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Tasos Papachristoudis

Grinnell Regional Medical Center announces the hiring of Anastasios “Tasos” Papachristoudis to serve as an insurance enrollment counselor. Tasos will work with individuals to explore their health insurance options on the new Health Insurance Marketplace through healthcare.gov.

The Affordable Care Act requires everyone legally living in the U.S. to have health insurance. If you currently do not have health insurance, you are required to sign up during open enrollment, from October 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014. You can shop for plans by phone, through a broker, at on-site enrollment locations, or at the online Health Insurance Marketplace. If you choose not to enroll for insurance, the law states that you will face tax penalties.

Tasos is available by appointment to help provide assistance with insurance enrollment on the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call him at 641-236-2566 or email at tpapachristoudis@grmc.us to set up an appointment.  

26 Million Americans

Today is World Diabetes Day, an official United Nations World Day, and a great opportunity to raise awareness of this disease.

26 million Americans live with diabetes and another 79 million have what is known as pre-diabetes, a condition that significantly increases their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes in 2012 is $245 billion, including $176 billion in direct medical costs and $69 billion in reduced productivity. *

According to the National Institutes of Health, diabetes can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, stroke, amputation, and even death.

Are you at risk?

There are many factors that increase your risk for diabetes. To find out about your risk, go to http://ndep.nih.gov/am-i-at-risk/DiabetesRiskFactors.aspx and review their checklist.

*National Diabetes Education Program: A program of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://ndep.nih.gov/

Should you get a flu shot?

Sources: American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; Mayo Clinic; Reuters, Huffington Post

It's here. Officials at the Iowa Department of Public Health say that seasonal influenza has been identified in the state. Early strains were type-A, the strain that IDPH says can cause more serious illness.

Healthcare providers are not required to report influenza to IDPH, so it is logical to assume that there are more cases of seasonal influenza in the state than what is being reported.

Seasonal flu is not the 'stomach flu' or a '24-hour bug.'

According to IDPH, the flu is a respiratory illness caused by viruses. The flu comes on suddenly and symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. Illness typically lasts two to seven days. Influenza may cause severe illness or even death in people such as the very young or the very old, or those who have underlying health conditions.

Vaccination is the best defense against influenza. Flu shots are available by appointment by calling Grinnell Regional Public Health at 641-236-2385.

Strengthen your defense against influenza beyond the vaccine and help prevent the spread of illness with the 3C's:

• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Clean your hands frequently
• Contain germs by staying home when ill

Reduce your risk of getting seasonal flu with a vaccine and following good hygiene.

Got Scars?

Relief from Scar Tissue

Even the smallest scar can have a major affect on a body’s ability to function and a person’s overall health.

GRMC’s massage therapists now offer a technique that centers on fascia release in the body.  

Fascia, defined in the simplest terms, is a web of connective tissue in the human body that holds us together. It’s three dimensional and extends from head to toe, front to back, and inside to outside the body. Scar tissue is fibrous tissue that deposits during repair or healing, replacing normal tissue or skin after injury. When scar tissue replaces the body’s fascia tissue, the body’s functionality changes.

In the long-term, scars can cause nerve impingement, pain, limited motion and flexibility, postural misalignment, and other effects, depending on its location, severity, and age.

Jamie Hodina, GRMC massage therapist, explains how the new therapy offered at Postels Community Health Park helps patients.

“The F.A.S.T. Release Method helps an injury heal and the fascia to return to a state prior to the injury or surgery. Anytime after 18 weeks following the injury, we can begin this therapy to help the fascia tissue heal and reduce pain associated with the tightness and hardening of tissue during healing,” Hodina says. “Each person and area of the body responds differently.”

Muscle and tissue have memory so this therapy can take several sessions to retrain the muscle memory. Hodina says she can work with patients who have any scar tissue, for example, from abdominal surgery, C-sections, incisions /surgeries on the arms and legs, hernias, even heart surgery.

“I like doing this massage therapy because it shows results right away. Patients have commented on the immediate difference this makes. But because the muscle wants to revert back, we have to retrain the memory to the new ‘relaxed’ state. I have several women who have had C-sections and were experiencing back pain. This therapy has shown significant relief for them.”

For more information about scar tissue massage, call Postels Community Health Park at 641-236-2953. 

Halloween Fun at GRMC

At GRMC, we have a Celebration Council made up of employees who plan fun activities throughout the year. After all, we spend a lot of time at work with our teammates and having the opportunity to enjoy each other's company during a break in the action is always welcome.This year, the Celebration Council planned a pumpkin decorating contest. Here are some snaps of the very creative designs that GRMC staff brought to share this week.

Some are popular - like Si Robertson!

Some are very clever!

Some are medical or traditional.

Some are very cute!

And for some, there simply are no words. 

Be on the watch for our little trick or treaters out and about tonight. 

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Artificial Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes: How Much is Too Much?

by Lily Taylor, RD, LD, GRMC Clinical Dietitian

It's hard to know, isn't it?

We know that too much sugar is not good for us. But what about the alternatives?

Common artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes have little to no calories in each serving. Listed below are a few available types that you might see in stores now:

Aspartame - also known as Equal or NutraSweet is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It was discovered in 1965 at a pharmaceutical company, approved by the FDA in 1981.

Sucralose - also known as Splenda. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar and was discovered at a British college and approved by the FDA in 1998. Made from sugar.

Saccharin - also known as Sweet n' Low. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar and discovered in 1879 at Johns Hopkins University.

Stevia - known also as Truvia - is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar and comes from the leaves of a plant native to Central and South America.

Are they safe?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved six sugar substitutes to be on the market. These are sucralose, saccharin, stevia, acesulfame-K, and neotame. The FDA reviewed more than 100 safety studies on sweeteners before approving their use. People who have the hereditary disease, phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid aspartame. In women who are pregnant, saccharin is known to cross the placenta and accumulate in fetal tissue. It isn't clear if that is harmful to the baby at this point, but it may be a good idea to avoid saccharin if you are pregnant. 

How much is too much?
The acceptable daily intake (ADI) or recommended daily limit depends on a person's weight. The ADI has a safety net factored in, too. Scientists determined what the minimum amount would be that a person would have to consume to see a negative effect, and the ADI is one one-hundredth that amount, to be on the safe side. Consuming sweeteners at these amounts could lead to adverse health effects. 

Check out the tables below to see how much is too much for a 150-pound adult and a 50-pound child.

150 Pound Adult Acceptable Daily Intake
Sweetener	# of 12 oz cans of diet soda to reach the ADI	# of artificial sweetener packets to reach the ADI
Acesulfame-K*	25.6	20.4
Aspartame	17	97.4
Saccharin	2.4	8.6
Sucralose	4.8	68.2
Stevia	Product info not available, sodas containing stevia are not widely available at this time	30

50 Pound Child Acceptable Daily Intake
Sweetener	# of 12 oz cans of diet soda to reach the ADI	# of artificial sweetener packets to reach the ADI
Acesulfame-K	8.6	6.8
Aspartame	5.6	32.4
Saccharin	0.8	2.8
Sucralose	1.6	22.8
Stevia	Product info not available, sodas containing stevia are not widely available at this time	10

The choice is up to you for how you want to satisfy that sweet tooth, whether you use sugar, artificial sweeteners, or sugar substitutes. The bottom line is that moderation is usually best when it comes to healthy eating and decision making. 

What You Need to Know about the New Health Insurance Marketplace

Click here to watch a new video from the Iowa Hospital Association and American Hospital Association on what you need to know about the new Health Insurance Marketplace.