Affective vs. Effective

Just recently, a female hammer thrower qualified for the Olympic games, and protested when the anthem of her (our) nation was played. She turned her back and hid her face under a t-shirt while those who threw farther stood tall.

Health care access for rural Americans

For most of us, seeing the doctor means making a trip to the local clinic to see our primary care physician in person, but an increasing number of patients are seeing their doctor remotely by telehealth, using two-way video telecommunication technology.

Our democracy is being threatened

I was honored to teach political science courses at SDSU for 38 years.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

The high temps during early June meant we put our two ancient air-conditioning units in the windows early too. My poor husband says he starts dreading this yearly procedure the moment he takes them out in the fall.

When money is no object

I’ve been spending a lot of time talking with patients about the COVID-19 vaccine. Sometimes we celebrate being fully vaccinated. Some patients are skeptical about how serious COVID-19 infections actually were. And others are not convinced they can trust the vaccine.

Some thoughts about fatherhood - for Fathers Day

“Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” —Anne Geddes “The only way I can describe (fatherhood) —it sounds stupid, but—at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you know how his heart grows like five times? Everything is full. It’s just full all the time.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

In the middle of June six years ago, my first child arrived into the world. There were some very minor complications that resulted in major implications, and we ended up in the NICU.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

If last week’s snow felt like the final blast of winter, this week felt like the height of summer. With temperatures reaching nearly 100 degree F for several days in a row, my newly planted garden wilted and the seeds sown in raised beds languished, too dry to germinate.

Patients deserve clarity

I was sitting in my beach chair on vacation soaking up the sun when I overheard the couple next to me sounding concerned. They were throwing out lots of big medical terms but were very confused and said that they did not understand anything that they read on this MRI report.

Enjoy your West River Summer

In this issue,readers will find our annual West River Summer - A Guide for Local Folks and Visitors. We hope you enjoy it. We sometimes have to explain to visitors what “West River” means.