Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves. Beyond Primary Care is the only Direct Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County giving families and employers peace of mind with healthcare costs by providing affordable, accessible, and authentic primary care services.

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

In this blog post, I wanted to talk about Sedera Health, which is a cost-sharing model that can help with that ‘Back End’ healthcare coverage.

To be 100% upfront, myself nor my clinic- Beyond Primary Care, have any special relationship or financial interest in Sedera to disclose. I am simply educating the public and my patients on affordable coverages for those ‘what if’ scenarios.

The American Health Insurance Experience

In 2018, the average monthly cost for health insurance for an individual was $440.00 and for a family of 4 the average cost rose to $1,168.00, per month. That’s $14,016.00 per year. But wait, there’s more. The average deductible for that same family was $8,232.00 with many plans being over $10,000.00. What does all this mean?

Well, if you need any major medical coverage for your family, be prepared to pay about $22,000 in out-of-pocket costs before your insurance kicks in. We can’t afford to get sick anymore. For a large number of Americans and businesses, this is the new reality. Monthly health insurance costs increase every year while at the same time out-of-pocket deductibles have sky-rocketed.

Front End, Back End

You may of heard the terms ‘back end’ and ‘front end’ healthcare coverage before, but what does that mean? 

Front end is basically any, and the vast majority of healthcare services that you would routinely use. Such as a regular doctor visit, needing medications, blood laboratory work, routine imaging, scheduled procedures. 

The back end of healthcare are any surgeries, hospitalizations, or emergent care situations that may arise. Surgeries, hospitalizations, and emergency room care can be inherently expensive. People can go bankrupt from these events. That is why we recommend some ‘back end’ coverage.

However, treating a rash, urinary tract infection, common cold, or doing a well visit is vastly different than brain surgery.

Why are we paying for them in the same manner?

Have you heard of Sedera Health?

So, what is medical cost sharing? There are better options out there for you. Sedera Health is one of those options. 

Sedera Health uses a medical cost-sharing model to challenge the status quo of health insurance that many of us have become so frustrated with. Instead of making payments to an insurance company that do not have your best interests at heart, medical cost-share members make payments to a community fund and those funds are only drawn upon when they are needed. Typically, members can save between 30-50% of what they were paying in insurance premiums and can chose a set amount that they are willing to pay as an initial unsharable amount. This can amount to $1,000s of dollars a year. So, you get lower costs and predictable expenses for those times when you do have major medical events.

Sedera + Small Businesses + Direct Primary Care

Sedera Health offers employer groups of 5 or more a group discount on their cost-sharing for a Direct Primary Care membership. At Beyond Primary Care we believe that great healthcare should be affordable, accessible, and authentic for our members and that is why we have decided to discuss Sedera Health as an option. With your Beyond Primary Care membership you can add Sedera Health medical cost sharing to help cover the back end of your individual health risk with those larger major medical expenses. Then, let your Beyond Primary Care take care of all your primary and preventative care issues and rely on Sedera Health for the other wraparound medical needs for a total healthcare solution.

Final Thoughts

Beyond Primary Care + Sedera are working together to help you on your journey to great health. It’s premium quality healthcare with peace of mind for those ‘what ifs,’ without the high cost of insurance premiums and out-of-reach, out-of-pocket expenses.

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves. Beyond Primary Care is the only Direct Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County giving families and employers peace of mind with healthcare costs by providing affordable, accessible, and authentic primary care services. 

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

This featured recipe is a Vegetarian Pot Pie. These recipes are my attempt, in a way, to bridge that Doctor’s adage of “Eat Better & Exercise More.” In this post, I will showcase a healthy meal made on a budget, my pictures are pretty decent, and that is how I got into this food endeavor.

Vegetarian Pot Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

¾ cup chopped yellow onion (~½ onion)
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 cups veggie broth
2 cups frozen mixed veggies (corn, carrots, green beans)
¼ cup milk
¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 bay leaves
sea salt and black pepper
1 batch biscuits

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 425
2) Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to large saucepan over medium heat, then add onion and garlic and pinch of salt– stir. Cook until soft.
3) Add the flour and stir with a whisk, then slowly whisk in the broth.
4) Add milk, and bay leaves and stir. Simmer until the mixture is thickened (about 10 minutes). If it still appears to thin, scoop out ½ cup of the broth and add 1-2 tbsp more flour and whisk back into the pot to thicken. Wait a few minutes, repeat if necessary
5) While the sauce is thickening, prepare biscuits. Cut out , leave unbacked, and set outside
6) Once the sauce is thickened, add the frozen vegetables and cook for 4-5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7) Discard the bay leaves and divide the mixture evenly between 5-6 lightly greased ramekins or 8×8 baking dish. 
8) Top with biscuits and brush the tops of biscuits with melted butter. 
9) Set your ramekins or 8×8 dish on a baking sheet to catch overflow and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly (about 14-17 minutes). Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves. Beyond Primary Care is the only Direct Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County giving families and employers peace of mind with healthcare costs by providing affordable, accessible, and authentic primary care services. 

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

This featured recipe is a Tater Tot Casserole. These recipes are my attempt, in a way, to bridge that Doctor’s adage of “Eat Better & Exercise More.” In this post, I will showcase a healthy meal made on a budget, my pictures are pretty decent, and that is how I got into this food endeavor.

Tater Tot Casserole

Adapted from: Emily Bites
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1.5 hour
Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 package (20 oz) frozen tater tots
1 lb (99% lean) ground turkey breast
6 slices bacon
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
1.5 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp black pepper, divided
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, divided
1 tsp sage
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
8 oz, cheddar cheese, shredded
12 large eggs
½ cup milk
¼ green onion

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2) Place a nonstick skillet over a stove with low-medium heat. Melt the butter. 
3) In a mixing bowl, combing turkey, ¾ tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, sage, thyme, nutmeg, and ¼ tsp crushed red pepper. Stir until the turkey is well combined with the seasoning. Add to skillet.
4) Break up the turkey with a spoon or spatula, cook until turkey is cooked through.
5) Pour frozen tater tots into the casserole dish and arrange into a single layer. 
6) Once the turkey is cooked, spread the mixture on top of the tater tots.
7) Add the bacon back to the skillet, turn the heat to medium. Cook until crisp. Once done, remove to a layer of paper towels, pat dry and crumble the bacon. 
8) Add the bacon on top of the turkey in the casserole dish. Add the cheddar cheese on top. 
9) In the mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, green onions, ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes. Beat the eggs and seasoning with a whisk. When beaten, pour the eggs over the top of the cheese layer in the baking dish. 
10) Bake for 50-60 minutes or until eggs are cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves. Beyond Primary Care is the only Direct Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County giving families and employers peace of mind with healthcare costs by providing affordable, accessible, and authentic primary care services.

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

In this blog post, I wanted to talk about hypertension, also known as High Blood Pressure.

You Feel Normal

A person with painful urination is more likely to accept a diagnosis of a urinary tract infection. A child with with wheezing and shortness of breath is more likely to accept a diagnosis of asthma. People diagnosed with high blood pressure are puzzled, saying “How is this something I have” when you don’t feel any different. Symptoms sometimes validate a diagnosis. However, unlike many other illnesses, high blood pressure rarely has identifiable symptoms. As a matter of fact, you may of heard Dr. O’Boyle forbiddingly warn this is the ‘silent killer.’

Is High Blood Pressure Dangerous

You may of heard the phrase ‘benign essential hypertension,’ but rest assured, this is an antiquated term. Much like describing a suspicious skin lesion, we use the words ‘benign’ or ‘malignant’ to describe two completely opposite threats. This is not the case when it comes to high blood pressure. 

I mentioned earlier that high blood pressure uses the alias the ‘silent killer’ because if blood pressure is uncontrolled, complications may include heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.

It is a very real threat.

What is Blood Pressure?

When I take a patient’s blood pressure, always with an inflatable cuff around your arm, I express the measurement back to you as two numbers. The number on top (systolic) and the number on bottom (diastolic), for example 120/80. The top number indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against the walls of arteries when the heart beats. The bottom number indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when the heart is resting between beats. Both numbers matter. 

The difference between a Normal or High Blood Pressure

I adhere to the clinical practice guidelines set forth from the American Academy of Family Physicians. As you can see from the chart above, a normal blood pressure is less than 120 on the top and less than 80 on the bottom. A definition of high blood pressure starts at a top number of 140 or greater and a bottom number of 90 or greater. 

The Odds

Per the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 3 adults in the United States will have high blood pressure. This is why I check your blood pressure, a part of what is called ‘vital signs,’ at every visit. 

How Does This Happen?

