UConn Health Pulse

Ticks can be active whenever the temperature is above 40 degrees, meaning the tick-borne illness is more than a seasonal worry limited to a portion of the summer. And Connecticut is seeing more types of ticks, and more than just Lyme disease.  Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, chief of UConn Health's Division of Infectious Diseases, explains all this, plus how to recognize, treat, and reduce the risk of tick-b...

“There’s no such thing as a healthy tan.” While we may be coming around on that idea, are we getting distracted by potential reasons not to use sunscreen? Are there ingredients in sunscreens that are toxic to us, or to the ocean’s ecosystem? What about those spray sunscreens? Dr. Jenna Kelsey, UConn Health dermatologist, joins to help weigh the risks and benefits of these factors against the carci...

They come in all kinds of colors, flavors, sizes, and prices — products claiming to deliver a burst of energy to wake you up, keep you going, or give you that needed jolt. Are they more than just high doses of caffeine and sugar? What are we actually drinking? Do we really need them? Are there healthy (or healthier) alternatives? UConn Health registered dietitian Linda York joins us to discuss the...

As the push to ban certain food dyes gains momentum, what should we know about them, and about other additives in our food supply? What are the potential consequences of ingredients that are not naturally occurring? How do we know what to believe and what conclusions to draw? Dr. Rebecca Andrews, UConn Health primary care physician whose roles include director of primary care, associate program di...

Vaccines are considered by more than a few scientific experts to be among the most significant developments in modern medicine. Now, it’s hard to know what to believe about vaccinations. The resurgence of measles, effectively eradicated in the U.S. 25 years ago, is one indication that in some pockets of our country, is one indication of doubt in vaccines’ effectiveness. Meanwhile, the federal gove...

When severe depression becomes treatment-resistant depression, an unconventional medication is proving to be effective. It’s a specific form of ketamine that is administered by nasal spray in a supervised clinical setting, approved by the FDA for this purpose. Dr. Caleb Battersby, director of interventional psychiatry at UConn Health, explains how esketamine works and why this treatment approach h...

Treatable but not curable, endometriosis affects one in 10 women and girls of reproductive age. But it's not all that well understood and recognized, and can go undetected, leading to years of avoidable suffering and causing time away from school, work, and other activities. UConn Health is part of a collaboration with The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and the state of Connecticut called...

Many of us have been told for most of our lives that fluoride is greatly beneficial to our health. So how did we get from fluoride in the public water supply being one of history’s great public health achievements to it standing trial in the court of public opinion? We invite Drs. Bina Katechia and Aadarsh Gopalakrishna from the UConn School of Dental Medicine to deliberate and render a verdict. (...

The deadliest form of skin cancer is even deadlier when it spreads beyond the skin. When simply cutting out the cancerous skin is not enough, melanoma goes from a dermatology matter to an oncology matter. Dr. Margaret Callahan is a medical oncologist and Dr. Giao Phan is a surgical oncologist. Together they lead UConn Health's advanced melanoma program, which offers specialized care for when this...

An emerging approach to stroke recovery involves an outpatient neurosurgical procedure that implants a device capable of stimulating a nerve found to be central to the brain's ability to learn. Dr. Christopher Conner in UConn Health's Brain and Spine Institute is the first neurosurgeon in Connecticut to implant this device, which can make the brain more receptive to intensive occupational therapy....

It takes expertise across many specialties to earn a designation as a Center of Excellence from the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. UConn Health has earned that designation. From UConn Health's Huntington’s Disease Program, Dr. Shakaib Khan, medical director, and nurse practitioner Robin Zingales-Browne describe what goes into providing care and support for those with Huntington’s Disease...

Whether it's cold or flu, COVID or RSV, get ready for what seems like a growing number of respiratory illnesses this fall and winter. How do we recognize them, how do we react to symptoms, how do we treat them, and how can we reduce their likelihood in the first place? We ask UConn Health infectious diseases experts Nancy Dupont and Dr. David Banach that and more. (September 2024, Nancy Dupont, Dr...

A fractured larynx? That's what's done in Steven Tyler and forced Aerosmith to retire from touring. This month we talk to two experts from UConn Health's Voice and Speech Clinic to explain this and other voice problems they see, and to offer some tips on how to treat and prevent them: Dr. Denis Lafreniere, chief of the UConn Health Division of Otolaryngology, and speech and language pathologist An...

