Introducing Kevin Poor Bear

For almost 4 months I have been working as a nurse practitioner caring for the Sioux people across South Dakota. I find the complexities of these people, their beautiful culture, and the difficulties their population is facing today very hard to understand and describe. Instead, I will tell you about Kevin.

Kevin Poor Bear of the Lakota Sioux Nation is a proud member of the Pine Ridge reservation, an artist, a husband and father, and a bilateral amputee resulting from a brown recluse spider bite. I had the pleasure of meeting him when he came into the clinic and was kind enough to show me some of his artwork and tell me a little about his Lakota history and culture.

The Sioux are actually 3 major groups of tribes spread over North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana and Canada, each with their own dialect. Pine Ridge is in the western part of South Dakota and home to the Lakota people known for their hunting and warrior culture. Sioux history is marked with much tragedy and conflict including the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 that left around 150 unarmed men, women, and children dead.

Pine Ridge is the eighth largest reservation in the US, larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. It is also one of the poorest areas of the United States with third-world health statistics:
- 8 Times the United States rate of diabetes
- 5 Times the United States rate of cervical cancer
- Twice the rate of heart disease
- 8 Times the United States rate of Tuberculosis
- Alcoholism rate estimated as high as 80%
- 1 in 4 infants born with fetal alcohol syndrome or effects
- Suicide rate more than twice the national rate
- Teen suicide rate 4 times the national rate
- Infant mortality is three times the national rate
- Life expectancy on Pine Ridge is the lowest in the United States and the 2nd lowest in the Western Hemisphere: 47 years for males, 52 years for females. Only Haiti has a lower rate.


The reservation doesn't provide many opportunities for work leaving the unemployment rate at 80-90% and the per capita income at $4,000. Which brings us back to Kevin Poor Bear. Kevin makes a living through his company Poor Bear Art where he sells his original hand painted pastels that embody and preserve the Lakota history and culture. Like many of the Sioux people, Kevin strives to preserve the history, language, and spiritual practices of his ancestors. 



" We must appreciate the undaunted courage, the enduring spirit of survival, and the happy spirit of laughter among the Lakota...the Lakota people are here, still proud, still strong, still surviving, in the face of inestimable difficulties. And the victory of a better life will come." -Kevin Poor Bear

If you are interested in supporting Kevin and his family (or wonder where he got his name) please visit his online gallery.

Nice furniture for sale!

I have some high quality furniture that needs a good home. It's all slightly used, but in really good shape. Click on the links to see details. All items are for sale at half of the current market price. I can help set up delivery if needed.  Everything will be available in August. Check it out and let me know if you are interested.

Bassett Furniture King Sized Panel Bed, Redin Park collection, dark walnut, $300

Box spring $100

King pillow top mattress (5 years old) $100

Bassett Furniture Dresser, Redin Park collection, dark walnut, $500

Bassett Furniture Mirror, Redin Park collection, dark walnut, $150

Bassett Furniture Credenza/media chest, deep Mahogany finish (similar to the link except it has drawers instead of cabinets doors). $750

Bassett Furniture credenza/ buffet and glass china cabinet, 2 pieces, deep Mahogany finish.  The china hutch has built in lights.  (The glass sliding panels do come off track easily and sorry, liquor and dishes not included). $750 credenza, only $250 for glass china hutch. 

Ikea Billy black bookcases, 2 available, $25 each

Bassett Distressed mirror, large (I had it over the fireplace), $50

Top 10 in My Second Favorite City

Atlanta still holds my heart for #1, but I did find my second favorite city so far.....drum roll please.....the winner is.....Los Angeles! I love this city for the energy, the diversity, and the active, creative, crazy, laid back people. It's basically like Atlanta, but on the beach! Yeah, it's kind of awesome. I visited my friend Ryan Pest from my high school theater days. He and his crazy crew took me on a whirlwind tour of L.A. Here are my Top 10 favorite spots in LA:

10) Hollywood

I followed in the footsteps of the stars while walking the imaginary Red Carpet at the Dolby Theatre and dodged the tourists and random people dressed up like Mickey asking me for money at the Chinese Theatre.

9) In-N-Out Burger

Sitting in traffic trying to get from the 10 to the 110 to the 29 to the 3,245 may cause episodes of Hanger (when hunger leads to anger). There is no better solution than an "animal" style In-N-Out burger. Ya'll were right. 

