On Health with Houston Methodist

Hosts Zach Moore, Katie McCallum and Todd Ackerman kick off the second season of On Health with Houston Methodist, sharing what listeners can expect each Tuesday for the next ten weeks.

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

We're all aging, so it's never too soon to think about how to enter your golden years as healthy as possible. In today's episode, self-proclaimed "resident old guy", Scott Jones, shares his journey toward healthier aging. As he takes us inside appointments with his health care team, we learn steps we can take today to avoid some of the worst pitfalls of getting older — no matter our age.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Katie McCallum, Scott Jones (interviewer) 

Experts:  Dr. Joshua Septimus (Primary Care Physician), Emma Willingham (Clinical Dietitian Specialist) 

Notable topics covered: 

• How muscle mass, body fat, bone density, thirst and more change with age 
• Chronic inflammation, the "bogeyman for aging"
• Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome: how they sneak up and the serious issues they lead to
• How easy it is to spot these problems through regular wellness checkups and bloodwork
• The ideal eating pattern, including the foods, drinks and habits we should avoid as we age 
• How protein intake and resistance training can help maintain muscle mass as you age 
• Why you’re never too young to start thinking about healthy aging 

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, or hypertension. What's more, only about 1 in 4 of those have the condition under control. What can you do to control high blood pressure — or better yet, prevent it from developing in the first place? In today's episode, we get the lowdown on high blood pressure, the leading cause of stroke and major risk factor for other concerning health conditions.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Todd Ackerman (interviewer)

Expert: Dr. Kershaw Patel, Cardiologist

Notable topics covered:

• Why high blood pressure is known as the silent killer 
• Symptoms suggesting high blood pressure might be affecting you
• The health conditions that high blood pressure can cause 
• The level at which blood pressure is too high — or too low 
• Whether there's a need for continuous blood pressure monitoring 
• The reliability of those blood pressure kiosk machines 
• Ways to control high blood pressure without medication 
• The latest on when's best to take blood pressure medication 

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

You may assume you’re getting enough vitamin D, but some 42% of American adults are deficient in the nutrient, according to the National Institutes of Health. Moreover, the problem is becoming more common, according to doctors. What are the consequences? And how treatable is a deficiency? In today’s episode, our expert talks about how worried we should be about the trend.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Todd Ackerman (interviewer)

Expert: Dr. Lola Okunnu, Primary Care Physician

Notable topics covered: 

• The signs you might be deficient in vitamin D 
• How much vitamin D you should get daily, depending on age 
• The group of people at greatest risk of a deficiency 
• Sun, food, supplements, the best way to get vitamin D 
• How much vitamin D you’ll get from 10-15 minutes in the sun 
• The best food sources of vitamin D 
• Whether vitamin D is the miracle supplement it’s touted to be 
• Why too much vitamin D can be a bad thing 

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Germs are everywhere. Not all are bad, of course, but you may be wondering what it takes to protect yourself from the ones that can make you sick. Should we disinfect our phones every day? How long is too long to use a towel without washing it? In today’s episode, we get an answer to these and other questions about how best to live among germs. 

Hosts: Zach Moore (interviewer), Katie McCallum

Expert: Dr. Ashley Drews, Infectious Disease Physician

Notable topics covered: 

• The most important rooms in your home to keep clean 
• The less obvious items and places where germs may be breeding 
• Smartphones, towels, beards, air purifiers, pools: the germs edition 
• The truth about sharing a straw with anyone — even a family member 
• Two of the germiest public places we encounter in our day-to-day lives 
• Hand sanitizer do’s and don’ts 
• The most important times to wash your hands and how to do it right 
• Whether there’s such a thing as washing your hands too much 
• Important food safety reminders, including why it’s important to wash your vegetables

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Hydration powders and products are flooding the wellness space these days — promising to maximize water uptake and prevent dehydration. The concept is nothing new, of course. Sports drinks have existed for decades. But is staying hydrated really more complicated than just drinking plain old water? In today’s episode, we discuss everything from hydration basics to when water may not be enough.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Katie McCallum (interviewer) 

