Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Lent is an important time of year for Christians across the globe. Lent is a season of sacrifice, and many practicing Christians abstain from consuming flesh meat on Fridays in the weeks preceding Easter. Abstaining from meat on Fridays throughout Lent does not require devoted Christians to avoid flavor. In fact, there are many flavorful non-meat dishes for Christians to choose from each Friday during Lent. One particularly flavorful option is this recipe for "Gourmet Fish and Chips" from...
Effective medical diagnosis depends not just on looking, but on truly perceiving. Recognizing this, many medical training programs have adopted Visual Thinking Strategies discussions about art to enhance students' skills in nuanced observation, inference, and communication. In 2004, Harvard Medical School pioneered use of VTS within medical education to refine the diagnostic and interpersonal skills of future healthcare professionals. Now, VTS is embraced in over 30 medical schools. Through...
The phone rang and I answered it because the call was from a nearby community. No big surprise that the caller was obviously not from anywhere near and the caller was asking for a donation for some organization in which I had no interest. I said, in a kindly tone, "No thank you," and hung up. They will never end the call. You must hang up. Financial abuse by telephone or internet has been called "the crime of the 21st century." People of all ages are at risk, but scammers commonly target the...
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women and is very preventable. The most common form of colorectal cancer starts out as small abnormal growths, called polyps, that can grow and mutate over time to transform into cancer. If these polyps are removed when they are small, they never get the chance to evolve into cancer. These polyps grow slowly so screening doesn't need to be an annual event. Intervals depend on several...
When businesses support working parents, they're not just boosting their bottom line – they're helping prevent child abuse and neglect. In South Dakota, 72.5% of all children under age six have all available parents in the workforce, making family-friendly workplace policies crucial for our state's families. Research shows that workplace policies like flexible scheduling, paid family leave and childcare assistance significantly reduce major risk factors for child maltreatment by decreasing p...
Atrial fibrillation is probably a diagnosis you have heard of, if not because a friend or family member has it, because it has been mentioned in a public advertisement or pharmaceutical commercial. Atrial fibrillation (or "A-fib") is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, a condition estimated by the American Heart Association to be present in more than five million Americans. A-fib happens when abnormal electrical signals occurring throughout the cardiac atria (upper chambers of the heart)...
My guess for spring, it will be mildly early. By now we know if the groundhog or I revealed shadows of ourselves. Regardless of Phil's or my prediction, spring will come as it does every year and I can hardly wait. I've been reviewing photos of flowers from last year and iris and peonies pop up. There's also pansies and geraniums. Oh, the colors. While I dream of perennials blooming in the garden, I'm anxious to dig out my plastic seed trays. A new tray might be on my list. It's hard to resist t...
A few (or more) years ago, Popeye the Sailor Man was an inspirational cartoon character. When needed, the superhero would quickly swallow some spinach and become strong, able to pack a punch that would defeat any evil villain. Nowadays, TV and internet commercials are encouraging men to consider testosterone replacement as the way to become stronger. While they are quick to tout the benefits, the risks are important and should not be ignored. Testosterone is the hormone in men that is produced...
The most recent survey of teen mental health by the Centers for Disease Control in 2023 revealed that 20.3% of adolescents in the United States have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. This reflects a 35% increase since 2016. The survey also found that 40% of teens reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, 20% seriously considered suicide, and, tragically, 9% attempted suicide. These statistics should alarm any parent or grandparent of a teenager. As the mother of a...
For the last five years, I have had the great privilege of serving my local health system as medical director for home hospice. Every week I sit in a meeting with the multidisciplinary caretakers on this team – the nurses who provide the great majority of the hands-on care, social worker, pharmacist, dietician and pastor. We discuss all the patients currently under our care and discuss how we can improve each patient’s suffering and maximize their quality of life. The patients we care for on hom...
As I look out my kitchen window, there are lights twinkling, greenery and red bows filling what was flower pots. Inside my table is filling with seed catalogs. I’m usually anxious when they arrive the end of December but this year they arrived a bit early. Believe me, I still quickly flip them open, scanning what might be new in the garden world. Perhaps I should change what’s new in the garden world to, what’s new to me. I spotted some rainbow broom that could be interesting in Fall bouquets. I...
Most of my family dreads the thought of going to a museum with me. It really doesn't matter what the museum is, or how interested they might be in the subject, they'd prefer to do something, perhaps anything, else. I recognize that I am the problem. I love museums. One of my early memories is of exploring the King Tut exhibition at the Chicago Field Museum and being drug out by my exasperated parents long before I was ready to leave. I wasn't done reading all that fascinating information....
When many people hear the term plastic surgery, images of Hollywood stars trying to fight back the effects of aging come to mind. It is easy to assume that plastic surgeons just deal in vanity. However, that would minimize everything that these talented surgeons accomplish with their scalpels. The term "plastic surgery" comes from the Greek term "Plastikos" meaning "to shape or form." Plastic surgeons work to form or change the outward appearance of people for a variety of reasons. They work on...