Knowing the cause of any disease is helpful. Yet for high blood pressure, I rarely find just one cause. In fact, in medical jargon, ‘essential’ as in ‘essential hypertension’ means ‘of unknown cause.’ There are usually multiple factors at work. Some can not be prevented, such as:

• Genetics
• Race
• Age

Genetic risk is complex and various between individuals as some people have protective genes and others don’t. Some ethnicities have high risks of elevated blood pressure (eg- non Hispanic African American people are more likely to have high blood pressure than other races). There is nothing you can do about it. You also can’t stop aging. 

As we age, that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything to tackle modifiable factors, such as:

• Being Overweight
• Smoking
• Lack of Physical Activity
• Stress
• Drinking too much alcohol

Testing: Cheap and Easy

You know I check your blood pressure at every visit. But if people had the ability to check more often, the more effectively we could manage this condition. Blood pressure monitors are available at reasonable prices (typically $25-50), and can be done in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Just like our subjective feelings such as happiness, sadness, stress, and restlessness, our blood pressure varies throughout the day too. This is why I recommend monitoring blood pressure at home for at-risk individuals multiple times a day. 

Treatment

Discussing the scope of treatment for blood pressure is extensive and always carries asterisks for certain populations. Just like the causes, I always say treatment is multi-dimensional and must be individualized, your classic N of 1 trial.  Part of that treatment may include:

• Medications
• Exercise
• Naps
• Smoking cessation
• Diet modification
• Relaxation techniques

Naps are for babies, right? I love a good nap when given an opportunity. Research has shown people who sleep for 30-60 minutes, typically after a midday meal, had a 5% lower average 24 hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure than those who did not sleep, even when adjusted for age, gender, BMI, smoking status, salt intake, alcohol intake, exercise, and coffee consumption. Something to dream about. 

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves. Beyond Primary Care is the only Direct Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County giving families and employers peace of mind with healthcare costs by providing affordable, accessible, and authentic primary care services. 

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

This featured recipe is a Panzanella Salad. These recipes are my attempt, in a way, to bridge that Doctor’s adage of “Eat Better & Exercise More.” In this post, I will showcase a healthy meal made on a budget, my pictures are pretty decent, and that is how I got into this food endeavor.

Panzanella Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 loaf tomato bread from panera or any flavored bread you like
6 whole assorted tomatoes, cut into wedges
½ cup corn
1 Avocado, cubed
4 strips bacon, cooked and broken into small pieces
¼ cup olive oil and more for drizzling on bread
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
15 basil leaves, destemmed, roughly chopped
½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 bunch romaine lettuce, shredded

Instructions

1) Turn oven to 400 F.
2) Spray a cookie sheet with a non-stick spray, place over a cooking tray. Lay bacon strips on top, bake bacon for approx 20-25 minutes.
3) While bacon is cooking, prepare bread by cutting into 1 inch cubes, arrange on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
3) Once bacon is cooked, remove from oven and let cool.
4) Turn oven down to 275 F and place the pan into oven for 20-25 minutes to slightly crisp the bread without toasting it. Remove from oven and let cool.
5) In a large bowl, combine avocado, tomatoes, and corn.
6) In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over salad ingredients, tossing gently. Add basil and parmesan cheese, toss again.
7) Add cooled bread and bacon to bowl, toss.
8) Place romaine lettuce on a plate. Add salad ingredients. Serve

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves. Beyond Primary Care is the only Direct Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County giving families and employers peace of mind with healthcare costs by providing affordable, accessible, and authentic primary care services. 

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

This featured recipe is a slow cooker chili. These recipes are my attempt, in a way, to bridge that Doctor’s adage of “Eat Better & Exercise More.” In this post, I will showcase a healthy meal made on a budget, my pictures are pretty decent, and that is how I got into this food endeavor.

Slow Cooker Chili

Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 8-10 hours

Ingredients

1 (16oz) package Jimmy Dean Sausage Roll (any flavor)
1 lb pre-cut stew meat, cubed
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 beer (or 8 oz water)
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 (10) oz can diced tomato with green chilies with juice
1 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can corn kernels
1 (15.5) ounce can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15.5) oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup ketchup
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Shredded cheddar, green onions, greek yogurt, and corn chips (or oyster crackers) for topping

Instructions

1) Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and crumble as it cooks. When almost fully browned, add the onion and cook until onions are translucent. When almost completed, add garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add to crock-pot.
2) Add stew meat to pan and brown on all sides, but not cooked through. Add to crock-pot
3) While sausage and stew meat is cooking, place corn in a heavy cast iron skillet over medium heat with no butter or oil. Add salt and cumin, sprinkling on top. Do not stir! Let corn roast for several minutes before stirring. Let it roast for a few more minutes before stirring again. Continue this for 10 minutes, until corn is browned on the outside. Add to crock pot
4) Pour in bell peppers, kidney beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chilies, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and beer.
5) Season with chili powder, black pepper, salt, and oregano.
6) Stir well, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours string only once or twice.
7) Ladle into bowls, if desired: add shredded cheddar, green onions, corn chips (or oyster crackers)

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves.

