Everyone deserves the highest quality care from practitioners they trust, who respect them and their decisions. We are out of network for all insurance plans.
(14)
At Central Family Practice we integrate the best of western medicine and complementary, alternative therapies in one practice. We work as a team of physicians, nurse practitioners, esthetician, acupuncturist and herbalist to help you achieve your goals. This type of care allows you to explore all available health care options in a safe and professional environment. We are a fee for service practic
e and take care of the uninsured, underinsured and those with high deductibles. You'll find this makes our personal attention to our patients unmatched. We hope to see you. Se Habla Español.
We loved having a conversation with Dr. Jennifer Ziedonis, our newest practitioner, about their journey and their love of Functional and Integrative Medicine. Find it on our website and call us today to book an appointment with Dr. Z!
Read more here: https://centralfamilypractice.com/blogs/news/unlocking-the-secrets-of-functional-and-integrative-medicine-an-interview-with-dr-z
Have you had the change to meet our wonderful Dr. Christine Chen yet? With a background in Osteopathic Medicine, she is highly skilled at treating both you and your whole family as a whole, not just the symptoms and illnesses. Read our latest blog for a conversation with Dr. Chen and call the practice to set up an appointment to see her today!
Read more: https://centralfamilypractice.com/blogs/news/exploring-life-and-medicine-with-dr-chen-a-conversation
Our program offers you the research-based tools and practices we use to help solve the most common challenges we see everyday with our patients and health-coaching clients. For this quarter, you will learn how the changes that come with perimenopause and menopause can effect all aspects of your life: physical, emotional, sexual and hormonal. We’ve heard a lot of requests for support around these topics and will be discussing physical and hormonal changes, how your sexuality shifts, ways to calibrate mood, and how to ensure you get enough sleep, self care, and exercise. We’ll help you reset and realign the way you take care of yourself as you ride the waves of this intense change - to see what works and what doesn’t work - on an individual basis. We nurture the embodiment of yourself in this new phase of your life - how are you different? And how do we embrace the new you?
Sign up and learn more details at ridethelifewave.come! This session starts May 2nd, don't miss it! 🏄🏻♀️
We're hiring! Want to join our practice? Click the link in our bio to read all of the details of the job and for how to apply. We can't wait to hear from you!
First as a midwife and now as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and founder of Central Family Practice (est 1998), Connie has been caring for women for more than half of her life. Her personal and professional mission has always been to help women find their individual path in life and health. What do we want? What is the right path for us? She started Central Family Practice with that goal in mind.
We all have a unique point of view, we all have our basic nature that we carry into this life that impacts the way we respond to life and molds our journey. There is always a next right step if only we could figure it out ….
Join Connie starting May 2nd for support around menopause and perimenopause - follow the link in our bio or sign up at ridethelifewave.com today! 🏄🏻
Bring a friend to Ride The Wave and you can both get 25% off when you sign up together. Use the code RTW25FORYOU to receive this discount when you check out at ridethelifewave.com 🌊
Support is better with friends, and we can't wait to have you (both) join us!
Have you met Julie? Julie is one of the hosts of Ride the Wave, along with our founder, Connie Ryan.
Julie Lack has always been passionate about helping others in a meaningful and impactful way. She stumbled into health and nutrition coaching and has never looked back! She was approached by the owner of Central Family Practice, Connie Ryan, WHNP, to help launch Ideal Protein and coach our first clients in 2013. Julie immediately knew the program was solid, strong, and doable for anyone with the motivation, and her excitement is still going strong. Along with the experience that comes with years of coaching, Julie has learned and studied about nutrition on her own due to her passion around helping people untangle the same tired tropes around food and weight loss. She has also absorbed so much information from the brilliant practitioners at Central Family Practice.
Ready to Ride the Wave with Julie? Learn more and sign up at the link in our bio or at ridethelifewave.com.
