Back to School, Back to School

While schools won’t start until after the 2016 Iowa State Fair wraps up on August 21, it's a good idea to take a couple of steps to set students up for a safe, healthy year. Here are five back-to-school health tips to consider.

1. Get vaccinated

Grinnell Regional Public Health follows the CDC’s recommendations for childhood vaccinations. The state of Iowa requires certain vaccinations for children entering school and seventh grade. http://www.idph.state.ia.us/ImmTB/Immunization.aspx?prog=Imm&pg=Laws. Check with your primary provider and your school to make sure your child is protected. If you need a vaccine, call Grinnell Regional Public Health for an appointment at 641-236-2385. View the Immunization Clinic schedule at http://www.grmc.us/services/public-health.

2. Get rested

Transitioning to regular bedtimes for students the week prior to school’s start date will help make those first mornings of the school year less stressful and help students begin the year well rested. Most children and adolescents need more than eight hours of sleep each night. Teen bodies’ internal clocks often do change and they may want to sleep on a different schedule. Find a compromise that gets them enough sleep and gets them to school on time. To get younger kids ready to wake up for school, adjust their bedtimes a little earlier each night for a week or two before school starts. Sticking to a routine is important too – avoid adjusting bedtimes on weekends.

3. Get nourished

A healthy diet can have a huge impact on how well your child does during the school day. Start with a breakfast with protein, whole grains, fruits, and dairy. The Institute of Medicine recommends that 10 to 30 percent of the calories a child over age three takes in should come from protein. On average, this equates to 19 grams of protein daily for boys and girls aged 4 to 9, and 34 grams of protein per day for kids aged 9 to 13. As they reach adolescence, boys need more protein than girls. Between the ages 14 to 18, boys should get about 52 grams of protein daily, while girls need approximately 46 grams of protein per day. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods

4. Get sparkling

Well, kids don’t and won’t sparkle but you do want to teach them to have good hand washing and hygiene habits. Require that they wash their hands before every meal, after using the toilet, after sneezing, and anytime that their hands are dirty. It’s that simple! Teach your children to cover their cough with a tissue or elbow and to wash their hands afterward. Many school classrooms have hand sanitizer available to students with the admirable goal of minimizing the spread of germs in schools. Everyone can help! http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/protect/cdc_cough.pdf

5. Get comfortable

Starting school may be stressful for your child and you. Watch for stress-related health issues – not sleeping well, stomachaches, headaches, and withdrawn behavior. Help your child manage stress by engaging in conversation, and taking care not to overload schedules—including your own. Schoolwork and after-school activities are important, but taking time to relax, play, and spend time as a family is important in decompressing and fostering relationships. Build quiet time into the day to talk with your child and comfort them about stressors in their school day.

Remember that the healthy habits you create and enforce with your children during their school years will affect their habits as adults in the working world. You play an important role in their success now and in the future.

Pick Your Poisonous Plant

The sun is out, the weather is beautiful, and it’s the perfect time to be outside. Unfortunately, hot weather clothing leaves a lot of skin exposed—skin that can get burned by several kinds of plants; wild parsnip, poison ivy, stinging nettle, and wood nettle, to name a few. While total avoidance of all poisonous plants may not be realistic for your lifestyle, following the upcoming instructions may help reduce long-term effects of contact.

If you come into contact with a poisonous plant, you should wash the affected area immediately, using water and a grease fighting soap, such as dish detergent. Make sure not to rub your eyes until you’re sure that your hands are completely clean—poisonous plant oils are known to cause blindness.

Over-the-counter lotions, wet compresses, oatmeal baths, and antihistamines may help relieve itching. However, prevention is the best medicine. Despite the heat, it’s a good idea to wear long sleeves and pants when walking through ditches or the woods, as it can save you from a lot of pain caused by contact with poisonous plants. If you’re intent on wearing shorts, you should know how to identify each plant so that you can avoid it. Click here to see what poisonous plants in Iowa look like.

Wild parsnip has been in the news a lot lately, as it’s spreading rapidly across the country. The oil from the plant reacts with sunlight to form painful blisters that can cause scarring. If you’re still outside when you notice a reaction beginning, cover the exposed area to keep the reaction from worsening. From May to July, it sports yellow flowers that look a bit like a dill plant, and is one of the most common yellow flowers. Upon discovery, you should alert whoever owns the property, or remove it yourself, as it grows aggressively and could take over large stretches of land. However large the patch is, don’t mow it! Getting tiny bits of wild parsnip to the face is extremely painful and could potentially blind you. Instead, try wearing heavy protective clothing and weeding the plants out by hand.

 Non flowering:                                       

May through July:

Poison ivy also poses a threat to your skin. While it may not cause a reaction the first time, most people react the second; even if it hasn’t bothered you before, use caution. People have allergic reactions to plant oils, which can burn or blister skin. How do you avoid it? Remember, “Leaflets three, let them be!” Poison ivy can be a freestanding small plant, or a vine growing on something else. In the late summer to the winter, it sports small white berries. Again, don’t mow the plant, and especially don’t burn it, as the smoke may burn your lungs and nasal passages. Wear heavy protective gear and get rid of it through good old-fashioned weeding.

The last two poisonous Iowa plants are cousins—stinging nettles and wood nettles. Like a tiny syringe, the plant hairs inject acid into your skin, causing a reaction. Less dangerous than wild parsnip or poison ivy, the reaction should clear up in just a few minutes. The leaves are green, arranged opposite each other, and hairy.

As with most ills, should you experience a severe reaction by showing signs of swelling; if the rash is located on the face or genitals; or if the reaction is affecting your breathing, seek medical attention. Our emergency department is open 24/7.

Sources:

http://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/DNR-News-Releases/ArticleID/143/How-to-Identify-Iowa%E2%80%99s-Poisonous-Plants

http://www.healthunit.org/hazards/dangerousweeds.html

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/plants/

http://www.nyis.info/index.php?action=invasive_detail&id=61

Written by Anya Silva, GRMC summer intern

The Dog Days of Summer

Temperatures this week are predicted to rise, with highs reaching 99 degrees and heat index values predicted to reach between 105 and 115 degrees, at times. The heat index is to summer as the wind chill is to winter; it greatly affects what it feels like outside.

The developing heat wave has caused the National Weather Service to issue heat alerts for over a dozen states throughout the Midwest. Over half the counties in Iowa will be affected by this extreme heat, including Poweshiek County. Click here to see if your county is under an excessive heat watch.

Extreme heat and excessive humidity create a potentially deadly combination. The best way to stay safe during the excessive heat watch is by knowing what symptoms to watch out for and how to respond if those symptoms are expressed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), muscle cramping can be the first sign of heat-related illness, and can lead to more extreme illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke if left untreated.

Read over the following symptoms to identify heat exhaustion and heat stroke and learn what to do if you or someone around you is showing signs of either illness.

Heat Exhaustion:

• Heavy sweating
• Tiredness or weakness
• Cold, pale, and clammy skin
• Fast, weak pulse
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fainting

What You Should Do:

• Move to a cooler location.
• Lie down and loosen clothing.
• Apply cool, wet cloths to as much of your body as possible.
• Sip water.
• If you have vomited and it continues, seek medical attention immediately.

Heat Stroke:

• High body temperature (above 103°F)
• Hot, red, dry, or moist skin
• Rapid, strong pulse
• Throbbing headache, dizziness, or confusion
• Possible unconsciousness

What You Should Do:

• Call 911 immediately.
• Move the person to a cooler environment.
• Reduce the person's body temperature with cool cloths or even a bath.
• Do NOT give fluids.

Remember – heat stroke happens when heat exhaustion is left unattended. If symptoms do not resolve after an hour, or the person has heart or blood pressure issues, please seek immediate medical attention.

To help you beat the heat, there will be a cooling center available at Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s cafeteria, starting on Wednesday, July 20, until Friday, July 22, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The cooling center provides a refreshing environment to those who might not have air conditioning in their homes. If you do go outdoors, please try to abide by the safety tips outlined below to stay cooler.

• Stay hydrated – drink plenty of fluids and replace salt and minerals. Drinking something like Gatorade can help you do both at once!
• Pace yourself – work slowly and take breaks in the shade often.
• Limit strenuous outdoor activities.
• Use a buddy system – watch others for signs of heat-induced illness.
• Check in on elderly, sick, and those without AC.
• Wear light, loose-fitting clothing and sunscreen.
• Never leave children or pets unattended in cars!

Written by Miranda Jones, GRMC summer intern

Wicked Wet Willies

Otitis externa—Mother Nature’s painful wet willy—is commonly referred to as swimmer’s ear. Swimmers typically spend a significant amount of time in the water, allowing ample opportunity for water to become entrapped in the ear canal, hence the common name swimmer’s ear.

No, you don’t have to swim in a pool, or even be near a pool, to get swimmer’s ear. Water can become stuck in the ear canals during a bath, shower, or even bobbing for apples. Heat increases the growing rate for bacteria, causing a spike in ear infections during the summer months. Warm, wet ear canals are prime breeding real estate for bacteria, resulting in a painful infection within the outer ear canal.

Anyone who has suffered from swimmer’s ear is all too familiar with its irritating symptoms including:
• Itchiness
• Swelling
• Sound of liquid in ear
• Pain when ear is touched
• Muffled hearing
 • Pus draining from ear

Fear not, there are numerous ways to avoid falling victim to the villainous swimmer’s ear.  If your ears have been exposed to water, the CDC suggests the following techniques to expel any retained water from the ears.
• Thoroughly dry ears with a towel
• Turn your head so your ear is facing down and tug on your earlobe
• Hold a hair dryer a few inches away on the lowest setting and blow into your ear

Remember to avoid sticking anything into your ears, such as your finger or a q-tip; it can damage the ear canal, or potentially burst an ear drum.

If you are experiencing pain or discomfort in either or both of your ears, please go to the Manatt Family Urgent Care center or your primary care provider.  If ear aches or discomfort continues,   contact GRMC’s visiting Otolaryngologists—ear, nose, and throat specialists—at 1-800-642-6217 to set up an appointment. 

To learn more about swimmer’s ear, check out the CDC’s Swimmer’s Ear Fact Sheet at: http://bit.ly/29kKYB3

Written by Nick Moorehead, GRMC summer intern

Beat the Heat While on Your Feet

Warmer weather means rifling through the snow boots and winter coats in the closet in search of long-forgotten running shoes. No matter if you’re slipping into your new out-of-the-box Nikes or Brooks that have more miles on them than your car, all runners need to respect our solar system’s central flaming ball of gas, the sun. If you’re running for the first time or the hundredth, here are a couple tips to help stay a few paces ahead of the heat.

Midwest scorchers can reach in excess of 100°F—not exactly an ideal temperature to experiment whether you can pick up where you left off in the fall. Acclimation to high temperatures is necessary to avoid heat-related health issues. The human body takes roughly two weeks to familiarize itself to heat. During this period, individuals should shorten their runs and cut back on their speed. Pushing your body too hard before your body is acclimated can cause heat stroke, exhaustion, fainting, and a slew of other health issues onset by heat. Mornings and evenings are ideal times to squeeze a run in, as the sun is not high in the sky.

Help your body dissipate heat in style. No, we’re not suggesting you don a Rocky Balboa sweat suit in the blazing heat. Instead, wear light, loose athletic clothing on your run. Lighter clothing reflects heat, opposed to darker colors that literally turn runners into heat magnets. Loose clothing allows better air flow and doesn’t trap heat against your body. Athletic clothing composed of synthetic blends help wick sweat away from the body. Areas of the body that are not protected from the sun should be slathered in SPF 30 sunscreen—think of it as a camouflage against UV rays; if it can’t ‘see’ you, it can’t easily harm you.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  Hydrate before you run. Hydrate during your run. Hydrate after your run.   Want to know if you’re properly hydrated? Give your urine a quick visual check; it should be a pale yellow color, think light, refreshing lemonade pale. While running, try to consume four to eight ounces of fluid every 20 minutes.  The faster you’re running, the more fluid you should be consuming. It’s like miles per gallon, or miles per ounces, in this scenario. You can’t run for long without fuel. A few easy wa

ys to hydrate on the run include strapping on a hydration pack, planting water bottles throughout your route, or planning a course that goes by drinking fountains. Staying hydrated will help fight off headaches, fatigue, and cramps.

Hopefully these few tips will help you enjoy your summer runs—or at least not despise them as much.

Sources:
https://www.verywell.com/hydration-and-running-2911541

http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/how-to-prepare-for-racing-in-hot-weather

Written by Nick Moorehead, GRMC summer intern

Fortify Yourself from a Firework Fiasco

Fireworks during the Fourth of July are about as American as apple pie. With the Fourth of July right around the corner, keep fireworks safety at the forefront of your mind.

