WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is asking the Obama Administration to explain a new requirement that employers certify that they did not reduce their workforce to become eligible for a delay in complying with Obamacare.

"If the Obama Administration is so certain that PPACA (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) will not lead to a reduction in employment, it begs the question: What is the point of the certification process?," Grassley wrote in a letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.  "The requested information is completely unnecessary, unless the Administration believes the employer mandate is so harmful to businesses that they would rather reduce their workforce than comply.

"The regulation appears to be no more than political theatre, designed to provide the Administration with an unverifiable talking point that employers did not lay off workers in order to avoid complying with PPACA. If the Administration believes, as I do, that the employer mandate will cost jobs, the responsible thing to do would be to ask Congress to repeal this provision."

The health care law requires employers to provide insurance to their workers or pay a penalty.  The Obama Administration has imposed several delays of the mandate, most recently announcing that employers with 50 to 99 full-time employees will be exempt from the employer mandate until January 2016.  To be eligible for the delay, an employer must certify that it has between 50 and 99 employees, and that it has not reduced its workforce to fall into that category.  Grassley believes the certification appears pointless and unverifiable.

The text of Grassley's letter is available here.

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Shares Tips for Those Who Suspect They
May Have a Drinking Problem

College students with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) drink more alcohol than their peers, according to a new study published earlier this year in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

In addition to the problems normally associated with alcohol abuse, the students' heavier drinking also exacerbates their PTSD symptoms, the study found.

"The study doesn't identify what traumas led to the students' stress disorder, but it's safe to assume a good portion of them are survivors of child abuse and/or neglect," says Rayne E. Golay, psychotherapist, child advocate and award-winning author of The Wooden Chair, (www.raynegolay.com), a novel that illustrates the post-traumatic stress in the wake of child abuse and neglect.

Parental alcoholism is often a factor in child abuse and neglect. It's compounded by the risk that as adults, these children model their behavior on their parent - including drinking alcoholically.

Golay, who specializes in addictions counseling, says that in her many years in practice, she saw one common misconception among her alcoholic patients: They all believed that their drinking didn't affect anybody but themselves.

"That's simply not true. In a home with an alcoholic parent, everyone suffers, the most vulnerable being the children," Golay says. "They live in an insecure and unstable home, and because the alcoholic parent's behavior is unpredictable and terrifying, the children learn to be constantly on guard."

Not everyone who drinks alcohol is an alcoholic, Golay is quick to note. And she's not anti-alcohol. However, she urges parents and young adults to seriously evaluate whether alcohol is a problem in their lives, because there are solutions.

Golay offers these suggestions for people who suspect alcohol may play too important a part in their lives:

• Ask yourself the following questions; if you answer "yes" to one, alcohol may be a problem in your life.
Have you had the morning after drink? Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble? Does your drinking cause problems at home? Do you tell yourself you can stop any time you want although you keep getting drink? Have you neglected your duties because of drinking? Has anybody suggested you should stop drinking?

• Try having one drink every day for a month.
"One drink -- that is, 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor -- one drink, no more, no less," Golay says. "If you can do that, you're probably not an alcoholic." She suggests this test because most alcoholics can remain completely abstinent for a length of time, but they're unable to stop after one drink. To an alcoholic, one drink is too much and a million isn't enough.

• If you think alcohol is a problem, a 28-day Minnesota Model treatment program gives good results. Golay mentions Faith Based Treatment (www.SoberRecovery.com), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (www.samhsa.gov) among other options.

The residential Minnesota Model combines detox and counseling built around the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (www.aa.org). Individualized, it includes the patient's family.

"It's effective because it starts with detox from all mood-altering chemicals, which is
imperative for lasting sobriety," Golay says. "It also aims to break down denial. It forces
the patient to take a serious look at the consequences of alcohol in his or her life."
No matter which treatment the individual chooses, aftercare and continued attendance     
at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are of vital importance for lifelong sobriety.

"When the protagonist, Leini, in my book The Wooden Chair, is a young woman, she realizes that she's relying more and more on alcohol to cope with daily life," Golay says.

"Leini also recognizes that the abuse she suffered as a child and her parent's drinking are family patterns passed down to her from her maternal grandmother through her own mother. In my book The Wooden Chair, Leini determines to end this cycle by getting professional help."

About Rayne E. Golay

Rayne E. Golay, (http://www.raynegolay.com/), is a certified drug and alcohol counselor whose work with addicts informs her understanding and insights into the consequences of child abuse. She has a Master's in Psychology and is a lifelong reader and writer. The Wooden Chair, published in 2013 by Untreed Reads, won the Royal Palm Literary Award for mainstream literature in the 2005 Florida Writers Association's competition.  She hopes that this story inspires witnesses to speak up for children whom they suspect are suffering from any form of abuse and/or neglect.

A comprehensive program to manage high blood pressure and high cholesterol without the use of drugs

 

MOLINE, IL.  February 14, 2014–This month Healing Lotus Acupuncture is introducing Cardio - Acupuncture to the Quad Cities in coordination with the observance of the American Heart Month.  The goal of this program is to lower the risk of heart disease, by lowering both cholesterol and blood pressure, and promoting a heart healthy lifestyle.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, about 600,000 Americans die from heart disease every year; that's 1 in every 4 individuals.  According to the Center for Disease Control, the most common type of heart disease is coronary heart disease, which claims 385,000 lives annually.  Heart attacks kill 715,000 men & women, most of which are first time sufferers, but for about 190,000 of these individuals, they've already experienced a heart attack.  Here in the Quad Cities the prevalence of heart disease is 3% higher than the U.S. average, and increases even more when other locally high prevalence rates are taken into consideration, such as:  diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, all of which tend to manifest in some combination, which complicates heart disease.

 

The Cardio - Acupuncture Program combines Eastern and Western medicine to promote a heart healthy lifestyle, which leads to lowered blood pressure readings, and lower cholesterol.  Each treatment is individualized and designed around each patient's case, their underlying conditions, and current lab results.  This means that the treatment encompasses much more than sticking a few needles in the patient, it's comprised of a nutritional consultation, exercise recommendations, and whole food supplemental care, as needed; with the end goal of being healthy and as drug - free as possible.

 

For more detailed information on the Cardio-Acupuncture Program you can contact Scott Stewart, LAc, Dipl. at (309) 764.4753 or by email:  healinglotustcm@gmail.com.  You can also visit the Healing Lotus Acupuncture website at:  www.healinglotus.co. 

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It's only natural to want quick weight loss results once you make the commitment to shed a few pounds - but slow and steady is the way to go. Eating a healthful diet and sweating it out regularly are the best ways to reach your weight-loss goal. Here's how to make these two pound-shedding tools work to your advantage: · Sweat it out. It takes time and effort to see results ? especially when it comes to exercise. At a minimum, adults should get 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity, coupled with two or more days of strength training all muscle groups to boost your weight-loss efforts. · Find a diet buddy. Almost everything is more fun with a friend, and that includes shedding pounds. Try to find a buddy to team up with on your quest for healthy weight loss. You can motivate each other by sharing recipes and weight-loss tips and by hitting the gym together. · Watch your beverages. Pay attention to what you drink as well as what you eat when looking for boost your weight-loss success. Alcohol, sodas, and even lemonade and juices are full of calories that can undermine a healthy diet. Instead of these sugary beverages, try drinking water, tea, or coffee. Get seven more tips to lose weight faster.