Beyond Primary Care is the only Direct Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County giving families and employers peace of mind with healthcare costs by providing affordable, accessible, and authentic primary care services. 

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

In this blog post, I wanted to talk about family medicine and what exactly can your family doctor (such as myself) do for you. 

Family Doctors

Family doctors are trained to practice a spectrum of comprehensive primary care medicine ranging in ages from newborns, toddlers, teenagers, and through adults including end-of-life care. I like to say we take care of people at all ages and stages, guiding males and females through the complexity of human health and helping coordinate care of their health.

Why such a broad age range? That allows your family doctor to better know you and your family over what is hopefully an extended period of time- years to decades. Not just days to weeks. Family doctors don’t just see you when you are ill and at your worst. This continuity allows us to give you that longitudinal care which can help aid diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of any medical condition far more than someone just seeking that ‘one-off’ or ‘one-time’ visit.

Imagine you love your car. You depend on it. In return for continued performance you have to put periodic maintenance into it such as oil changes, new tires, new brakes, etc. You could go to a different auto shop every time.

The mechanic who doesn’t know your car may lift the hood and start tinkering with the engine even if it’s the radio that’s making the noise because he doesn’t do radios, he does engines. 

But, like any other process, you want trust. Trust that the mechanic is going to recognize you (and your car) every time you go in and can be counted on to tell you when there may be a forthcoming issue. You also want that person to be approachable and genuine in their assessments and responses. 

In much the same way, you want trust, sincereness, and consistency with a family doctor. These are attributes of a family medicine physician, not urgent care or other ‘one-time visit’ clinics. 

Family doctors specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of acute and chronic conditions. 

Acute issues such as:

• Rashes
• Urinary tract infections
• Colds / congestion
• Skin wounds that needs stitches
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath and so much more.

It is our goal to try to keep you out of the emergency rooms, and instead in the familiarity of your home and family. 

Chronic issues Family Doctors treat include:

• Thyroid in-balances
• Skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and diagnosis and treatment of suspicious skin spots
• Diabetes
• Asthma
• COPD
• Anxiety and other mental health concerns
• high blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Chronic pain and so on. 

Not Just Sick Visits

Don’t let all those illnesses distract you though! Family doctors are not just there for the ‘what if’ scenarios, giving you only that ’reactive’ healthcare that is part of America’s cost control problem. Family doctors are ‘PROactive ‘ physicians.

This is why we encourage ALL of our patients to have at minimum yearly physicals were we can have a conversation about what we can do together to keep you healthier, longer. Infants and children often times have to be brought in multiple times a year for wellness checks to make sure they are growing properly and meeting milestones to keep up with their peers. There are few other physician specialties that actively work to keep you continuously healthy than family doctors. 

Keeping It Simple

Family doctors are not referral specialists. Referral rates to specialists in the United States are estimated to be at least twice as high as in Great Britain. Family doctors can help you control your healthcare costs through the elimination of unnecessary referrals to medical specialists.

As you can see, a good family doctor can cover 95% of all medical conditions. Family physicians knowledge is expansive. Because of this eclectic knowledge base, there is less likely a chance of the proverbial ‘hammer and nail’ approach than you may find with more specialized, narrowly focused physicians. 

Life Expectancy Increases

You will also live longer with a primary care physician! If you take a population of 10,000 and add a family doctor, there is a statistically significant drop in the death rates.

With family doctors your care will be individualized and engaged with a guided decision making approach. 

I believe knowing the person is way more important than knowing the disease. 

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves. Beyond Primary Care serves patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County.

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

This featured recipe is a Spinach Enchiladas. These recipes are my attempt, in a way, to bridge that Doctor’s adage of “Eat Better & Exercise More.” In this post, I will showcase a healthy meal made on a budget, my pictures are pretty decent, and that is how I got into this food endeavor.