According to the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA), consumer fireworks retailers are reporting a sales increase of approximately $50 million from last year as families begin to prepare for Fourth of July celebrations. While there is typically an increase in fireworks purchases around the Fourth of July, the additional projected sales increase means consumers should become educated about fireworks safety to decrease their chances of injury.

The risk of potential injury can result from any consumer fireworks, from sparklers to roman candles. Reports from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission conclude the potential for injury increases around the Fourth of July. Between June 20, 2014, and July 20, 2014, there were an estimated 7,000 fireworks-related injuries that accounted for 67 percent of the total estimated fireworks-related injuries during the year.

The APA created a safety guide that they encourage consumers to become familiar with before purchasing or using fireworks. Review the APA’s helpful tips so you and your family can stay safe this Fourth of July.

·                            Before purchasing fireworks, check your local regulations regarding fireworks use. For instance, many communities do not allow fireworks to be used inside city limits and during burn bans, and some communities have age limits for purchasing fireworks.

·                            Purchase fireworks from an accredited company that sells legal fireworks.

·                            After purchasing fireworks, always store them in a cool, dry place.

·                            Determine a safe location for use in an open area with a connected hose, bucket of water, or other water source nearby.

·                            Make sure to follow all instructions on the packaging for safe use.

·                            Never let children handle or operate fireworks.

·                            After using your fireworks, allow used fireworks to stand for at least 20 minutes, then soak the remaining tubes and materials in water, drain, place in a plastic bag and dispose outside in a covered trash can.

·                            Be thoughtful to those among us – such as military service men and women and even pets and other animals – that may have sensitivities to the loud noises fireworks can generate.

If your plans include lighting off fireworks this holiday weekend, remember every consumer fireworks injury is preventable. Taking precautions while handling fireworks big or small can keep you from getting burned.

While fireworks safety is a concern, the State Fire Marshal Office reminds people about the consequences of illegal fireworks use this time of year. Legal fireworks in the state of Iowa include novelties and sparklers while all other consumer fireworks are still illegal. People illegally shooting off fireworks could be fined for a simple misdemeanor. If property damage or personal injury resulting from illegal firework use, you can be held criminally responsible.

Below are the Iowa laws for consumer fireworks.

Permitted:

·         Gold sparklers containing no magnesium, chlorate or perchlorate, flitter sparklers in paper tubes not more that ⅛” inch diameter, and snakes containing no mercury.

Prohibited:

·         Firecrackers, torpedoes, skyrockets, roman candles, and any other explosive composition or combination of explosive substances prepared to produce a visible or audible effect, excluding the items specifically permitted.

Not sure when or where the fireworks are happening? Check out https://fireworksiniowa.com/ to find professional fireworks displays throughout Iowa.

Sources:
http://www.americanpyro.com/backyard-fireworks-tips

http://www.cpsc.gov//Global/Research-and-Statistics/Injury-Statistics/Fuel-Lighters-and-Fireworks/Fireworks_Report_2014.pdf

http://www.americanpyro.com/assets/docs/Media_Messages/HandKMessaging/finalurgingfireworkssafetyrelease.pdf

http://www.americanpyro.com/assets/docs/State_Laws/ia16.pdf

Written by Miranda Jones, GRMC summer intern

US Army Veteran Joins GRFP Ranks

With Flag Day in the rearview mirror and Independence Day on the horizon, it’s important to recognize those who serve our country. U.S.  Army veteran and Massachusetts native, Robert Koller, DO, will be joining his new unit, Grinnell Regional Family Practice on Monday, July 18, 2016.

Serving alongside Roy Doorenbos, MD; Michelle Rebelsky, MD; Jacob Boyer, PA; and Kristen Phelps, PA; Koller will be accepting all patients, including obstetrics and geriatrics. Koller’s addition to the all-star lineup will allow GRFP to extend their regular hours until 6 p.m. Additionally, Koller will be providing his services at the Deer Creek Family Practice Care Clinic in Toledo once a week.

Accessible and approachable – this is how Koller wants his patients to view him, made possible by creating a mutually trusting relationship. Bringing a broad medical background with him, Koller is a natural detective with a passion for solving medical issues. He will be scheduling same-day appointments as frequently as possible with patients who require immediate attention.

Koller enjoys spending his free time with his wife Janet, strumming a few chords on his guitar, reading a good book, and serving at church.

For more information about Dr. Koller or to schedule an appointment, please call Grinnell Regional Family Practice at 641-236-2500.