Send us a text A cancer diagnosis often affects patients' mental health leading to anxiety, depression and social isolation. In this episode, guest Gabriela Lelakowska, Ph.D., assistant professor and psychologist in the department of psychiatry in the TTUHSC School of Medicine, emphasizes the importance of open communication, maintaining routines and using professional resources when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer.

Send us a text What is your favorite fictional villain or monster? Do they have a medical condition that led them on the path of evil? How medically accurate is that? Perhaps that character wouldn’t have a been a bad guy were it not for neglect or other people’s hubris? Our experts for this episode are Ron Cook, D.O., Chief Health Officer for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and Alan Pang, M.D., assistant professor in the school of medicine and surgeon with Texas Tech Physicians,...

Send us a text Respiratory illness season is practically here. What can you do to protect your lung health right now? Tushi Singh, M.D., and Ricardo Franco, M.D., both pulmonologists with Texas Tech Physicians, are back for another episode, this one on lung cancer and what we can do to keep our lungs healthy, especially during this time of the year. You will definitely gain a better appreciation for your lungs after listening.

Send us a text Our introduction reminds our listeners that they are getting evidence-based advice and here's an example of how our experts are doing just that. Texas Tech Physicians Orthopedic Surgeon Matthew Kraeutler, M.D., wants to preserve our knee joints and delay or avoid the need for a total knee replacement. He describes the three primary factors involved with preservation of the knee joint -- joint alignment, meniscal status and ligament stability -- and how a deficiency in one can a...

Send us a text September is National Preparedness Month, but we should be prepared for disasters regardless of the time of year. In addition to being prepared, it's good to know also what role public health has when it comes to preparing and responding to disasters. Amal Mitra, DrPH, MBBS, chair of the department of public health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Julia Jones Matthews School for Population and Public Health explains how those in public health prepare for disa...

Send us a text Our health and well-being can affect our sexual health. Illness and disease affect men and women when it comes to physical relationships. Oftentimes, those issues take a toll on our mental health. Don't suffer in silence. Talk to a medical professional. Our guest experts for this episode are two advance practice nurse practitioners from the department of urology, Melissa Bowyer, APRN, and Kristen Sharma, APRN. Both are with Texas Tech Physicians and see patients in the TTUHSC M...

Send us a text In part two of this special series, we take our listeners on the journey of childhood cancer, from diagnosis to survivorship. This is the story of Emmie Rangel, a four-year-old who was diagnosed with cancer. Because she and her family live in a rural area, they had to travel for hours in order to receive a diagnosis and then for treatment and other emergencies. This episode shifts to a narrative format from our usual interview/question and answer format. Part 1: Hope in E...

Send us a text September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Cancer is one of the leading causes of disease-related deaths in children. Thanks to advances in treatment, early detection and specialized pediatric oncology, survival rates for many childhood cancers have improved. This is part one of a two-episode series on childhood cancer. Mohamad Al-Rahawan, M.D., pediatric oncologist with Texas Tech Physicians, answers our questions about childhood cancer and explains why and how it's ...

Send us a text By now, college students have had time to settle into their new routines. That's why now is the time for them to get to know their student health center. Our guest for this episode is Erika Radford, M.D., Texas Tech Physicians family medicine doctor and assistant medical director at Student Health Services. She talks to us about the many services available for students at TTUHSC and TTU, but make sure to check with your university or college health center because many of them o...

Send us a text Preview of the new season.

A few weeks ago we covered pelvic floor dysfunction in men. So for this episode, we’re focusing on pelvic floor dysfunction in women. Our expert is physical therapist Ashlee Crawford, DPT, Texas Tech Physicians Physical Therapy Specialty Clinic in Amarillo. She answers our questions about causes, symptoms —treatments and how to go about seeking treatment — and how we can encourage people to talk about this more.

Children need constant supervision, but what can parents or caregivers do when trouble finds the kiddos? Spencer Pruitt, M.D., Texas Tech Physicians pediatrician, answers our questions about potentially emergency situations such as animal bites or stings, drownings, handling a wild animal or being bitten by one. Dr. Pruitt also answers our questions about children and dehydration and food poisoning and when we should take our child to the emergency room or primary care provider. Additio...

If you’re in a certain age range, your feeds or timelines might include ads about pelvic floor dysfunction. Some people might think it's a problem just for women, but our guests for this episode did a wonderful job of educating us about how pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) affects men. A previous guest who spoke to us about testosterone treatments, Melissa Bowyer is a family nurse practitioner at the Texas Tech Physicians Multispecialty Clinic. Melissa brought Robert Roten, a local physica...

Clinical trials are the future of medicine, to borrow a phrase. Every medication on the market right now was at one point in time subject to a clinical trial. Our guest for this episode, Jennifer Kesey, Ph.D., associate managing director for the Clinical Research Institute at TTUHSC, explains to us what a clinical trial is, the different types of trials and how to participate in one. For more information on how to volunteer for a clinical trial visit: https://app4.ttuhsc.edu/CRIVolunteer/

Moms and moms-to-be need all the support they can get. One of those sources of support is housed in the TTUHSC School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics in Amarillo. The Infant Risk Center is a call center used by physicians, nurse, lactation consultants and mothers worldwide. Our guest for this episode is director of the Infant Risk Center of Excellence, Kaytlin Krutsch, Ph.D., Pharm.D. Dr. Krutsch tells us all about the IRC and the information they provide. Dr. Krutsch goes on ...

June is Men’s Health Month, and we want to bring attention to male infertility. Why this is an important health topic is one of the questions we ask our expert for this episode, Samuel Prien, Ph.D., professor and director of clinical research laboratories in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the School of Medicine. Dr. Prien explains what factors contribute to male fertility and infertility, what is considered a healthy sperm count and what lifestyle factors could affect sperm he...

Financial insecurity can negatively affect our sleep and nutrition and cause social isolation. All of these take a toll on our mental health. Michele Mahr, Ph.D., assistant professor at the TTUHSC School of Health Professions Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling department of clinical counseling and mental health, is out guest expert for this episode. Dr. Mahr emphasizes the importance of open communication about financial stress with families and relationships. She also advices seeking profess...

You don't need garlic or sunlight to protect yourself against vampires -- energy vampires -- that seem to leave some people exhausted and overwhelmed. David Pfaff, Ph.D., clinical mental health therapist with the School of Health Professions Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, is our expert for this episode. He shares with us how we can identify and set boundaries with these relationships, practice mindfulness techniques to manage emotional reactions and treat ourselves with compassion...

Vaping, initially intended as a smoking cessation tool, has evolved into a harmful trend, especially among young people. Tushi Singh, M.D., and Ricardo Franco, M.D., pulmonologists at Texas Tech Physicians, talk to us about the history of vaping and why it's harmful to our health, and stress seeking professional help for smoking cessation. Dr. Singh's previous episode: "When Breathing Gets Hard: Understanding COPD" Sara Tello, APRN, on smoking cessation: "The Great Escape: Breaking Free...

Breast cancer in males is a rare cut clinically significant disease. Males have many of the same risk factors as females, but delay in seeking health care puts them at greater risk. Richard Pullen, Ed.D., MSN, director of the R.N. to BSN program in the School of Nursing, explains why males might put off reporting a lump in their breast or even checking for lumps. Dr. Pullen tells us what to look for, how we can help reduce the social stigma and instead support those who are at risk for develo...