Expert: Emma Willingham, MS, RD, LD, CSSD, Clinical Dietitian Specialist

Notable topics covered: 

• Emma's take on the “8 glasses of water a day” rule 
• The many ways dehydration affects your body 
• Whether coffee, alcohol and salty foods are dehydrating 
• When hydration products are (and aren’t) needed 
• All about electrolytes, including how we all sweat them out differently 
• The times and situations to choose a sports drink over regular water 
• If the pH of water matters for your hydration status 
• Whether you can drink "too much water" 

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Most American adults take some sort of nutritional supplements, according to recent surveys, often without looping in their doctor. But since the FDA stopped regulating the industry decades ago, consumers don't know whether the supplements they take are beneficial or dangerous — or worth the (often pricey) expenditure. In today's episode, we enlist a primary care physician well versed in the subject to help navigate the terrain.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Todd Ackerman (interviewer)

Expert: Dr. Joshua Septimus, Primary Care Physician

Notable topics covered:

• The mind-boggling number of supplements on the market
• What it means that the FDA doesn't regulate supplements
• Websites to visit that certify whether a supplement is safe
• What studies have found about supplements' usefulness
• The debate about supplements among some doctors
• Whether tablets, capsules or gels are better absorbed
• The herbal supplement Dr. Septimus often prescribes

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

After two fairly quiet flu seasons (an unexpected blip of good news amid the COVID-19 pandemic), you may have been lulled into complacency about the influenza virus. But early signs suggest the flu is returning from its exile in a big way this year. In this episode, we discuss why experts are concerned we're in for a severe season, how the flu is different from COVID-19 and answers to common questions about getting your flu shot. 

Hosts: Zach Moore, Katie McCallum (interviewer) 

Expert: Dr. Wesley Long, Medical Director of Diagnostic Microbiology 

Notable topics covered: 

• What Australia’s bad flu season may mean for us 
• The early warning signs we’re already seeing in our own flu data 
• What to do if you think you have the flu 
• Whether it’s possible to get flu and COVID-19 at the same time 
• When (and why) to get your annual flu shot 
• Answers to flu shot questions, including whether you can get your flu shot and COVID-19 booster at the same time 

Houston Methodist Flu Tracker: https://flu.houstonmethodist.org/

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Many of us have a habit of sticking cotton swabs into our ears each day. We do it under the guise of personal hygiene, but do our ears even need to be cleaned in the first place? And given that the ear is a very delicate organ responsible for one of your five senses, should we really be sticking things inside of it? In today's episode, we hear some answers to these questions and discuss other important ear health topics. 

Hosts: Zach Moore (interviewer), Katie McCallum 

Expert: Dr. Kenny Lin, ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) Specialist 

Notable topics covered: 

• Everything you never knew you needed to know about earwax, including whether it’s really wax 
• Why Dr. Lin gets nervous about people “cleaning” their ears using cotton swabs 
• The history of cotton swabs and how we came to put them in our ears 
• How cotton swabs can actually make earwax problems worse 
• Whether any of the various earwax removal products out there can be trusted 
• How your headphone choice (earbud vs. over the ear) affects your earwax and ear health 
• Why it’s important to protect your ears from loud noises and tips for doing it right 
• What ringing in your ears means and what to do next

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Sure, healthy eating and brunch may not seem like they go together. But how about if you order avocado toast? It seems like a healthy choice, especially compared to other brunch options like chicken and waffles or biscuits and gravy. In today’s episode, we deconstruct avocado toast and put its ingredients through a wellness check.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Katie McCallum (interviewer) 

Expert: Kylie Arrindell, MS, RD, LD, Wellness Dietitian 

Notable topics covered: 

• Whether avocado truly lives up to its “superfood” name 
• How your bread choice can complicate things 
• What you need to know about eating a whole egg vs. just the egg whites 
• The unhealthiest avocado toast Kylie has ever seen 
• What the healthfulness of an avocado toast really hinges on 
• Kylie builds her ideal avocado toast 

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog.