Healthlink On Air

Marvin Heyboer, MD, discusses hyperbaric oxygen therapy and wound care. Founding member of Upstate’s thoracic oncology program Leslie Kohman, MD, talks about 20 years of care for lung cancer and other diseases. Doug Campos-Outcalt, MD, explains the value of vaccination for public health.

One risk of prostate biopsy has been infection, but a new way of obtaining prostate tissue to test for cancer greatly reduces that risk, say Upstate urologists Oleg Shapiro, MD, and Timothy Byler, MD. Biopsies have been done using a probe that is inserted into the rectum. Then a needle is passed through the rectal [...]

  Susan Levinsohn, MD, who specializes in family medicine and integrative medicine at Upstate University Hospital, emphasizes the importance of lifestyle to a person’s health. She defines integrative medicine, discusses some of the limitations of the American health care system and tells of the effort she’s involved in to ensure that health care providers focus [...]

Elizabeth Donaldson, PhD, an English professor from New York Institute of Technology, discusses how graphic memoirs — which resemble comic books — help people share their personal stories. She is also director of the medical humanities program at New York Tech. Donaldson, who was in Syracuse to speak about graphic medicine, explains how graphic memoirs [...]

Erik Rufa, MD, and Darren Carboni explain how Upstate’s new simulation center uses high-tech mannequins for realistic medical training. An emerging tick-borne illness distantly related to Lyme disease is described by Upstate microbiologist and immunologist Saravanan Thangamani, PhD. Editor Deirdre Neilen, PhD, talks about the latest issue of “The Healing Muse,” Upstate’s literary and visual [...]

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was initially used to treat deep-sea divers with decompression sickness, known as “the bends.” Over the past few decades, the role of this therapy has expanded to include the treatment of a number of other medical conditions, particularly some that do not respond to other therapies. Marvin Heyboer, MD, discusses healing strategies [...]

Upstate University Hospital debuted its Thoracic Oncology Program in 1999. It is defined by a multidisciplinary team approach, where experts in disciplines such as surgery, radiology and chemotherapy, as well as dietitians, social workers and physical therapists work together to create a treatment plan for patients with lung cancer and other cancers of the chest. [...]

Gang-related violence and the wide-ranging trauma it produces have been a persistent problem in impoverished inner-city neighborhoods throughout the United States. In Syracuse in 2010, a Community Trauma Response Team was established and appears to have helped reduce gang-related gunshots and murders. One of the team’s founders, Timothy “Noble” Jennings-Bey, provides an overview of the [...]

Eighty percent of the lung cancers discovered through screening are early stage and mostly curable. But for a variety of reasons, only about 2% of the people eligible for lung cancer screening actually undergo a test. Jason Wallen, MD, explains what’s important to know about lung cancer screening. A thoracic surgeon, Wallen is the division [...]

Upstate urologist Scott Wiener, MD, discusses the diagnosis and management of kidney stones. For situations that require surgical removal, he offers multiple procedures, including one that relies on ultrasound during surgery. He talks about how kidney stones form and what a person can do to reduce his or her risk of developing them.

Lung cancer can impact nutrition in several ways, explains Maria Erdman, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Upstate Cancer Center. She provides suggestions for the best foods to eat during cancer treatment, and some foods to avoid.

Editor Deirdre Neilen, PhD, discusses the most recent issue of “The Healing Muse,” the literary and visual arts journal produced by Upstate Medical University. It’s filled with poems, narratives, essays and memoirs, photos, drawings and graphic art. Submissions for next year’s journal are accepted through April 15. Click here for information on how to submit [...]

People whose bodies have an immune reaction to eating gluten — a protein in wheat, barley and rye — are said to have celiac disease. The reaction can lead to inflammation and damage to the small intestine. Upstate registered dietitian nutritionist Diana Stuber goes over the disease’s common symptoms and points out that some people [...]

Deer ticks, known for transmitting the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, can also carry distantly related bacteria called Borrelia miyamotoi. Upstate microbiologist and immunologist Saravanan Thangamani, PhD, explains what is known about how the Borrelia miyamotoi disease is transmitted from ticks to humans. A larger percentage of deer ticks carry the Borrelia mayonii, which causes [...]

Upstate exercise physiologist Carol Sames, PhD, discusses the importance of strength training, especially for seniors. Teacher Mary Ellen Michalenko tells about the school within the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. Syracuse University head football coach Dino Babers talks about fitness and motivation.

Geriatrician Sharon Brangman, MD, tells about a clinical trial of a new medication for Alzheimer’s disease. Emergency Management Coordinator Bradley Marmon outlines how families can prepare for an emergency. Surgeon Leslie Kohman, MD, talks about the medical risks of vaping.

An $11 million teaching center opened at Upstate Medical University recently that allows for the simulation of real-time responses to medical emergencies and procedures. The new Sim Center is meant to improve patient safety and patient care, explain Darren Carboni, the director of interprofessional education and university simulation, and Erik Rufa, MD, the director of [...]

Vaccines are one of the most successful public health interventions of the past century, says Doug Campos-Outcalt, MD. He discusses vaccine safety and adverse reactions, and he stresses the dangers of contracting an infection that can be prevented by vaccination. Campos-Outcalt is a senior lecturer at the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College [...]

All about opioids: – Colorectal surgeon Jeffrey Albright, MD, and weight-loss surgeon Flavia Soto, MD,  both from Upstate, explain new opioid painkiller guidelines for surgical patients. – Upstate toxicologist Willie Eggleston, PharmD, provides an update on the opioid addiction crisis’s impact on Central New York. – Bioethicist Travis Rieder, PhD, of the Johns Hopkins University [...]