Routine health screenings are a critical component of preventive care. They allow for the early detection and management of potential health conditions, often before symptoms arise. While lifestyle choices such as regular exercise and a balanced diet are essential, they do not replace the need for medical evaluations that can identify underlying issues.
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.
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.
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.
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!”
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.
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.
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.”