Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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by Nicola Park LAC, LPC-MH “I’ve lost everything…but I just can’t stop”. “Once I take that first drink that is all I think about”. “I use it to take the pain away”. These are some of the many things you might hear someone who struggles on a daily basis with an addiction say. Addiction is a chronic disease that can physically and mentally change a person from who they once were. When we hear the word addiction, we might automatically go to ‘the person on the street looking to score their next fix’, but these are people who struggle every minute...
by Debra Johnson, M.D. My family has a fondness for crime dramas and thrillers. It isn’t uncommon to watch a scene in which a peacefully sleeping individual wakes when a shadowy figure approaches their bedside with a pillow. Predictably, the assailant calmly presses that pillow over the face of their victim and waits until the struggling stops. For millions of us, the threat in our bedrooms isn’t some malevolent other, but rather our own bodies and brains. We may get our next breath, but for those with sleep apnea, it can be a struggle. Sle...
by Andrew Ellsworth, MD My father-in-law is a farmer. He grew up on the family farm in southwest Minnesota, where his dad grew up, too. Blessed by fertile soil, the farm has provided for the family for several generations. It is invaluable for my children to experience the farm, see the crops grow, help with animals, and learn about the cycles of life on the farm. The farm no longer has cows, but it did at one time. My father-in-law used to milk cows. He remembers they had a pasteurizer. His mother would pour in raw milk. The cream rose to the...
by Bryan Golden We all face decisions throughout life when circumstances change. Deciding what path to take can pose a dilemma. Each of the various options has positives and negatives. How do you determine the best course of action? There are a number of factors to consider. Your personality traits play a significant role. What do you like and dislike? What’s your affinity for risk? How much challenge are you happy with? The answers to these questions affect what path you will be comfortable taking. For example, someone who is uncomfortable w...
by Andrew Ellsworth, MD A seizure can be one of the most frightening things for a family member, friend, or anyone to witness. However, for some people with epilepsy, seizures may be fairly common and not unexpected. Roughly 1 in 10 people may have a seizure at some point in their lifetime. A seizure occurs when there is a burst of uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain. This may cause a sudden change in awareness or full loss of consciousness, unusual sensations or thoughts, or temporary problems in muscle tone or movements, such as...
Alzheimer’s disease is expected to impact nearly 13 million Americans by 2050, including 10,000 Wyomingites today, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. So, as you contemplate your New Year’s resolutions for 2024, consider there are steps you can take yourself to maintain and improve your cognitive function. Research has shown lifestyle changes like improving diet and exercising regularly have helped drive down death rates from cancer, heart disease and other major diseases. These same lifestyle changes may also reduce or slow your risk...
by Slim Randles The subject came up spontaneously at a recent meeting of the New Mexico Cowboy Curmudgeon Coalition, where our motto is: “If we actually existed, would anyone really care?” It came about because of the time of year and the spirit of Christmas, and was encouraged by other spirits, of a more … well … bottled variety. “I think it’s time,” said one member, “we gave credit where credit is due. Santa Claus … hear me out now … is a cowboy.” This met with derisive outbursts in the House of Commons, which is more the Bunkhouse of Comm...
by Jill Kruse, DO Myths are just stories we tell ourselves and others to make sense of the world around us. Myths convey beliefs or values and attempt to tell truths. In their effort to tell the truth, myths may exaggerate or misrepresent things. Sometimes this misrepresentation is innocent, while other times it is used as a tool to regulate or manipulate people. Myths can be used to give a sense of power and control over an overwhelming situation. Of the many types of myths, ones that deal with medicine are particularly common. A person’s l...
by Walter G. Copan China steals up to $600 billion of American intellectual property every year -- more than the entire GDP of most countries. Considering the sheer scale of this theft, Americans should be shocked to learn that the White House is considering a plan that would voluntarily give the fruits of American innovation to China and other economic and geopolitical rivals. But that is precisely what's happening. In the spring of 2022, the World Trade Organization, with the United States' consent, voted to waive patent protections on...
by Jill Pertler It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Or is it? People enjoy decorating for the holidays, cooking, baking, writing those non-brag family letters and finding the ideal gift for everyone on their list. Or do they? For some, many even, this is the most wonderful time of the year. People truly enjoy rearranging the living room to make room for a seven-foot evergreen. They look forward to lugging plastic tote bins from the garage or basement to sort through ornaments. Untangling masses of stringed lights rates as one of their t...
by Bryan Golden Worry is an all-consuming black hole which drains your time, emotions, and physical wellbeing. Worry is insidious because you are so used to it that you aren’t aware how often, or how readily, you worry. For some people, worry is a way of life. We grow up being taught, by example, to make worry a regular activity. We worry about what happened. We worry about what is happening now. We worry about what might happen. We worry about what others will do. We worry about what other people won’t do. We worry about just about eve...
by Major Anderson, RN December 7, 1941 is a “date that will live in infamy” as stated by President Theodore Roosevelt in his famous speech after the events of the Pearl Harbor bombing. That event let to the United States involvement in World War II. President’s Roosevelt’s speech was a call to arms and a declaration of war against this act of aggression by a foreign nation. He never wanted us to forget what happened. President Roosevelt concluded his speech by saying “With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determina...
