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Saturday, May 25, 2013
The "Skinny" on Skin Cancer: Part 3- Melanoma (05/19/13)
As May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, we are going over what we need to know about this common type of cancer. This week, we are going to learn more about the scariest subtype of skin cancer, melanoma. Melanoma is, by far, one of the scariest kinds of cancer to be diagnosed. ...
The 'Skinny' on Skin Caner: Part 1 (05/05/13)
General information and Skin Lymphoma Welcome to May, spring weather, and skin cancer awareness month! As the weather finally starts warming up more often, we are anxious to get outside into the sunshine. But while the sun is a welcome sight after a Missouri winter, it can be nothing more than a shining ball of trouble for us doctors and our patients. ...
What is Autism? (04/28/13)
April is Autism Awareness month, so I thought we would end our month with learning more about it! Autism is actually a more general term that covers many different subtypes of complex brain disorders. These subtypes include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder- not otherwise specified (PDD- NOS), and Asperger syndrome. ...
Living life without regrets (04/22/13)
The longer I practice medicine, the more I realize that being a doctor is more than just prescribing medicines. Most doctors stop right there. But, I feel like they are cheating their patients and themselves. That's because giving prescriptions treats only the body and occasionally the mind. ...
What's the difference? (04/07/13)
Here in the last few years, it seems that healthcare is on every corner. Every street seems to have a doctor's office, hospital, or urgent care. However, you also hear in the news how there is a shortage of doctors. How can there be more places to get healthcare but a shortage of doctors? The answer is... ...
What is a D.O.? (03/31/13)
This is one of the common questions that I get asked in my office. Most patients are used to their doctor having the letters M.D. after their name. But a handful of doctors have D.O. instead. So, what does the D.O. mean? How does that affect the way that a doctor treats a patient? Does the difference really matter? Now, I have to admit, I'm biased on the subject. But once I explain the difference, perhaps you'll understand...
Understanding cancer, part 4: Naming & staging cancers (03/24/13)
During our Understanding Cancer series, we've gone over many topics covering the basics of cancer. We've gone over what cancer is, how it develops, what it does to the body, how common it is, who is likely to get cancer, what the lymphatic system does, and how it relates to cancer. If you missed any of these, you can catch yourself up by looking back on the website at this address: http://www.dddnews.com/columns/housecall...
Understanding cancer, part 3: The Lymphatic System (03/17/13)
I hope you all are enjoying learning about cancer. We all seem to have someone in our life that is affected by it. So it's important to know all we can so that we can help ourselves and those affected cope with the process of cancer. After all, knowledge is power...
Understanding cancer, part 2 (03/10/13)
In honor of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we have been going over the basics of cancer. Last week we looked at what cancer really is, how it forms in the body, and how it affects the body. This week, let's look at how common cancer is and who is at risk for developing it...
Understanding cancer, part 1 (03/03/13)
Understanding cancer, part 1 Cancer is a scary word. It's the one word that every person fears hearing when they or someone they love becomes ill. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. So in honor of educating ourselves on the subject, we will be going over some basics of cancer. This week we will learn what cancer is and how it affects the body...
A cuddly treatment for depression (02/24/13)
In 2012, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) stated that one in ten Americans met the criteria for being depressed. America has been found to be the second highest country in the world for depressed citizens. (The highest rate of depression by country was France.) Missouri is often in the top ten states in America for percentage of depression. ...
Infections: Viral vs. Bacterial (02/18/13)
This is always a busy time of year for a doctor's office. People are getting sick left and right and wanting nothing more than to feel better. This year has been even worse with a rise in flu cases late in the season. Seems like anywhere you turn a friend, family member, or co-worker is sick and you just know you are going to be next. ...
A lemon a day keeps the pimples away (02/10/13)
Some people are lucky. They approach puberty, get their pimples, and then pass into their twenties and never have to worry about acne again. For the rest of us, acne is a plague that starts early in life and we never seem to get rid of it. We try every product on the shelves and spend hundreds, perhaps even thousands of dollars on creams, gels, and soaps that promise to rid us of our ugly skin. ...
Why do I take this pill twice and eat food with that pill? (02/03/13)
One difficulty that us doctors have with our patients is that our patients don't take their medicine correctly. Some patients make quick assumptions and take their medicine the way they THINK they should take them. These assumptions are the fault of the patient. ...
Eat a wise portion size (01/26/13)
Portion control is probably one of the easiest ways of modifying a poor diet. In America, anything bigger is better... except when it comes to our food. Most people don't know the size of a proper proportion. If we did, we wouldn't overeat so often. ...
There's no easy way to lose weight (01/23/13)
So far this month we've talked about whether or not we are addicted to food and the most probable causes of being overweight. And now that we have identified some problems it's time to start fixing them. But fixing them is not easy. Everyone wants to take the easy way out. ...
Why are you overweight? (01/13/13)
The most popular New Year's resolution is to lose weight. Why? Because as the Food Research and Action Center statistics say, two thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. That means that six to seven out of every ten adults has extra weight on them. Put most simply, there are three big reasons that people are overweight... poor diet, lack of exercise, or medical problems. Let's go through each one...
Are you addicted to food? (01/06/13)
As the holiday season comes to an end, everyone (including me) dreads getting on the scale. Parties and calorie rich food have been all around us for two solid months now. And we all use the excuse of, 'Well, it's the holidays. I'll get back on track in January.' Well, now it's January and it's time. So let's get started!...
Jennifer Sellman
Dr. Jennifer's House Call
Jennifer Sellman, D.O., is owner of Willow Family Medicine, LLC, of Kennett, Mo. Her office is located at 1061 Jones Street.