Our next set of Ride the Wave sessions starts on May 2nd and in this 2nd quarter of 2024 we'll be offering support around perimenopause and menopause. Does this resonate with you? We hope you'll join us! Sign up at the link in our bio to learn more and sign up today!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Connie reporting from our recent freeze: It’s 26 degrees out and that really improves the pace! “Chin up and t**s out” it’s an attitude and good for your neck and back.
Our first 2024 session of Ride The Wave with Connie Ryan and Julie Lack starts tomorrow! You can join us by signing up at ridethelifewave.com or if you can’t make it tomorrow, you can sign up for any of our other upcoming sessions on Feb 8, Feb 22, March 7 or March 21.
One of our favorite parts of the program is that we help you build the healthy habits of your choosing and teach you techniques useful for all seasons of life. We can’t wait to see you soon! 🏄🏻♀️
Join Connie Ryan and Julie Lack starting January 18th to Ride the Wave of 2024!
Our program offers you the research-based tools and practices we use to help solve the most common challenges we see everyday with our patients and health-coaching clients. You will learn how to create new healthy habits that fit into your actual, real life (otherwise, they don’t work in the long run). We will make sure to cultivate self-compassion as we build these new habits and share strategies for what to do when motivation is lacking.
You can now sign up for the full 5 week session, or pick the dates that work best for you. Sign up here:
Our program offers you the research-based tools and practices we use to help solve the most common challenges we see everyday with our patients and health-coaching clients. You will learn how to create new healthy habits that fit into your actual, real life (otherwise, they don’t work in the long ...
Please take a moment to read this letter from our founder, Connie Ryan.
-
Dear All,
Many years ago now, I gave one of my patients a prescription that said, “Put yourself on the page”, signed by me. This person was struggling, like many of us, to take time and energy to focus on herself. She put it on her refrigerator, looked at it every day, and ran a marathon that year! You know who you are, and you still inspire me. Over the years I have seen many of you take my good advice and turn inward and take time to see what is there. It is always a good thing.
As many of you know, this last year has been a difficult one for me. My Mom, Jean, died in March, and I finally am done raising children after sending my oldest grandchild off to college this fall. So, some major endings and beginnings. It is now time to take my own good advice, and “put myself on the page”.
For the first 6 months of 2024 I will not be directly caring for patients. I am starting my adventure with spending my 70th birthday in January with a few of my friends in Oaxaca. I will be in and out of the office after this, traveling and taking time for myself. I will also be mentoring my new colleague Dr. Ziedonis to learn the art of hormonal care of woman throughout our lives.
Dr. Ziedonis will be seeing you all while I am out. I will be available to Dr Ziedonis and all my colleagues to help with any problems if needed. Dr Ziedonis is an Internist (specializing in adult medicine for men and women). She is also Certified in Functional Medicine. You can read about her on our website. She and I are working together to make this transition go well.
I chose Dr Z to join us at CFP due to her depth of experience as a hospitalist, as well as her interest in using that experience with functional and integrative medicine to guide people in personalized, preventive healthcare. Dr Z has 30 years’ experience caring for men and women, and is more qualified than I am to manage chronic diseases for those of us who (like it or not) are wandering into the golden oldie years. She, like everyone else at Central Family (except for me), manages all aspects of adult medicine. She can see you for your hypertension and your hormones. She shares my belief that woman (and men) should be supported with hormones (if they choose), as well as receive high quality preventive healthcare, with time spent to help you make good choices about your health.
I have been taking care of people as a daughter, mother, grandmother, healthcare provider, and business owner since I was 25 years old. I opened Central Family Practice in 1998 and have been guiding Central Family as a businesswoman all of these years. So, I not only have been caring for you, my own clients, but also, indirectly, for all of the people who are cared for through Central Family.
I am turning 70 in January. I love my work and want to continue to do what gives me so much satisfaction. As you all saw with my mom Jean Ryan working in the office until shortly before her death at 92, the “Ryan Way” is to continue to contribute to the world as we age. A Jean quote: “Hey it keeps me young, and who wants to hang around with a bunch of old people all the time!”. To achieve this, I also need to pause, and take some time to reflect, rejuvenate, reevaluate where I have been, where I am now, and where I am going. I need to do what I encourage all of you to do: choose myself, and take care of myself.
