Thursday, March 21, 2024, at 6 p.m. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., but screening and early detection can save lives. On this episode of Health Matters, Dr. Randall Brewer will talk about colorectal cancer screening and prevention with Dr. Sudha Pandit, Assistant Professor Clinical of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Dr. David Dies, gastroenterologist with GastroIntestinal Specialists; and Dr. David Okuampa, internal medicine resident with LSU Health Shreveport. Questions will be taken at 1-800-552-8502.

Thursday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. Dr. Anand Bhat, physician with Highland Clinic Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology, joins Health Matters host Dr. Patrick Lavo for this conversation on insect allergies, treatments, and disparities in care. Questions will be taken during the show at 1-800-552-8502.

Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, at 6 p.m. On this episode of Health Matters; Mental Health Edition, host Jenny Gregorio will be joined by Dr. Peridot Gilbert-Reed, LPC-S, to talk about spiritual bypass, a term which you may not have heard before. What can happen when you use spirituality to evade your emotions or situation? Can you be on the receiving end of spiritual bypass? We will delve deeply into this topic with Dr. Gilbert-Reed, who recently finished her dissertation on the subject. Dr. Gilbert Reed is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S), EMDR Provider, EMDR Specialist for Children and Adolescents, EMDR-Sandtray Specialist and a Religious and Spiritual Trauma/Abuse Specialist in Shreveport. Questions will be taken during the show at 1-800-552-8502.

Thursday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. Continuing our conversations on heart health during American Heart Month, on this episode of Health Matters, host Dr. Randall Brewer will be joined by Dr. Pavan Katikaneni, cardiologist with Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists; Dr. Ryan Master, cardiologist with Pierremont Cardiology; and Dr. Timothy Danish, cardiothoracic surgeon with CHRISTUS Health. Questions will be taken during the show at 1-800-552-8502.

Thursday, Jan 25, 2024, at 6 p.m. Psychosis can be a symptom of schizophrenia, depression or other disorders. On this episode of Health Matters: Mental Health Edition, host Jenny Gregorio will be joined by Dr. Pam McPherson, Vice-Chair Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at LSU Health Shreveport; Tina Hall, Director of EpiCenter, the FEP Clinic at Volunteers of America; and Sarah Morris, Ph.D., Chief of the Adult Psychopathology and Psychosocial Intervention Development Research Branch of the NIMH Division of Translational Research. Dr. Morris works with the AMP SCZ program. They will talk about psychosis, schizophrenia, the importance of evaluating first episodes of psychosis, how LSU Health is partnering with EpiCenter, and how AMP SCZ is working to better understand schizophrenia. Questions will be taken at 1-800-552-8502 during the show.

Thursday, Nov. 29, 2023, at 6 p.m. Host Jenny Gregorio will be joined by Dr. Jennifer Seidenberg, pediatrician with LSU Health Shreveport, McCall Dempsey, with the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, and Crystal Fox, Registered Dietician with Healthy Nutrition Therapy. We will learn more about eating disorders and how to better support those with eating disorders, especially during the holiday season. Questions will be taken at 1-800-552-8502.

Sept. 7, 2023 at 6 p.m. This summer's extreme heat has sent some area young athletes to the hospital with heat related illness. On this episode of Health Matters, Dr. Randall Brewer talks about recognizing the signs of heat exhaustion caused by extreme temps or overexertion along with the prevention and treatment of some other common sports injuries. Guests include Dr. Shane Barton, Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery at LSU Health Shreveport, Dr. Michael Nammour, Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at LSU Health Shreveport, Dr. David Berken, Orthopedic Specialist with Highland Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, and Alan Edwards, Athletic Trainer with Christus Health System.

Thursday, August 24, 2023. The U.S. ranks highest of any developed nation for infant mortality, and Louisiana's infant mortality rate is the second worst in the U.S., followed by Mississippi. Louisiana also has a high rate of maternal mortality. Andrea Gallo, reporter for The Advocate in Baton Rouge, recently took a deep dive into this issue.

Thursday, May 25 at 6 p.m. Does social media affect mental health? Host Jenny Gregorio explores the possible effects of social media on the brain with guest Peri Gilbert-Reed with Shreveport Counseling and Restoration Center. Questions and comments will be taken during the show at 1-800-552-8502.

Thursday, May 18, at 6 p.m. When the weather warms up, it opens up so many more opportunities to enjoy outdoor sports. To tell us how we can stay safe and prevent sports injuries in the summer, Health Matters host, Dr. Patrick Lavo, will be joined by Dr. Charles W. Webb, Director of the Division of Sports Medicine and Director, of Sports Medicine Fellowship at LSU Health, and Dr. Cory Coehoorn, Associate Professor in Exercise Physiology at LSU Health Shreveport. Questions will be taken during the show at 1-800-552-8502.