Health Blog

Texans are lining up to receive their COVID-19 vaccine and many more are patiently waiting their turn. The good news is that while COVID-19 can be life-threatening, the only medical risk to vaccination is for those with a history of allergic reactions to these vaccines or their ingredients.

In front of the press, President-elect Joe Biden rolled up his sleeve for the Pfizer vaccine and Dr. Anthony Fauci for the Moderna vaccine. While some tried to read something into their choices, these vaccination events were likely arranged to instill public trust in both vaccines. Regardless, the public wants to know which vaccine is best.

It’s music to many physicians’ ears to hear people clamoring for their COVID-19 vaccine. The virus has damaged the economy and taken far too many lives. A year ago, it was unbelievable that effective, safe vaccines could be delivered in less than a year from the first identification of a new pathogen.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, so it is an appropriate time to recognize and share the knowledge that some steps can be taken to prevent certain birth defects.

Two COVID-19 vaccines have received Emergency Use Authorization in the United States. They’re commonly referred to as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Both are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and use a technology developed over the last decade.

The fantastic news about the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines has led many to ask when things will return to normal.

Learn more about pediatric sleep apnea symptoms with this Medical Minute.

Overactive bladder (OAB) affects almost 50 percent of women in the United States, presenting as urinary urgency and frequency, with or without urinary leakage.

Spinal stenosis, a very common neurosurgical condition, can be associated with spondylosis, ligamentous hypertrophy, and disc osteophyte complexes. Stenosis often presents as myelopathy (compression on the spinal cord) or radiculopathy (compression on the nerve root).

It may seem crazy, but in some clinical trials volunteers are purposely infected with diseases like the flu, cholera and malaria. These types of trials are referred to as challenge studies.

A frequent question we get is when will children be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

You may not think of hand surgery as a procedure done with the patient awake, alert, and feeling comfortable, but medical and technological innovations have made this type of surgery a preferred option for many common hand conditions.

Men’s health has been a trending topic in popular culture recently, often referring to lifestyle, dieting and a picture of man with six-pack abs on a magazine cover. As a urologist who specializes in men’s health, however, I see a bigger picture.

The current flu vaccines aren’t similar to the swine flu vaccine of 1976; you should absolutely get your flu vaccine (and this cannot be emphasized enough with the current pandemic); and the best vaccine for you depends on your age.

Learn more about why screening mammography is important for early detection of breast cancer and how it increases survivability with Dr. Angelica Robinson.

Dr. Jeff Temple offers insight and advice on what to do if you or someone you know is plagued by bullying either in person or virtually.

Several vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have entered the final clinical trials required for licensure. The primary goal of the trials is to test the vaccine candidates’ effectiveness and gather further information on safety.

The excitement is palpable as the first two SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates enter the homestretch for Food and Drug Administration licensure.

In this week’s column, doctors Megan Berman and Richard Rupp talk about the important role a person’s liver plays in keeping them healthy. They also discuss the causes of hepatitis, the term for inflammation of the liver, and the vaccines that can prevent hepatitis A and hepatitis B.