November 2015 Newsletter
What´s New at Savon
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Quote Of The Month: Black Friday a.k.a. Battlefield. 'Now remember what I taught you! Push, shove, grab, yell, and if needed tackle! Get out there an make Grandma proud!' (Author Unknown)
Congratulations To:
A. Ribaudo of Henderson, Nevada Winner of our October early payment drawing for 1 free additional year of membership.
Congratulations to our winner and thank you to everyone that entered the drawing.
To Your Health With Jourdin Hendershot:
Pumpkin Health Benefits |
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With Halloween ending and Thanksgiving approaching, we all now by know its pumpkin everything season: Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes and so on.
Not only is the pumpkin falls signature icon but they are also packed with powerful health perks.
Pumpkin is full of vitamins and minerals but low on calories. According to the USDA Nation Nutrient database, one cup of pumpkin, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt contains 49 calories, 1.76 grams of protein, .17 grams of fat, 0 grams of cholesterol and 12 grams of carbohydrates.
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Also, consuming one cup of cooked pumpkin can provide well over 100% of your daily needs for vitamin A, 20% of the daily value of vitamin C, 10% or more for vitamin E, riboflavin, potassium, copper and manganese and at least 5% for thiamin, B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, niacin, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
Below are some health benefits of consuming pumpkin:
- Better Immunity – With all the vitamin A that pumpkins contain, this helps your body fight off infections, viruses and infectious diseases. Pumpkin oil even helps fight off bacterial and fungal infections.
- Healthy Skin – The pulp makes a great, all natural face mask that exfoliates and soothes. All you need is ¾ cup pureed pumpkin, 1 egg, 1 TBSP of honey and 1 TBSP of milk. Mix all together then apply to the skin, wait 20 minutes and wash off.
- Helps manage diabetes – Pumpkin has shown to reduce blood glucose levels, improve glucose tolerance and increase the amount of insulin the body produces.
- Heart Health – Pumpkin seeds are naturally rich in certain plant based chemicals called phytoserols that help reduce LDL (bad cholesterol).
Using fresh pumpkin will of course give you the most health benefits, but if you don‘t feel like preparing it or you‘re on the go you can always used canned pumpkin. Pay attention to what you are buying. You want plain canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling since they are usually right next to one another on the store shelf.
If you have questions you would like to discuss with Jourdin, feel free to drop her an email by clicking here.
The above health material is provided as an information service. It should not be used for diagnostic purposes nor is it intended to take the place of the important relationship between you and your doctor.
Grandma's Kitchen With Grandma C.:
30 Minute Spanish Rice With A Zing |
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Ingredients
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1½ cups instant rice
- 1 can chicken broth
- ⅔ cup sliced scallions
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 TBSP jalapenos (from a jar, tamed or regular) finely diced
- 1 can RoTel tomatoes, drained (mild or original, your taste)
- The juice of ½ lime
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- Salt and Pepper to taste
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Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add the dry rice, cook until it is browned slightly, stirring frequently. Add scallions and cook for 1 more minute.
Add chicken broth, cilantro, jalapenos, canned tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir to mix.
Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 5 to 6 minutes more until no liquid is left.
Squeeze the lime juice over the rice and give it a quick toss before serving.
Recipe serves 4.
Some delicious variations of this recipe include adding cooked ground beef for a more hearty dish or adding a can of Mexican style corn, drained.
Enjoy! And remember, if it looks and smells good, eat it!!
If you have a recipe that you would like to share with Grandma C., drop her an email by clicking here.
Keeping Fit With Clayton "TR" Parker
Tone It Down, But Don‘t Shut It Down |
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know in last month‘s newsletter I said I would continue my article on the exercise bands and give you some exercises for them. Please forgive me, but I will be postponing that continuation.
As we embark on the journey known as the 2015 Holiday Season, everyone knows what is coming. A lot of food, multiple events, a lot of shopping and a very busy schedule. Certain things that we are consistent with throughout the year tend to get pushed aside for the next couple months as we prepare for the holiday events. Is your workout routine one of those things? I know that personally, I do not have as much time to work out during the holiday season.
As I have said over and over, consistency is the key to any effective exercise routine. The routine itself is important, don‘t get me wrong, but even the worst routines can be equally effective if they are kept consistent.
