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No match for muck

I fought the muck and the muck won. It wasn’t even a contest. To understand why I was fighting muck, we must go back to late February when our farm pond suddenly drained itself at the end of a record stretch of extreme cold temperatures. Overnight the water left, and the abnormally thick ice collapsed to the bottom. Then came spring and the ice melted, leaving a shallow pool of water 20 feet across. Still with fish in it, can you believe? I did not expect any to survive. Pond turtles, too. For a closer examination of the damage, I had to wait for a stretch of dry days, which we got ...

Staying safe in a connected world: A parent’s guide to digital wellness and protecting youth beyond the screen

Most of us grew up hearing the conventional wisdom that “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Although it was never actually true, it is even less true today. Modern youth not only deal with harmful words from people they know in the real world; they often find themselves “ganged up on” by peers, strangers, and anonymous online communities through what is commonly referred to as cyberbullying. As we highlight the importance of digital safety and youth wellness this April, it is vital to recognize that the digital world is more than just a social ...

Local help is available for those suffering from depression

Salem Regional Medical Center’s Behavioral Medicine & Wellness Center (BMWC) is encouraging community members to learn the signs of depression, reach out for help and remember they are not alone – effective treatment is available. Depression is a common but serious medical condition that can affect how a person feels, thinks and handles daily life. According to Jamie Benner, Program Manager for the BMWC, recognizing the symptoms early can help individuals begin the path toward feeling better. “Depression is considered a clinical illness when symptoms last for two weeks or more ...

The riskful art of chainsawyering

My wife is always bringing books for me from the used bookstore she manages. Yesterday she brought home “Barnacle Parp’s Chain Saw Guide” by Walter Hall (1977, 257 pages). That’s like giving Col. Sanders a book on “How to Fry Chicken.” But never mind. Just because I own 10 chainsaws, at least half of which will reliably start, and have heated our house with firewood for 40 years, that does not mean I couldn’t pick up a few tips from a book like this. After skimming for 10 minutes, though, I decided there was nothing in it for me to learn. Not that I couldn’t learn, ...

Veterans are leading the way in healing – again

By any honest measure, veterans have long been unintended pioneers in the advancement of medicine. The unique realities of war and military service have forced innovation that later benefits civilians for generations. Modern triage systems emerged from battlefields where medical personnel had to decide, in seconds, who could be saved. Medevac transportation by helicopter increased survival rates in conflicts like Vietnam and later became a staple of civilian emergency medicine. Advances in trauma surgery, prosthetics, rehabilitation medicine and even treatments for post-traumatic ...