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kormyloortho.com
OCTOBER 2020
Formerly known as Kormylo Orthopedic
Attention to Detail and Thinking Outside the Box How I Became a Prosthetic Technician at AP&O
Before I got started as a prosthetic technician here at Advanced Prosthetics & Orthotics, I worked in auto detailing, painting cars and motorcycles. I understand if you think that’s a strange career change, but the previous owner, whom was a friend, noticed one quality I brought to my auto detailing that would translate perfectly to my work as a prosthetic technician: attention to detail. If you’ve ever received a prosthesis specially made from our office, you know that each one is like a thumbprint, uniquely suited to each patient for their daily life and the activities they love doing. Creating and laminating prostheses is a very detail-oriented job; each one requires extra special attention. While I may have started working at AP&O five years ago because of my friendship with the previous owner and my previous work experience, I’ve stayed on because I’ve seen just how much our work helps our patients. At our office, I’ve seen countless people take their first steps in months. Maybe this was your story. When patients first come through our door, they’ve often made due with suboptimal tools for getting through their day. They’ve managed, but they haven’t thrived — they haven’t been able to get back to the activities they loved before their amputation. At Advanced Prosthetics & Orthotics, I’ve been able to help patients go beyond their first steps and get back to hunting, running, mountain biking, or lifting at the gym. In short, this work is very, very rewarding. That’s not to say the job doesn’t have any challenges. When no two patients’ needs are exactly the same, it makes it difficult to streamline many steps. I have to pay attention to each patient’s specific needs and get to know the person beyond the specifics of their amputation. I have to think outside the box and constantly adapt to new situations. It’s never easy, but sometimes I get to draw on my experiences outside of the office to help my patients.
For example, a few months ago, I got to develop a lower arm prosthesis for a patient that would
help him get back to mountain biking. Outside of the office, I’m a national level BMX racer. While BMX is not the same thing as mountain biking, there are enough similarities that I could
incorporate my knowledge of the mechanics of riding a bike into the design of the prosthesis. This interest also gave me a way to connect with the client beyond just making their prosthesis.
The job is as exhausting as it is exhilarating. I don’t always get everything right on the first try, and I have to learn from my mistakes and go back to the drawing board. However, when I get to see patients take their first steps at the office, it's all worth it. If you’re planning on coming into our office at some point, I look forward to working with you!
–Andy Andree
“Creating and laminating prostheses is a very detail-oriented job; each one requires extra special attention.”
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3 QUICK TIPS FOR GETTING ORGANIZED
You’ll never be able to control every little aspect of your life, but with the right organizational strategies, you can come pretty close. The first week of October is National Get Organized Week, and whether you need that whole week, just a day, or much, much longer, here are a few tips to help you tidy up. An Organized House Means an Organized State of Mind
Make your bed.
A Previously Unknown Benefit of Vitamin D DOES VITAMIN D HELP OUR BONES AND OUR MUSCLES?
“But I’m just going to get right back in it tonight!” you might protest. However, making your bed is more of a psychological trick for getting organized than an actual organizational task. When you spend just 2–3 minutes putting your sheets and pillows where they need to go every morning, it’s like a warmup for your organizational muscles. Suddenly, putting away laundry or organizing the junk on your nightstand doesn’t seem so hard!
Create daily (and weekly) organizational routines.
As the weather cools and the days get shorter, we can’t rely as much on the sun for our daily dose of vitamin D. The primary function of vitamin D is regulating the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are necessary for strengthening our bones and teeth, which becomes increasingly important as we age and our bones naturally become more brittle. While these benefits of vitamin D are well documented, did you know that getting your daily dose of vitamin D can also contribute to healthier muscles? A few years ago, researchers published a study that seemed to show that vitamin D could potentially help people gain muscle mass. While the research team said their results weren’t conclusive, their findings were certainly interesting. Vitamin D enters the body in an inactive form. It doesn’t become active until it comes in contact with the right enzymes in either the liver or the kidneys. To learn more about what factors affect this vitamin’s rate of absorption and activation in the body, researchers observed the levels of inactive vitamin D in 116 women ages 20–74. What they found was that women with higher muscle mass had lower levels of inactive vitamin D, while women with lower muscle mass had higher levels of inactive vitamin D. The conclusion researchers drew was that active vitamin D might help optimize muscle strength. While that conclusion is not ironclad, vitamin D’s other well-known benefits still make it worth getting your daily dose. It can aid weight loss, enhance mood, support cardiovascular health, boost the immune system, and strengthen bones, among many other benefits. So, its potential muscle-boosting properties are just another reason to get more vitamin D. To get more of this important vitamin in your diet, try adding salmon, mushrooms, and even canned tuna to your menu. Also, as winter approaches, it might be time to start taking a vitamin D supplement. Whether you’re 20 or 74 years old, it’s never too late to find ways to strengthen your muscles.
Clutter doesn’t just pop up overnight. It’s the result of weeks, months, or even years of saying, “I’ll get to that later.” Take 15–30 minutes at the end of the day to wash dishes, put stray items in their places, and organize your work station for the following day. For those tasks that take a little longer, like deep-cleaning, schedule and dedicate two or three days a month for them. With these habits, you'll be sure to stay ahead of the clutter.
Throw things away (or donate them).
