August 2011 Newsletter
What´s New at Savon
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Quote Of The Month: I'm learning to speak Spanish by calling my bank and pressing the #2 button. (unknown)
Congratulations To:
F. Lehrer of Surprise AZ Winner of our July early payment drawing for 1 free additional year of membership.
Congratulations to our winner and thank you to everyone that entered the drawing.
Keeping Fit With Jourdin Hendershot:
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Diet Soda and your health!
It‘s hot and you‘re thirsty. Usually the first thing you reach for is a soda - a carbonated soft drink. If you are worried about your sugar intake, you will most likely go for a diet soda. Diet Coke®(also known as Diet Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light or Coke Light), Diet Pepsi® (also Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi, Diet Pepsi Max) are a sugar-free soft drink produced by The Coca-Cola Company®. This is generally marketed toward people who want to lose weight, diabetics, or people who want to reduce sugar intake. What people don‘t realize is the health risk of diet soda.
First, diet soda might not help you stay slim after all. Drinking diet soda is associated with a wider waistline in humans. Researchers have found that diet soda drinkers had a waist circumference increase 70% greater than people who are non-diet drinkers.¹ Second, drinking diet soda regularly may raise your risk of heart attack and stroke which could lead to death².
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So what is the cause of all of this? Aspartame. This is by far the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to your food. Aspartame is also known as NutraSweet® or Equal®. According to researchers and physicians³ the following illnes can be triggered by Aspartame:
- Brain tumors
- Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.)
- Alzheimer‘s Disease
- Diabetes
Aspartame is made up of three chemicals:
- Aspartic Acid: - Found in abundance in plant proteins, especially in sprouting seeds but can be manufactured in the body from oxaloacetic acid and was first isolated in 1868 from legumin in plant seed. Aspartic acid, as well as glutamic acid, is the only amino acid that has a negatively charged carboxylate group on the side chain.
- Phenylalanine: - An essential amino acid (a building block for proteins in the body), meaning the body needs it for health but cannot make it. You have to get it from food. The body changes phenylalanine into tyrosine, another amino acid that's needed to make proteins, brain chemicals including L-dopa, epinephrine and norepinephrine, and thyroid hormones. On the other hand, a rare metabolic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) occurs in people who are missing an enzyme that the body needs to use phenylalanine. That causes high levels of phenylalanine to build up. People with PKU must eat a diet that avoids phenylalanine and take tyrosine supplements to have optimum brain development and growth.
- Methanol: -This is also known as wood alcohol. Made up of one carbon atom, one oxygen atom and four hydrogen atoms (CH3OH). This has no taste or color, but has a slight scent. To better help you understand what methanol is, it is used in fuels such as racing cars, and antifreeze. Symptoms methanol poisoning include:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Shooting pains in extremities
- Vision problems
- And many more.
ASPARTAME: WHAT YOU DON‘T KNOW CAN HURT YOU!!
¹www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/diet-soda-weight-gain_n_886409.html
² www.webmd.com/stroke/news/20110209/is-diet-soda-linked-to-heart-stroke-risk
³http://aspartame.mercola.com/
Diet Coke® and Diet Coca-Cola® are registered trade names of The Coca-Cola Company®.
Diet Pepsi®, Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi® and Diet Pepsi Max® are registered trade names of PepsiCo®.
The above material is provided as information only and is not intended to castigate The Coca-Cola Company® or PepsiCo®. It should not be used as medical information and is not intended to take the place of the important relationship between you and your doctor.
If you have questions you would like to discuss with Jourdin, feel free to drop her an email by clicking here.
Grandma's Kitchen With Grandma C.:
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Pink cherry dream salad
Ingredients
- 1 can cherry pie filling
- 1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 regular container cool whip
- 1 small can crushed pineapple (with juice)
- 1½ cups mini marshmallows
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Mix all ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. This is a great summer dessert! Kids love it.
If you have a recipe that you would like to share with Grandma C., drop her an email by clicking here or at corilee@savondentalplan.com.
