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HPV and Cancer Concerns

After an extended summer break thanks to COVID-19, many parents are looking toward the fall and the start of a new school year. With that comes back-to-school physicals and updates on immunizations.

If your child is a tween, you should make sure he or she receives the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can lead to a variety of cancers, such as cervical, penal, anal, vaginal and throat.

As an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon, I frequently work with patients diagnosed with throat cancer. Since the 1960s the incidence of HPV-...

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Tribute to Courage

On November 28, 2011, Cody Chandler went to the emergency room at UT Health Tyler with what he thought was pneumonia. He had no idea the reality of what he was about to face. Not only did he have pneumonia in both lungs, he also was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

“This is a very aggressive malignancy of the white blood cells of the bone marrow,” Dr. Bob Droder,...

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Stroke Awareness Month

Did you know that stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States? It’s important to understand what a stroke is, know the signs and act fast. Once a stroke occurs, you don’t have time to waste.

A stroke occurs when the blood flow to the brain is obstructed, due to a blocked or ruptured blood vessel in the brain. This lack of blood flow reduces...

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Talking to Kids and Teenagers About COVID-19

The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 or COVID-19 has impacted and changed the lives of families all over the United States. You see it all over social media such as Facebook or find yourself hearing discussions of it while you are getting the essentials at the grocery store. As adults, it can be overwhelming or anxiety-inducing to hear the news on a constant basis. As parents, it can be a challenge to not only process the information for yourself, but also figure out how to talk about it with your children.

Kids are very perceptive,...

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What is the difference between pulmonary rehabilitation and cardiac rehabilitation?

Most of the 11 UT Health East Texas cardiopulmonary rehabilitation clinics offer both pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation on-site. However, each rehab program has distinct differences from the other. Registered respiratory therapist Jordan Allen, RRT, explains the similarities and differences between the two programs.

While both programs combine exercise and education with improving a patient’s quality of life, pulmonary rehabilitation primarily works with patients who have chronic lung diseases (e.g. COPD,...

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Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease

Did you know…

  • Cardiovascular disease is the most common complication of diabetes?
  • People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have cardiovascular disease?
  • 65 percent of those with diabetes die of a heart attack or stroke?

The good news is that complications of diabetes, including cardiovascular complications, are preventable by seeing your primary care provider for regular check-ups and living a healthy lifestyle. The diabetes treatment plan includes a healthy way of eating, regular physical activity, taking medications as...

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Your Healthiest Holiday Season Yet

There are an untold amount of articles full of advice on how to eat healthy during the holidays. While it is very important to formulate a plan on how to approach a buffet during this season of sugar, fat and salt, it is also a time to focus on keeping up with other aspects of your health.

As we travel, change our routines and load up our to-do lists, many aspects of our life that should be top priority can drop in importance. While it’s fine to miss a couple yoga classes or stay up late one night talking to friends, completely abandoning all your routines can have a negative...

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Your Best Bladder Diet

Bladder issues are still a sensitive health subject people tend to avoid talking about – even with their physician. However, issues like urinary incontinence, bladder infections and urinary tract infections are common and may be helped with simple lifestyle changes. One way to improve bladder health is to modify your diet. Certain foods and liquids can irritate conditions and should be avoided, while other foods can help.

Read the tips below and test them out to improve your bladder health.

 

Cut Out or Limit

Some beverages and foods contain...

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7 Diabetes Myths Busted

There are 30 million people in the United States living with diabetes, but one in four do not know they are living with this condition. In addition to those millions, another 84 million adults, teenagers and children have prediabetes, but 90% are unaware. These numbers are what motivate UT Health East Texas Certified Diabetes Educators Audrey Hall and Lara Dove to bring awareness to diabetes and clear up any myths that surround this condition.

Read Hall and Dove’s responses to the most common diabetes myths below.

 

First, a brief...

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Health Curveball: Premature and Early Menopause

Learn about the causes and symptoms of early and premature menopause

Around the time the candles on the 50th birthday cake are blown out, women can expect to soon go through menopause. This is a natural stage in life that every woman shares. However, for some women, that stage can come earlier than expected.  In the United States 5% of women will go through early menopause and 1% through premature menopause.

Early menopause is when you reach this stage before the age of 45. Premature menopause is before the age of 40. In both cases women having gone through early or premature menopause cannot get pregnant.

Since this change...

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