Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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My son is one of the many Americans with cleft lip and palate. The specifics of each affected individual’s situation vary, but one thing they have in common is that they will be having surgery. Lots of surgery. Although most individuals with orofacial clefts, including my son, are otherwise healthy and lead normal lives, the process of restoring a normal smile, normal speech, normal chewing, involves many steps from birth into adulthood. Most of his surgeries have blurred together in my mind, h...
Tis the season to overindulge. Whether sweet treats, decadent desserts or cool cocktails provide temptation, now is a good time to strategize what to eat - and foods to avoid - to dodge the holiday blues. Now is a good time to adopt healthy eating habits. "Any time we overeat, the abudance of calories puts you in a state of needing to digest. Then you're sitting on the couch after Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner," said Angela Sucha, PA-C at Antelope Family Practice. "The extra calories are...
Merriam-Webster defines humanity as “compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition.” It is also defined as “the quality or condition of being human.” The first definition is what people want in a health care provider. We all want to be taken care of by a caregiver who is compassionate, kind, sympathetic and generous with their time and knowledge. Health care providers spend countless hours taking care of patients. In order to do this, at times we ignore our own needs for rest,...
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...
For kids and adults alike, hot cocoa is often at the top of the list of favorite winter beverages. And with all the store-bought powdered packets available, it's certainly easy to prepare. But guess what? Making your own isn't that much more difficult, and the effort is worth it. And if you're having a party or family gathering, why not create a hot cocoa bar and let the guests add their toppings of choice? Topping musts for all ages include marshmallows, candy canes or peppermints, colored...
This year, nearly 250,000 patients will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 130,000 will die from it. In South Dakota, 660 people will be diagnosed, and over 400 will die, from the disease. Lung cancer accounts for the most cancer deaths in both the US and in South Dakota. Smoking is the most important risk factor for lung cancer and accounts for 80% of lung cancer deaths. Although smoking rates continue to decline in the US, in South Dakota there are many rural and tribal communities where the sm...
It's a cactus, so it should be easy to care for – I just water it sparingly and keep it dry, right? Wrong. Whether you have a Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus (or an Easter one, for that matter), you take care of them the same way. Keys to their care come from their native habitat, which is not a desert but the cloud forests of costal southeast Brazil. The high-altitude costal areas where they're from are cool, shaded, and relatively humid with the mists and moisture rich air. They are epi...
For years, I was all about Christmas cookies. Over the course of several days, I'd bake like 18 dozen of six or seven kinds of cookies. I'd make trays to share with friends and coworkers. I'd try new recipes, adding to the basic repertoire every year. It was always fun. And then something happened. I lost my Christmas spirit and with it, my desire to bake Christmas cookies. But recently, I decided enough was enough and I dug out the recipe box and whipped up several batches of old favorites....
Having guests for Thanksgiving dinner is great. Having treasured friends and family stick around for a couple of extra days is even better. But guests have to eat and you just spent a week (or more!) preparing that big holiday meal and you're simply "cooked out." Sure, leftovers will work for a meal or two, but eventually you're going to have to prepare something else. And don't forget that big football game coming up on Friday afternoon, with even more games on TV over the weekend. That adds...
Recently, while visiting from out of state, my father had a "health hiccup." As we navigated getting this problem investigated and addressed, he was very concerned that we keep his primary care doctor informed. As my dad has said repeatedly, "I give him more grief than any of my other doctors, but I also listen to him more than any of my other doctors. He's the only one looking out for all of me!" Like many Americans, particularly older Americans, my dad has a whole host of specialists he sees...
Nothing tastes better on a chilly fall day than a big bowl of homemade vegetable beef stew. Add a slice or two of home-baked bread and you've achieved perfection. Nothing controversial about that, right? Well, it depends on your definition of stew. Growing up, my mom made her delicious vegetable beef stew at least once or twice every fall/winter. I remember it simmering on the stove for hours in her big blue-speckled GraniteWare pot she used for canning every summer. We counted down the hours...
