Doc Talk with Monument Health

Host Mark Houston sits down with colorectal surgeon Dr. Steven Donahue to talk about diverticulitis, a condition Houston has lived with for over two decades. They walk through what causes it, when repeat flare-ups turn into a real conversation about surgery, and what recovery looks like using Monument Health's da Vinci robotic surgery system. Houston shares his own experience going through the procedure, start to finish, and Dr. Donahue breaks down what patients can actually expect, from that first consult to the fear most people have about ending up with a colostomy bag.

Millions of women are turning to social media for answers about perimenopause and menopause, but how much of it holds up? Dr. Heather Moline, an OB-GYN with Rapid City Medical, joins Mark Houston to cut through the noise: what actually separates perimenopause from menopause, why two decades of fear around hormone replacement therapy were built on flawed research, and what treatment really looks like today. It's a candid, practical look at symptoms, testing, and the long-term health benefits women may have missed out on, and a clear first step for anyone wondering if this is them.  

This best-of episode busts the summer first aid myths everyone's heard growing up. Dr. John Tronnes covers sprains, burns and cuts, and shuts down the Neosporin and hydrogen peroxide debates for good. Then Dr. Kyle Lemley and Dr. Tamra Lemley tackle campfire and fireworks safety, plus a Fourth of July story that gets a little out of hand. It's practical advice with real family moments mixed in.

Summer in the Black Hills comes with real risks once temperatures climb, and heat stroke is one of the most misunderstood. Dr. John Tronnes and Drs. Kyle and Tamra Lemley join Doc Talk to break down the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke, the early warning signs most people miss, and why a simple wet-skin-versus-dry-skin check can make all the difference. They also covers hydration strategies, electrolyte replacement, and how parents can spot heat-related trouble in kids too young to explain what they're feeling. Practical advice for anyone spending time outdoors this summer.

Summer in the Black Hills means sharing the trails with rattlesnakes, spiders and the occasional tick. Rapid City Hospital Pediatricians Tamra Lemley, M.D, and Kyle Lemley, M.D., break down snake bite basics, including why baby rattlesnakes can be more dangerous than adults and the hiking habits that actually prevent bites. John Tronnes, M.D., Family Medicine Physician at Lead-Deadwood Clinic then covers brown recluse and black widow bites and busts the old wives’ tales — no sucking out venom, no tourniquets — that could make a bite worse. A practical guide for anyone spending the summer outdoors with kids. 

Summer in South Dakota comes fast and doesn't last long, so it pays to be ready. In this episode, Dr. John Tronnes breaks down everything you need to know about heat stroke and heat exhaustion, including the one skin-check trick that tells you which one you're dealing with. Then Dr. Tamra and Dr. Kyle Lemley cover sun safety for kids, from the right SPF to why that old swim shirt in the garage might not be cutting it anymore.

Commercial Drivers are an essential part of South Dakota’s economy. However, when you are following a semi-truck on the interstate, or putting your kids on a school bus, you want to be rest assured that the operator won’t suffer a sudden, preventable medical emergency. Chad Storch, D.O., MPH, a board-certified Occupational and Aerospace Physician at Rapid City Clinic, Mount Rushmore Road, provides federally required Department of Transportation Medical Exams so that drivers can acquire or maintain their commercial driver's license status. In this discussion with Mark Houston, Dr. Storch details the work he does with the South Dakota DOT to keep our highways bustling, yet always safe.Whether you are a professional, long-haul trucker or an everyday motorist, there is plenty of useful information to take away from this discussion.

In this replay of Doc Talk with Monument Health, host Mark Houston sits down with Dr. Deanna Lassegard, an emergency medicine physician at Monument Health in Spearfish, to talk about what really happens in the ER around the Fourth of July. Dr. Lassegard breaks down the injuries she sees most, from sparkler burns that reach 1,800 degrees to the serious hand, face, and eye damage caused by mortars and bottle rockets. She shares why "safe" fireworks aren't always safe, who ends up in the ER most often, and the one piece of advice she'd give every holiday: alcohol and fireworks don't mix. It's a candid, practical conversation about celebrating the holiday without ending the night in the emergency department.

Gaddiel Rios, M.D., is the Primary Care Physician at MED360 by Monument Health in Rapid City. Dr. Rios tells Mark Houston about his history of military service and his medical career, including how he was initially drawn to technology and engineering before moving into medicine. As the only Physician at MED360, Dr. Rios covers a wide range of patients who have direct access without many of the intermediary complications that can be associated with Primary Care. Watch or listen to find out if MED 360 is for you.