Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Brooklynn Chipps, of Wayne State College, was named the Northern Sun Conference Women's Field Athlete of the Week, after her performance last weekend at the South Dakota Challenge in Vermillion. Chipps posted two NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the shot put and hammer throw. In shot put, Chipps threw 46' 1.5". That throw ranks fourth best in the NSIC this year. Chipps competed against several Division 1 throwers in the hammer throw. She finished second, hitting 197' 11". The throw set a...
From Babe Ruth to John Wayne, Americans have seen chewing tobacco in popular culture for over a century. Spitting chew has been a trademark of cowboys and professional athletes alike and chewing tobacco use continues at high rates in the United States. In 2018, a survey showed 2.4% of American adults used smokeless tobacco, with snuff or snus pouch use on the rise and chewing tobacco on the decline. Though smokeless tobacco use is not associated with lung cancer like smoking is, it has its own...
Skin is the largest organ in the human body, but it’s easy to take it for granted. Unless we notice pain or itching or funny spots, most people don’t give it much thought. However, the skin is critically important. It helps regulate our body temperature and fluid and electrolyte balance. It provides us critical information about our environment, and it protects us from invasion by the sea of germs we encounter every day. Some of the sickest patients doctors ever treat are those who have had sig...
Levi W. Bode, 19, of Burwell faced the Honorable Kale Burdick in the Holt County courtroom in O’Neill last week on seven misdemeanor alcohol and tobacco charges. A plea agreement was announced, resulting in Holt County prosecutor Brent Kelly reducing a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, to reckless driving, first offense, and dismissing two counts of possession of false identification and a count of tobacco use by a minor. Bode pleaded no contest and was found guilty on Count I, reckless driving, Count II, minor in possession o...
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, was first listed as a medical diagnosis in 1980. However, it has been recognized and called by many different names throughout history. The first recorded description of PTSD is in the Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates back to 2100 B.C. In The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer wrote about Trojan War soldiers exhibiting symptoms of PTSD. Shakespeare described a character in King Henry IV who suffered from post-traumatic nightmares. During the Civil War, the terms...
I enjoy visiting with my colleagues who are medical specialists. We dive in and explore the depths of a particular condition. However, there is something to say about the breadth of knowledge that a family medicine physician is expected to have. Your family doctor can run through the alphabet of conditions from acne to the zika virus. A 2004 study in the “Annals of Family Medicine” found that a family medicine physician managed an average of 3.05 problems per clinic visit. For patients over 65...
Since ancient times, marijuana has been used for medicinal and recreational purposes in many cultures. In the United States, it became illegal during prohibition, like alcohol. Later, under the Controlled Substances Act in the 1970s, the federal government classified marijuana a Schedule 1 drug. This classification includes heroin, LSD and ecstasy, all deemed to have no safe, effective medical use and a high potential for abuse. This Schedule 1 status imposes bureaucratic and legal barriers,...
Michael J. Long, 32, of O’Neill was recently bound over to the Holt County district court when he faced the Honorable Kale Burdick in the Holt County courtroom on several felony charges in two separate cases. Long waived his right to preliminary hearing and was bound over March 15, on three felonies alleged June 5, 2021, two Class 4 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, (methamphetamine and a sedative, eszopiclone) and first-degree false imprisonment, a Class 3A felony. He is also charged with two infractions, possession of m...
Life expectancy is a measure commonly considered when it comes to the overall health of a population. In this day and age, when most of us think about which medical interventions are most important to increase life expectancy, we probably think about things like treatment of cancer, interventions to treat heart attacks or surgeries for life-threatening illnesses. While those things are all important, their overall impact on a population’s life expectancy pales in comparison to the prevention o...
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 correct diagn...
The saying goes “time heals all wounds”, but what happens when a wound does not heal? Wounds go through many stages while healing and complications at any step can prolong the process. The first step is stopping the bleeding. For people who are taking blood thinners like aspirin or warfarin, it may take longer for the bleeding to stop or clot. The next step after the blood starts to clot is forming a scab. This happens when blood vessels around the wound narrow and platelets in the blood clump t...
Perhaps this has happened to you: Your recent cough kept you up for another night, so you went to the doctor. The nurse took your vitals, the doctor asked you some questions, listened to your lungs, maybe looked at your ears and your throat, and recommended rest, fluids, over the counter treatments and time. It all seemed fine until you got home and realized the doctor did not “do anything” for you. Why didn’t the doctor prescribe an antibiotic? What could it hurt? The use of antibiotics has bee...
Cancer is a broad term which encompasses many different diseases and each type of cancer has different patterns and tendencies. But at its core, cancer means a group of cells which is growing uncontrollably, due to one or multiple genetic mutations. Cancer prevention is a topic we see frequently in the media and it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. Truthfully, many cancers occur at random, and even modern science does not yield any clues as to how to prevent such cancers. Supplements...
