It has been known since the 19th century that radiation will kill cancer cells. The challenge has been to use radiation effectively while doing minimum damage to healthy tissue. Advances in radiation therapy technology have rendered radiation a much more effective weapon in the battle against many cancers.

What is radiation oncology? (first question)

How does radiation kill cancer cells? (skip to 1:26)

How effective is radiation in treating cancer? (skip to 3:10)

What types of cancers are typically treated with radiation? (skip to 4:27)

How is the decision made to use radiation, chemotherapy or both in treating cancer? (skip to 5:22)

How has radiation therapy improved? (skip to 6:20)

What are the potential side effects to treating cancer with radiation? (skip to 9:53)

The U.T. Health Science Center at Tyler has a new linear accelerator which delivers radiation treatment to patients. How is it different from most linear accelerators? (skip to 13:08)

What does the future hold for radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer? (skip to 16:34)

Vitamin D3 may be the most talked-about vitamin of the decade. Low blood levels of vitamin D have been associated with asthma, cancer, depression, heart disease, diabetes and even weight gain. The U.T. Health Science Center’s Dr. Ryan Menard talks about vitamin D in this post to HealthConnection.tv.

How important is vitamin D to our health? (first question)

How serious is a vitamin D deficiency? (skip to 1:30)

Why have we heard so much about vitamin D in the news lately? (skip to 3:00)

What are the symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency? (skip to 3:38)

Should I be taking vitamin D supplements and are they safe? (skip to 4:48)

How much vitamin D should I take? (skip to 5:20)

Is it possible to take too much vitamin D? (skip to 6:17)

What other ways can I increase my vitamin D? (skip to 6:49)

Can vitamin D help with weight loss? (skip to 8:15)

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 a child when he or she 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)

When breathing becomes work, and when it’s the only work you can do, you have respiratory failure. Respiratory failure can be acute or chronic but in either case, left untreated many other health problems will soon arise. U.T. Health Science Center pulmonologist Dr. Leslie Couch discusses respiratory failure in this post to HealthConnection.TV.

What is respiratory failure? (first question)

What causes respiratory failure? (skip to 0:40)

What are the symptoms of respiratory failure? (skip to 1:50)

What is the difference between chronic respiratory failure and acute respiratory failure? (skip to 2:36)

What, besides smoking, can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? (skip to 4:18)

Who is at risk for developing respiratory failure? (skip to 5:00)

How is respiratory failure diagnosed? (skip to 5:53)

How is respiratory failure treated? (skip to 6:32)

What is the outlook for someone suffering with respiratory failure? (skip to 7:40)

Take any three of elevated blood pressure, excess abdominal fat, high triglycerides, high blood sugar or low “good” cholesterol and what you have is a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. With that diagnosis, you are at greater risk for heart attack, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke. The U.T. Health Science Center’s Dr. Patti Olusola talks about diagnosing, treating and preventing metabolic syndrome.

What is metabolic syndrome? (first question)

What are the risk factors for metabolic syndrome? (skip to 1:20)

Why is having metabolic syndrome so alarming? (skip to 1:58)

Are there signs or symptoms to look for? (skip to 2:20)

How is metabolic syndrome diagnosed? (skip to 3:11)

How is metabolic syndrome treated? (skip to 4:17)

Are children at risk for developing metabolic syndrome? (skip to 5:19)

Why is metabolic syndrome becoming more common? (skip to 5:47)

If you lose weight, what effect will it have on the risk factors for metabolic syndrome? (skip to 6:26)

Can metabolic syndrome be reversed? (skip to 7:23)

East Texas leads the state in many things, but lung cancer is not one of those things we should be proud of. In this post to HealthConnection.TV, UT HEALTH Northeast cancer expert Dr. Bill Hyman answers questions about lung cancer among East Texans.

What causes lung cancer? (first question)

What are the symptoms of lung cancer? (skip to 0:44)

How is lung cancer diagnosed? (skip to 1:00)

How serious is a diagnosis of lung cancer? (skip to 1:07)

How is lung cancer treated? (skip to 1:43)

Why is the incidence of lung cancer higher in Northeast Texas than in the rest of the state? (skip to 2:31)

Why is lung cancer an even more serious disease among African-American and Hispanics?

How can lung cancer be prevented? (skip to 3:47)

When it comes to the subject of breast cancer, the more you know about it the better able you are to deal with it if if happens and the better able you are to avoid it altogether. In this post to HealthConnection.TV, UT Health Northeast cancer expert Dr. Ed Sauter answers questions on things you should know about breast cancer.