Spinach Enchiladas

Courtesy of Sadonia2 on Allrecipes
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (10oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
10-15 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 (19 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 (4oz) can green chilies
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2) Melt butter in sauté pan over direct heat. Add garlic and green onions cooking for a few more minutes until fragrant, but not brown.
3) Stir in spinach, cumin, green chilies, and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes
4) Warm tortillas one-two at a time in skillet or microwave until flexible, about 15 seconds.
5) Remove skillet with spinach from heat, mix in ricotta cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese
6) Spoon about 1/4 cup of spinach mixture into the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in 9×13 baking dish.
7) Pour enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese.
8) Bake for 15-20 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned.

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves. Beyond Primary Care serves patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County.S

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

Storytelling

We talked about what anxiety is in an earlier post. In this post I am discussing something that is important to me in treating any mental health condition- especially anxiety and depression- and that is storytelling.

Why We Listen

Not only is it a way of relaying information about my patients when discussing care (eg- talking to a therapist to find the best medication), but it is an an essential way I continue to learn at work. It has struck me recently that even more than these obvious examples, storytelling has a direct impact on not only how we understand anxiety and depression (or any disease) but the process of healing itself, from the perception and expectations of the patient to the diagnosis and treatment by the physician. One thing I find myself doing on a daily basis as a physician is listening to patient’s stories. I sit down with them, make myself present, and just listen.

Listen For Understanding

Think about any instruction list TELLING you how to do something: 
Step 1: take an anti depressive medication, followed by 
Step 2: get 8 hours of sleep a night, followed by
Step 3: walk 30 minutes each day, and so on. 

People may complete the task, but long term learning for long term success from this method is limited. When someone is stuck in the dark hole that is anxiety or depression, it’s hard enough just getting OUT of bed in the morning, let alone doing any number of tasks. Treating anxiety or any mental health condition is not comparable to assembling a piece of furniture from Ikea.

Now, compare this to learning something from a story, where someone has pushed their own human experience and emotion into those tasks. Hearing the struggles, failures, and successes through story are more likely to shape your ability to learn and cope. Understand there are some conditions that we treat through empathy and ability to get to know people at people at a deeper level. The conversation can lend the support you need as you navigate the ‘hard’ in your own life.

Our Stories Are Ourselves

Sharing your story will help you feel better. Why are you not sharing your story? Perhaps you feel embarrassment, fear, resignation? If you do not share your story then those thoughts and feelings are just randomly going through your mind, and you may only be inclined to be reactive towards them when they do pass through… that is randomly.

We use stories to describe to others our needs, and mental health is no exception. It doesn’t make much difference what we leave in and what we take out, what is important is that we tell the story. There is magic in that. It’s in the listener and storyteller- us. And for each and every ear, it will be different. And it will affect us in ways that we can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell or hear a tale that takes up residence in your soul, becomes your blood and your purpose. That story will move you and drive you. And who knows what you might do because of it.

The Challenge

The truth is today we are not treating everyone we need to who suffers from anxiety or depression, and can not do so if we continue to insist on one-on-one therapy with only an ‘expert.’ If listening to and sharing stories helps people, how can we withhold it? It will be there, doing its thing, whether you want it there or not. To ignore it seems to me to be the least ethical thing one could possibly do.

Mainstream medicine has a challenge: continue to ignore your story and lose you to a subjective fantasy built on the mistakes of our brain, or join you in your life story ensuring you are taking responsibility for your wellbeing while making you central to the care and cure.

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; where I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is a new approach to family medicine and addiction medicine that creates the time and space your healthcare deserves. Beyond Primary Care serves patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County.

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

This featured recipe is a Spinach and Artichoke Dip. These recipes are my attempt, in a way, to bridge that Doctor’s adage of “Eat Better & Exercise More.” In this post, I will showcase a healthy meal made on a budget, my pictures are pretty decent, and that is how I got into this food endeavor.

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Adapted from: Food Network, Houstons
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 (10 oz) bag spinach, destemmed
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 TB all purpose flour
1 ¼ cups milk
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 ¼ cups parmesan cheese, grated
¼ cup sour cream, plus more for serving
½ cup white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup artichoke hearts, squeezed dry and roughly chopped
Salt
Tortilla chips for serving

Instructions:

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stiri in the spinach and cook until bright green, about 30 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold water; squeeze out the excess moisture, then finely chop.
2) Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ½ tsp salt and cook until the onion is soft, about 2 minutes.
3) Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute.
4) Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, parmesan and sour cream.
5) Return the pot to medium heat. Add the spinach, cheddar and artichokes and stir until the cheese melts and dip is heated through. 
6) Serve with tortilla chips, salsa, and sour cream.