To Your Health:
Vitiman B deficiency can affect your oral health.
A reprint all or in part from the Cosmetic Dentistry Guide
Vitamin B deficiencies are one of the most common deficiencies that can affect your teeth and your mouth. Common oral effects of vitamin B deficiency are burning sensations in the mouth and on the tongue, trouble swallowing, swollen tongue, and pale tissues in the inner cheeks that could break apart easily and come off.
Deficiency in vitamin B can lead to anaemia or a low red blood cell count. If you have a serious B12 deficiency then you could get neurological problems like num or tingling limbs.
Folic acid is a type of vitamin B and deficiency in this vitamin can give you burning sensations in your mouth. Like B12 deficiency, you can have numb or tingling limbs if you are deficient in folic acid. Folic acid is important to the development of the foetus. If you do not have enough folic acid early in your pregnancy then you will risk having a baby with neural tube defects.
Deficiencies in vitamin B can increase your risks of getting:
- angular cheilitis is a painful inflammation in the mouth. It can also be referred to as a fungal infection
- recurrent aphthous stomatitis or canker sores
- chronic oral mucosal candidiasis is a fungal infection in the mouth. The candida albicans fungus is normally found in the mouth and does not usually cause problems however, if you absorb nutrients poorly then you will increase your chances of getting this
- atrophic glossitis is a condition that causes the taste buds to degenerate. Your tongue will look bald and your sense of taste will be affected. This can occur if you have a serious vitamin deficiency
You can get vitamin B from the following sources:
- thiamine or B1 can be acquired from pork, whole and enriched grains, nuts, dried beans, and legumes
- riboflavin or B2 can be acquired from eggs, liver, shellfish, almonds, and milk
- niacin or B3 can be acquired from liver, meat, poultry, whole grains, fish, and peanuts
- pyroxidine or B6 can be acquired from poultry, meat, fish, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, bananas, legumes, fruits, and nuts
- cobalamin B12 can be acquired from meat, poultry, milk, fish, eggs, and fortified cereals
- folic acid or folate can be acquired from vegetables, legumes, orange juice, broccoli, fortified cereals, asparagus, and nuts
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.
News You Can Use: News From Inside Your Dental Plan
Schedule of Benefits adjustments on the horizon
At Savon we are fighting hard to keep the cost of dental care in check, while at the same time not compromising the quality of the care our members receive.
Unfortunately, because of our cost containment efforts, some of our providers have elected not to continue their participation in the plan. In an effort to slow the exodus we will be adjusting our fees in the very near future. On September 1st we will send out a fee adjustment survey to all of our providers and to an equal number of dental facilities that do not participate in our plan. Using an average from the responses, we will calculate the Savon fee by reducing the average by 50%.
The last time our fees were adjusted was April of 2010 and the average increase was 2%. After this adjustment, we do not anticipate another adjustment until mid to late 2013. We understand that the cost of dentistry, (even with the plan) is expensive, however, we also know that the cost for the providers to deliver the quality care that we expect and demand is rising.
Please rest assured that we will continue to do everything we can to keep the quality of your dental care high while keeping your cost within reason.
Fun Facts:
Medical Breakthrough Medications
- St. Mom's Wort - Plant extract that treats mom's depression by rendering preschoolers unconscious for up to six hours.
- Empty Nestrogen - Highly effective suppository that eliminates melancholy by enhancing the memory of how awful they were as teenagers and how you couldn't wait till they moved out.
- Peptobimbo - Liquid silicone for single women. Two full cups swallowed before an evening out increases breast size, decreases intelligence, and improves flirting.
- Dumerol - When taken with Peptobimbo, can cause dangerously low I.Q. causing enjoyment of country western music.
- Flipitor - Increases life expectancy of commuters by controlling road rage and the urge to flip off other drivers.
- Antiboyotics - When administered to teenage girls, is highly effective in improving grades, freeing up phone lines, and reducing money spent on make-up.
- Menicillin - Potent antibiotic for older women. Increases resistance to such lines as, "You make me want to be a better person ... can we get naked now?"
