Author - The Durango Herald

Sleep crucial to teenagers as demands pileup

How many adults remember what it was like to be a teenager? It's a bit of a roller-coaster ride. Adolescence is a mishmash of physical, social and intellectual changes designed t...

DATE: Aug 31, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

You can prevent acid reflux by watching diet

There’s a children’s rhyme about how when our food does not like the atmosphere of our stomach, it “pops back up to say hello.” For many of us, this all-too-common second greeti...

DATE: Aug 17, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

Don’t get burned: Simple measures can save your skin

Can you guess what is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States? It is skin cancer, with 5 million Americans treated each year. Treatment for skin cancer accounts ...

DATE: Aug 3, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

How a paper clip and a flame can save a fingernail

For 20 years running, we shared New Year’s Eve with college friends and their families. One such celebration began with a minor but painful injury. Before leaving on a three-hour...

DATE: Jul 27, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

Are you paying attention to your thirst?

I’m always amused when I visit the Bar D and the Wranglers sing the lyrics of the old Bob Nolan song “Cool Water.” It never fails as they harmonize about the barren waste and their dry throa...

DATE: Jul 19, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

This mean, nasty condition thrives on close contact

One medical school experience was indelibly written into our collective memories. A fourth-year student felt unwell, having aches, pains and a slight runny nose. As the student l...

DATE: Jun 29, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

Blood pressure can rise without your knowledge

In 2012, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the Million Hearts Campaign. The goal of this public-health initiative is the prevention of 1 million heart attacks in ...

DATE: Jun 22, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

Cold or allergy? Symptoms can be deceptive

One of the most common questions I get this time of year relates to the experience of runny nose and cough. “Doc, is it a cold or my allergies?” For some, it can be ha...

DATE: Jun 15, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

Don’t be afraid, but be concerned about skin cancer

In the past, I freely admitted to fear of three things: snarling canines (Yes, I’ve been bitten), fast-moving water (a near drowning) and snarling dogs in fast water. I’ve never ...

DATE: May 25, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

Eat too much, and you turn into a lazy lion

I am fascinated by the physiology of food. By this, I mean how food and drink (and sometimes their absence) interact with our body to affect our physical and mental sense of well-being as we...

DATE: May 18, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

Prepare properly and you’ll enjoy your next hike

On the recommendation of a good friend and hiking mentor, my daughter and I recently hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It was an awesome experience, and we treasured both the time spe...

DATE: May 4, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

Healing heels: Take care when caring for them

There is nothing glamorous about the heel bone, known as the calcaneus, the heel’s Latin name. Despite significant improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of calcaneus fractu...

DATE: Apr 27, 2014 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch