Of all the health problems that most of us are likely to face, the most common and the most persistent are high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. The good news is that all three of these chronic conditions can be prevented or dramatically improved through a regimen of low cost, moderate exercise five days a week. The U.T Health Science Center’s Dr. David Di Paolo talks about ways you can get off the couch and on the way to better long-term health.

What is the least amount of exercise I can do and still gain benefit? (first question)

Are there benefits to be gained from just a brisk walk? (skip to 2:04)

If I haven’t exercised regularly in a while, what is the best way to get started? (skip to 2:45)

What are the most common mistakes that people make with respect to an exercise program? (skip to 3:33)

What are the benefits to an exercise program besides looking better in the mirror? (skip to 4:47)

Which is more important, strength training or aerobic exercise? (skip to 5:15)

If you could only suggest two or three exercises, what would they be? (skip to 6:05)

Is any of the exercise equipment we see advertised on TV worth the price? (skip to 7:15)

We tend to associate high blood pressure with getting older. But the fact is, high blood pressure, or hypertension, is a growing problem among children and adolescents. Dr. Monique Mills, a pediatrician at the U.T. Health Science Center at Tyler, talks about high blood pressure in children.

What is hypertension? (first question)

How common is hypertension among children? (skip to 0:35)

Is high blood pressure among children on the increase? (skip to 0:48)

What is normal blood pressure for a child? (skip to 1:26)

What do the two numbers in blood pressure readings mean? (skip to 2:18)

How do I know if my child has high blood pressure? (skip to 2:46)

What causes high blood pressure in children? (skip to 3:25)

How does high blood pressure affect the health of children? (skip to 4:05)

What is the long-term impact of high blood pressure on children? (skip to 5:03)

How is high blood pressure in children treated? (skip to 5:48)

How much will weight loss affect blood pressure? (skip to 6:58)

When you feel pressure or pain around your eyes, when you run a low-grade fever, when your nasal discharge is colored or when you have a headache, chances are it goes beyond our typical East Texas allergies. Chances are, you are suffering with sinusitis. Pulmonary specialist Dr. Leslie Couch of the U.T. Health Science Center at Tyler talks about diagnosing and treating sinusitis before it becomes a more serious health problem.

1. What is sinusitis? (first question)

2. How common is sinusitis? (skip to 0:35)

3. Can thing such as allergies be confused with sinusitis? (skip to 1:36)

4. How is sinusitis treated? (skip to 2:07)

5. What are some comfort measures that can be taken when suffering with sinusitis? (skip to 2:50)

6. When should I see a doctor for sinusitis? (skip to 3:28)

7. What is the difference between chronic and acute sinusitis? (skip to 4:17)

8. Are there any new treatments or medications in the pipeline for sinusitis? (skip to 4:41)

9. What other health problems can sinusitis cause? (skip to 05:52)

Everyone gets in a funk from time to time. It’s a natural part of being human. But for millions of Americans every year, it goes beyond being in a bad mood. It’s a debilitating disease called depression. For many sufferers, the first challenge is to recognize the problem. In this post, we’re joined by the U.T. Health Science Center’s Dr. Wyn Andrews as he discusses diagnosing and treating depression.

What exactly is depression? (first question)

Why can’t I just “get over it?” (skip to 1:17)

How big a problem is depression in the United States? (skip to1:44)

Are some people more prone to depression than others? (skip to 2:15)

How do I know if I truly am clinically depressed? (skip to 2:57)

How long does depression typically last? (skip to 3:42)

What are the common treatments for depression? (skip to 3:58)

How effective are medications in treating depression? (skip to 4:11)

What is “major depression?” (skip to 4:33)

When is it time to seek help from a physician that specializes in the treatment of depression? (skip to 4:53)

Generally speaking, is there hope for people who suffer with depression? (skip to 5:34)

Are there any new and more effective drugs in the pipeline waiting for approval? (skip to 6:00)

Are there serious side effects to the drugs currently being used to treat depression? (skip to 6:48)

As many as 40 percent of fourth grade children are now clinically defined as either overweight or obese. This is leading to an explosion of problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes and other conditions that were once thought to be mainly adult health concerns. Dr. Jonathan MacClements discusses childhood obesity, including its treatment and prevention.