by Tom Dean, MD TV is flooded these days with commercials encouraging everyone to sign up for Medicare Advantage(MA). What is MA and why are they doing this? First of all, a bit of history. For more than 30 years Congress has debated whether the private insurance industry could deliver Medicare benefits more efficiently than the federal government. In 2003 these efforts evolved into what is now known as Medicare Part C or, more commonly, Medicare Advantage (MA). MA plans, operated by private insurance companies, cover services provided by Parts...
by Kelly Evans-Hullinger, M.D. I love Thanksgiving. I love preparing the food all day and enjoying it while sitting around a table with some of the people I love most. And there is one holiday tradition that I have grown to adore. As we sit down to eat, we share one thing we feel grateful for this year. Practicing gratitude has been shown to improve aspects of mental health and our sense of well-being, and it isn’t hard to understand why. Saying or thinking “I am grateful for…” feels really good and doing so regularly can help shape our out...
by Debra Johnston, MD I learned a lot of statistics back in medical school, many of which are outdated and long since forgotten. A few still haunt me, though. One example: over 50% of seniors who suffered a broken hip would be in a nursing home, or in their grave, within a year. The odds are somewhat better today, but a hip fracture is still a very serious event, especially if your health, or your independence, is already compromised. We may be better at helping people recover, but the best strategy is not break that hip in the first place....
by John Gibbel Hot Springs Health is proud to join communities across America in celebration of National Rural Health Day (NRHD) on November 16.. The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and rural-focused organizations throughout the United States set aside the third Thursday of November to recognize NRHD. This annual event is an opportunity to celebrate the “Power of Rural” and honor the individuals and organizations dedicated to addressing the unique healthcare needs of nearly 61 million people living in rural Ame...
by K. A. Bartholomew, MD How much blood flows through your joints? Would you be surprised if I told you “None”? That’s right! Inside the joint there is a clear, viscous, slippery fluid that lubricates the joint surface, but no red blood flows inside the joint. Doctors do not want to see blood in a joint. When there is blood inside a joint it is usually because of trauma. That means tissue has been injured and blood vessels have been broken, bleeding into the clear cavity. “How,” you may ask, “can a joint get oxygen and nutrition if there is no...
Denial. Anger. Depression. For the 11.5 million people in the U.S. who provide unpaid care for a loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease, there’s an excellent chance that you are experiencing at least one of these or other side effects related to your efforts. These volunteer caregivers, including 16,000 Wyomingites, who typically provide 30 hours per week of unpaid care, are subjected to physical and psychological impacts that can be severe, but there are proactive steps that people can take to help themselves, according to Debra Antis...
by Bryan Golden The “benefits” of anger are many. Stress, anxiety, diminished judgment, reduced productivity, poor digestion, sleeplessness, elevated blood pressure, negative impact on relationships, unhappiness, and attraction of negative situations can all be yours just by being angry. Anger repels people, destroys relationships, creates problems, intensifies problems, causes regret, burns bridges, and dissolves solutions. Anger doesn’t have to manifest itself via your behavior to be destructive. Anger that is internalized can be j...
by Andrew Ellsworth, MD People often think they need to lose weight. The hard part, of course, is following through on that desire in a sustained and successful manner. Here are a few of the ways people do lose weight, and the secrets of their success. Some people should not lose weight, so please talk to your doctor. First of all, consider the reasons to lose weight. Benefits can include having more energy, improved mobility, fewer aches and pains, sleeping better, improvement in mood, lower blood pressure, and lower risk of heart disease, dia...
by Bryan Golden The “benefits” of anger are many. Stress, anxiety, diminished judgment, reduced productivity, poor digestion, sleeplessness, elevated blood pressure, negative impact on relationships, unhappiness, and attraction of negative situations can all be yours just by being angry. Anger repels people, destroys relationships, creates problems, intensifies problems, causes regret, burns bridges, and dissolves solutions. Anger doesn’t have to manifest itself via your behavior to be destructive. Anger that is internalized can be just as da...
by Andrew Ellsworth, MD People often think they need to lose weight. The hard part, of course, is following through on that desire in a sustained and successful manner. Here are a few of the ways people do lose weight, and the secrets of their success. Some people should not lose weight, so please talk to your doctor. First of all, consider the reasons to lose weight. Benefits can include having more energy, improved mobility, fewer aches and pains, sleeping better, improvement in mood, lower blood pressure, and lower risk of heart disease, d...
World Oxygen Day was Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. For the last 40 years, supplemental oxygen therapy has been a mainstay treatment for millions of people of all ages living with respiratory problems. These people rely upon oxygen therapy to relieve the symptoms like breathlessness and limited activity caused by chronic problems like COPD, as well as more acute conditions like pneumonia and sleep problems. Despite its ability to add years to people’s lives and life to their years, advancements in oxygen therapy technology have been very slow to h...
As part of its commitment to help reduce suicide deaths across the state, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is sharing key information about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and its operations in Wyoming. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential and always available. The system involves a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Two call centers within Wyoming are part of the lifeline network. “We believe it’s a benefi...
by Debra Johnston, MD My mother had 6 siblings, 16 aunts and uncles, and innumerable cousins. She was the first of them all to be diagnosed with breast cancer. I think of my mom every time one of my patients tells me they aren’t concerned about breast cancer because it doesn’t run in their family. Unfortunately, that is true of most people who are diagnosed with the disease. I also think of my mother every time I do a breast exam, or teach someone else how to do a self exam. Her breast cancer was one not detectable by the mammogram tec...
