Live Healthy West Virginia
43 Episodes
Want to live a better and healthier life? Find out more about the latest medical breakthroughs and best treatments for conditions from heart disease to diabetes and Alzheimer’s in the elderly to RSV in babies. We talk about the latest health information with an expert physician from WVU Medicine to help you live healthy in West Virginia and beyond.
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Ep. 43 - Chronic Pain: You Don’t Have to Live with It
Episode 1
Are you one of the 100 million Americans suffering with chronic pain? You don’t have to learn to live with it. We talk about the explosion of new treatments that are helping many find relief from chronic pain, with Richard Vaglienti, MD, director of the WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Ma...
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Ep. 42 - Overdose Awareness: Epidemic Improving, But Crisis Not Over
Episode 2
West Virginia still leads the nation in overdose deaths, but the CDC estimates a drop of about 42 percent in those deaths over the last few years. However, that doesn’t mean the overdose epidemic is over. We talk about overdose awareness, prevention, and treatment, with Dr. Michael Reynolds, addi...
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Ep. 41 - Heart Murmurs: What’s That Sound?
Episode 3
It’s estimated that 72% of children will have a heart murmur at some point during childhood and adolescence. We talk about everything you need to know about heart murmurs from when to be concerned to what to do about them, with Dr Jai Udassi, director of the WVU Medicine Children’s Heart Center.
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Ep. 40 - Aortic Stenosis: Life Renewing Treatments
Episode 4
Aortic stenosis is a condition affecting 2.5 million Americans that occurs when the aortic valve is too narrow. We talk about life renewing treatments for this most common heart valve disease with Dr. Ramesh Daggubati, chief of Interventional Cardiology at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute.
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Ep. 39 – Summer Safety: Spend Time Outside, Not in the ED
Episode 5
The sun is out, and your local emergency department is busy. From preventing drowning and heat sickness to bug bites and brain injuries, we talk about summer safety with Dr. Christopher Goode, chair of the WVU Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine.
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Ep. 38 - Juvenile Arthritis: Kids Get Arthritis, Too
Episode 6
Arthritis is not just an “old person’s” disease; kids can get arthritis, too. July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, and 220,000 in the U.S. are diagnosed with the disease. We talk about juvenile arthritis and how it’s treated with Dr. Paul Rosen, chief of Pediatric Rheumatology at WVU Medic...
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Ep. 37 - Cataracts: Clear the Cloudiness to Battle Blindness
Episode 7
June is Cataract Awareness Month, and cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. But as you get older, you don’t have to live with fading vision from cataracts. We talk about cataracts and their treatments with Dr. Brian McMillan, ophthalmologist at the WVU Eye Institute.
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Ep. 36 - Alzheimer’s: Senior Moment or Something More?
Episode 8
June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. With more than seven million Americans living with the disease, how do you know if you’re having a “senior moment” or something more? We talk about an exciting new treatment that’s giving hope and buying more quality time for Alzheimer’s patients with Dr. Marc...
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Ep. 35 - Osteoporosis: Bone Up on Bone Health
Episode 9
May is Osteoporosis Awareness Month, and while 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, many are unaware they have it. Despite popular opinion, osteoporosis doesn’t just happen to little old ladies, so we talk about prevention and new treatments with Dr. Colleen Watkins, a metabolic bone disease s...
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Ep. 34 - Stroke: Breakthrough Treatments Offer New Hope
Episode 10
May is Stroke Awareness Month, and, in West Virginia, stroke is the leading cause of disability and the fifth leading cause of death. We talk about promising new treatments for stroke, like faster clot-busting drugs and VNS therapy for rehabilitation, with Dr. Muhammad Alvi, medical director of t...
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Ep. 33 - Testicular Cancer: On the Rise but Curable
Episode 11
April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month. While testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men aged 15-45, did you know men should be performing monthly self-exams for testicular cancer? We talk about testicular cancer and how to catch it early with Ali Hajiran, MD, Chief of Uro...
