Texas Tech Health Check

Send us Fan Mail More than 200 million people around the world are infected with schistosomiasis , one of the neglected tropical diseases. It is caused by parasitic worms and prevalent in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia with close to 800 million people at risk for infection. If we in the U.S. are not in immediate threat of contracting the disease, why should we want to know more ab...

Send us Fan Mail Cataract surgery is one of the most common operations in the U.S. While most of us associate cataracts with older adults, anyone can get cataracts for a number of reasons. Our guest for this episode is Catherine Reppa, M.D. , ophthalmologist with Texas Tech Physicians and associate professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Dr. Reppa def...

Send us Fan Mail Do you wake up tired or with a headache, even after sleeping all night? You might need a sleep study. Or you just might need to improve your sleep hygiene. Terri Carroll, NP, is a nurse practitioner with Texas Tech Physicians Amarillo Sleep Clinic. She tells us why we need a good night’s sleep, gives us tips on how to get restful sleep, explains what happens during a sleep study a...

Send us Fan Mail Think about the last time your head hurt. Headaches are a common condition and one of the most common causes of pain and a major reason people miss work or school and visit a doctor according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke . There are different reasons we get headaches, different tests to learn more about the headaches and different treatments. Hyun...

Send us Fan Mail Hot flashes and sleep disturbances get most of the attention when we talk about menopause, but there are another set of symptoms that often goes completely unmentioned due to discomfort or embarrassment. Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause, or GSM, affects up to 87 percent of all post-menopausal women, impacting everything from pelvic comfort to urinary health. Our guest expert fo...

Send us Fan Mail Global health headlines have recently been dominated by hantavirus . With several confirmed cases and tragic fatalities, you might be wondering how this family of viruses typically associated with rural and agricultural regions appeared in the middle of the ocean. You might also wonder if you or your loved ones are at risk. Our guest expert for this episode is Tushi Singh, M.D. ,...

Send us Fan Mail Every year from May 6 - 12, we celebrate National Nurses Week . For this episode, we invited three nurses who, when combined, have over 130 years of experience. Cathy Galey, Cynthia Hester and Donna Thames sat with us and shared their insights on how they became interested in nursing, their experience in nursing school and training, challenges and changes to their careers, the imp...

Send us Fan Mail Menopause is a natural part of aging, yet it remains one of the most scary and misunderstood stages of a woman’s life. For this episode, our guest expert helps us separate fact from fiction regarding this transition. David Rogers, M.D. , an OB/GYN with Texas Tech Physicians and associate professor and vice chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the TTUHSC Schoo...

Send us Fan Mail April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month , and child abuse isn’t always easy to spot. For this episode, our guest expert talks to us about child neglect and its effect on children. Lynn Jennings, Ph. D. , assistant professor and assistant program director at the clinical mental health counseling program with the School of Health Professions answers our questions about neglec...

Send us Fan Mail Pancreatic cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in the U.S., but about 8% of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society . Guest expert for this episode, Tyler Mouw, M.D., is chief and fellowship program director for the division of surgical oncology, and a surgical oncologist with Texas Tech Physicians and assistant professor in the Texas Tech University He...

Send us Fan Mail At some point, nearly all of us will experience back pain. If and how we recover depends on the type of back pain and sometimes our fear of pain. Phil Sizer, Ph. D., PT, is a physical therapist and Endowed Professor in Pain Science as well as Associate Vice President for Research Innovation at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Sizer explains the different kinds of...

Send us Fan Mail Some claim that smoking helps make them calm, but the cigarette or vape is more than likely what caused them to feel irritable and anxious in the first place. For this episode, produced by our media relations intern Haely Shirley, we find out the effects of smoking, vaping and related products on young adults bodies and their mental health and the improvement on both when you quit...

Send us Fan Mail Vasectomies are minor surgical procedures intended to provide permanent contraception. They are a simpler, faster, safer and less expensive procedure compared to tubal ligation or hysterectomy. It's also not unusual to schedule the procedure around televised sports events. Mar Moncrief, PA , urology, Texas Tech Physicians, explains what patients can expect when they undergo t...