8) Olvera Street

This "Mexican Marketplace that recreates a romantic Old Los Angeles with a block-long narrow, tree-shaded, brick-lined market" dates back to the 1930s has some of THE BEST made from scratch Mexican food, including hand made corn tortillas. You guys know how I feel about my Mexican food, right?

7) PLaNETS show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood
This "psych rock band" puts on way more than a typical rock music show. They combine some serious rock with everything from zombie costumes, shadow puppetry, emotionally moving dancing, and crowd interaction for certainly the most interesting night at the club I've ever experienced. I got especially excited when they started playing the Game of Thrones theme song #awesome #dork4life

6) Roof Top Bar (of unknown name) in Downtown LA, aka "DTLA"

Hanging out with a few of the USA Men's Volleyball team and bar hoping in DTLA made for an early flight the next morning, but it was worth it.

 5) True Food in Santa Monica
After a sunset stroll down the Santa Monica Pier Ryan, Alfie and I had some fabulous cocktails and a delicious dinner at True Food. They boast an anti-inflammatory diet heavy on the vegetables with vegan and gluten free options, but it's just amazing tasting real food. Annnnd guess what Atlanta peeps... there is one that just opened on Peachtree St.! You should all check it out.

4) Griffith Observatory in the Hollywood Hills
This observatory and science museum sits in the Hollywood Hills providing a lovely smoggy view of the city. Ryan taught me all sorts of stuff about #science!

3) Huntington Beach
We grabbed some Banzai Bowls and ate our breakfast walking down the pier watching the surfers in the ocean and the volleyball players on the beach. If I moved to LA this is where I would live, for sure!

2) The Getty Center
This is an absolute MUST DO if you visit LA! This Museum itself is as beautiful as it contents. It's surrounded by a colorful garden you can walk through with flowers and water features and has a great view of the city and it's neighboring beaches. Trust me, it's worth sitting in traffic for (but get In-N-Out Burger on the way).

1) Venice Beach and Brunch
My last day in LA was just perfect. The sun finally came out and Ryan, Alfie, and Whitney took me to Venice Beach. We had a long lazy brunch with bottomless mimosas before heading to lay out on the beach. I loved putting my toes in the Pacific and laying in the sand with a backdrop of mountains.

I can't imagine a better visit to LA and I owe it all to the amazingly awesome people (shout out to Ryan, Alfie, Whitney T., Whitney L., Ricky, and Gus-Gus) who took me in and made me one of their own for the short time I was there. Seeing places and stuff is great, but it's really the people I meet and friends I make on my adventures that give my experiences true meaning. Look out LA- I'll be back!

Farrrrrrgo

I have settled nicely into my newest assignment in Sisseton, SD, population of approximately 2500. It's on the complete opposite side of the state from my previous assignment in Pine Ridge.  I'm in the north east corner, near North Dakota and Minnesota. It's an open reservation, meaning non-tribal businesses and people work and live here, which appears to improve the economy and increase income opportunity in the area.

North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota from the top on Nicollet Tower

I am happy to tell you my living arrangements have vastly improved- no more creepy house! I'm in a nice trailer park now. Besides only having a mini-fridge and washing my dishes by hand, I really can't complain. For the first time in my life I have a real 8-5 job WITH a lunch break! I feel so spoiled. Don't worry, I've been staying busy. I love having the time to focus on my health. I'm working out almost everyday and training for my first half marathon. I'll be running the Rock n Roll half in Savannah in November!  

I also picked up a keyboard in Fargo and am tapping into my musical side. Speaking of Fargo...it's a pretty neat little city! No, I have never seen the movie so I can't compare. It's about 1.5 hours away and I have made some friends there through an online meetup group (it's like online dating for friends). Fargo has a nice historic downtown area with several good restaurants and a lively live music scene. 

I guess I'll survive here for the next few months :)

Bucket List! Mount Rushmore and the Badlands

I must admit, before I came out here I had no idea where Mount Rushmore was and had never heard of the Badlands. I'm so glad I took this assignment because I'm getting to see a part of the country I may never have seen. Let's face it, the Midwest doesn't make my top 10 list of vacation spots. Mount Rushmore has a little museum and video that tells you all about it. At the time it was built people seemed to have so much pride in America. I've grown up in a time where people just constantly complain about our country. It seems like most people hate our President, no matter who it is, not build giant monuments to honor them. I think it is kind of sad, really. 

