A warm welcome to the Millhouse Community and to other readers.
Another year has come and January 2019 seems quickly over.
I hope it's been a time to recharge your batteries with rest, recreation, and engaging with friends and family. As I begin to write this we are told to expect high temperatures in the next few days as the heat generated in Australia drifts to New Zealand. Make sure you stay well hydrated during the summer and avoid the intense rays of the sun.
Consider taking an electrolyte solution if you feel drained in the hot weather. I well remember an elderly couple on a Habitat for Humanity house-build in Fiji who espoused the regular use of sachets of powdered electrolyte which they placed in their water bottle and drank throughout the day to prevent heat stroke. You can buy electrolyte sachets from the pharmacy or make your own, using 6 level teaspoons sugar & 1/2 tsp salt in 1 litre of clean or boiled drinking water to which you can add lemon or lime juice to improve taste.

MILLHOUSE NEWS
MEDICAL TRAINING Dr Dan has commenced his RNZCGP training year and will be unavailable for consultation on Wednesdays. Practice Nurse Gabriella is undertaking advanced study so she can prescribe medication and shortly the first of this year's medical students will join us at Millhouse.
COMMUNITY SERVICE CARDS & REDUCED FEES Have you checked to see if you qualify for a Community Service Card? I mentioned in the last newsletter 20% of Millhouse patients have Community Service Cards (CSC) and receive a considerable reduction in their consultation fee. The Work and Income website  provides more information on making a CSC application.
REMEMBER 13 years and UNDER are now free for 15min consultations. However an additional charge will apply for long consultations and other procedures like wart removal with liquid nitrogen. View the current Millhouse Integrative Medical Centre fees here.
PROACTIVE PATIENT CARE (PPC)   From March 31, 2019 Counties DHB will discontinue the subsidised PPC programme for those with complex medical conditions who currently see the practice nurse free and doctor for a nominal fee. Hopefully East Health PHO will introduce a revised financial assistance package for those with ongoing need for intensive medical general practice care
CANCELLATION OF APPOINTMENTS  Recently we have had increased cancellation of appointments within 30min of the scheduled time and others have missed their appointments without giving notice. The limited notice prevents reallocation to others urgently wishing to see their doctor that day. To discourage this practice, unless extenuating circumstances exist, we will now charge a full consultation fee if an appointment is not cancelled within TWO HOURS of the appointed consultation time.
INFORMATIVE NEWSLETTER ARTICLES   For more than ten years the Millhouse Newsletter has contained articles on positive lifestyle change, nutritional therapies and spice medicine to enhance healthy living and coping with disease. Over the next few months, the newsletter information will be made available on the Millhouse website under the Resources tab as Dr Ric's Fact Sheets.  Check them out if you want to explore complementary and integrative medicine to improve health care.

In this issue...

• Medical Training taking place at the clinic
• Fees update 1 December with changes to CSC patients
• New policy re failed appointments PLEASE NOTE .
• Dr Ric's Fact Sheets Archive being expanded

and this month Dr Ric writes about

families, genes, and the impact of positive lifestyle changes

POSITIVE LIFESTYLE CHANGE

This month Dr Ric writes about 2019 as a New Year for positive living, Referring to his own family tree, he notes how patterns of disease are passed down in families, but that environmental influences (lifestyle) also have significant impact.