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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Imagine how just over 100 years ago, nearly one-third of people in the upper Great Lakes and upper Midwest regions walked around with a goiter on their neck. A goiter is a lump on the throat, which...

It seems like I've been waiting for months for this. Now it feels so good as I open my front door and feel the heat of the spring sun on my skin. I know that the soil in my garden, too, is feeling tha...

Spring is finally here in the Northern Plains and summer feels just around the corner. As all we Northerners know, as soon as the temperatures hit even a mild degree on the thermometer, most of us...

Remember when pasta was pretty much spaghetti and elbow macaroni? Now we have rigatoni and bow-tie and cavatelli and manicotti and fettuccine and paccheri and ... well you get the idea. One website I...

Johnny Nash may have started his song with “I can see clearly now, the rain has gone,” but what about someone with cataracts? They cannot easily see “all the obstacles in their way” and there are not...

If you have pain on the bottom of your foot at the heel, especially when you take your first steps of the day, you likely have plantar fasciitis. One of the most common causes of foot pain, plantar...

I recently asked my Facebook friends and family to tell me some of their favorite foods for Easter dinner. While it's always nice to add new dishes to the menu, there is something about holidays that...

It has been nine years since my medical school acceptance. I can describe my personal process in two words: arduous and lengthy. Now, this may not be the case for all people who apply to medical schoo...

As you plan your Easter gatherings, don't forget to include everyone's favorite holiday dish: the ham centerpiece. According to the National Pork Board, around 70% of Americans serve ham for Easter...

Before my junior year in high school, I returned from a Boy Scout canoeing trip to discover my sister had been killed in a car crash. I will never forget the sadness of the moment when I walked into...

After 40 years as a doctor interacting with patients, in the last two and a half years the tables turned, and I’ve become the patient. Although most are good, I’ve found some doctors are det...

Confront the tough truth that each of us will eventually die? In my years as an internist caring for young and old alike, some people understand this early and some people never get it. In denying...

It's February and to no one's surprise, I have a severe case of spring fever. It didn't help that the Cuming County 4-H Extension assistant presented on the topic of basil at our recent garden club...

Many people find themselves being told, “Your blood pressure is pretty high today.” You might be at the dentist’s office for a filling, in the emergency room getting stitches after an avocado misha...

If I asked you to name a chronic disease, you would probably think of conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer or dementia. The odds are, one of the most common chronic diseases would...

Most people know that getting enough sleep is important for their health, but many do not realize that there are specific health benefits that come from getting a good night’s sleep. Getting enough s...

Recently I received a mailing from my clinic reminding me it is time to schedule my annual preventative care physical. Apparently, doctors need to go to the doctor, too, even when they feel fine. As...