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I say all that to say this: To get through the busy holiday season, tone your workout down but don‘t shut it down. Now is the time to go on a limited yet consistent routine and put your normal aggressive routine on hold. To stop working out all together is not good and it will put you behind in achieving your workout goals. Not to mention that in January when you resume your routine it would basically be like starting over.
This is why I advise a toned down routine. Consistently taking the time to fit in a brief routine will keep your muscles from going dormant, keep your blood flowing in a healthy way and keeps you on track for your goals. It will also keep your muscles warm for January when you resume your normal routine.
There are many ways you can do this. It can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator, or maybe doing foot lifts when you are standing in line at the store. Also, using the home equipment that I have told you about throughout the year. For example, when you are filling out holiday cards, shopping online or wrapping gifts you can sit on your exercise ball instead on a chair. You will feel the core muscles getting a workout. Just the balance it takes to sit consistently on that ball works out more muscles than you probably think.
You have all worked too hard all year long to take backwards steps. So no matter how you are able to fit it in, just be consistent at doing so. A lighter, toned down routine is better than shutting it down for the year. Keep pushing toward your goals and stay warmed up so you do not have to start over in January. Tone it down, but don‘t shut it down!
Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. If you have any ideas for toned down, spare time filling routines, please feel free to email them to me using the link below and I will try to feature them in next month‘s article.
Until Next Time… Stay Fit, Stay Healthy and Stay Consistent!
If you have questions you would like to discuss with Clayton, feel free to drop him an email by clicking here.
The above fitness material is provided as an information service. Remember: Always check with your doctor before starting any new type of excerise program.
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Greenway Family Dentistry |
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Our first spotlight for November goes first to the city of Glendale, Arizona and shines on the doctors and staff of Greenway Family Dentistry
Dr. Linda Tang, Dr. Peter Cha and the rest of the staff take great satisfaction in helping you maintain optimal oral health. Their practice is devoted to comprehensive and preventive patient care. Both doctors graduated from Loma Linda University, School of Dentistry in Southern California and are well versed in the current technologies. Our members that visit them have been very pleased and have given them great reviews.
The practice is located at 5930 West Greenway Road, Glendale Arizona. The phone number is 602-978-4621. We also invite you to visit them on the web.
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Caring Quality Dentistry |
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Our second spotlight now goes to the city of Mesa, Arizona and shines on Dr. Tom Greco and the staff of Caring Quailty Dentistry
At Caring, Quality Dentistry, they cater to Seniors. Located in the heart of East Mesa, and surrounded by many retirement communities, Dr. Greco truly enjoys working with Seniors, and being sensitive to their special needs. With more than 32 years of experience, Dr. Greco understands and is dedicated to helping Seniors with these and other types of dental problems. The team at Caring Quality Dentistry will give you a warm welcome along with our ongoing commitment to your best possible dental health.
The practice is located at 5901 E. McKellips Rd, Ste. 109, Mesa, Arizona. The phone number is 480-830-0059. We also invite you to visit them on the web.
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Say thank you to your dental office for the excellent manner in which you are treated by nomimating your dentist!
Fun Facts:
Crazy, Zany Facts About Thanksgiving We Bet You Didn't Know |
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- A tradition is born: TV dinners have Thanksgiving to thank. In 1953, someone at Swanson misjudged the number of frozen turkeys it would sell that Thanksgiving -- by 26 TONS! Some industrious soul came up with a brilliant plan: Why not slice up the meat and repackage with some trimmings on the side? Thus, the first TV dinner was born!
- Going shopping?: Not if you're a plumber. Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for them, according to Roto-Rooter, the nation's largest plumbing service. After all, someone has to clean up after household guests who "overwhelm the system."
- This land is my land: There are four places in the U.S. named Turkey. Louisiana's Turkey Creek is the most populous, with a whopping 440 residents. There's also Turkey, Texas; Turkey, North Carolina; and Turkey Creek, Arizona. Oh, let's not forget the two townships in Pennsylvania creatively named Upper Turkeyfoot and Lower Turkeyfoot!
- Leaving a legacy: When Abe Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, it was thanks to the tireless efforts of a magazine editor named Sarah Josepha Hale. Her other claim to fame? She also wrote the nursery rhyme, "Mary had a Little Lamb."
- Gobble, gobble?: Not so fast. Only male turkeys, called toms, gobble. Females, called hens, cackle.