Send us Fan Mail Talk with your friends and family and you might get the impression that a meniscus injury is common. What are the options available for repair? Matthew Kraeutler, M.D. , an orthopedic surgeon with Texas Tech Physicians, goes over the options, including a meniscus transplant. He tells us who is a good candidate for a transplant and what recovery is like and what happens if you igno...

Send us Fan Mail Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited disorders that affect hemoglobin, the major protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. The disease affects more than 100,000 people in the U.S., including those who are non-Hispanic Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino and also affects people from the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia, and Arabs. Lukeman Tijani, M.D. , is a...

Send us Fan Mail As GLP-1 medications become available in pill form, some people might be curious to try them. Drew Payne, D.O. , an internal medicine physician with Texas Tech Physicians, explains what these and other weight loss medications and procedures do and their effects on type 2 diabetes. He also talks about what happens when patients stop taking these medications and stresses why it&apos...

Send us Fan Mail According to a new study from the American Cancer Society , more people are reaching the 5-year milestone following a cancer diagnosis. The report states that seven in 10 people now live five years after their diagnosis.  Why is that 5-year important? Why have survival rates improved dramatically? That’s what our expert for this episode is here to tell us. Jasmine Sekhon, M.D. , i...

Send us Fan Mail Tonsils are part of the immune system and especially crucial for children under three years of age, but they may also cause recurrent infections and health issues. Guest expert Adbul Alsaleh, M.D., a pediatric ENT at Texas Tech Physicians, tells us what options are available when discussing a tonsillectomy or coblation. 

Send us Fan Mail Dementia affects millions of people in the U.S., and there are about 400,000 older adults living with dementia in Texas. In rural communities, health care providers have an urgent need for additional dementia training. To address this need, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Garrison Institute on Aging (GIA) and the TTUHSC F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural a...

Send us Fan Mail More than 72,500 people in the U.S. were estimated to be diagnosed with three types of head and neck cancer in 2025. Of those, more than 16,500 were estimated to die from these diseases. Joehassin Cordero, M.D. , a Texas Tech Physicians head and neck surgeon and chair of the department of otolaryngology, is our guest expert for this episode. Dr. Cordero lists the different cancers...

Send us Fan Mail It’s the time of year when some of us might consider making a new year's resolution to change or improve something about ourselves. Perhaps you want to break a bad habit or challenge yourself to do something new. Our experts for this episode have some advice on how we can motivate ourselves to stop those habits or take the plunge into doing something good for ourselves. Licen...

Send us Fan Mail Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, according to the World Health Organization . It’s preventable and curable as long as it’s detected early and managed effectively. Our guest expert for this episode is Salvatore LoCoco, M.D. , chair of the School of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology . LoCoco explains what is cervical cancer, w...

Send us Fan Mail A recent study found that 1 in 8 U.S. adolescents and young adults use AI chatbots for mental health advice. How safe is it to use these chatbots without or along with human therapists? Our guest experts for this episode are Nicole Noble, Ph. D., an an assistant professor in the TTUHSC School of Health Professions and therapist in the Your Life Behavioral Health and Wellness Clini...

Send us Fan Mail For some people, their bones might grow too much and not fit together perfectly, including the bones around the hip joint, leading to pain. That’s when patients usually learn about hip arthroscopy. Matthew Kraeutler, M.D. , is back, this time to talk to us about hip arthroscopy—What is it? Who is a candidate? What is recovery like? Dr. Kraeutler is an orthopedic surgeon with Texas...

Send us Fan Mail There are challenges to practicing medicine and receiving medical treatment in rural areas, but there are benefits as well. According to National Rural Health Day , rural America is a great place for mission-minded health professionals to provide individualized care. According to this episode's guest, rural patients will approach their doctor in public. Adrian Billings, M.D.,...