Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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My mother had six siblings, 16 aunts and uncles and innumerable cousins. She was the first of them all to be diagnosed with breast cancer. I think of my mom every time one of my patients tells me they aren’t concerned about breast cancer because it doesn’t run in their family. Unfortunately, that is true of most people who are diagnosed with the disease. I also think of my mother every time I do a breast exam or teach someone else how to do a self exam. Her breast cancer was one not det...
On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig said these famous words at Yankee Stadium, “For the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break that I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” The bad break he was referring to was the diagnosis of a condition that would become synonymous with him - a neuromuscular condition called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. ALS is a disease which causes motor nerves in the brain and spinal cord to break down. This reduces the nerv...
My son is a Boy Scout. Hopefully, he will become an Eagle Scout like his dad, his grandpa, his uncle, and not to mention 11 of the 12 men that walked on the moon. Whether he does or not, it has been an honor seeing the program help him and other boys mature into responsible young men. This summer, our troop took our canoes along the 108 miles on the Missouri River in Montana, in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. That stretch of the Missouri, where the river has carved impressive rock formations that create “breaks” in the lan...
It’s “peek time” in the garden. I don’t mean peak time which is the finalization of time in the garden when everything is at its best. It’s time to take a sneak look at what is happening with some of the produce in the vegetable garden. I’ve been scouting the pumpkin patch for well over two months but suddenly the vegetation is so thick that I can’t see the pumpkins that are buried in the patch. So I wait. It’s the same with potatoes. Especially sweet potatoes. Their crop is underground and it isn’t time to harvest them. So I wait. As August is...
Assuring effective health care to a population is a challenge for every society. As care options become more complex – and expensive – the challenges increase. In the US, both the organization and financing of health care are perennial issues in public discussions, political campaigns and among social policy researchers. Basically there are two distinct, but intimately related, concerns: providing access to care and paying for that care. There is widespread agreement that when folks are sic...
Here it is, August. Summer has flown by and already there is Halloween candy roaming the shelves of Walmart. For most of us, August also brings the normal adjustment of transitioning back to the school year. It is normal for this to look differently for everyone, especially depending upon the age of your child. You may find yourself stressing to find the school supplies list, supporting your youth through two-a-day practices for athletic season or looking forward to getting back to the routine...
High costs and shortages of pharmaceuticals are serious, ongoing issues. Drug prices in the US are among the highest in the world. A recent survey by the Rand Corporation looked at drug prices in 32 developed countries. US prices were the highest in the group and were more than twice the average of prices in other countries. What is especially troubling is that the products sold in many of these countries are the same drugs produced by the same manufacturers as those sold in the US at much higher prices. When it comes to drug prices, consumers...
One of the most common reasons a person comes to the Ear Nose and Throat clinic is a stuffy nose. The way the symptoms are described varies. Stuffiness or congestion can be present at all times, at certain times of year, worse on one side, alternate sides, and may or may not respond to medications. Getting this clear history and taking a close look helps me determine what are the causes and how best to help. The nasal passages are divided from left and right by the nasal septum, which is made...
1. After your visit: Your physician may order blood work, x-rays or a scan of your body. If the concern is acute or potentially a threat to your immediate health, you may be asked to wait for your results in the clinic. Normally, patients may leave and await their results from home. If the physician has requested a follow-up appointment, schedule prior to your departure. We highly encourage this step as the schedules fill up very quickly. 2. Results: Nowadays, many health institutions offer an a...
While there is no debate as to WHO created the original chocolate chip cookie, there is some "controversy" as to HOW this classic cookie came to be. According to a story on nestle.com: "It all started back in 1938. Ruth Wakefield, who ran the successful Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts, was mixing a batch of cookies when she decided to add broken pieces of Nestlé Semi-Sweet chocolate into the recipe expecting the chocolate to melt. Instead, the semi-sweet bits held their shape...
As a patient, it can be challenging to navigate the healthcare system. This can lead to frustration and disappointment in the system itself. My intent with this article is to be both informative and alleviate some angst associated with seeking medical care. 1. Preparing for your appointment: This may be the most crucial step - whether the appointment is with your primary care physician or a specialist. As the patient, it is important to have the most important concern(s) prepared to address. As...
July in the garden brings on another pace for me. I sort of slow down and look at what is blooming out my kitchen window. I've hustled through the previous months planting, watering and weeding. The weeding and watering doesn't stop, but on this particular morning, the chores don't seem as demanding. Sitting under the patio awning I'm placing flower blooms on the paper of phone books. It's time to preserve some of those special blossoms. Pressing flowers is an old art and I'm hoping an...
From Dr. Marcus Welby and Dr. Meredith Grey to “Hawkeye” Pierce and Doogie Howser, MD, there have been a multitude of television doctors. You likely spend more time watching them than you do with your own physician. Television shows the life of a doctor as exciting, dramatic and glamorous; however, real life is often much different. On television, doctors can solve every medical mystery within the span of a single show. Rare diseases or unusual presentations are no match for the intellect or...