On the way to The Badlands, I had to stop for a 5 cent cup of coffee at the famous Wall Drugstore.  The business opened in the 30s and made it's success by offering free ice water to travelers. It's now a cheesy tourist trap, but still offers free ice water and 5 cent coffee!

Jon and I had to take a selfie....or 10.

Who needs a tourist trap when you have this?! The Badlands is just amazing. This landscape developed starting with glaciers. Then over time the wind and rain formed the unique hills. The layers are different colors due to various minerals. The park is also full of protected wildlife. During my 3 days in The Black Hills and and The Badlands I saw (in the wild) bighorn sheep, antelope, bison, prairie dogs, mountain goats, pheasants, turkeys, mule deer, and white tailed deer. Pretty awesome!

 These guys were right in the road, and they were not in a hurry to move for you.

 (#nofilter)

 The cutest!

They had horns. I promise.

Something Bigger

 One of my friends claims she doesn't like hiking. She doesn't see the point. That's cool, to each her own, but it got me thinking about why I love hiking. It's not like running where you have a goal that you work toward to accomplish. You can never complete it or check it off your list. For me, it's not about an accomplishment or even exercise. It's about an experience. My experience varies based on location, scenery, or company, but what always occurs is my inevitable change in focus. Without trying, my thoughts shift away from myself as I am overwhelmed with the "bigness" of the world. Whether I am taking in 12 different colors of tiny mushrooms growing alongside the rushing waterfalls of Blue Ridge, GA or the expansive blue skies contrasting against the white snow-covered Rocky Mountains, a powerful feeling of "there is something bigger out there" overtakes me. It doesn't make me feel insignificant necessarily, but thankful to be a part of such an amazing world, to be a part of something bigger.

 I was lucky enough to have several of these moments as I explored the Black Hills of South Dakota this past weekend. I drove up through Wind Cave National Park to an adorable log cabin outside of Custer, SD. Here was the view off the front porch where I watched cows and deer graze while eating breakfast:

Needles Highway runs through Custer State Park and Black Hills National Forrest. This narrow road twists and turns through tunnels that have been cut into the hills revealing tall spire-shaped rocks rising into the landscape. I even saw Billy Goats climbing around on the mountain!

 At one of the highest points along the highway you reach Sylvan Lake. I hear its a frequent spot for "polar bear jumps". Brrrr!

Saying goodbye to the Black Hills. Coming up next: Mount Rushmore and The Badlands!

Antibiotics and Obesity: Medicine Not Without Consequence

Medical providers and patients alike have been hearing for years about the dangers of over-using antibiotics. We all have heard that too many antibiotics circulating around turn the bacteria into super bugs that are now resistant to many antibiotics and causing deadly diseases like MRSA, C. difficile, and now even Vancomycin resistant staph. But could there be even more dangers to antibiotic use?

In my prior post I mentioned that calves were injected with antibiotics. To my surprise the purpose of the injection is not to fight or prevent infection, but to put more weight on the cows.  As a medical provider who prescribes antibiotics everyday, this concept really sparked my interest. Could my prescribing be a contributing factor to American obesity?

According to a New York Times article, farmers have been fattening up livestock since the 1950s. Studies were conducted on rats and humans in the 50s and confirmed that both species gained more weight when given antibiotics. In fact, in one study children gained about 5 lbs a year more when given the antibiotics than children who did not take the medicine. That may not sound like much, but for a 2 year old to gain 20 extra pounds in 5 years is significant.

Research presented at Obesity Week 2013: The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Obesity Society Joint Annual Scientific Meeting found that infants given broad-spectrum antibiotics (meaning ones that kill many different strains of bacteria) had a 20% increased risk of becoming obese by the time they were toddlers. Of course, there are other life style factors that will increase ones risk of obesity, but as the Medscape article stated, it is a modifiable risk factor that we can do something about and shouldn't ignore.

Because of this evidence linking antibiotics to obesity, Europe has banned its farmers from using antibiotics in livestock feed. Although, I haven't seen any evidence of humans who eat the animals who were fed antibiotics becoming obese.

