassium as long as not contraindicated by presence of kidney disease or medications that cause the body to retain potassium. Reducing alcohol consumption can lead to an improvement in blood pressure of up to 4 mmHg. Males should aim to drink 2 or less drinks daily and females to 1 or less drinks daily. Lastly, exercise both cardio and weight resistance. 90-150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise can reduce blood pressure up to 5-8 mmHg and weight training the same amount of time can reduce blood pressure up to 4 mmHg.
In select patients, antihypertensive medications are indicated. There are many categories of medications used to treat high blood pressure. Make sure to have a discussion with your provider about managing your blood pressure. If you do not have a provider, we would love to take care of you!
How to Schedule an Appointment with Dan
To make an appointment with Dan head over to our scheduling link. After you submit the information, Dan will reach out and offer appointment times.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day,
-Dan with Maple Leaf Health and Wellness
Family Nurse Practitioner accepting new patients in Starke County and Northwest Indiana.
Family Nurse Practitioner accepting new patients in Starke County and Northwest Indiana.
Dan Cole is a Family Nurse Practitioner who is accepting new patients in Knox and Northwest Indiana. Dan has been practicing at Maple Leaf Health and Wellness for a couple months. He has already started to see the impact he can make in the community and is enjoying caring for patients and not caring for insurance providers. To read more about why Dan chose to pursue a career path focused on direct primary care, click here.
Dan is excited to start this practice and looks forward to meeting new people in the community. Dan graduated from Knox High School and is excited to help improve the health of his community. If you or someone you know is looking for a primary care provider, Dan is accepting new patients.
What conditions do primary care providers treat?
Primary care providers are vital to health maintenance and illness prevention. Primary care providers can provide annual wellness exams to perform age related screening tests, discuss healthy lifestyle choices, and screen for preventable diseases.
Primary care providers can address up to 90% of your health concerns. They can manage and evaluate health concerns that arise such as the common cold, heartburn management, back pain, ankle sprains, and many others. They can also manage chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and asthma.
In addition to management of chronic medical conditions, primary care providers can manage urgent care issues often keeping you out of the urgent care or emergency department. Matters such as asthma or COPD flair ups, sinus infections, or rash. Also, they can often perform minor procedures such as abscess drainage, laceration repair, and many more.
Why it’s Important to Have a Family Doctor
Starke County is a Health Professional Shortage Area, meaning that there are too few primary care providers for the number of Residents. There’s roughly 1 primary care physician for every 7,750 Starke County residents. Compare that to 1 primary care physician for every 1,510 residents in Indiana. That is a 5x disparity.
Why? Because primary care providers are experts at taking care of people in a cost-effective way. Treating conditions in their early stages before they are more complicated, often leads to better outcomes. As an example, working with your primary care provider to lower your blood pressure or control diabetes can lead to prevention of severe complications such as heart attack or stroke.
How to Schedule an Appointment with Dan
To make an appointment with Dan head over to our scheduling link. After you submit the information, Dan will reach out and offer appointment times.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day,
-Dan with Maple Leaf Health and Wellness
Proactive Family Medicine
I recently took care of a patient while working in the hospital that got me thinking about proactive medicine. My patient’s story is one, honestly, I probably experience daily. A patient comes in sick and is wanting to get better. They are scared and willing to start to make changes to their life. However, they have neglected their health for the past 10, 20, 30, even 40 years. This patient was wanting to reverse some of the damage done but unfortunately the damage was already done. We can certainly work to optimize health at that point but the lung damage that is done is done.
Much of what we do in the hospital setting is reactive medicine. We treat people when they are sick and ignore them when they are “healthy.” This type of medicine is certainly warranted at times but what if we were more proactive in our approach to healthcare with our patient/provider relationship?
By being proactive we can optimize our health to have fewer episodes of needing reactive care. Waiting until we are sick is often much more expensive as well in the long run. By being proactive with our care and health leads to better health outcomes, leads us to feel better about ourself, and reduces anxiety and depression.
The great thing about direct primary care is we have the time to spend with our patients to develop a plan that works for them and their life. This allows us to achieve the goals the patient has for their life. Your membership also grants you 24/7 unlimited access via talk, text, or email and unlimited visits. This promotes proactive health as there are no copays or hidden fees for using the service. While we hear all the time that the health care industry is trying to prevent hospitalizations, if there are no visits, medications being ordered, or tests being done then they are not making money. With direct primary care we genuinely want to help people use the least amount of medication possible. Obviously not all medication is bad but it should not be the go to solution in every case. With direct primary care it is our goal to care for the patient and allow them to be less reliable on medication, ultimately resulting in healthier patients and saving the patients money.
People often ask if they really need to see a provider if they are healthy. We say absolutely. Our goal is to work with the patient to keep them at their peak health. Early detection of a disease process or abnormal lab values can greatly improve outcomes. It is our hope at Maple Leaf Health and Wellness that you are being proactive about your health. If you are in need of help in your health journey, we would love to help you.
Reason for transitioning to Direct Primary Care
It all begins with an idea.
One day or day one, you decide-Paulo Coelho
My why. I have been working in healthcare since 2009. I started out as an aid. Completed my RN and started in the ICU in 2011. In 2020 I finished my Family Nurse Practitioner degree and started working in the emergency department/observation unit doing hospitalist medicine. While working I have seen people struggle to be seen in a timely manner. Insurance rates increase every year and they cover less of the expense passing it on to the patient. Because insurance companies are reimbursing hospitals and providers less the pressure is on to see more and more patients. This results in less time spent with the patient.
Since providers are being pushed to see more patients per day it results in patients often not being able to get into their primary provider for a month or more. This results in more urgent care and emergency room visits again costing the patient money and results in the patient being seen by multiple different providers.
I stumbled across Dr. Paul Thomas at Plum Health in Detroit Michigan and he is operating a Direct Primary Care clinic. Direct Primary Care Clinics operate under an affordable monthly membership that includes access to your provider via call, text, or email anytime. Direct Primary Care does not bill insurance and maintains a patient load of anywhere from 300-1000 patients. The typical provider has a patient panel of 2500-3500 patients. This reduced patient population allows the provider to spend more time with the patient, typically 30-60 minutes.
It was typical for me to see 50-60 patients in a 12 hour shift in the urgent care. One day I saw 70 patients in one 12 hour shift. This was quickly leading to burn out and not what I envisioned when I got into practicing medicine. I went into this field wanting to help people and spending 3-4 minutes with the patient is not the way healthcare should be. We need to be advocates for our patients. Spend time listening to them and including them on their healthcare choices. After learning about Direct Primary Care I got a new passion and I knew where my future in medicine was.
My family and I live in La Porte Indiana. It is known as Maple City. This inspired the name Maple Leaf Health and Wellness. The maple leaf has also carried significant spiritual meaning throughout time. For the Cherokee tribe the maple leaf symbolizes renewal. After a long winter the maple leaf is one of the first leaves to appear in spring. The Cherokee saw this as a picture of hope and a new beginning. This view of the maple leaf applied to me as well as I set out on this new journey. Direct Primary Care is a renewal of my faith in medicine and my spirit. I could not think of a more appropriate name than Maple Leaf Health and Wellness. We are thrilled that you are here and we look forward to having you follow us on this journey.