Texas Health Matters is a weekly column that focuses on consumer issues related to health and human services. These columns, available in English and Spanish, help Texans with everything from selecting quality child care to the importance of living wills. The columns are available to reprint in your publication free of charge. You may sign up to receive e-mail updates when new columns are posted by using the link above to enter your e-mail address.
October 5-11, 2009: Got Your Flu Shot Yet? Stick it to
to Viruses and Stay Healthy
Without flu shots, dodging the flu between October and May is like trying to keep your hair neat and dry in a typhoon.
October 12-18, 2009: Oyster, Water Inspectors Make Life Safer for Seafood Fans
Texans’ love affair with the oyster goes back quite a way — at least 300 years, judging from shell mounds left along the Gulf coast by Karankawa and Akokisa tribesmen.
October 19-25, 2009: Awareness, Vigilance Needed to Manage Asthma
“If you want to know what an asthma attack is like,” says Arturo Gutierrez of Austin, “go running, then pinch your nose and breathe through a coffee straw. Then realize that, no matter how hard you breathe, you’re not getting any more air.”
October 26-November 1, 2009: At Holiday Time, Take Stock of Loved Ones’ Health, Safety Needs
Going to see the folks at holiday time conjures very specific expectations: Epic feasts, football overkill, reconnecting with relatives, umpteenth re-tellings of ancient family yarns. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving or Christmas without these rituals.