When you watch a medical drama on television, the main characters are generally doctors, nurses and patients. We rarely learn about the many extras in the background. In an actual hospital, patients are cared for by their doctors and nurses, along with a large supporting cast and crew. Many of these people on stage and behind the scenes rarely get their name in lights. I would like to introduce them now. Before a patient arrives at the hospital, we often rely on emergency medical technicians...
Lisa M. Dugal, 56, Neligh, appeared in front of the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh on Feb. 2 for pretrial conference on a Class 1 misdemeanor, false reporting. Dugal changed her plea to no contest, pursuant to a plea deal. In return, Antelope County prosecutor Joe Abler agreed to file no additional charges in the case and recommended a probation sentence. Taylor sentenced her to an eight-month term of probation, including related fees totaling $280 and $50 costs of prosecution. The charges stemmed from...
After a two-years hiatus from ice, the Royal Volunteer Fire Department Ice Fishing Tournament returned with a large group of competitors. Forty-one teams entered the five-hour event, Sunday, at Grove Lake. Royal Fire Chief Gary Ober said it's "great" to have a large number of teams participate and be back on the ice. Now in its 39th year, Ober said the tournament hasn't been held nine times, either due to weather conditions or, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. The event brought anglers...
Did the groundhog see his shadow this year? Every year on Feb. 2, people gather in the small town of Punxsutawney, in western Pennsylvania, to observe the annual Groundhog Day ceremony. If the groundhog does see his shadow, he may retreat to his den and winter will last another six weeks. If he does not see his shadow, spring may arrive early. This tradition is nearly 140 years old. Organizers claim, for the sake of folklore, that the original groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil is still alive today,...
William “Duke” Hobbs 1946 - 2022 A funeral Mass for William L. “Duke” Hobbs, 75 of O’Neill, formerly of Ewing, was Monday Jan. 31, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Ewing. Burial followed in St. Peter’s Catholic Cemetery in Ewing. Duke died Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at his home. Memorials may be directed to the family for future designation. Arrangements were entrusted to Biglin’s Mortuary of O’Neill. ~~~ William Lee “Duke” Hobbs was born Feb. 10, 1946, to William A. and Arlene (Schiffbau...
Last spring, I was at home washing my hands and as I glanced up into the mirror, I noticed something unusual. My bathroom light hit my neck just right as I swallowed and there it was: a prominent lump. I diagnosed myself with a thyroid nodule and wondered how I, a physician, had failed to notice this large protuberance before that moment. Thyroid nodules are quite common. In some cases, they are noticed by the patient (like me) or are found on exam. In many cases, they are found on accident...
One of my favorite parables describes the difference between heaven and hell. In both places, hungry people sit at tables laden with delicious food. In hell, people suffer and starve because they cannot eat with the long utensils provided. In heaven, people are happy and thrive because they use the utensils to feed each other. Many cultures and religions have some variation of this story. It illustrates a universal truth: we depend on each other. The current pandemic has starkly illustrated...
Aaron White, 47, of Coleridge faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh on Wednesday, Jan. 5, in two cases. A pretrial hearing in the first case, on a charge of second-degree trespassing, was continued to Feb. 2. Bond, in the amount of $10,000, 10% cash, is continued as well. A preliminary hearing was held in the second case. White is accused of a Class 3A felony, alleged Nov. 19, making terroristic threats. Testimony was heard by Antelope County sheriff Robert Moore and, in an unusual situation, by the...
Imagine a condition with symptoms that present differently in each person who has it and no currently-approved lab test can definitively confirm the diagnosis. Imagine that the symptoms can flare up and then mysteriously disappear, including fatigue, low-grade fevers, joint pain and mouth sores. All these symptoms overlap with multiple other conditions, further complicating a diagnosis. Imagine the best available method for diagnosing this ailment is a manual checklist of 11 criteria and, if...
What does it mean to practice humanity in medicine? The phrase is used as a tagline and in book titles. Humanity and compassion in medicine is touted as something to aspire to, a noble accomplishment. But in reality, the biomedical model of health, the business model for healthcare, is not set up to support it. Algorithms and best practices set forth by insurance companies and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid do not account for the time required to establish meaningful human interaction...
With 2022 nearly upon us, so, too, is the tradition of the New Year’s resolution. Merriam-Webster defines the New Year’s resolution as “a promise to do something differently in the new year.” I would argue that, in practice, the resolution is less of a promise and more of a hope or intention. My resolution for 2021 was to read 20 books by year’s end. I failed. I could blame my kids, work, other hobbies, but honestly, I blame my phone. In my defense, I was in good company as a flopped resolver; l...
The Honorable Donna Taylor continued two cases in the Antelope County court in Neligh last Wednesday, due to a health-related lockdown at the county jail. A pretrial hearing for Jonathyn M. Gunderson, 32, of Neligh, on seven counts alleged Nov. 9, is continued to Jan. 5. Gunderson, who was in custody, did not appear personally. The Antelope County Jail was “in lockdown due to Covid issues,” according to a court document. Bond in the amount of $3,000, 10% cash, is continued as well. Additionally, Taylor ordered that Gunderson be released fro...
