Health

As the sun climbs higher every day over the East Texas plains, many will turn their attention to preventing one thing: skin cancer.

Since May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, we asked Marc Usrey, MD, a hematology/oncology specialist at UT Health East Texas HOPE Cancer Center, to answer a few questions about skin cancer.

How common is skin cancer?

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in America, affecting nearly one in five people during their lifetime...

Understanding Obesity

Obesity is a chronic disease influenced by sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary choices, environmental factors and genetic predispositions. The consumption of fast and processed foods, combined with unhealthy habits, accelerates the prevalence of obesity. Additionally, certain genetic factors can increase the risk.

Having excess fat tissue, also known as adipose tissue, can cause the body's immune system to overreact and release excessive inflammatory substances. This overreaction, called a cytokine storm, can result in widespread damage to the body...

Johnny Skelley was nearly at his wit's end because he didn’t feel right.

He had moved from Arlington to Lindale, Texas to be closer to family and improve his health. “Not only was I closer to my sister and brother-in-law,” said Skelley, “every time I visited Lindale, I could feel myself relax and my blood pressure drop. It felt great!”

A former service manager for a large car dealership, the 66-year-old retiree had been careful to notice small changes in his health. He had experienced three strokes and ongoing struggles with his weight, diet and high blood pressure, which...

Like nearly half of all people over the age of 50, Bonnie Geddie, 67, has diverticulosis, a condition in which small pockets form in the normally smooth inner wall of the intestines. Most people don’t develop symptoms or complications from this condition, but some get diverticulitis – an inflammation of the small pockets that form when food particles become lodged in the stomach lining.

Geddie has treated her diverticulitis with anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics. However, consistently taking medications is key to managing this condition.

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