The human body is composed of a typical pattern of anatomy, yet every structure varies in form from person to person. For example, humans develop with a standard set of defined muscles, yet the shape and mass of each muscle varies significantly among individuals. Sometimes, "anatomical variations" develop – that is, anatomical structures that do not conform to the typical range of regular morphology (for example, an entirely separate "extra" muscle that develops in one person). Human anatomy i...
Literature classes worldwide study Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), a great innovator of the short story. He wrote closely observed and deeply empathic slices-of-life with a great sense of humor - but the Russian-Lit-class-version of Dr. Chekhov often overlooks the vitality of his work in the theater. Theater-people like me know him as a playwright, the creative counterpart to the acting teacher Konstantin Stanislavsky, who directed and starred in Chekhov's breakthrough play, The Seagull. Together...
Lately my teenager has been fascinated by medical dramas. Although my “doctor self” is usually rolling my eyes throughout the program, it’s often a good conversation starter. One recent show featured a pregnant woman who experienced one medical crisis after another. Her kidneys, liver, and lungs failed in succession as the team raced to identify the underlying obstetrical problem and find a treatment. At the climax of the episode, her heart stopped. Of course, being television, the corre...
With the rapid rise in internet use among children, the dangers of online exploitation have grown alarmingly. Children’s access to the internet has become nearly ubiquitous, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote learning, online gaming, and social media are now integral to daily life, meaning more children, even preschool-age children, are regularly online, often unsupervised and unprotected. This new reality demands that we consider not only physical safety for our children, but also the dangers they are facing online. The S...
The saying goes, “newer isn’t always better,” and while I typically tend to agree with that, newer might be better when it comes to glucose monitoring technology. In recent years we have seen rapid development and uptake of new types of glucometers, leaving fewer and fewer patients with diabetes using the old standby fingerstick method of blood sugar monitoring. Let me be clear: not every patient with diabetes needs a fancy new continuous glucometer (CGM). The cost might be higher, and there...
As I peer out my kitchen window the landscape is a bit boring in October. I have to smile as I think about a recent outing. Friends from our garden club went to visit and have coffee at the Harvest Moon Pumpkin Patch at Oakland. These seasoned gardeners were enticed to be kids again and boy, did we enjoy the outdoors. Adults and children should always take advantage of the great fall temperatures and a chance to visit a pumpkin patch. The landscape at Harvest Moon was beautiful, with maple...
The saying goes, "newer isn't always better," and while I typically tend to agree with that, newer might be better when it comes to glucose monitoring technology. In recent years we have seen rapid development and uptake of new types of glucometers, leaving fewer and fewer patients with diabetes using the old standby fingerstick method of blood sugar monitoring. Let me be clear: not every patient with diabetes needs a fancy new continuous glucometer (CGM). The cost might be higher, and there is...
Artificial Intelligence or A.I. has gone from science fiction to a reality. This technology continues to evolve and find new applications in the world, including the world of medicine. With any new advancement, there are pros and cons to be considered when implementing it into regular use, especially in medicine. In 2023 the Journal of Medical Internet Research published an article where they had ChatGPT take two of the three USMLE exams. Step 1 is taken by third-year medical students and all...
Good dental health in children is crucial for overall well-being. Healthy teeth enable proper chewing, speech development, and contribute to self-esteem. Prioritizing dental health through education, preventive care, and regular check-ups lays the foundation for a lifetime of healthy smiles. The following topics are common discussion points of children's dental health. First dental visit Children should visit the dentist by their first birthday or within six months after their first tooth...
School is back in session so it is time for a little pop quiz. What is an item that almost every student carries? If you said backpack, you are off to a great start. Do you know what it takes to be at the head of the class? Let’s find out if you are a star student or need to brush up a little on your backpack knowledge. Most students carry a backpack filled with their books at some point during their school day. Did you know a heavy back pack can cause neck, shoulder or back pain? Those narrow s...
It is miraculous to consider how much access and exposure we have to information through our computers, phones, televisions, radios and newspapers. Unfortunately, we need to be on guard because too much of this buzz can be false information. Marketing (sales) can be good and important as it moves commerce, and I'm not saying industry doesn't sponsor credible scientific research. However, marketing can be harmful when selling a weight-loss program that gives false hope, when peddling virility...
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer (not counting skin cancer) in both men and women, only behind prostate in men and breast in women. Although it is the second most common, it remains the leading cause of cancer death in America. Approximately one in five cancer deaths a year are attributed to lung cancer. More Americans die every year of lung cancer than colon, prostate and breast cancer combined. Lung cancer is considered a silent killer and is often diagnosed at a late stage, when t...
