Health

Obesity: A Chronic Disease State and a Common Health Challenge

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...

Many people believe flu season only lasts a few months, but it can stretch through seven months of the year. Learn tips on what to do if you think you may have the flu.

What are symptoms of the flu?

Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
Chills
Cough
Sore throat
Muscle aches
Headache
Fatigue

What to do if you think you have the flu:

Stay home. Avoid contact with other people as much as possible in order to prevent your illness from spreading
Rest. This allows...

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...

Teamwork between hospitals saves patient’s eyesight

Brian Ballard knows his property has more sidewalks to trim and edge than most, but he doesn’t mind. The yard work gets him off the couch and outside.

The 74-year-old retired power generation executive, who lives in Henderson, Texas with his wife Margaret, was always careful to wear safety glasses while working in the yard, except once.

“I ran out of line in my grass trimmer, so I stopped and...

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.

...

A new vaccine that fights three strains of influenza is now available from health care providers across the U.S.

The most effective way to fight the flu is to get vaccinated, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While the virus can spread among the population during the entire year, the flu season is generally in the fall and winter. The peak months for the flu are December through February.

While the CDC recommends you get an annual flu vaccine by the end of October, any time you get it before the peak months will help.

Everyone 6 months...

For Mark Burns, 70, a retired carpenter who lives with his wife Cathy in Carthage, Texas, much of his exercise during the last two decades occurred on the golf course.

“As I approached retirement age, I stayed active and continued to play lots of golf,” said Burns. “Sometimes I played 50 rounds a year. I was a decent player and had a nine handicap. I really enjoyed it.”

The sport can deliver many health benefits, especially when walking the course instead of riding a golf cart. Walking can burn twice as many calories, which helps manage weight, lower blood pressure, improve...

Do you know the warning signs for a stroke? Would you recognize them in someone else? What about yourself? We often think if something like a stroke has occurred, we would realize it immediately, right? As it turns out, nearly 70 percent of people who have suffered a minor stroke don’t recognize the symptoms at all. Seeking medical treatment within the first three hours is critical to successful treatment. However, according to a study published in the journal Stroke, 30 percent of stroke patients wait more than 24 hours to contact their doctor or head to the emergency room.

How...

5 Ways to Decrease Your Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women; it is also the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a month set aside to increase awareness and education of colon cancer. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, almost half (47%) of colorectal cancer could be prevented or significantly delayed with lifestyle and diet...

The Taylor family after their father's heart surgery

Rob Taylor was doing almost everything right.

For 15 years, the 59-year-old Bullard resident worked out in the gym at least three times a week with his personal trainer. He didn’t smoke and recently added playing in a senior softball league to his list of activities. Though he weighed around 250 pounds, Taylor carried it well on his six-foot frame.

Together with his wife and three children, the family kept up an active lifestyle and ate a “well-rounded, healthy diet” most of the time.

“However, about a third of the time,” recalled Taylor, “I didn’t eat very healthy...

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Health

Obesity: A Chronic Disease State and a Common Health Challenge

Understanding Obesity

What to do if … you have the flu

What are symptoms of the flu?

What to do if you think you have the flu:

Grandfather grateful for attentive doctor, healthier lifestyle

Teamwork between hospitals saves patient’s eyesight

When emergencies strike, expert care is close to home

New vaccine available for the 2024-25 flu season

Golfer returns to the course after heart attack, improved diabetes care

Spotting the Warning Signs of Stroke Critical for Successful Treatment

How...

5 Ways to Decrease Your Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Family surprised by dad’s unexpected open heart surgery