There is not an easy way to put down my patient load and my business to take a break. But, now is the time, so here we go, as gracefully as possible and with a good team of people to support me, and all of you. I will come back with new insight and new energy for this next part of my life, and for my work.
Dr. Ziedonis and all the practitioners at Central Family will be here to care for you. They are my posse and I trust them to care for you with the same care that I do. If you have any questions or concerns, you can call and speak with Susan, our triage nurse, and she can help guide you to the right person. Know that I will be around and available when needed, just not doing direct patient care for the next 6 months.
Thank you all for contributing to how rich and interesting my life is. Be inspired to seize the day and jump on that self-care page with me.
Big hug,
Connie
Happy Holidays! Central Family Practice will be closed December 25th, 26th and January 1st. We hope you have a safe, healthy, and wonderful holiday.
Have you downloaded our guide for how to stay balanced during the holidays? It’s a free resource from our founder, Connie Ryan, and can be downloaded here: http://eepurl.com/iFvwTc Happy Holidays to you all!
Our gift to you! Call us at 512-371-9260 to schedule either the Vitamin B12 or Lipoden wellness injections for $10 off through the end of the year. Learn more about our wellness injections here: https://centralfamilypractice.com/pages/injectables
Ride The Wave through the Holiday Season! We're providing you with some of our best tips to stay healthy and balanced this holiday season, put together by our founder Connie Ryan. Click here http://eepurl.com/iFvwTc to sign up to receive a PDF with some great information and resources, since we all know the holidays can be a challenge. And don’t forget, if you sign up for Ride The Wave before the end of the year, you’ll receive $75 off! Learn more at ridethelifewave.com
Happy Holidays - we’re so grateful for you! Central Family Practice will be closed 11/23 and 11/24 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Ride The Wave is back! Join us for two free sessions this fall on September 28th and November 9th as an intro to the program and to help give you support and healthy habits as we near the end of the year. More information and sign up at ridethelifewave.com! 🏄🏻♀️
Join us for two free intro sessions of our Ride The Wave Program this Fall on September 28th and November 9th at 1pm (45 minutes each)! We’re excited to introduce you to our program, which combines research-based tools and practices with guidance and group support to help solve the most common cha...
It’s never perfect. Todays inspiration is my ode to the 5 min anything, to stay in my habit when my credit card had been hacked and the day was starting off rough. The walk and 5 min meditation really did help and made the rest of the day go better.
Move smart and move often. It can be discouraging to know that starting in our 30’s we lose 3-8% of our muscle mass per decade. After 60 it is even faster. We also lose bone density (men and women) as we age especially after menopause for women and men as their testosterone decreases. Our ability to convert oxygen into energy also decreases as well. So, rather than be discouraged I choose to be determined to keep what I have! Starting early in adult life can help to slow the decline and keep you above the line that many of us cross in old age where you no longer can get up out of a chair, up off the floor, play with the grandkids, go hiking, or even open a jar on your own. Grip strength is a big indicator of an aging person on the way below that line!
So what can we do? Start aiming toward 150 min/week of movement, just 20 min a day. Go fast enough to get out of breath then slow down catch your breath and go fast again. This works well and you do not have to stay out of breath which many of us do not like. Also two times a week 15-20 min do some strength training that is focused more on being able to squat, move side to side, core muscle strength like planks to keep your balance and core strength than having washboard abs. For most of us that is a lot more than we are doing and really the washboard abs vs health gives us a lot of wiggle room in the time and energy commitment. So first just be regular and start with 5 min a day and slowly move up. The regular part is key. Studies show A dog to walk, an exercise partner, trainer or class, a sport are what get people to move. For myself I know that if I do not have it scheduled into my day it does not usually happen!
This post is from an article in the NYTimes by Danielle Friedman,
“How You Should Change Your Workout Once You Hit 40” Thank you Danielle for the inspiration!
