John Roberts

By: John Roberts I’ve had a number of requests to re-run my column on shingles. This may be due to the successful marketing campaign for Shingrix® vaccine, developed to reduce the incidence of this often painful malady. The ads are quite accurate and compelling. Shingles is a condition caused by the Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV). The…

By: John Roberts This week I want to focus on basic prevention and treatments for insomnia. If the cause of insomnia is not readily identifiable it’s helpful to keep a sleep diary for 2-4 weeks to share with your doctor. It should include sleep and wake times, naps, and actual time spent sleeping. You can…

By: John Roberts The comedian W.C. Fields once said, “I never drink water; that’s the stuff that rusts pipes.” This was in response to a question about his alcohol habit. So what do alcohol and W.C. Fields have to do with this week’s topic of rosacea? Read on. Rosacea is a common skin condition usually…

By: John Roberts Now that schools are back in session, the incidence of “pink eye” will likely start to pick up. This common condition accounts for over 30 percent of patient visits for eye problems. Conjunctivitis is the medical term for “pink eye.” The conjunctiva is the continuous connective tissue membrane that covers the inside…

By: John Roberts I see many patients every year who have suffered concussions. Usually these are athletic injuries, but it is frequently seen in others as well. Concussions have always been a part of sports, particularly those involving high-energy impacts including wrestling, football, soccer, lacrosse, basketball, and baseball/softball. Intensive research, along with lawsuits, including the…

By: John Roberts I saw a college athlete recently who complained of shin pain. He had been upping his running mileage in preparation for the upcoming cross country season. His pain was due to a stress fracture. Every year, somewhere between five and 30 percent of athletes develop a stress fracture. Briefhaupt first described the…

By: John Roberts People use the term “cold sore” to describe different types of lesions that occur on the lips or inside the mouth. I’m not sure of the origin of the term, but I presume that it came into being to describe sores that sometimes appear when a person is suffering from an illness…

By: Dr. John Roberts Since our temperatures are heading into the mid-80s this week, it’s time to start thinking about the dog days of summer. We will soon start to see patients suffering from heat illness coming in to urgent care and emergency departments. Heat illness accounts for tens of thousands of visits to medical…

Warmer weather means we have to start thinking about tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease. Many people are aware of the association between tick bites and Lyme disease, but few know exactly what Lyme disease is or what causes it. The number of cases in Indiana has shown a steady increase from 23 cases in 2000…

Barbecue season is in full swing, so it’s a good time to review food safety. Foodborne illness, commonly referred to as “food poisoning,” is something that almost all of us have experienced at some point. Foodborne illness is defined as more than two people having a similar illness with evidence of food as the source.…