- Have it your way: If Ben Franklin had his way, the turkey would be our national bird. An eagle, he wrote in a letter to his daughter, had "bad moral character. "A turkey, on the other hand, was a "much more respectable bird."
- Born in the U.S.A.: Thanksgiving is not just an American holiday. Canadians celebrate it too. Except they do it the second Monday in October.
- Doomed from birth: Those poor turkeys; they don't stand a chance. Just look at the name we gave them. A turkey less than 12-weeks-old is called a fryer-roaster.
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Come back for more in next months issue!
Dental Talk - A Member Blog Forum:
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Come blog with us! Dental Talk with Savon is a fun forum to post your interesting topics! Your comments are welcome, it‘s free to use and no membership is required.
Some of the topics include;
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These are just a few of the topics. Our blog site contains many other interesting topics. Please join us!!
Here’s Your Answer
Questions From Our Members
This months question has been asked by several members:
I've been going to a dentist on the plan for awhile now and I have always been happy there. I got this letter in the mail from Savon saying that my dentist has decided to quit participating in the plan. Why did they decide to quit and what can or should I do?
Savon’s Answer
There are a number of reasons that dental facilities discontinue their participation in a dental plan:
- Greed: The plan has sent them a lot of patients and now they feel they can make more money off the same patients if they drop the plan.
- Compliancy: The dental office feels that they have built such a good rapport with their patients that even if they drop the plan that the patient is on, the patient(s) will stay with the dental office and pay the higher price.
- Plan fees are too low: The fees that the plan allows the facility to charge its members are so low that the dental office is losing money treating the plan members.
- Not enough usage: The plan simply does not send the dental facility enough patients to make it worth participating any longer.
- Other reasons:
- The facility has started its own “in house” plan.
- The facility was sold and the new doctor does not wish to participate.
- The patients that the plan sends to a facility are only interested in the “free” services that the plan offers.
In most cases the bottom line is greed. One dental office that recently discontinued participation simply stated that:
“We don‘t need the plan anymore. We can give your members a 25% discount off our own fee. They will stay with us because they are comfortable with us and we‘ll make more money.”
Savon Dental Plan strives to maintain a fair and balanced Schedule of Benefits. Every preferred provider is given an opportunity to give us their input as we adjust the Schedule of Benefits. Every dental facility on this plan has passed a very strict credentialing process. Each facility is monitored for complaints on a regular basis by our Director of Provider Relations and most of the facilities are visited every 6 to 8 weeks by our field liaison.
The only way to combat greed and compliancy is to refuse to accept it. If enough members choose a new dental facility, it will hit the old dental facility where it hurts the most, in the schedule and in the wallet. The moral here is: You don‘t have to stay with that facility and pay higher prices for the exact same quality treatment that you will receive at any other dental facility that participates on Savon Dental Plan.
If you have received one of these letters and have any questions, concerns or need help in selecting a new dental facility, please call our Customer Care Center at 800-809-3494. Our office hours are Monday thru Thursday 9am to 4pm m.s.t. and Friday 9am to Noon. Our phones are monitored live afterhours and on weekends and holidays.
A Thanksgiving Message To Our Members
From Our C.E.O. To You
As we put a wrap on Halloween and head into the holidays I would just like to leave you with a thought or two.
Thanksgiving seems to have become just a day to take a break from the holiday shopping. A day to have family over, watch football, have a big dinner and get ready to stand in the long lines at your favorite store at midnight.
The commercialism of the holiday season (Christmas), has become overwhelming to me. It seems that starting just after Labor Day all of the Christmas decorations, trees, etc. start showing up in the stores. When I was a kid, I guess it was exciting but… back in the 60‘s and 70‘s none of this started as early as it does today. Back then when we went shopping for presents, it was an event that was carefully planned and budgeted for. Today, we don‘t even have to leave our house. Just click the mouse a few times and the next thing you know the Santa Express (Fedex) is at your door.
Whatever the season means to you and however you celebrate it, take a few minutes and remember what Thanksgiving is about. It‘s a day to be thankful for what we, as Americans, have. With all of the problems that face America today, President Clinton expressed it best. “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.” Please my friends, take a moment with me and let‘s be thankful that we live in the greatest nation on this planet.
Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. Clay Parker, C.E.O.
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