How much of a problem is childhood obesity? (first question)

Why is childhood obesity considered a health problem? (skip to 0:39)

How do I know if my child is considered obese? (skip to 1:00)

Can a child actually develop heart disease, Type II diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea as a result of being overweight? (skip to 1:45)

Can being overweight affect when a child reaches puberty? (skip to 2:10)

What is the single most important thing to be done to reduce the likelihood of my child becoming obese? (skip to 2:32)

How can I involve my child in overcoming a weight problem without undermining self-confidence? (skip to 3:18)

Doctors today have an array of safe and effective medications for the treatment of heart disease. Each medication has a specific purpose and care must be taken when using them in combination. Dr. Dudley Goulden discusses heart medications in this post to healthconnection.tv from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler.

What are the differences between beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors and statins in the treatment of heart disease? (first question)

How successful are these drugs in treating heart disease? (skip to 0:55)

Are there side effects to be concerned about in connection with these heart medications? (skip to 01:26)

Is there any one medication that has proved better than others in treating heart disease? (skip to 02:05)

If I have high blood pressure, is it a given that I should be taking a diuretic? (skip to 02:42)

Are heart disease medications like statins, aspirin and beta blockers underutilized in treating heart disease in women? (skip to 03:20)

With respect to adults over age 50, what percentage of them suffer with high blood pressure? (skip to 04:12)

What is your opinion concerning a daily aspirin regimen with respect to preventing or treating heart disease? (skip to 04:46)

Are there potential problems with the long-term use of heart disease medications that could outweigh the benefits? (skip to 05:36)

Are there any promising new heart disease medications on the horizon? (skip to 06:23)

Many cancers are either curable or highly treatable if they are detected early. That’s why screening for detectable cancers at appropriate times and intervals is so important. Dr. Coty Ho, Chief of Medical Oncology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler joins us in this edition of Health Connection to discuss cancer screening for men and women.

What are the most important cancer screens for men? (first question)

What are the most important cancer screens for women? (skip to 00:44)

Who should have a colonoscopy and when? (skip to 01:14)

Recently, the government revised the guidelines regarding mammograms. What are your thoughts on this? (skip to 01:43)

What about the risks of false positives in cancer screenings? (skip to 02:52)

Does the PSA test for men make a difference in prostate cancer survival rates? (skip to 03:35)

In addition to making us lethargic and grumpy, inadequate sleep, particularly when it’s chronic, can lead to serious health problems. The U.T. Health Science Center at Tyler’s Dr. James Stocks talks about getting a better night’s sleep.

What is a better night’s sleep? (first question)

What stands in the way of a good night’s sleep? (skip to 00:45)

What are some of the more successful strategies for getting a better night’s sleep? (skip to 02:45)

Can chronic pain affect sleep quality? (skip to 03:28)

What does it say about the quality of my sleep if I never have dreams? (skip to 03:51)

If by my best estimation I’m getting a good night’s sleep, why am I still tired? (skip to 04:39)

Is there any harm in relying on prescription sleep medications like Ambien and Lunesta? (skip to 05:04)

Is self-medicating for sleep with drugs like Tylenol PM safe? (skip to 05:53)

While we associate immunizations with childhood, the fact is that adults also need to receive vaccines against serious and potentially debilitating diseases. University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler family medicine specialist Dr. Michelle Bosworth discusses adult immunization in this Health Connection post.

Other than an annual flu shot, what immunizations should an adult have? (first question)

What factors are considered in determining what immunizations an adult needs? (skip to 1:00)

Which vaccines are the most important for an adult to have? (skip to 1:44)

How concerned should we be about potential side effects from vaccines? (skip to 2:35)

If you’ve ever had chicken pox, are you at risk for getting shingles? Is there a vaccine? (skip to 3:35)

People will argue that the diseases for which we receive vaccines are now under control. Why do we need to be vaccinated? (skip to 4:40)

Which is more effective in delivering an immunization, an injection or the nasal mist? (skip to 5:21)

As the weather cools, more of us begin suffering from colds and influenza? But which is it? Is it a common cold or is it the flu? And if it is the flu, is it seasonal flu or the H1N1 so-called “swine flu?” Internal Medicine specialist Dr. Thomas Belt address these and other questions surrounding cold and flu season in this Health Connection post.

How do I know if it’s a cold and how do I know if it’s the flu? (first question)

Are the symptoms different for seasonal flu as opposed to H1N1 flu? (skip to 2:03)

If I have flu-like symptoms, how do I know when it’s time to call the doctor? (skip to 2:55)

How do physicians determine whether or not I have the flu? (skip to 4:16)

How is the flu treated? How is a common cold treated? (skip to 5:23)

Are there comfort measures or over-the-counter medications for the flu? (skip to 6:40)

Is there anything that is effective for nasal discharge in connection with colds and flu? (skip to 7:20)