So how exactly do antibiotics make us fat? Many scientists are starting to study human "gut flora". This refers to the collection of microorganisms that live in our intestines and keep our bodies in balance with the bad bugs of the world. You may have heard of fecal transplantation curing a deadly intestinal bacteria, C. difficile? They don't quite get it yet, but scientists are learning that having a healthy gut flora is vital to our health and prevention of all kinds of diseases, including obesity.  Obese people have a less diverse flora than people of a healthy weight.

Ok, so I know antibiotics are not without consequence. I also know that many illnesses frequently treated with antibiotics are viral and don't respond to antibiotics. So why do I keep prescribing them? Tough question for us providers.

There is a belief by most of the community that antibiotics are the magic trick to curing them and getting them back to work, school, volleyball, their cousin's wedding, or their beach vacation. They act like if I don't prescribe them it's just to be mean and if I only understood that they didn't have time to be sick then I would give them my magic pill. This is not true guys. I'm always here to do what's best for you. Majority of the time if you have a cold, the flu, a sinus infection, cough, bronchitis, or sore throat the antibiotics will do you no good. Yes, even bronchitis and sore throat. They will keep you from arguing with me and coming back to the clinic the next day hoping for a different answer. I promise, the CDC and FDA backs me up on this.

I did say "majority of the time". So how can I know for sure if an antibiotic will help? Currently medical providers don't have fast and inexpensive testing to prove to you, or us, if it's viral or bacterial. You can get blood work done, but it will usually take a day to come back.

This leads providers to prescribe out of fear. We want to protect you from the worst thing it could be, so, we'll prescribe the antibiotic just in case. And since we don't really know what we are treating, we will give you one of those "broad spectrum" ones to just kill everything. (The ones that made babies and rats obese, remember?) Seems like the best thing to do for the patient, especially if you fear they may not return if complications develop. Now that we are learning we may be causing long-term health complications from our attempts to help, we must re-examine our decision making process.

I would encourage all of you to help us out. If you see a medical provider, I hope that you are seeking their professional opinion and advise, not asking for "what always works in the past". A very frequent scenario: you come down with cold symptoms, deal with it for 3 or 4 days, and then finally go get an antibiotic. In the next couple of days you start feeling better so you assume the antibiotic worked. When, in fact, it was viral all along, and upper respiratory viruses usually resolve in 7-10 days.

Somewhere in your visit with your provider mention that you don't want antibiotics unless you really need them. It's sad, but we have come to assume you are going to demand them. If we don't have the energy to argue we will prescribe them.

Let's all approach antibiotics with a bit more caution. Please remember that there is no magic pill nor substitute for a health diet, exercise, and adequate rest to keep us healthy and ready to enjoy life.

*Stepping of my soapbox now*

Thanks for listening, I hope you learned something new. I welcome questions and comments, just be nice :)

This is nuts! *graphic content*

*Warning- if you happen to be eating at the moment or are an animal rights activist the post below may bother you*

I'm all about new experiences and boy was today one! I was invited by a co-worker, Michelle, to come out to her family's ranch for a calf branding day. In the spirit of adventure of course I said yes. Today three different families came together to get the job done. Branding is important so that no one can steal other people's cows. The brand is required when the cow gets sold to prove it belongs to the person selling the cow. So here's how it's done:

The branding irons heat up over hot coals.

The poor babies await their fate.

The momma cows are pissed that someone took their babies away and are quite vocal about it. #mooooooo

Two people wrestle a calf to the ground, then several other people run over and brand the calf, inject antibiotics (which make them fatter), and if they are unfortunate enough to be a baby boy cow....well it's an especially bad day.

"Rocky Mountain Oysters" can be enjoyed right off the branding iron coals or saved and prepared for later. No, I did not try them.  #eeeewwwwww

When the work is done everyone gathers for a big potluck meal. Branding days are big social events that bring the whole family together a few times a year.

After the traumatizing part of the day was over, my friend Stacey and I took a tour of the farm:

It was a very educational experience, but I sure am glad I'm not a cow!

Thankful

This was the first Easter Sunday in several years that I hadn't spent weeks planning and leading worship. I wanted to find a way to celebrate God's love for me even if I wasn't in church. For me, the next best thing to singing my heart out in worship is spending time in His beautiful world outdoors. So Chippy and I found Nebraska National Forest and Chadron State Park. The surprising beauty of the landscape took my breath away.

And here are a few Instagram pics I got:

It was a pretty great Easter Sunday!