TMA Health Beat

At the beginning of the year many Americans resolve to get healthier by exercising or eating well. But studies show just weeks into the new year, many people have already abandoned that goal. Physician members of the Texas Medical Association participate in a program, Walk with a Doc, to help people stick to their resolution to improve their health. Walk with a Doc is a doctor-led program that com...

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a debilitating pregnancy complication that can initially appear as typical early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness. At least 60,000 cases of HG are estimated in the U.S. each year. Kenneth Higby, MD, treats women who suffer with HG as a specialist in maternal and fetal care and obstetrics-gynecology in New Braunfels. The consultant to the Texas Medical Asso...

In a new episode of the TMA Health Beat podcast, physicians are reminding Texans about the dangers of undiagnosed or unmanaged diabetes.   Over 38 million people in the U.S. live with the disease. About 90% have type 2 diabetes – which causes a spike in blood sugar levels and can lead to serious health problems. “The burden of disease is profound,” said Brandon Cantazaro, MD, an internist in the R...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis affecting women aside from skin cancer – and cases are increasing among Texas women under age 50 – so the Texas Medical Association (TMA) is advocating routine screening for women at age 40. At its 2025 annual meeting, the TMA  House of Delegates  adopted policy supporting the American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging recommendati...

The Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) Hard Hats for Little Heads outreach program started in San Angelo in 1994. More than 30 years later, the Concho Valley County Medical Society is ensuring the program continues to grow in the city. “Medicine is a caring profession where we're trying to give back to guide patients for healthier lives,” said Stuart Abramson, MD, the immediate past president of...

Texas Medical Association’s Vaccines Defend What Matters program provides grants up to $3,500 for vaccination efforts, education, and community outreach in Texas. In a new episode of the TMA Health Beat podcast, physicians speak about the importance of getting vaccinated especially as Texas encountered the worst outbreak of measles in decades. Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease. “Giving your...

David Sabgir, MD, started Walk with a Doc 20 years ago to help his patients lead a healthy lifestyle. What started as one walk has now become a global movement with 600 physician-led chapters taking monthly walks. Recently, he was in Texas and met with physicians, Texas Medical Association Alliance members, and students. 

On the first Tuesday of every month during the state’s legislative session, physicians, Texas Medical Association (TMA) Alliance members, and medical students gather in Austin to meet with lawmakers and speak to them about important health care issues. This advocacy event is called First Tuesdays at the Capitol. In this episode of TMA Health Beat, TMA members discuss why they make the effort. TMA...

Insurance plans require physicians to get pre-approval for certain medications, tests, and procedures their patients need. This extra step is called a prior authorization. Physicians say the process has become costly, burdensome and can delay patient care. In this podcast the Texas Medical Association takes an inside look at how physicians and their staff handle the prior authorization process and...

A measles outbreak in West Texas is spreading. More than 100 people are sick and one child has died as of this February posting. Most of those affected are unvaccinated. Ronald Cook, DO, family physician, TMA physician leader, and health authority of the City of Lubbock and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, speaks about the infectious disease and importance of getting vaccinated. N...

The holidays can be difficult for those with anxiety and depression. They may struggle for many reasons including loneliness or because they have lost a loved one. Sarah Lynette Martin, MD, a psychiatrist in El Paso and member of TMA’s Committee on Behavioral Health, talks about what causes depression and behavioral health decline during the holidays and why it is beneficial to get help as soon as...

With another Medicare payment for physicians cut on the horizon, Texas doctors are urging Congress to pass the new bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024. This will provide temporary relief from the Medicare cut for one year and a modest increase in payment. If lawmakers don’t act, many physicians say their practice’s viability will suffer and they might not be a...

The Texas Medical Association’s Texas BookShare program helps improve literacy in underserved areas by giving free books to children. The program is funded by TMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of TMA. Physicians, medical students, county medical societies and alliances use the TMA BookShare program to give books to kids in medical clinics, schools, and elsewhere. In this episode of TMA Health...

For more than two decades, the Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County has played an important role in ensuring uninsured and under insured families get necessary vaccinations, especially before kids head to school. Tarrant County Medical Society Alliance members participate en masse to make the vaccination clinics a success by greeting patients and providing information on the vaccines avail...

The number of people aged 65 and older in Texas will more than triple by 2050. As this population grows, Deborah Freeland, MD, a Dallas geriatrician, and Guadalupe  Zamora, MD, a family physician in Austin, weigh in on the specialized heath care needs of older patients and how the medical community can give them the care they need. NOTICE: This podcast is intended for general informational purpose...

As the summer temperatures rise and the heat index surges, many Texans suffer from heat-related illnesses. Hilary Fairbrother, MD, an emergency medicine physician and chair of the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Emergency Medical Services and Trauma, says she sees many patients suffering from heat exhaustion and the more dangerous heat stroke. In this TMA Health Beat Podcast, she says, st...

The Texas-Mexico border region faces unique health care challenges. Many people have diabetes, obesity, and other chronic health conditions, and they often lack health insurance – 42% of adults have  no health coverage . At the recently held TMA Border Health Conference, physicians, other health care stakeholders, and government policymakers gathered to discuss how to strengthen border health care...

TMA’s longest-running outreach program, Hard Hats for Little Heads, has turned 30 years old. TMA has given out more than 400 thousand bike helmets through Hard Hats. In this episode, physicians talk about how the free helmet giveaway program helps keep community kids safe and brings joy to both children and physicians.

The allergy season can be tough for many Texans who struggle with cough, runny nose and itchy eyes. Louise Bethea, MD, allergist and immunologist from The Woodlands, talks about the allergens that affect Texans the most, allergy induced asthma and the difference between allergies, and respiratory illnesses.  NOTICE: This podcast is intended for general informational purposes only. The information...

TMA’s new podcast called TMA Health Beat will focus on important health care issues and outreach programs organized by TMA. In the first episode, Marinel Munda, MD, a pediatrician from Tyler, Texas, talks about Walk with a Doc – a free program organized by physicians to encourage their patients to exercise. Dr. Munda explains why walking is important for a healthy lifestyle and how the program hel...