8/29/23: These pictures were taken at 7 -8 am the few days before the Blue Super Moon happens 8/30/23. The big red rising sun is truly something that always makes my day this time of year. The clouds remind me of my childhood when I would ponder the universe and the sight of the rays of light coming from behind the clouds were my “proof” that maybe it was not just infinite space but something more magical “out there”. It still fills me with awe and fills my heart. I know we all have the story right now that it is not to be endured out there in the inferno we call Austin. BUT, it really is quite nice from 6-8 am. 7-8 is the best since a bit of a breeze comes up when the sun is rising. So, watch the story, is it true, do we really not have time? Is it really too hot to see the sun rise or tomorrow night see the Super blue moon that only happens every 10 years! I for one am going to be out there to see it and keep my sense of awe and magic that I had as a child. My Mom never lost that sense of awe in all her 92 years on the planet. I hope I do not either.
Mother Natures antidepressant: Outdoors is a challenge in Austin in the summer time. But it is tolerable to be out in the morning and late evening even if for just 5 minutes. Starting your day with puttering around in your (or your neighbors garden) helps to ground you in your parasympathetic nervous system “the feel good and grounded part of your nervous system” and takes you out of your sympathetic (run from the tiger). Getting natural light in your eyes in the morning helps to set your body for the day and decreases depression. So go look at a flower or sit on a rock for 5 min tomorrow and see how you feel. Remember even 5 min counts.
Diabetes prevention and treatment goes walking with Sara and Connie. Another reason to move: prevent and treat diabetes. Diabetes is the disease that is sure to make any other problem you have worse or to cause it as a complication of diabetes. This includes heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, memory loss, loss of circulation in your legs and feet, and cancer. Preventing diabetes in the first place is one of my main motivations to move. It is preventable. Walking (moving) for even 20 minutes after eating can decrease your blood sugar by 40 points! That is a lot. This picture is me with my friend Sara. She has insulin dependent diabetes. We walked for an hour today. When I asked her if I could talk about her diabetes she said,
“Of course. One is supposed to walk with diabetes”. “As you remind me, just check your blood sugar and drink water”. Her blood sugar will go high and low if she gets dehydrated. She also said to make sure you have your diabetes supplies with your sugar pill handy if you go low. We stopped a couple of times to make sure her blood sugar was okay, both drank a lot of water and she had her trusty backpack of supplies her insulin pump and glucose monitor that keeps track of her insulin and glucose. If Sara can walk, then so can I! All I have to do is drink some darn water and stay on the shady side of the street, or just be flexible and go walk in the water because it is really hot out there. Just move even 5 minutes counts.
“If the Buddha Came to Dinner” is an old book I was looking at today for some inspiration. In it she says to make lasting changes you need both awareness and action. We can exert a lot of energy resisting change. “To make room for your new self, you have to prune old patterns” Choosing to respond to your spirits call to action even in tiny ways can have big rewards. Today after my swim I realized that I was not hot outside because I was still wet. I have just finished spending another 30 min outside watering my sad hot plants making them happier and sitting on my porch writing this. So worth being willing!
Post purple pod people hands workout report it had some glitches but was otherwise great!
Hey earthlings! Just keep moving water moment.
Walks, mediation, and being grateful.
NEAT. Activities that are easy to add and increase our healthy longevity. Make your bed it starts your day with activity and intention.
Do something keep it simple🔥
720 W 34th Street, Ste 105
Austin, TX
78705
| Monday | 8am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 4pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 5pm |
| Friday | 8am - 5pm |
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Central Family Practice posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
It’s never perfect. Todays inspiration is my ode to the 5 min anything, to stay in my habit when my credit card had been hacked and the day was starting off rough. The walk and 5 min meditation really did help and made the rest of the day go better.