Dr. Justin D'Addario, vascular and endovascular surgeon at UConn Health, explains the potential health hazards of poor blood flow, and how to recognize problems like peripheral arterial disease, deep vein thrombosis, and aneurysms, and address them before they require drastic measures. (June 2024, Dr. Justin D'Addario, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco) Dr. Justin D'Addario

Whether it's the acute care during the medical emergency or the recovery and rehabilitation that follows, UConn Health continues to earn recognition for its stroke care.  Dr. Priya Narwal , interim medical director of UConn Health's Stroke Center , Brooke Medel, stroke nurse navigator, and nurse Kristen Bryant, interim stroke coordinator, share their expertise, and remind us that BEFAST (Balance,...

Un gran reto en la atención de la esclerosis múltiple es reconocerla lo suficientemente pronto como para iniciar la intervención y cambiar la trayectoria de la enfermedad. Los determinantes sociales de la salud, incluyendo las barreras culturales, pueden hacer que esto sea especialmente difícil. El Dr. Jaime Imitola, jefe de la División de Esclerosis Múltiple y Neuroinmunología Traslacional de UCo...

You don't have to be an elite athlete to take advantage of a new care model that offers access to full range of expertise: the Women's Center for Motion and Performance at UConn Health is for women of all ages, ability levels, and medical needs. Dr. Katherine Coyner, director, and Dr. Allison Schafer, medical director, explain how patients will benefit from this collective of specialties designed...

A great challenge in multiple sclerosis care is recognizing it soon enough to start intervention and change the disease trajectory. Social determinants of health, including cultural barriers, can make this especially difficult. Dr. Jaime Imitola , chief of UConn Health’s Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Translational Neuroimmunology, led a group that came up with a new, bilingual resource to hel...

UConn Health is now part of the Dispensary of Hope Network, which means it can connect qualifying patients with no-cost prescriptions for certain medications that the pharmaceutical companies make available. Emmett Sullivan and Dr. Hetal Patel from the UConn Health Pharmacy explain the program, which is only the third of its kind in Connecticut and joins about 250 other pharmacies throughout the U...

Temptation surrounds us during the holiday season. How do we navigate those holiday parties, potlucks and happy hours so we can be reasonably healthy and still be festive? Linda York, registered dietitian at UConn Health, has some tips on how to "brave the buffet" and still share in the merriment. (Linda York, Chris DeFrancesco, November 2023)  

A nationwide child and adolescent behavioral health project that originated at UConn Health takes a creative, modern approach to helping young people cope with mental health challenges. At the same time, it creates educational resources for therapists throughout the country. A component of this includes the "Trauma Avengers" sharing their "Digital Diaries." Clinical psychologists Julian Ford and R...

When is the best time to start moving up bed time? Hint: it's not the night before the first day of school! Dr. Jennifer Kanaan from UConn Health's Sleep Disorders Center works with adults, adolescents, and children. She joins the podcast to explain what's happening in our bodies when we sleep and why it's so beneficial to our performance, particularly in school. Listen to her advice and start the...

Identifying Parkinson's disease early and starting a treatment plan can go a long way in delaying the onset of disability or loss of function. Once that diagnosis is made, supportive care and planning become crucial parts of managing the disease. Dr. Bernardo Rodrigues , director of UConn Health's Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, explains. (May 2023, Dr. Bernardo Rodrigues, Chris...

Two UConn Health endocrinologists, Drs. Pooja Luthra and Parvathy Madhavan , and the coordinator of UConn Health's Diabetes Self-Management Education Program , nurse practitioner Luriza Glynn, discuss the importance of recognizing early signs of diabetes and managing it once diagnosed with the benefit of education. (Luriza Glynn, Dr. Parvathy Madhavan, Dr. Pooja Luthra, Chris DeFrancesco, April 20...

When it comes to pain management, particularly back and neck pain, narcotics are not the only option. We ask two UConn Health physiatrists — Dr. Joseph Walker and Dr. Durgadas Sakalkale — about the approaches they take in the UConn Musculoskeletal Institute . (March 2023, Dr. Joseph Walker, Dr. Durgadas Sakalkale, Chris DeFrancesco) UConn Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine https://health.uconn...