Live Greater | A University of Maryland Medical System Podcast

Peripheral diabetic neuropathy, caused by nerve damage in people with diabetes, can cause pain and numbness in the feet and legs, and sometimes the hands and arms. In this podcast, we talk with pain management specialist Dr. Brian Block about how to combat the pain caused by peripheral diabetic neuropathy and what treatments are available.

“Health equity” means giving everyone the opportunity to achieve their best health, regardless of race, age, economic status or geography. At UMMS, we are committed to removing barriers to care for all those we serve, improving length and quality of life, as well as disease, disability and death rates, and improving access to care. Here to help us put health equity into greater perspective is certified nurse midwife and professional educator Lauren Arrington, CNM, whose work in health equity is giving patients throughout Maryland and globally the means to reach their full health potential.

Your “gut” is a key component to good health. But what happens if you begin to have problems with digestion or elimination? How can you get back that delicate balance of healthy bacteria? Do probiotics help? What about going gluten-free? In this podcast, Dr. Sagal Ali, a gastroenterologist and gut-health expert, discusses what gut health really means and how to have a healthy, happy belly and GI tract.

Lung cancer has very few symptoms in the early stages, so experts recommend certain people get screened regularly starting at age 45. But what happens if your scan shows cancer? In this podcast, Drs. Eric Krause and Heather Lee from UM Capital Region Health discuss lung cancer diagnoses and treatment options.

Stress reduction can be a learned behavior—and an everyday habit that helps you lead a more joyful life. By practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction, regularly, you can make time to live more freely in the moment, focus on the present and give yourself the “mindspace”—or the breathing room—to positively affect your feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Join integrative health professional Ginny Jump, CRNP, for inspiration, advice and an uncommonly relaxing discussion about stress.

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis usually shows up as pain when walking, standing and sleeping, but feels better when bending over or sitting. This is generally caused by nerve compression in the lower back. While this kind of low back pain can have a very negative impact on your life, there are great treatment options so you can get relief quickly! In this podcast, Dr. Brian Block, a pain management expert at Maryland Pain Specialists and UM St. Joseph Medical Center, talks about treatments for LSS, especially alternatives to surgery.

Fibroids are abnormal growths that develop in the uterus. These tumors are usually non-cancerous but can cause severe pain and heavy periods. In this podcast, Dr. O. Lawrence Stitt of UM Capital Region Health will address what these tumors are, why they develop if they put you at risk for developing cancer and much more.

Obesity in the United States is a common, serious, and deadly disease. Estimates of the medical cost of adult obesity in the United States range from a staggering $147 billion to nearly $210 billion per year. Still, anyone who has ever dieted knows that losing weight can be hard. And the more you weigh, the harder it can be to shed excess pounds. For some people, diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes aren’t enough; bariatric surgery offers another path to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

Learn more about the Bariatrics Weight Loss Program at UM Charles Regional Medical Center 

Learn about other University of Maryland Medical System Bariatric Programs

Most people have heard about painful kidney stones, and some liken passing them to giving birth. Is that a good analogy? Learn from Dr. Andrew Riggin, a urologist at UM Shore Regional Health, what kidney stones are, who is most at risk, how to treat them, ways to prevent them and if they are really as painful as having a baby.

It’s true that good oral hygiene helps fight bad breath, but did you know that there is more to it than just that? Keeping your mouth healthy helps keep your body healthy, too. Hear from a speech-language pathologist from UM Charles Regional Medical Center why oral care is so important and what you need to do to keep your mouth healthy.