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On Your Health

Check back to the INTEGRIS On Your Health blog for the latest health and wellness news for all Oklahomans.

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Examining the Impact of Digital Misinformation on Your Sleep Quality

There's a growing trend on YouTube of misinformation about sleep medicine, including tips and advice on improving sleep disorders. In this blog we visit with Viral Doshi, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist with INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, to examine how watching these videos for information can harm your sleep health.

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Is COVID Making a Comeback?

In this blog, David Chansolme, M.D., the medical director of infection prevention at INTEGRIS Health, gives us an update on the recent uptick in COVID cases across the country and in Oklahoma.

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National Immunization Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance in August to highlight the importance of vaccines for people of all ages and how they help to prevent and protect us from serious, sometimes deadly, diseases and illness.

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Managing Your Child's Asthma During Late Summer

Asthma is a chronic lung disease where the airways swell and constrict, making it hard for air to reach the lungs. It is the most common chronic illness among children, affecting 7.5 million kids. In this blog, we talk with Seana Dean, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician with INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Del City, on how parents can manage their children’s asthma.

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What Is Swimmer's Shoulder?

Paul Allegra, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Orthopedics Central, warns that “shoulder pain can be secondary to a multitude of factors, including multidirectional instability, rotator cuff tendinitis, subacromial impingement or rotator cuff tears.” He says if symptoms persist, you should seek treatment from a medical professional.

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What are the Four Stages of Congestive Heart Failure?

There are four stages of heart failure, and knowing these stages can provide insight on how to manage it and how to slow down the progression to live an enjoyable life. Luke Cunningham, M.D., an advanced heart failure, transplant and mechanical circulatory support cardiologist for INTEGRIS Health, shares insight on the four stages of heart failure and how to manage it.

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Back-to-School and Extreme Heat

As students return to school and dive into sports, the summer heat poses significant health risks. In this blog, we talked to David Hopkins, D.O., a board-certified family medicine physician at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Guthrie about the health risks of rising temperatures and the dangers posed to young athletes.

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What Your Face Can Tell You About Your Health

You can glean valuable information simply by looking at someone’s face. Whether it’s facial expressions to indicate happiness or sadness or changes in skin color and texture to indicate illness, the face can offer insights into how you’re feeling.

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The 20 Best Foods For Healthy Skin

In this blog, we talked to Whitney Crowe, M.D., a family medicine physician at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Great Plains in Oklahoma City to learn why a nourishing diet contributes significantly to skin health and explore which nutrient-rich foods can help you attain and maintain healthy skin.

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How Can Your Thyroid Affect Pregnancy?

We learn from Mitchell West, M.D., an obstetrician/gynecologist (OBGYN) specializing in women’s health at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Women's Baptist in Oklahoma City, about why thyroid issues happen, what complexities can develop and how to treat these conditions.

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Symptoms, Causes and Complications of Chronic Wounds

Let’s explore what chronic wounds are, what causes them and why they can be challenging to deal with. Whether you’re personally dealing with one or just curious, read to learn more about chronic wounds.

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Is Ozempic Safe for Weight Loss?

In this blog we talk to Brian Herritt, M.D., a bariatric surgeon at INTEGRIS Health Weight Loss Center about Ozempic and whether it is a safe option for weight management.

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What is the Importance of Appropriate Antibiotic Use?

As effective as antibiotics are, they can just as easily be ineffective when misused or not taken properly. Bacteria are smarter than we give them credit for, and they’re adept at becoming resistant to various antibiotics. By knowing the proper use of antibiotics, you can help preserve their effectiveness and help combat bacterial infections in the future.

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When is it Time to Consider Knee Replacement Surgery?

The decision on when to get knee replacement surgery is a topic many Americans struggle with. In 2020, Northwestern Medicine published a study that found 90 percent of people waited too long to fix their knee with joint replacement surgery, and 25 percent of people who had it done did so prematurely.

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What are the Six Stages of Concussion Recovery?

We spoke with Paul Allegra, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with INTEGRIS Health in Edmond, about how to recognize a concussion and what next steps to take.

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Who Should Get the RSV Vaccine?

RSV is a common viral infection that affects the respiratory system, including the nose, throat, lungs and breathing passages. RSV comes from the Paramyxoviridae family, a group that also includes the mumps and measles. The virus can replicate anywhere in the respiratory tract, mainly the breathing tubes and lungs. This replication then causes swelling and inflammation that makes you sneeze, cough or have trouble breathing.

Lainey Townsend

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Why Do You Need a Primary Care Provider?

You’ll visit your primary care doctor for most medical needs, including wellness visits and routine preventive screenings, non-emergency illnesses like colds and sore throats. This is the person to whom you can comfortably ask questions about your health or voice concerns. We speak with Nathaniel Yokell, M.D., a physician at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Yukon, about the importance of maintaining a relationship with a primary care provider.

Lainey Townsend

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What is Stomach Cancer?

On Feb. 5, Oklahoma lost a favorite son and icon, Toby Keith, to stomach cancer and Oklahomans are in mourning. We spoke to oncologist, Laila Babar, M.D., about stomach cancer facts, symptoms and treatment.

Lainey Townsend

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Can Skin Cancer Kill You?

In terms of skin cancer, where does it rank among fatal cases? This is a common question people ask. We examine how serious skin cancer is and how likely you are to survive if you or a family member recently received a diagnosis.

Lainey Townsend

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How Dangerous is Childhood Obesity?

Childhood obesity is a disturbing epidemic in the U.S. The number of children who suffer from it has more than tripled since 1980. This means the future health of our children is dire as they suffer from diseases that were traditionally reserved for adults - diseases like type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. The good news is that childhood obesity is reversible.

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What Does it Mean to be High Risk for Breast Cancer?

To learn more about what high risk breast cancer means, we sought out information from Nicole Sharp Cottrell, M.D., a board-certified and fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist at INTEGRIS Breast Surgery.

Lainey Townsend

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What You Need to Know About Feminine Leakage

Dr. Dena O'Leary, an INTEGRIS Health urogynecologist, discusses female incontinence. It's highly treatable, although many women are too embarrassed to speak to their doctors about it.

Dena O'Leary, M.D.

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What Causes Infertility in Women?

Conceiving a child is a complex physiological process. There are several intertwined parts that work together to produce a baby. To help highlight Fertility Awareness Week, we spoke to Andrea Partida, D.O., an OB-GYN at INTEGRIS Women’s Health Enid, to outline what causes infertility, how to manage infertility in women and how to cope with this difficult condition.

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Tips For Healthy Lungs

Every second your lungs are hard at work. They perform 24/7 behind the scenes to ensure your body receives the oxygen it needs to survive. That translates to about 12 to 15 breaths per minute, or 17,000 breaths per day, according to the American Lung Association. Put simply, your lungs never clock out. Considering their importance, it’s easy to see why you should practice healthy habits to keep your lungs performing at an optimal level.

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Impacts of Chronic Marijuana Use

While there are benefits of medical marijuana, it’s important to understand the long-term effects of chronic marijuana use. Jedidiah Perdue, M.D., medical director at Arcadia Trails INTEGRIS Center for Addiction Recovery, offers his expertise and shares what you should know about how marijuana impacts the body and mind over time.

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Common Orthopedic Injuries in Winter

To help keep you and your family safe this winter, David B. Parker, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, provides information and insight into common orthopedic injuries during the colder months some tips on how to stay safe.

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Which Vaccinations Should My Child Receive?

There are many types of vaccines, and keeping up with them can be a tedious process for some. That’s why we created a comprehensive guide, including expert advice from Vibitha Mani, M.D., a pediatrician at INTEGRIS Family Care Council Crossing, to walk you through when and which vaccinations your child should receive.

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Pancreatic Cancer: The Latest Advancements to Treat a Deadly Disease

To help highlight Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in November, we checked in with Dr. Silverstein, who is now retired, and Brian Geister, M.D. a board-certified oncologist and internal medicine doctor, to learn more about pancreatic cancer, why it’s so deadly and what the future holds.

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What You Should Know About Dense Breast Tissue

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, here is what you need to know about dense breast tissue. While having dense breasts is normal, it does pose challenges in detecting breast cancer.

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Strep Throat in Children

Happy Children's Health Month! To mark the occasion, we talked with Dr. Craig Kupiec, a pediatrician at INTEGRIS, for his thoughts on why strep throat occurs so often in children. He also discusses pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, known as PANDAS, a mysterious disorder that some think might be associated with streptococcal infections.

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