- Buyagra - Injectable stimulant taken prior to shopping. Increases potency and duration of spending spree.
- Extra Strength Buy-one-all - When combined with Buyagra, can cause an indiscriminate buying frenzy so severe the victim may even come home with a Donnie Osmond CD or a book by Dr. Laura.
- Jack Asspirin - Relieves the headache caused by a man who can't remember your birthday, anniversary or phone number.
- Anti-talksident - A spray carried in a purse or wallet to be used on anyone too eager to share their life stories with total strangers.
- Sexcedrin - Bedroom aerosol spray for men. More effective than Excedrin in treating the, "Not now, dear, I have a headache," syndrome.
- Ragamet - When administered to a husband, provides the same irritation as ragging on him all weekend, saving the wife the time and trouble of doing it herself.
- Men-Gay - A rub-in ointment that enables single women to identify who to cross off the dating pool.
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!!
Insurance Insight: - Twelve questions to ask your health coverage
Brought to you courtesy of June Shaffer with Arizona Life lines.
Part 1 of 6
When was the last time you really looked at your health insurance policy? People usually look at their policy when they purchase it - or after they submit a claim and find the insurance company doesn't pay what they thought it would.
Adequate health insurance is an absolute necessity to protect your health, your home, your business and your hard-earned assets. Since over half of all bankruptcies and mortgage foreclosures are due in part to the medical bills resulting from catastrophic illness or injury, it is worth your time to review your present health coverage.
How does your policy rate? There are 12 points to consider when reviewing your insurance policy. This month we will address the first 2 points and will contine to address 2 points a month for the next 5 monhts.
1. Is the plan you are considering an insurance plan, through an insurance agent or broker? Is it an "association" plan? These are offered through an "association" whose primary connection with an insurance company is that the association makes the coverage available to its members and usually charges enrollment and monthly administrative fees on top of the insurance premium. Be wary of plans which charge an up-front enrollment fee in excess of $25 per person or per application, or a monthly administrative (anything over $15.00 is too much). The "association" is not the insurance company: it is an association of benefits (sort of like AAA, if you will), one of which is the privilege of applying for insurance through their association (these are not group rates; an association is not a group).
A true group plan is one with numerous participants and one payor (i.e., the employer); association plans are individually-issued plans, and usually do not provide you with a policy but a "Certificate of Coverage." Acceptance is not guaranteed, there are no special advantages in underwriting because of the association, and some of these plans offer certain services as chargeable options which are standard features on most insurance policies and health plans (out-patient services/diagnostics, accidental injury, prescription co-pays). If you are not sure if your plan is, simply call your state Dept of Insurance and ask how that carrier is filed within your state. Not all association-based plans are questionable, some are quite good. Some things to watch out for are; when the agent won‘t send you information, won‘t leave information, pushes you to make a decision now and tells you that he can complete the application for you. All “no-no‘s.”
2. What is your insurance company rating? There are several insurance rating companies, and each has different criteria as to how a carrier is assigned an A, B or C rating. Some B rated carriers may have better products and services than the A rated ones - one has to understand the reasons for the rating. Avoid insurance companies with lower than a "C" rating - but do ask why the rating is what it is. To find out your company's rating, call your local Insurance Department. [A non-rated insurance company is sometimes better than a poorly-rated one; the lack of rating sometimes indicates that the carrier did not wish to pay for an outside company to offer a rating].
Beware: An "A" rating is not indicative of timeliness of claims payments, comprehensiveness of benefits, medical adequacy or ability to meet the insured's needs. A B+ rating is often given to companies who easily out-perform those with A ratings! Some A-rated carriers are using the rating of their parent company, which might be a life insurance carrier of long history who only recently got into the health market and "lent" their "A" rating to the health plan. Many an A-rated carrier has gone out of business or pulled out of the state. In order to get an "A" rating, a majority of the carrier's money in its reserves must have been derived from the sale of life insurance. Think about it.
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