Sometimes I need to look out my front door rather than out my kitchen window. Today was one of those moments. What a show I was gifted with. The sunrise was a ribbon of colors that would be very hard to duplicate. I snapped a photo of the sky, streaked with golds, oranges and blues. There were little puffs of clouds that looked like very stiff whipped egg whites spread across the sunrise. Perfect! There isn’t any more that can be said to describe it. I’ve said goodbye to my colorful view out my...
DANIEL G. PETEREIT MD, FABS, FASTRO Over my 30-year career as a cancer physician I have witnessed the tremendous progress in treating cancer patients. There continues to be controversy in the screening and treatment of prostate cancer, for which I am grateful to have the opportunity to share with you more information. Screening consists of obtaining a prostate-specific antigen test and rectal exam, followed by a biopsy, if indicated. In 2012, the United States Preventive Task Force recommended...
Wonder what the hype is all about when it comes to charcuterie boards? Interested in knowing how to pair food items and stage a board? A class, sponsored by the Clearwater Public Library, can help. On Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m., attendees will meet at The Office, at 522 Main Street, in Clearwater, to learn how to pair foods, layout items and taste a cheese board. A hot cocoa board will also be available for sampling. Gain hands-on experience as each participant makes an individual-sized board to...
A hug when I come home after a long day. A smile that melts my heart. A song and a dance that are spontaneous and carefree. Those are some of the blessings that come to mind when I think about my daughter. Daughters can be a blessing in so many ways, as can sons of course. However, when it comes to taking care of families, women often play a vital role. Whether it is a young mom with her baby, a concerned wife encouraging her husband to go to the doctor or a loving daughter preparing her...
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...
Every day in the clinic or hospital I meet extraordinary caregivers. They are the ones who have gone above and beyond the call of duty; sometimes for years at a time. When you ask them how they do it, they shrug and smile. I am not talking about any doctor, nurse or therapist. I am referring to those who care for and look after their elderly friends and family members. This can be a spouse, adult child, adult grandchild, neighbor or even a good friend. There are many reasons that people...
It’s tempting to blame the pandemic for the dizzying rates of mental health concerns among American teens. We are all familiar with the impact Covid is having on our lives and the disruption it continues to cause in the lives of young people. Kids witnessed vehement disagreements between neighbors, friends and family over the decisions that had to be made in response to the pandemic, and felt the stress at home as parents faced economic and work changes, all without many of their usual s...
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 be broadly defined as inflammation of the nasal membrane. Sometimes a runny nose is from allergies, caused by allergens in the air, such as trees, grass, weeds, molds, dust mites or pet dander. Allergy symptoms often include sneezing, an itchy or runny nose and itchy, watery or red eyes. A runny nose...
“It’s that time of year again when kids are back in school, football is back on the TV and ragweed pollen is in the air,” said Dr. Josh Thoendel of Antelope Memorial Hospital. “Here in Nebraska, we are blessed with an abundance of allergens. I’ve talked to patients who have moved from Montana, North Carolina, Texas and California and they’ve all told me they never had allergies before they moved to Nebraska. Tree pollen in the spring, grass in early summer and the King Kong of allergens, ragweed, is in the air from late July until frost. This...
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 flowers that were still in their prime as I traveled on a bus trip to Mackinac Island in Michigan. Located in Lake Huron, the trip didn't disappoint with eye candy for flower lovers. I'm thinking the waves of humidity from the water is a breath of moisture each day for the flowering plants. Never have I...
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....
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 80s, there was very little public understanding of mental health issues and the stigma was even stronger than it is today. Our other roommate and I didn’t know what to do or where to turn. Not surprisingly, we didn’t handle it well. However, we did one thing right: we restricted access to lethal means....
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 between "butterflies" acting up and a serious gastrointestinal problem? There are many different organs that can cause GI problems and may include the esophagus, stomach, the small intestine and the large intestine. The esophagus is the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. The most common issue...
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 older.” To my surprise, the patient said, “I’m 85. That means I have a lot to be thankful for.” Some people are almost always positive, and some are usually negative. Those who are positive have been found to have better outcomes and seem to enjoy themselves more while unfortunately, those who tend to be...
