Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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An exceedingly common question I get in clinic, especially in the heart of a South Dakota winter, is how to remedy dry skin. And the questions aren’t just in clinic; my own kids, family, friends, everyone seems to have an occasional problem with dry and irritated skin. Dry skin is something we are all familiar with; if your dry spots come with a rash or anything else unusual, it may be worth showing it to your primary care provider, as it could be something else entirely. Eczema, a common i...
As a general internist who does primary care for adult and elderly patients, I talk to patients a lot about arthritis and joint replacement surgery. This type of surgery, also known as arthroplasty, is one of the most common types of elective surgery done in the United States. Knees, hips and shoulders are the most frequently done arthroplasties, and most of those surgeries are done for severe osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, is due to wear-and-tear of the...
“I’ve got this cough that just won’t go away,” my patient says, and I know this story all too well. Chronic cough, a cough that lasts more than two months, is a common ailment which in most cases is benign. But for the patient it is both bothersome and worrisome. If your cough has lasted for less than two months it may just be the residual effect of an upper respiratory infection. Dry cough after having one of many viruses can last for weeks and weeks and the only cure is time. In patient...
Frequently, my patients will come to a visit and bring up a major concern: "Doc, I think I might have dementia; my memory seems to be slipping." They might give examples of having difficulty finding words, forgetting people's names or just feeling like their thinking is slower. Many of them know a family member who had dementia and they are worried. My first response is to hear their concerns; of course, if a patient is showing early signs of dementia, we want to assess that and do our best to g...
We are familiar with the scene on television and movies: a person clutches their chest and drops to the ground, unconscious. Another character starts chest compressions and help is summoned. Although cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, is often not accurately portrayed in such productions, it serves as a good reminder to all that CPR can save a life. Cardiac arrest is a general term to describe any situation in which the heart stops pumping blood to other organs in the body, most urgently the...
As a lover of the history of science and medicine, one of my favorite topics to read and learn about is the discovery of germ theory. Up until the mid- to late-1800’s, diseases had numerous other theories, and the theory of miasma – meaning “bad air” – dominated as an explanation for cholera, plague and other infectious outbreaks. Bacteria themselves were seen and discovered with the development of the first microscopes in the 1600s. Dutch scientist Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek is credited as the fa...
I love sports. I have enjoyed playing and watching sports for as long as I can remember. And as someone who participated in a sport year-round in high school and continued in athletics (golf) in college, I am constantly grateful for the large impact being able to play competitive sports has had in my life. Now I am a parent, a proud coach of a young girls' soccer team and a more casual observer of youth athletics. I see youth sports through the lens of how they can impact our kids....
As a clinical professor at my state’s medical school, I frequently have medical students seeing patients with me in clinic. While the majority of patients are happy to allow student involvement, some decline. This makes me wonder what misconceptions lead patients to be averse to trainees participating at clinic visits or hospital bedsides. In my experience, the presence of learners has a positive influence on our work in the clinic and hospital. Medical education is a complex, highly i...
Hypothyroidism, the condition of the thyroid gland not making enough thyroid hormone, is a common hormonal disorder. Perhaps because hypothyroidism is common and its symptoms can be widespread and vague, misconceptions abound. Let’s cover the facts. Symptoms of hypothyroidism can include fatigue, dry skin, weight gain and hair loss. These symptoms can occur for many other reasons, so fortunately a very simple blood test can tell us whether an underactive thyroid is the culprit. If h...
Cancer is a broad term which encompasses many different diseases and each type of cancer has different patterns and tendencies. But at its core, cancer means a group of cells which is growing uncontrollably, due to one or multiple genetic mutations. Cancer prevention is a topic we see frequently in the media and it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. Truthfully, many cancers occur at random, and even modern science does not yield any clues as to how to prevent such cancers. Supplements...
