John Roberts

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.…

Last week I went over some sun and water safety information. This week I want to examine wheeled things that appear in the spring and summer. It’s great to see kids and adults out on their bicycles now that the weather has warmed up. The downside is we will see the inevitable bike accidents. Some…

We finally getting a taste of some warm weather which means it’s time to starting thinking about summer activities. Most people enjoy some time in the sun. Whether it’s lounging by the water, participating in sports, or working outdoors, we all get our fair share of sun every summer. This week, I want to briefly…

It appears that consistent warm weather has finally arrived in Indiana and people are finally able to get out to commune with nature. This will probably result in a lot of rashes showing up in doctors’ offices. Most of the rashes we see in the summer are caused by poison ivy, one of three plants…

Welcome back to part two of my series on shoulder pain. First, I want to do a quick review of shoulder anatomy (refer to the diagram of the right shoulder looking from the front). The upper arm bone (humerus) joins to the scapula at the glenoid and is held in place by two structures: (1)…

The next two weeks, I’d like to address shoulder pain and injuries. Most people experience shoulder pain at some point in their lives. Doctors see it in mostly in athletes and people who overuse their shoulders. We also see it in those who suffer trauma, particularly from taking a blow directly to the shoulder or…

We are definitely living in a post-truth world. It’s not just in the political sphere that we have to be careful of facts and “alternative facts,” it also extends to the scientific and medical realms as well. The public is being constantly bombarded with scientific information via mainstream media, social media, and other internet sources.…

Sometimes I get asked questions in unusual places. A few months ago I was pulled aside at a store and asked if I could write about hot flashes. Women typically describe hot flashes as a feeling of intense heat, usually with sweating and a rapid heartbeat. They can last a few minutes up to a…

It’s once again time to run my annual column on allergies. Some of our readers may already cursing the annual return of allergy symptoms. Tree pollen levels (Oak, Cedar/Juniper and Birch) in Indiana have been high recently. Spring allergy symptoms can make it even more difficult to differentiate who might have an upper respiratory infection,…

Snoring can certainly be annoying, but it doesn’t always indicate a serious medical problem. However, sometimes snoring can be due to sleep apnea, a condition that can lead to significant medical problems. Sleep apnea is a condition when people have pauses in their breathing while sleeping. Most people have pauses to some degree but people…