Move smart and move often. It can be discouraging to know that starting in our 30’s we lose 3-8% of our muscle mass per decade. After 60 it is even faster. We also lose bone density (men and women) as we age especially after menopause for women and men as their testosterone decreases. Our ability to convert oxygen into energy also decreases as well. So, rather than be discouraged I choose to be determined to keep what I have! Starting early in adult life can help to slow the decline and keep you above the line that many of us cross in old age where you no longer can get up out of a chair, up off the floor, play with the grandkids, go hiking, or even open a jar on your own. Grip strength is a big indicator of an aging person on the way below that line! So what can we do? Start aiming toward 150 min/week of movement, just 20 min a day. Go fast enough to get out of breath then slow down catch your breath and go fast again. This works well and you do not have to stay out of breath which many of us do not like. Also two times a week 15-20 min do some strength training that is focused more on being able to squat, move side to side, core muscle strength like planks to keep your balance and core strength than having washboard abs. For most of us that is a lot more than we are doing and really the washboard abs vs health gives us a lot of wiggle room in the time and energy commitment. So first just be regular and start with 5 min a day and slowly move up. The regular part is key. Studies show A dog to walk, an exercise partner, trainer or class, a sport are what get people to move. For myself I know that if I do not have it scheduled into my day it does not usually happen! This post is from an article in the NYTimes by Danielle Friedman, “How You Should Change Your Workout Once You Hit 40” Thank you Danielle for the inspiration!
Mother Natures antidepressant: Outdoors is a challenge in Austin in the summer time. But it is tolerable to be out in the morning and late evening even if for just 5 minutes. Starting your day with puttering around in your (or your neighbors garden) helps to ground you in your parasympathetic nervous system “the feel good and grounded part of your nervous system” and takes you out of your sympathetic (run from the tiger). Getting natural light in your eyes in the morning helps to set your body for the day and decreases depression. So go look at a flower or sit on a rock for 5 min tomorrow and see how you feel. Remember even 5 min counts.
“If the Buddha Came to Dinner” is an old book I was looking at today for some inspiration. In it she says to make lasting changes you need both awareness and action. We can exert a lot of energy resisting change. “To make room for your new self, you have to prune old patterns” Choosing to respond to your spirits call to action even in tiny ways can have big rewards. Today after my swim I realized that I was not hot outside because I was still wet. I have just finished spending another 30 min outside watering my sad hot plants making them happier and sitting on my porch writing this. So worth being willing!
Post purple pod people hands workout report it had some glitches but was otherwise great!
Hey earthlings! Just keep moving water moment.
Walks, mediation, and being grateful.
NEAT. Activities that are easy to add and increase our healthy longevity. Make your bed it starts your day with activity and intention.
Do something keep it simple🔥
Pilates bar aspirational movement of the day. Habits are hard to start but if we start small with no judgement about how tiny over time it works.
Aspiration for the day compassion for self and others and give up on black and white thinking it is self torture and get back in the saddle and go!
Balance it’s all in the practice.
Hydration and does Connie need some selfie video lessons?
Day #4 of Connie’s Movement without Judgement Challenge
Walking partner… walk with a friend or a furry friend.
Day #2 of Connie’s Movement without Judgement Challenge!
Movement without judgement challenge with Connie. I decided to take my own good advice and choose a date to start some goals and the first thing I am starting with is a commitment to daily movement. I already walk pretty regularly, but my walking partner is getting ready to leave the Texas heat for a couple of months so have to put up some guardrails for myself. You can join me! I will post a daily not prettied up hopefully sweaty post daily musing on what I am doing to meet this goal and hopefully it will give me and anyone who wants to join some inspiration. The most important part though is that anything counts so no judgement about how much, how long, whatever, it is all about finding what works for you not me and what floats your boat in the movement world. Studies show that having a dog to walk, a partner to work out with or a sport are the most successful strategies. Moving and maintaining muscle mass are the most important factors to successful aging. It is hard to maintain muscle if you are not moving and also getting enough protein in your diet. Join me, it will be fun and if nothing else entertaining to watch me try to do self video’s, may need to get some lessons from the 18 year old before she leaves for college! – Connie
Connie prepping for her trip to Hawaii to get in some rest, rejuvenation and snorkeling…
Austin Family Doctor - Dr Donovan Runyan
Western Trails
