Texas Tech Health Check

Dec 11 2024 155 ep. 20 mins
Texas Tech Health Check Podcast artwork

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center experts in health care will share advice and reminders to help us stay healthy—mentally and physically.

  Health & Fitness  Education
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Holiday Harmony: Balancing Tradition and Well-being

Dec 11 2024 17 mins  
Amy Stark, M.D., an addiction psychiatrist with Texas Tech Physicians, discusses the challenges of maintaining sobriety during the holidays. She emphasizes the importance of non-alcoholic options at parties and suggests strategies for those struggling with addiction, such as bringing their own non-alcoholic drinks and using visual cues like holding a drink to deter pressure. Dr. St

Toxic Family Dynamics: Breaking Free

Dec 03 2024 15 mins  
The holiday season is a challenging time for many of us, especially those who might be caught in toxic family relationships or find ourselves estranged from loved ones. How can we deal with that while protecting ourselves is our topic for this episode. Our guest for this episode is Nicole Noble, Ph.D., a counselor with the School of Health Professions Department of Clinical Counsel

COVID-19: Five Years Later

Nov 19 2024 39 mins  
It’s been five years since the first known appearance of SARS-CoV-2, otherwise known as COVID-19. In January of 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Later in March, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Our experts for this episode graciously shared their experiences not only as frontline workers, educators and

Memory Loss: Help for Patients and Their Caregivers

Nov 14 2024 21 mins  
As we age, our memory begins to fail us, but for many it becomes a significant challenge for them and their caregivers. Jonathan Singer, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and director for the TTUHSC Garrison Institute on Aging Memory Clinic, tells about symptoms to look out for and the importance of early diagnosis. The TTUHSC Garrison Institute on Aging is holding several events during

Your Office Squad: A How-To Guide

Nov 05 2024 23 mins  
Having friends at work helps with your mental health and could even help advance your career. How can you go about making friends if you're shy or if you work from home? Here to help us understand why it's important to have friends at work and give us advice on how to make friends are Lynn Jennings, Ph.D., and Nicole Noble, Ph.D. They are both counselors and with the School of Heal

Skin Protection and Tattoos: Advice from a Burn Specialist

Oct 29 2024 7 mins  
According to the Pew Research Center, nearly one third of adults in the U.S. have a tattoo, and 22% have more than one. What happens to our skin when we get a tattoo and what makes them permanent? Alan Pang, M.D., Texas Tech Physicians surgeon specializing in burn would, trauma and critical care, is our guest expert for this episode. Dr. Pang answers our question about protecting o

Eye-mazing: Halloween Safety and Eye Color Change

Oct 22 2024 10 mins  
Jeepers, creepers! Would you like to make your brown eyes blue? We can change our mind, and we can change the color our hair. Can we change the color of our eyes? Kelly Mitchell, M.D., is a well-known expert to our listeners. He's an ophthalmologist with Texas Tech Physicians. Dr. Mitchell explains how we get our eye color and the purpose behind the color on our iris. He also goes

Paw-sitive Healing: Grieving Your Furry Friend and Overcoming Pet Loss

Oct 15 2024 16 mins  
Around 60% of Americans have pets, and many of them are considered family members. How do we deal with the loss when our pet dies? Natalie Harryman, a licensed marriage and family therapist with the Counseling Center, explains that pets bring joy, motivation and unconditional love, but they also bring stress. She notes that grieving a pet is similar to grieving a human loved one, i

Lung Health at Work: Preventing Occupational Illnesses

Oct 08 2024 11 mins  
Occupational or work-related lung diseases are lung conditions which have been caused by long-term, or even a one-time, exposure to certain irritants. Our guest for today, Anuhya Alapati, M.D., is a pulmonologist with Texas Tech Physicians. Dr. Alaptai tells us which occupations potentially pose problems, signs of lung disease, treatments and steps to take to prevent it.

Understanding Urinary Tract Infections, Treatments, Prevention

Oct 01 2024 20 mins  
Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are common infections, but they're much more common among women than men. What causes a UTI? What should you do if you think you have one? How can you prevent them? Guests for this episode are Melissa Sanford, M.D., Texas Tech Physicians urologist, and Kristen Sharma, Texas Tech Physicians urology family nurse practitioner. They clear up myths abo