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How an education-based support group helps traumatic brain injury survivors thrive

Adjusting to life after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is daunting, challenging and life-changing. A TBI affects all areas of a person’s life, from your physical and mental health to your relationships and career. Adjusting after this life-altering event can seem overwhelming. Through my work, I have helped many individuals living with brain injury return … Continue reading How an education-based support group helps traumatic brain injury survivors thrive

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How to take control of your asthma with the “Rules of Two” paradigm

More than 26 million Americans are all too familiar with the feeling of “breathing through a straw” — or in other words, an asthma attack. A patient of mine named Scott described it this way after being diagnosed with adult-onset asthma: “Breathing is one of many things we take for granted. It’s something we don’t … Continue reading How to take control of your asthma with the “Rules of Two” paradigm

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Reflections on the medical mission trip that changed my life and nursing career

Motivated by her own experiences with poverty, one registered nurse followed her calling and took her skills overseas on a medical mission trip to serve some of the poorest and least fortunate families in west Africa. Jacqueline Gallegos, RN, spent the holiday season far away from her family and instead, surrounded by strangers in a … Continue reading Reflections on the medical mission trip that changed my life and nursing career

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Breakthroughs in the fight against Type 2 diabetes and heart disease

When we consider the rising prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, the numbers are sobering. Here’s a quick snapshot of Type 2 diabetes in America: 1.5 million people are diagnosed with diabetes every year (90 percent of all diagnoses are Type 2 diabetes) Between 1990 and 2010, the number of Americans with diabetes more than tripled … Continue reading Breakthroughs in the fight against Type 2 diabetes and heart disease

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How this woman’s smartwatch detected her hidden heart arrhythmia

Wearable devices and smartwatches have many practical uses, but did you know they can help detect heart problems lurking beneath the surface? 75-year-old Elizabeth Turner loves gadgets — a love that may have saved her life. Her daily workouts include weights and circuit training, yoga, Zumba and playing golf with her husband, all of which … Continue reading How this woman’s smartwatch detected her hidden heart arrhythmia

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Aortic stenosis: How it feels when your heart is working overtime

Aortic stenosis has an ominous ring to it, and for good reason. Constricting the body’s most vital artery can diminish your life — and shorten it. But there are more options than ever to relieve the stress on your heart from working overtime to keep your blood pumping. What is aortic stenosis? First, let’s define … Continue reading Aortic stenosis: How it feels when your heart is working overtime

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Why do women wait longer to get help during a heart attack?

Toward the end of my internal medicine training at Baylor Scott & White and just two months before starting my cardiology fellowship training at the University of Oklahoma, my 29-year-old cousin died of cardiomyopathy a week after giving birth. This was not only devastating, but it also made a huge impression on me. It was … Continue reading Why do women wait longer to get help during a heart attack?