As the weather turns warmer in central New York and we start spending more time outdoors, we start thinking about ticks. Microbiologist Saravanan Thangamani is an expert in vector-borne diseases, and he oversees a database for ticks collected in New York state. On this week's "HealthLink on Air," he gives advice on how to avoid ticks and tells about some of the research his lab is doing. Thangamani is a SUNY Empire Innovation professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at Upstate, and he directs the SUNY Center for Environmental Health and Medicine.
Also this week, opioid medications work well for people who need help controlling pain for a few days as they recover from an injury or surgery, but opioids are not meant to treat chronic pain. People who take opioids can become dependent and misuse opioids. Nurse practitioner Theresa Baxter, who works in addiction medicine at Upstate, explains different ways that opioid use disorder can be treated, depending on the patient. It may include prescriptions, psychotherapy, support groups or a combination.
And, transplant surgeon Matthew Garner, MD, explains how diabetes is related to pancreas transplants.
Listen to Healthlink on Air every Sunday at 6 a.m. on WRVO.