Health

As we quickly approach the holiday season of 2020, I hope that many of my patients will be experiencing much-needed relaxation and quality time with friends and family. However, they also may celebrate with some little overindulgences in fine food and alcohol, which could lead to another unwelcomed holiday gift. This is the time of year I often get phone calls from patients experiencing pain, redness and swelling in their toes or foot with no memory of how it could have happened.

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am confronted daily with questions from patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families: What should we do? Should we stay home and avoid all personal contact?

I saw the impact of the pandemic on these patients: social isolation with subsequent depression, lack of physical activity, deferral of routine follow-up visits, cancellation of elective procedures and loss of follow-up for chronic conditions.

The mammogram is a powerful and potentially life-saving tool. In this blog, Dr. Michael Klouda, board-certified diagnostic radiologist at the UT Health East Texas HOPE Breast Care Center, explains when women should start receiving mammograms and why timing is so important.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Cancer is a disease in which the cells in the body grow out of control. Second to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. There are nearly 250,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in women and 2,300 in men every single year in the U.S. Even with the death rate declining, approximately 42,000 women and 510 men die each year from breast cancer.

There are many reasons to have your hearing evaluated by an audiologist. Hearing loss may occur as a result of genetics, aging, medication side effects, pathology of the ear, loud noise exposure, and much more. Hearing loss can happen suddenly or your hearing may slowly worsen over time. If your hearing loss is gradual, others may notice that you are having difficulty hearing before you do. It is important to have your hearing checked as soon as you notice changes in your hearing. Untreated hearing loss may lead to poor understanding, fatigue, depression, and social isolation.

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Blood cancers include leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma. Together these account for approximately 180,000 new cancers each year in the United States. There has been dramatic improvement in the treatment and outcomes for most blood cancers in the past two decades. Many of these cancers are more common as someone ages, but some leukemias and lymphomas are fairly common in children.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and September 10 is observed annually as World Suicide Prevention Day. Suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death for people of all ages around the world; in Texas, it is the eleventh leading cause. For each suicide, approximately 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected.

Staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic is extremely important for individuals older than 65. Those individuals need to be physically active, especially if they have comorbidities and chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and/or chronic lung disease. If they want to exercise outdoors, they should respect social distancing, wear masks if exposed to other individuals and use sanitizer or wash hands with soap and water.

Tinnitus is a ringing, hissing, buzzing or roaring sound perceived by an individual in the absence of an actual external sound source. Though some are unbothered by tinnitus, many find it burdensome or even debilitating. Tinnitus is not a disease, but is instead a symptom of an underlying health problem. In fact, there are around 200 different health disorders that can cause tinnitus. In most cases, it is not a sign of a serious illness or condition.

Your ability to speak can influence how well you communicate with those around you. Your ability to swallow can affect what and how much you eat and drink, which can have a tremendous impact on your overall health. For these reasons, issues with your voice or swallowing can greatly affect your quality of life. The UT Health East Texas Voice and Swallowing Clinic can help.