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Ep. 32 - Movement Disorders: Is it Parkinson’s or Essential Tremor?
Episode 12
Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor are movement disorders that are mostly diagnosed in older adults and share one common symptom: tremors. That’s why the two diseases are often confused for one another. We clear up that confusion and talk about exciting new treatments for these common movem...
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Ep. 31 - Measles 2025: What You Need to Know
Episode 13
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Ep. 30 - Colorectal Cancer: Surging in Younger Adults
Episode 14
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the U.S., but it’s highly preventable with screening. Even more troubling, colorectal cancer is surging in those under 50. We talk about colorectal cancer and how to prevent it with Dr. Shyam Thakkar, ...
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Ep. 29 - Women’s Heart Disease: Underdiagnosed and Undertreated
Episode 15
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, yet many remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. In honor of American Heart Month, we talk about women’s heart health and what you should know about taking care of your heart with Dr. Lakshmi Muthukumar, cardiologist at the WVU Heart and Vascu...
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Ep. 28 – Home Health and Hospice: In-Home Nursing and End-of-Life Care
Episode 16
Most aging seniors who need more assistance want to stay in their own homes as long as possible. We talk about how home health and hospice care can help make it possible for seniors “to age in place” with Dr. Maggie Thieman of WVU Medicine Home Health and Hospice.
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Ep. 27 LHWV – Glaucoma: The Silent Thief of Sight
Episode 17
Glaucoma is known as “the silent thief of sight” because there are usually no symptoms until you start irreversibly losing your vision.
We talk about the best way to detect glaucoma before it’s too late and about the latest treatments to manage it with Dr. Tony Realini, glaucoma specialist at t...
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Ep. 26 – Sleep Problems: Why Can’t I Sleep?
Episode 18
According to the CDC, nearly 43 percent of adults in West Virginia don’t get enough sleep. We talk about how to fix what’s keeping you up at night with Dr. Robert C. Stansbury, director of the WVU Medicine Sleep Evaluation Center.
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Ep. 25 - WVU Health System: A Look Back and Look Ahead
Episode 19
The West Virginia University Health System, which operates under the brand name WVU Medicine, is the state’s largest health system and largest private employer. We talk about its impact on healthcare and the state and region by taking a look back on 2024 and a look ahead to 2025 with Albert L. Wr...
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Ep. 24 - Pediatric Epilepsy: Creating Hope with New Treatments
Episode 20
Pediatric epilepsy is the most common childhood brain disorder in the U.S. But a growing number of treatment options are creating new hope for more patients to become seizure-free. We talk with Dr. Lawrence Morton, chief of Child Neurology at WVU Medicine Children’s and the WVU Rockefeller Neuro...
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Ep. 23 - CYTALUX for Lung Cancer: Lighting the Way to Detect Tumors
Episode 21
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. West Virginia has the second highest rate of lung cancer in the country. But a groundbreaking imaging agent for lung cancer detection called CYTALUX is literally lighting up tumors in real time during surgery. We talk with thoracic surgeon Dr. Nicholas Bak...
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Ep. 22 - Bionic Pancreas: Life-Changing Diabetes Control
Episode 22
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. About 38 million Americans have diabetes, and many of them require insulin. Now, doctors are calling the invention of the Bionic Pancreas a game changer in diabetes control. We talk with endocrinologist Dr. Jessica Perini about how the Bionic Pancrea...
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Ep. 21 – Breast Cancer: Strength After Treatment with Rehabilitation
Episode 23
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. While we usually think of rehabilitation such as physical therapy for joint and muscle injuries, it also plays a large part in recovery from breast cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment. We talk about how breast cancer rehab is helping to ...
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Ep. 20 - Peak Advantage Medicare: Made for and by West Virginians
Episode 24
Open enrollment for Medicare Advantage plans is just around the corner. We talk about Peak Advantage Medicare, the only health plan in the state made by and for West Virginians. Peak Health Medicare Director Missy Bazzo explains all the benefits, including some improvements and updates to last ye...