Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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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...
It’s that time of year when looking out my kitchen window, the blooming plants have likely reached their peak growth. Things are gorgeous. Of course there are a few plants that are either stressing from the intense heat a few weeks ago or are just bloomed out. You have to overlook these plants and enjoy what you have. In my garden, it’s fun to clip bouquets using the multi-colored zinnias, delicate cosmos and annual asters that are blooming. I’m lucky that friends gifted me with garlic chive...
Our brain releases chemicals into our body that impact functions in our body, such as our mood. There are four chemicals that commonly support “feeling good,” and they are also known as “happiness chemicals.” These four chemicals are dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. Dopamine provides us with pleasure, motivation and learning. Known as the reward chemical, dopamine may help us feel determined to accomplish our goals or meet our needs. Oxytocin is often known as the love hormone...
True food allergic reactions cause anaphylaxis. Eating even a tiny bit of the allergenic food causes the patient to quickly develop symptoms that can include shortness of breath, hives, vomiting, diarrhea, throat swelling, passing out and, at times, it can be fatal. The patient makes IgE allergy antibody to the food. The cause of the reactions can be determined by the history and confirmed by allergy skin or blood testing. Once we know the allergenic food, a treatment plan can be put into...
Everyone we know, meet, or pass in the grocery store has their own set of personal life experiences that are unique from our own. We all come from different places, have our own set of genetics, and have different parents or families, which is part of what makes us unique from each other. We can even have different experiences than our siblings who grow up in the same home as us. Our experiences are part of what help us learn, create adaptations to the world around us, and how we continue to...
Pain in your mouth is difficult to ignore, especially when it affects everyday activities like speaking, eating, or sleeping. Here are some of the most common reasons to visit your dentist. The first sign to visit your dentist is a persistent toothache. Sometimes our teeth can hurt temporarily due to things like teeth whitening or sinus issues. However, if a toothache does not go away, or goes away and then comes back, this is a good sign to visit your dentist to identify the source of pain. Pai...
Mental health treatment within the criminal justice system plays a pivotal, yet often overlooked, role in both the well-being and rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals. This is often overlooked by the general population due to attitudes against the incarcerated and the lack of overall media attention. It is my belief that change needs to take place. Firstly, while many in society have negative outlooks on incarcerated or previously incarcerated individuals, most fail to realize that approximately 45% of Americans have had an immediate...
"If you're happy and you know it clap your hands." It's a song familiar to all of us. However, how familiar is the awareness of our body clues of feeling happy to all of us to truly "know it?" Recognizing body clues and sensations to aid in the next steps of labeling emotions is the first key skill in emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, these are not skills we are taught. Mental health development across the lifespan is as vital as physical and cognitive development. Understanding the...
When it's hotter than blazes and mosquitoes are a biting, do you question just why you are gardening? I do. Then the next day, the morning is cool, a breeze comes up and as I look at my flowers out my kitchen window or prepare a pitcher of cucumber water, it's all worth the sweating and bites. Well, the bites are questionable. Looking at the flowers out the window and mornings on the patio are my favorite. The morning light just seems to make the flowers show off. We all enjoy our flowers and ve...
Doctors are taught medical terms and jargon in medical school like a secret code. Many medical terms are rooted in Greek and Latin. Over the course of our training, these words become second nature and we become fluent in this medical "language," although we are also expected to talk to our patients using simple terminology. However, most specialties in medicine still use the original Greek and Latin roots for their names. Once you know where these names come from, everything makes sense. Most...
As husband and wife urologists, we talk a lot about the urinary tract and how it affects our patients. In women, the most common urinary concern is incontinence, or the involuntary leakage of urine. There are several causes and many treatment options exist depending on the type. The two main types of urinary leakage in women are urge urinary incontinence and stress urinary incontinence. For women with urge incontinence, treatment is aimed at improving quality of life disrupted by overactive...
