The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

When your nose runs, although it may not slow you down, it can be annoying. This time of year, it's difficult to know if your runny nose is from a cold, allergies or another reason.  Rhinitis can...

Looking out the kitchen window, there is still a lot of color in the flower garden. Flowers just aren't as vigorous as they were a few months ago. I was fortunate to recently view some wonderful...

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 colle...

One summer during my college years, I had a roommate who suffered from suicidal thoughts. She’d attempted suicide before we met, and been hospitalized, but continued to struggle. Back in the late 80...

People often talk about having a "gut feeling" when they know something is wrong. What feelings come when there is something wrong with the digestive system itself and how do you differentiate...

After a visit about aches, pains and various medical issues, a patient was commenting on getting older. Similar to other patients, I expected him to say something like, “It’s no fun getting...

Are you ready for the State Fair? It's set to start Friday, Aug. 26, in Grand Island and runs through Labor Day. I've been able to make it the past two years - not sure about this year, although I'm...

Looking out my kitchen window I see there is a change in the August garden. It's rather gradual but it's there. The first noticeable visual is the green tones. Don't get me wrong, the flowers are...

For students with allergies and asthma, back to school means more than getting their backpacks filled with paper, pencils and any needed odds and ends. Keeping your child safe and healthy involves...

The annual wellness exam is one of my favorite things to do as a doctor. It’s a chance to talk about one of my passions: health promotion. As most patients expect, our health-promotion discussion in...

As a practicing urologist who is double board certified in urology and female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, I see a lot of patients with urinary incontinence. And while it is extremely...

As a physician with 45 years of practice, I've seen my share of diseases. I have usually been on the physician side of the diagnosis- treatment paradigm. However, knowing the rationale for diagnostic...

Lantanas are blooming their little hearts out. They love the hot, humid days of July in Nebraska. Humidity occasionally fogs over the view out my kitchen window but, as it slides off, we are...

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,...

Summertime. For most, this signals thoughts of warm weather and good times with family and friends. Sadly, what brings happiness for some can trigger stress and sorrow for others. In the words of a Vi...

This week I'm sharing a few cool treats designed with the Fourth of July in mind: They are all red, white and blue! And they are not only colorful, but created with kids in mind. Most are simple...

I love the sound of a sprinkler on the garden. The spit, spit, spit of water lets me know the day will warm up, corn will continue to grow in the fields and my garden will also thrive and surprise me...

It's no secret that grocery prices are on the rise. A trip to the grocery store is going to cost you more than it did a year ago. I'm not going to delve into the "whys" because, to be honest, I didn't...

I recently heard somewhere that burgers cooked in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop are better than burgers cooked on a grill. I’m not buying it. The “experts” say a skillet allows the patties...

I started my day looking out the kitchen window at the spring green of grass, iris, peony plants and the leaves on trees. May offers such a pretty green in the landscape. The early iris are blooming i...

Many years ago (the exact number will remain a mystery), the very first food section I put together for the daily newspaper I was working for was all about strawberries. It was just about this time of...

The sun is shining and the temperature is above freezing. As I look out the kitchen window things are slowly greening up. A pot full of happy little pansies were added recently and they are showing of...