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More than 200 million people around the world are infected with schistosomiasis, one of the neglected tropical diseases. It is caused by parasitic worms and prevalent in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia with close to 800 million people at risk for infection. If we in the U.S. are not in immediate threat of contracting the disease, why should we want to know more about it? To answer that and to explain more about the disease –– how people are infected, who is at risk, what the symptoms are and how it’s currently treated –– is Afzal Siddiqui, Ph.D., a Grover E. Murray Distinguished Professor, director of the TTUHSC Center for Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases and chair of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology in TTUHSC’s School of Medicine. Siddiqui also shares with us his decades-long work as part of a team developing a vaccine, updates us on the progress of the clinical trials and how work done on this vaccine could be useful to develop other vaccines as well.

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Cataract surgery is one of the most common operations in the U.S. While most of us associate cataracts with older adults, anyone can get cataracts for a number of reasons. Our guest for this episode is Catherine Reppa, M.D., ophthalmologist with Texas Tech Physicians and associate professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Dr. Reppa defines for us what a cataract is, goes over symptoms and treatments are available; tell us what we can expect from cataract surgery and the risks involved, and what we can do to protect our eyes and our overall health.

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Do you wake up tired or with a headache, even after sleeping all night? You might need a sleep study. Or you just might need to improve your sleep hygiene. Terri Carroll, NP, is a nurse practitioner with Texas Tech Physicians Amarillo Sleep Clinic. She tells us why we need a good night’s sleep, gives us tips on how to get restful sleep, explains what happens during a sleep study and who is a good candidate for a sleep study.

About Inspire:
Sleeping Better, Living Longer: A New Era in Sleep Apnea Care

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Think about the last time your head hurt. Headaches are a common condition and one of the most common causes of pain and a major reason people miss work or school and visit a doctor according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. There are different reasons we get headaches, different tests to learn more about the headaches and different treatments. Hyun Ah Kim, M.D., is a neurologist with Texas Tech Physicians neurology and an assistant professor in the School of Medicine at TTUHSC. She specializes in treating headaches, migraines, vascular vertigo, and autonomic disorders.

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Hot flashes and sleep disturbances get most of the attention when we talk about menopause, but there are another set of symptoms that often goes completely unmentioned due to discomfort or embarrassment. Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause, or GSM, affects up to 87 percent of all post-menopausal women, impacting everything from pelvic comfort to urinary health. Our guest expert for this episode is Kristen Sharma, APRN, a family nurse practitioner with Texas Tech Physicians. She explains what GSM actually is, how the drop in estrogen affects a woman’s quality of life, including sexual functioning and recurring UTIs, and the highly effective treatments available that can restore health, comfort and quality of life.

Related episodes:

• There is Help for Female Urinary Incontinence
• Understanding Urinary Tract Infections, Treatments, Prevention
• Let's Get Real About Sexual Health
• From Perimenopause to Post-Menopause: Taking the Mystery Out of Menopause

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Global health headlines have recently been dominated by hantavirus. With several confirmed cases and tragic fatalities, you might be wondering how this family of viruses typically associated with rural and agricultural regions appeared in the middle of the ocean. You might also wonder if you or your loved ones are at risk. Our guest expert for this episode is Tushi Singh, M.D., a pulmonologist with Texas Tech Physicians. She answers for us: What is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome; what symptoms should we look out for; how is it diagnosed; how the virus spreads; how we can protect ourselves and more importantly, how it’s treated because yes, people have been successfully treated.

Singh's previous episdes:

• When Breathing Gets Hard: Understanding COPD
• Clearing the Air: The Truth About Vaping and Lung Health
• Smoking, Vaping as a Coping Mechanism

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Every year from May 6 - 12, we celebrate National Nurses Week. For this episode, we invited three nurses who, when combined, have over 130 years of experience. Cathy Galey, Cynthia Hester and Donna Thames sat with us and shared their insights on how they became interested in nursing, their experience in nursing school and training, challenges and changes to their careers, the impact of technology on patient care, what advice they have for future nurses and the most rewarding part of their careers.

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Menopause is a natural part of aging, yet it remains one of the most scary and misunderstood stages of a woman’s life. For this episode, our guest expert helps us separate fact from fiction regarding this transition. David Rogers, M.D., an OB/GYN with Texas Tech Physicians and associate professor and vice chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the TTUHSC School of Medicine, joins us to talk about the basics of menopause — what is actually happening in the body during this shift, the common symptoms to look out for, and the truth behind some of the most persistent myths. Dr. Rogers also provides insights into how women can manage their health during this phase and how to advocate for themselves.