Do we know what actually causes breast cancer? (first question)

What are the risk factors that may increase the likelihood that a woman could develop breast cancer? (skip to 1:12)

As compared to other risk factors, how much do genetic factors influence a woman’s likelihood of developing breast cancer? (skip to 2:17)

What is the link between hormones and breast cancer? (skip to 2:50)

Are there exposures in our environment that may increase the risk for breast cancer? (skip to 3:29)

What choices can a woman make to reduce her risk for developing breast cancer? (skip to 4:15)

Why is alcohol consumption a risk factor for breast cancer? (skip to 5:11)

Beyond a healthy diet, what about eating specific foods, such as soy, nuts, tea, berries, grains and foods that contain high amounts of antioxidant phytochemicals as a means to reduce breast cancer risk? (skip to 5:40)

Bottom line — what is the best overall strategy for reducing breast cancer risk? (skip to 7:27)

If you are a man and have noticed that you’ve lost a little of your edge or have a lower libido, it might be because of low testosterone. Testosterone levels in men drop with age. With proper diagnosis and treatment, however, testosterone levels can be restored effectively. Dr. Thomas Belt answers questions on low testosterone in this post to HealthConnection.TV.

What is testosterone and why does it decline in men as they age? (first question)

How is testosterone measured or tested? (skip to 0:58)

What are the symptoms of low testosterone? (skip to 1:32)

Are there other conditions besides age that can cause testosterone levels to be low? (skip to 2:09)

Is there a link between low testosterone and other medical conditions? (skip to 2:52)

How is low testosterone treated? (skip to 3:47)

How effective is the treatment for testosterone? (skip to 4:34)

Are there risks to treating for low testosterone? Is physician supervision important? (skip to 5:29)

What are the risks associated with treating low testosterone with non-prescription, over-the-counter products? (skip to 6:49)

What is the best advice for men who think they may have low testosterone? (skip to 7:31)

Foods, things in the workplace, things in the air, medicines — they can all cause our bodies to have a reaction that can range from bothersome to life-threatening. Knowing what things in your environment cause you to have an allergic reaction can help you live more comfortably and avoid more serious health complications. Allergy and immunology expert Dr. Paul Sharkey talks about the importance of allergy testing in this post to HealthConnection.TV.

What happens physically to a person’s body when he or she is allergic to something? (first question)

How do you make the determination that someone needs allergy testing? (skip to 1:30)

What types of allergies do you typically test for? (skip to 2:33)

How do you do a skin test for allergies? (skip to 3:57)

During skin testing, what are you looking for in order to determine that a person has an allergy to something? (skip to 6:34)

What is the difference between a skin test and a blood test for identifying what a person is allergic to? (skip to 7:31)

Is there a difference in how you test for things like trees, grass, weeds, mold or pet dander and how you test for food allergies? (skip to 8:29)

How accurate is allergy testing? (skip to 9:52)

Are there risks associated with skin testing for allergies? (skip to 10:37)

Why is allergy testing important? (skip to 11:19)

At one time, allergies to foods such as peanuts were not all common. Now, peanut and other food allergies seem much more prevalent. Why is this so? (skip to 12:37)

Sometimes referred to as “heartburn,” acid reflux disease is frequently dismissed as a nuisance. But if chronic and not properly treated, acid reflux disease can lead to serious damage to the tissues of the stomach and esophagus. That damage can, among other things, make it hard to swallow and can lead to ulcers. Severe acid reflux disease can even cause damage to the enamel of teeth. In this post to HealthConnection.TV, Nurse Practitioner and digestive diseases expert Jan Seliga answers questions about acid reflux disease.

What is acid reflux and is it the same as what is commonly called “heartburn?” (first question)

Acid reflux seems more common today than it was a decade ago. What’s the reason for the increase? (skip to 0:50)

What are the different categories of medication for acid reflux and how do they work? (skip to 1:28)

How does one decide when to take antacids as opposed to drugs such as Pepcid AC, Prilosec or Nexium? (skip to 2:38)

Are there side effects or risks associated with using drugs like Pepcid AC, Zantac or Nexium? (skip to 3:24)

What about the links reported in the news between the long-term use of drugs like Nexium, Prilosec or Prevacid and an increased risk for pneumonia, fractures or dementia? (skip to 4:02)

Should those who take prescription drugs to treat acid reflux for long periods be concerned about any increased risk of side effects or other problems? (skip to 4:54)

By the same token, what are the risks of untreated acid reflux? (skip to 5:33)

What would you consider to be a common-sense approach to the use of medications for acid reflux? (skip to 6:11)