Take stock of everything in your home, including your shoe collection and what's in your kitchen cabinets and junk drawer. How much of it do you really use? While better storage mechanisms can keep clutter at bay for a time, the only real way to fight clutter is to make sure it never builds in the first place. Have garage sales, donate items to thrift stores, or, if it’s sufficiently junky, just throw away what you don’t need. A decluttered house is a peaceful house! As more and more of us are working remotely, keeping our home clean is more important than ever. An organized, peaceful home means an organized, peaceful workspace and an organized, peaceful state of mind.
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How to Live a Healthier Lifestyle With Type 2 Diabetes
When you’re living with Type 2 diabetes, your risk for developing life-threatening diseases such as heart disease
health and decreasing your susceptibility to dangerous diseases. You should do your best to avoid consuming too much sodium, fat, and sugar by opting for whole grains over refined grains and choosing lean, skinless meat whenever you can. Also, avoid sugary drinks unless you need to raise your blood sugar level. Exercise Just two and a half hours of moderate-intensity exercise every week (that amounts to 30 minutes of exercise five days per week) can drastically boost your longevity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Moderate-intensity exercises include cycling, gardening, and taking a brisk walk. Keep Your Stress in Check The world feels especially stressful right now, and all that stress can cause your blood pressure to soar and increase your susceptibility to heart disease if you have diabetes. De-stress by using techniques like breathing exercises, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation. You can find tutorials for all these and more online. These healthy lifestyle habits for people with Type 2 diabetes may not be revolutionary, but sometimes the best ways to improve your health are straightforward and simply require commitment and consistency.
and kidney disease is much higher. Fortunately, there are things
you can do to decrease your chances of developing other conditions on top of your diabetes. To learn more about these healthy habits, read on.
Stop Smoking Even if you don’t have diabetes, smoking can seriously damage your health. However, if you do have Type 2 diabetes, the risk to your blood vessels, heart, kidneys, and nerves could be even more severe. No matter how long you’ve been smoking, remember: Quitting is always an option! Don’t let this habit be what prevents you from living as healthy a lifestyle as possible. Improve Your Diet A balanced diet that includes lots of vegetables, fruits, fats, starches, and proteins can go a long way toward improving your overall
SUDOKU
CLASSIC PUMPKIN SOUP
Pumpkins aren’t just for pie — they make delicious soup, too! This fall, try your hand at this healthy soup recipe and warm up with a bowl. INGREDIENTS
• • • • • • • • • • •
1 tbsp olive oil 2 shallots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced 2 1/4 cups pumpkin purée (homemade or canned) 2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup canned light coconut milk
2 tbsp honey 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté olive oil, shallots, and garlic for 2–3 minutes. 2. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. 3. Transfer the soup to a blender and purée. Pour the blended soup back into the pan. 4. Cook over medium-low heat for 5–10 minutes. Taste and add additional seasoning as desired, then serve!
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
175 N. Benjamin Lane Boise, ID 83704 208-377-4024
3906 E. Flamingo Ave. Nampa, ID 83687 208-466-4360
Formerly known as Kormylo Orthopedic
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1 How Andy Andree Became a Prosthetic Technician at AP&O
2 A Previously Unknown Benefit of Vitamin D 2 3 Quick Tips for Getting Organized 3 Tips for Healthier Living with Type 2 Diabetes 3 Classic Pumpkin Soup
4 Weird and Wacky Halloween Laws
SPOOKY CITY REGULATIONS Halloween Laws Across the U.S.
Halloween can be a mischievous holiday. The most innocent of us reserve it for backyard parties and trick- or-treating, but some like to get a little rowdier
area. From midnight on Oct. 31 until noon on Nov. 1, no one is allowed to spray, sell, or distribute Silly String in public locations. Use of Silly String got so popular in the city on Halloween that the mess left behind became a strain on sanitation workers, and the city sympathized with them. Belleville, Illinois: No 8th Graders Trick-or-treating is most often viewed as an activity reserved for younger generations, but how do you determine what age is “too old” for this type of generally good-natured fun? Well, the city of Belleville settled the ambiguity by passing a law restricting teenagers who are past the eighth grade — generally older than 13 — from going door to door on Halloween. Walnut, California: No Masks Without Permits In a simpler time, there was no paperwork required to celebrate Halloween to the fullest. But in the city of Walnut, no one can wear a mask or other disguise on public streets without a permit from the sheriff. The law doesn’t specify any exceptions, so residents are left to assume that everyone from age 5 to 100 must abide. Whatever your Halloween celebrations might look like this year, it’s important to have fun, but remember to abide by any rules or laws your city might have in place in an effort to keep its citizens safe.
than others. That’s exactly why various city councils across the U.S. have passed some seemingly unusual laws to regulate spooky festivities.
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware: No Sunday
Trick-or-Treating If Halloween falls on a Sunday, children in Rehoboth Beach are required to trick- or-treat the night before. The explanation in the city code is simple, but ambiguous: to prevent children and their guardians from going door to door on Sunday evenings. Rehoboth Beach law also forbids children from roaming the streets on Halloween “with the intent to cause trouble,” but what exactly that means is ambiguous as well.
Hollywood, California: No Silly String The Los Angeles City Council has banned Silly String and all other brands of aerosol string from use on Halloween in the Hollywood
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