Doc Talk with Monument Health

Many people go into the holiday season feeling a heaviness they can't quite explain. Lead-Deadwood Hospital and Clinic’s Erin Adkins, CSW, QMHP-PIP, Mental Health Counselor, and Mandi Leiti, PMHNP-BC, a Nurse Practitioner who specializes in psychiatric and mental health, return to discuss winter mental health. They explain why January often brings the biggest wave of people seeking help, how to navigate holiday gatherings when you're already struggling and the difference between winter blues and seasonal affective disorder. The duo offer practical advice on managing financial stress during the holidays, dealing with grief when facing the first season without a loved one and recognizing when it's time to seek professional help. They also discuss how simple steps like getting morning sunlight can make a real difference. If you're feeling the weight of the season, this conversation offers valuable guidance.

Non-Invasive Cardiologist Stephen Wasemiller, M.D., at the Heart and Vascular Institute in Rapid City defines the six pillars of lifestyle medicine and the roles they play in keeping your heart healthy. He also explores the connection between mental health, social isolation and the role of spiritual well-being and advocates for compassionate care and open communication to improve heart health and quality of life.

Joining host Mark Houston is Chad Storch, M.D., MPH, Occupational Medicine at Rapid City Clinic, Mount Rushmore Road. Dr. Storch shares his experiences of caring for sailors and marines aboard the USS Oak Hill and overseeing the health of over 1,500 aviators and air traffic controllers as Aviation Medicine Department Head at Naval Air Station Whiting Field. He also breaks down the importance of FAA physicals, what it takes to keep airmen safe to fly and discusses his work as a Civil Surgeon performing immigration medical examinations.

When you've spent years caring for the men and women who serve our country, you learn a thing or two about trust and community. Joshua Larson, M.D., Family Medicine Physician at Box Elder Clinic, joins host Mark Houston to discuss life as a military doctor, what drew him to Family Medicine and how his journey from the military to Monument Health has helped shape care in Box Elder and the surrounding communities. Dr. Larson dives into his time serving as a doctor in the Air Force, his time serving in Türkiye and how he landed at Ellsworth Air Force Base. He shares what he loves most about working in family medicine and the importance of building a trusting relationship with your primary care doctor.

Mandi Leite, a Nurse Practitioner who specializes in psychiatric and mental health at Lead-Deadwood Hospital and Erin Adkins a Certified Social Worker at Lead-Deadwood Clinic join Mark Houston to talk about providing mental health and counseling services to the area. They discuss their individual approaches to treatment and how they collaborate together. Much like Lead and Deadwood themselves, medication and therapy can be thought of as interlinked. Listen in as Mandi and Erin describe how they encounter and treat the wide spectrum of mental health symptoms as part of the emerging whole-person model of care.

When athletes take the field, there's more happening behind the scenes than most fans realize. In this episode recorded live at a South Dakota Mines football pregame, Joseph Humpherys, D.O., FAAOS, Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine and Joint Preservation at Orthopedic & Specialty Hospital in Rapid City shares what it takes to keep college athletes healthy and performing at their best. His approach goes beyond treating injuries; it includes nutrition support, mental health services and strength conditioning. Dr. Humpherys discusses the importance of having physicians on the sidelines, recent advances in injury prevention and the tests recovering athletes must pass before they can resume competing.

Popping an antacid might work for occasional heartburn. For many people though, acid reflux is a daily battle that affects sleep, diet and quality of life. Ali Zakaria, M.D., Gastroenterologist and Pial Hope, D.O., General Surgeon, both of Rapid City Hospital, discuss why gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may require more than over-the-counter solutions. The duo explains the cause of chronic symptoms and elaborate on their collaborative approach to diagnosis and treatment. They explore advanced care options including transoral fundoplication and robotic surgery, address concerns about long-term medication use and explain why proper diagnosis is crucial before any intervention.

In this episode of Doc Talk Live! at The Matthews Art Center, Wesley Badger, M.D., general surgeon at Spearfish Clinic, North Avenue, discusses two very different cancers and why early detection matters. Dr. Badger explains why colon cancer screening now starts at 45 years old and why colonoscopy remains the standard for prevention. He also addresses the rising rates of colorectal cancer in younger people and the lifestyle factors driving this trend. Dr. Badger also covers thyroid cancer, explaining why it behaves differently than most cancers and why screening recommendations differ dramatically between these two conditions.

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and diagnoses are happening at younger ages than ever before. In this episode, Ashlea Semmens, M.D., General Surgeon, Breast Surgical Oncologist and Medical Director of the Breast Surgery program at Rapid City Hospital, sits down to discuss what every woman needs to know about breast cancer awareness, detection and treatment. She explains why self-awareness matters, breaks what happens after an abnormal mammogram and clears up common myths about screenings. Dr. Semmens also addresses the emotional toll of diagnosis, the resources available locally for patients undergoing treatment and why no two breast cancers are treated the same.