Medical Minutes with WISH-TV

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting about 19% of adults and 7% of children. While medication and therapy are some standard treatments for anxiety, research suggests there are ways to overcome anxiety on your own. Kathleen McHugh, a clinical psychologist based in Florida, provides a few methods to help control anxiety. Distraction: Oftentimes, scroll...

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States experiences a heart attack, research reporting more than 800,000 a year suffer from cardiac arrest each year. It is important to be aware of the warning signs of a heart attack. Common ones include chest pain and shortness of breath, but there are several lesser-known signs, as well. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva...

Fifty million Americans are living with an autoimmune disorder, making it one of the leading causes of chronic illness in the country. In fact, there are more than 80 autoimmune diseases. For most, there is no cure. Management is key, but that may soon change as a procedure in clinical trials right now may be the key to keeping their disease in remission. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr...

Can the right diet really reduce your risk for dementia? The type of food you eat can make a difference. More than 6 million people 65 and older in the United States have dementia. By 2050, that number is expected to double to nearly 13 million. But a series of new studies reveals people can reduce the risk of dementia with the foods they choose to eat. You are what you eat. See Privacy Policy at...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 6 million children between the ages of 13 and 17 have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, may have trouble paying attention, controlling their behavior or be overly active. In this week's episode, I spoke with Indianapolis-based behavioral pediatrician an...

November is Men's Health Awareness Month—a time of year dedicated to raising awareness about issues surrounding prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health. In this week's episode, I spoke with Dr. Helen Bernie, urologist at IU Health, about the importance of early screenings as well as getting regular, annual health checkups. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi...

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the number one cause of all cancer deaths. More people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. In this week's episode, I spoke with Mackenzie Church, Executive Director of End Lung Cancer Now, an initiative of Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, who explained why early detect...

Whether he’s killing it in the kitchen whipping up red chicken chili and apple salad, or taking you through a killer workout, it’s always a blast when Life. Style. Live! personality 'Firefighter Tim' Griffin pays WISH-TV a visit. On the outside, Tim Griffin is the picture of health. But sometimes looks can be deceiving. In this week’s episode, Tim opens up about a disease he's battled for over a d...

Patty Spitler is an Indiana TV icon, a former longtime news anchor, the host of “Pet Pals” and “Great Day TV,” and a member of the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. But what’s happening away from the camera is just as riveting. I first told you about Patty and her breast cancer battle in March. To this day, she remains cancer-free. But, sometimes life hits us hard in many ways, and Pat...

You know him as the co-host of Life. Style. Live! Kind, talented with an off-beat sense of humor that always has everyone smiling. It’s George Mallet! As a WISH-TV viewer, you welcome George into your home every morning at 10:00 AM when you turn to Channel 8. Now it’s your turn. In this week’s episode I sit down with George as he welcomes you into his life as a type 1 diabetic.  See Privacy P...

You know him from Life. Style. Live! and as the co-host of All Indiana. The one and only Randall Newsome. Each day his personality shines through the screen--smiling, laughing and always cracking jokes. But when Randall was 15 years old, he experienced one of the darkest days of his life. In this week’s episode, I spoke with Randall about the health scare that almost ended it. See Privacy Policy a...

COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are declining nationwide; however, health officials say the trend likely won’t last. The coronavirus thrives in cold weather, and temperatures are dropping. Experts warn it’s possible the virus’ next resurgence may come not just in the form of one omicron offshoot, but in a wave of three: BA.4.6, BF.7 and BA.2.75.  In this week’s episode, I spoke...

September is Suicide Awareness Month. As part of that WISH-TV will air a Health Spotlight Special Thursday, September 22nd focusing on suicide awareness, prevention and how it affects minority communities. I had the chance to sit down with WISH-TV medical expert and former Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams. We spoke about the difference between mental illness and mental wellness, reasons mino...

The new COVID-19 booster is now available at pharmacies, doctors' offices and pop-up clinics across Indiana. The shot not only protects against the original COVID strain, it also protects against omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. which have been rapidly spread across the U.S. and around the world. If you're thinking of getting the new COVID booster you might be wondering what its side effect...

Pfizer and Moderna have developed new vaccines designed to target COVID's omicron mutation. Both manufacturers have asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to green-light their versions of the jab, which could be made available in September. In this week's episode, I speak with Dr. Christopher Doehring, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan Health, to get his reaction to th...

At the start of the pandemic the coronavirus brewed inside an infected person's body for up to one week with patients showing no signs or symptoms for as many as 12 days. This was a major reason why COVID was such a threat in the beginning. Patients were spreading the deadly disease without even knowing it. But new research shows the incubation period has dropped with each new mutation. Could this...

An estimated 2,300 children go missing every day in the United States. Children can go missing for many reasons--one of them is by being kidnapped. In this week's episode, I speak with Vanessa Enos, licensed mental health counselor at Community Health Network, who tells me how you can talk to your kids about stranger danger.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priv...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 1 in 5 people who’ve had the coronavirus will suffer from long-COVID. These are patients who’ve been infected, cleared the virus, yet still have symptoms three months or longer. This condition has puzzled doctors for years because there is no cure. But now they may be one step closer. Researchers have narrowed long COVID into...

First the test was positive, then it came back negative, and now the results are positive once again. This is what doctors are calling COVID-19 rebound. In this week’s episode, I speak with Dr. Christopher Doehring, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan health who explains COVID rebounds and how they are different from breakthrough cases, how common they are and the link betwee...

Some COVID long-haulers are turning to a controversial method to treat their lasting symptoms. Blood washing is a technique where a person’s blood is drawn, filtered for the purpose of removing toxins, and then injected back into his or her body. Theoretically, scientists say, it makes sense. Blood washing may have the potential to remove dangerous circulating micro clots and other damag...

Emmy-winning actress Emilia Clarke, best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO hit series “'Game of Thrones,' says she survived not one but two aneurysms back in her early days of shooting. In an interview, Clarke says some parts of her brain no longer function as they used to. She now struggles with memory loss. As an actress, she forgets her lines and at times even her own nam...

Older patients suffering from cognitive decline may have trouble conveying physical and mental health information to their doctor. So, they bring a friend or family member to help them out and make sure the information they're sharing is correct. But sometimes there is a disconnect between what patients and proxies report leaving doctors confused. In this week’s episode, I speak with Dr....

The nation's tampon shortage is causing some women to ration their supply. But keeping a tampon in for too long comes with serious consequences. In this week's episode, I speak with Dr. Cameual Wright, OB-GYN and vice president, market chief medical officer at CareSource who says even though times are difficult, it is critical to use tampons exactly as instructed. We also discuss alternative metho...

The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidelines for mothers who breastfeed for the first time in over a decade. The group still recommends breastfeeding for at least the first six months of a baby’s life. It now also supports continued breastfeeding infants to two years or older. In this week’s episode I spoke with Dr. Cameual Wright, OB-GYN and Vice President, market chief medical offic...

The monkeypox outbreak is sparking global concern. A total of 2,500 cases have been confirmed to date, two of which have been identified in Indiana. However, experts say the virus has been here for some time hiding under the radar with many cases going undetected. It’s only now that we are taking notice. In this week’s episode, I speak with Dr. Amy Beth Kressel, infectious disease specialist at Es...