The patient was young, healthy and short of breath. She had not been sick recently, other than a minor cough. Her oxygen level was normal and her lungs sounded clear. Her heart rate was a little fast and she was breathing rather quickly, too. She was anxious about it, but she knew there was more to this than anxiety. Meanwhile, she was taking an antibiotic for bronchitis which did not seem to be helping. We did some additional tests, some blood work, to look for other possible causes. One test...
I previously wrote about how to save money on your grocery budget even though food costs are on the rise. I offered suggestions from Cami Wells, a Nebraska Extension Educator in Hall County, for foods in the protein, dairy and grains groups. This week, we'll learn ways to save money on fruits and vegetables. Vegetables "Check for sales and purchase those that are in-season," Wells said. "Most of us prefer fresh but canned and frozen vegetables are also healthy choices. Canned and frozen vegetabl... Full story
Many of us have likely been educated on how to be healthier, which includes the foods we should consume and the exercise we should complete on a daily basis, so we can achieve being healthy. This information is important to know, but have you ever been educated about the risks that your current diet and habits of daily living impose on your health? An unhealthy diet that is filled with excessive amounts of sugars, fast foods, fatty and processed foods, as well as alcohol, can increase your risk...
After long hours put in by multiple library workers and volunteers, a new online catalog, available at https://www.libib.com/u/clearwaterpublic is up and running. When a patron visits the catalog, one of the first things they will notice is that the library’s collection is divided into 15 smaller collections to make it easier to find what they are searching for or to make it easier to browse. . Adult patrons probably know the libary has books ranging from adult fiction and non-fiction, to westerns and large print. There’s so much more. The lib...
Marrying a farm kid has shown me the immense amount of pride in being part of the ag community. It is prevalent that the agricultural profession, while rewarding, is challenging. Running big dollar operations that are both physically and mentally demanding creates some serious strain on our mental health. Whether it's a co-op employee spraying chemicals or spreading fertilizer for 70+ hours a week or a farmer during planting or harvest, the demand never truly stops. In my practice, I talk a lot...
In a single word, yes. Our first teeth are important in so many ways. They require just as much attention and love as our permanent teeth. Not to mention that beginning with good habits is the best way for anyone to maintain those healthy habits. As parents, we know kids don't come with an owner's manual and that includes their teeth. One of the best ways to get the answers to all of your pediatric dental questions is to bring your little one to the dentist by age one, or six months after they...
It's hot. You're hot. And you want a cool treat to cool off. Preferably something that just came out of the freezer. Sure you can go to the grocery store and buy all sorts of frozen goodies: Ice cream sandwiches and bars, popsicles and a variety of novelty treats. But why not get a little creative and make your own? And some of these recipes are easy enough for kids to do on their own. Let's start with the classic ice cream sandwich and a recipe from Alison Ladman. "The classic combination of...
Midwest culture is unique. We "America's Heartlanders" are known for our outdoor hobbies, farming, winter survival strategies, hard work and country living. We are also known for our politeness. It is at times an autopilot response to hold a door open, greet another with a smile, drop off treats for a neighbor or when running into someone familiar ask, "how are you?" How often have we asked, "how are you" and heard the answer, "good" or "fine" or even answered this question ourselves this way....
You are probably familiar with drug commercials. There are all sorts of them showing people being active and smiling as they attend a birthday party, go biking, go surfing or shopping at a flower shop. At some point, they start listing some of the side effects and precautions, including some obvious and some scary statements. “Do not take this medication if you take nitrates for chest pain, do not take this medication if you do not suffer from a disease or do not take his medication if you are a...
Is there something about your health you'd like to change? For most Americans, this question usually triggers a wide range of responses. In my practice, most responses usually center on wanting to lose weight, being more consistent with an exercise routine or finally stopping smoking, drinking or vaping. What do these three lifestyle changes have in common? They are really, really hard to do. Behavioral modification of daily habits and routines is a very difficult process. Humans tend to get...
The first successful organ transplant was a kidney transplant in 1954. The donor was the identical twin of the recipient. The new kidney worked for 11 months. This was long before any anti-rejection medications were available. Cyclosporine, the first anti-rejection medication, was approved for use in 1983. The use of anti-rejection medications has significantly increased how long transplanted organs will function. A transplanted kidney from a living donor will last, on average, 12 to 20 years....
Like a car racing along the interstate, exiting onto a highway, and finally reaching the family farm along a dusty gravel road, our blood circulates inside our bodies. There are the major blood vessels, such as the aorta running out of the heart and there are the tiny capillaries allowing blood cells, one at a time, to carry oxygen and nutrients to all the cells in our bodies. The network of capillaries is so complex it is estimated there are over 40 billion in one person and, if stretched out...
