Mega Doctor News
Airing Saturday, July 20 & Sunday, July 30, on KGBT 4.1, the 30-minute program will highlight the common causes, risk factors, and warning signs of chronic lung diseases while offering prevention advice aimed at preventing or delaying their onset
The lungs are essential to life and the respiratory system’s centerpiece. The main function of the pair of spongy, pinkish-gray organs is to transfer life-giving oxygen into the blood supply while moving waste products like carbon dioxide out of your body. It’s a process that happens with every breath you take.
Poor lung function can lead to respiratory failure, which can lead to a multitude of symptoms. Depending on the cause and the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, they may include shortness of breath, air hunger, rapid breathing, confusion, and bluish skin, lips, and fingernails.
Unfortunately, more than 34 million people in the United States currently live with those symptoms due to chronic lung diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and health experts say the situation is worsening across the country.
Over time, chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can lead to the need for a lung transplant, even death, if left untreated.
“When chronic lung diseases like COPD advance, they don’t just affect how we breathe. They begin to impact other organs like the heart and nervous system. Many of these lung conditions can be life-altering or life-ending,” says pulmonologist Adolfo Kaplan, MD, a critical care medicine specialist affiliated with STHS McAllen. “That underlines the importance of early detection, treatment and prevention of chronic lung disease.”
To help raise awareness about the dangers of lung-related health issues among residents of the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas Health System (STHS) and South Texas Health System Clinics (STHS Clinics) will devote the latest episode of their monthly “South Texas Healthy Living” television program to chronic lung diseases.
Broadcast live on Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21, at 11:00 a.m. on KGBT 4.1, the program will feature an interview with Dr. Kaplan, who will highlight the common causes, risk factors, and early warning signs of chronic lung diseases, as well as highlight how doctors diagnose and treat them.
Additionally, STHS System Director of Marketing & Public Relations and South Texas Healthy Living host Tom Castañeda sits down with an 82-year-old Edinburg man who, after nearly 50 years, decided to quit smoking – one of the biggest risk factors for chronic lung diseases – but not before the damage to his lungs and heart had been done. Along with discussing the impact smoking had on his health, he’ll share his advice for those struggling to kick the habit.
The program will also feature a cooking segment led by Patrick Woodin, South Texas Health System McAllen’s director of dietary & nutrition services, on lung-friendly foods, a demonstration of improving lung health with a member of the STHS McAllen Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, and important advice on preventing chronic lung diseases.
