Health

Higher Ed: How Practices For A Healthy Mind Could Promote A Healthy Body Too

There is more talk in education these days about wellness and more attention to stress, anxiety and other factors that can impede learning. But there is less talk about the ways that good learning practices might improve health. In this episode of the KUT podcast “Higher Ed,” KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss the role of learning and education in wellness.

There are plenty of other subjects we learn to master, so why not health and wellness?

Ed believes that health and wellness information could – and should – be offered at a micro level outside of school. A lot of that kind of information is certainly available already. The challenge is to make it accessible and impactful.

“It’s gotta be bite-sized. You can’t have a full lecture or something,” says Ed. “And it’s got to be meaningful and thought-provoking…. it has to get you.”

For instance, Ed suggests reinforcing a message delivered by a doctor or health care provider with a short video or other educational element; that model is not unlike lessons from a teacher reinforced by text or other materials.

“One two-minute video is not going to do anything,” Ed admits. “But if it kind of is a continuation that keeps moving maybe it stays in your head a little bit, and we become more mindful and maybe we can change.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about how Ed believes learning and mindfulness can be brought to bear on health issues. It is also time for the solution to last episode’s sneaky arithmetic puzzler.

This episode was recorded on April 23, 2019.

Texas Standard: May 8, 2019

Austin’s the largest city in the U.S. without a public defenders office, but that may be about to change. We’ll look at why the push and what it means. Also, we’ll meet the Texas doctor developing replacement internal organs using 3d printers. And delays for trucks trying to cross the border, the U.S. and Texas in particular stand to pay a high price. And is Austin the first city in the south with a paid sick leave policy? A politifact check that could get contentious and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 10, 2019

Texas is in the spotlight again over race in higher ed admissions. What a settlement with Texas Tech Medical School means for affirmative action. Also we’ll take a look at the links between health and wealth. And just in time for tax season, a bill to keep the IRS from providing online free tax filing. Plus the matador fighting to keep both the bulls and the sport alive and a Politifact check about the criminal activity of migrants here illegally. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 8, 2019

A surprise resignation by the head of Homeland Security and the impact amid rising numbers of people crossing the southern border. Also a top immigration official temporarily takes over the post of a department founded to fight terrorism after 9/11, we’ll have more. And as the president postpones a promised border shutdown, anxiety persists at the border. And the Lone Star State may be famous for its Friday night lights, but maybe we should be celebrating prowess in another sport right now. Plus the story of the woman behind a political dynasty and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 27, 2019

When it comes to health care, now what? An unexpected move by the Justice Department to side with Texas in fighting the Affordable Care Act, we’ll have the latest. Also, days after that fire was extinguished at a chemical plant near Houston, losses and lawsuits are starting to mount. And greyhound racing is legal in Texas. But some wonder for how much longer, after a complaint about a wave of injuries to dogs and questions about oversight. Plus the team at Politifact double check a claim about Texas child care workers. Do only 11% meet quality standards? All that and more when today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 26, 2019

Many highway checkpoints inland from the border are closed as border officials try to deal with a new surge of migrants from Central America, we’ll have the latest. Also, rural electrification transformed the lives of millions of Texas. Is it time for something similar for broadband? We’ll talk with the Texas lawmaker pushing to get the rest of Texas wired. Plus for the first time since 1940 there’s a new dental school for Texas. But how’s Texas Tech planning on keeping its newly minted dentists where they’re most needed? And fighting words: the Mueller report and how we’re talking about it. All those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 12, 2019

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is removing all diplomatic staff from Venezuela, where he calls the situation “deteriorating.” He tells us why. Also, Houston making headlines for not being chosen to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The city pay issue that may be at the center of that choice. Plus, some college-level Black Studies programs are celebrating 50 years, how they’ve changed. And several countries are grounding planes like the one in a deadly weekend crash. But not the U.S. We’ll look at why. All of those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 7, 2019

Alarming figures from the border show an 11 year high in the number of migrant families apprehended. But do the numbers add up? Just a few weeks ago, we were hearing that the claim of a border emergency was overblown, but now mainstream news outlets report what sounds like, at the very least, a crisis overwhelming customs and border patrol. We’ll try to get a better sense of what’s happening. Also, a first of its kind effort in Texas to be prepared for wildfire season. And a top doctor warns of a looming crisis in Texas health care. All of those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 5, 2019

Will Texans vote to return Donald Trump to the White House? The 2020 contest might be closer than you think. We’ll hear from the head of the Texas Politics Project about the finding of a new poll of 12 hundred Texans and what they’re telling us about the early state of the 2020 presidential contest. Also: hemp. Illegal to grow in Texas, but the times are a changin and the republican ag commissioner is pushing the change. Plus how a forgotten story of hispanic North America tells us something about our politics and our American identity. All those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 2, 2019

More migrants sprayed with tear gas as money for a border wall remains at the center of the government shutdown. We’ll have the latest. Also, the measure to allow Texans to donate to address the huge backlog of untested rape kits passed with bipartisan support. But now it’s reached a real-world roadblock, we’ll tell you why. Many who live in the Big Bend area have spent their whole lives there, except for their last days. The challenge of access to hospice care. Plus debunking myths about mental health, the country band bringing two Texas towns together and what an onion says about this year’s forecast. All that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 24, 2018

Demographic shifts and low reimbursements from Medicaid and Medicare add up to trouble for Texas’s rural hospitals. When a rural hospital shuts down it can have ripple effects, the health professionals leave and so do the pharmacists, creating healthcare deserts. And it’s not just physical health. Texas is also facing an enormous shortage of psychiatrists, especially outside of the big cities. But it’s not all bad news in health for Texas: the state is also home to some great innovators. We’ll introduce you to a few. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 20, 2018

Will this be the legislative session that fixes the way Texas funds public schools? We’ll explore new recommendations. And speaking of the legislative session, there are new bills filed. We ask lawmakers why certain bills are near and dear to their hearts. We also say goodbye to members of the Texas delegation in Washington. And ’tis the season to go shopping, and get a discount: we’ll tell you how. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 6, 2018

Snow to the north, flooding to the south, storms close in on the Lone Star State, with dangerous implications. We’ll hear the latest on weather warnings statewide. Also a man in a jail cell in Odessa may be one of the most prolific serial killers in history. Why did it take so long for authorities to catch him? Plus, why Texas appears to have become ground zero for a cryptocurrency crackdown. And challenging assumptions: one of the most comprehensive profiles of Latinos: ever. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: November 30, 2018

The next version of NAFTA now signed by all three countries, but it’s far from a done deal. On Capitol Hill, the push back’s bipartisan, we’ll hear why and whether it could cause the pact to unravel. Also picture this: you’re pulled over at the side of the road and the trooper asks to see your smartphone: how close are we to digital IDs in Texas? Closer than you might think. Plus the week that was in Lone Star politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 29, 2018

As a nation reels in the aftermath of a synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, congregants gather in Sutherland Springs to reflect on what happened there a year earlier. Also, as texans continue to set records at the polls, political experts keep talking about the so-called sleeping giant. But a case can be made that there’s a better metaphor for the power of the Hispanic vote in Texas. We’ll hear about that. Plus the Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas general land office pushing a massive multi-billion dollar plan to put a wall between part of the Texas gulf coast and the next major storm. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 24, 2018

As the midterms get underway in earnest, The Pentagon launches its first cyber operation to counter Russian interference. We’ll have the latest. Plus all this week, as Texans head out to the polls, we’re taking your questions about the midterms. Today: who’s saying what, and to what extent, when it comes to climate change? We’ll explore. Also, in a place that loves to be number one, Texas is below the middle of the pack when it comes to the healthiest states. What’ll it take to turn things around? And the government gives A&M the greenlight to turn cotton into food. All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 26, 2018

The Texas Attorney General is now getting involved in a court fight over whether Texas school children should be required to say the pledge of allegiance, we’ll explore the implications. Also, should toothless inmates in Texas be provided dentures? Right now, many are not. We’ll take a look at the policy some say needs to change. And something that may be in your garage or shed right now could be contributing to the decline in the bee population. We’ll take a look. Plus, speaking of bees, we’ll get the goods on honey. What is it exactly? We’ll hear from our insect expert. Plus, tracking especially high rates of asthma in Dallas. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 17, 2018

Less than a month do go before the deadline for registering to vote in the midterms, do you know if you’re registered? We’ll have a Texas primer. Also, a border patrol officer has been arrested and charged with the murders of 4 women. The victims all worked as prostitutes. We’ll tell you what authorities are saying. And with Florence and before that Harvey, the greatest threat: flooding. Has our current hurricane rating system left us twisting in the wind? Plus Texas beat USC this weekend, but once upon a time, USC pushed Texas across the line to desegregate the gridiron. We’ll hear how and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 30, 2018

Latinos tipping the scales this election year? Turns out its not just the Democrats who stand to gain from a get out the vote effort, we’ll look at the numbers. Also, a Texas city now topping the nation as the most dangerous place to drive in the U.S. A combination of high speed, heavy congestion and infrastructure to blame. We’ll have more. Plus oil prices rising, but why? We’ll look at the good the bad and the ugly. Also a photo of an emaciated Texas horse goes viral sparking questions about the real definition of animal cruelty. We’ll explore and a whole lot more on todays Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 7, 2018

The Trump Administration wants changes to a long-held agreement affecting young immigrants held in detention. We’ll take a look at what that would mean here in Texas. Also, it’s been quite a week in Brazil. An attack on a political candidate, a major fire, and now it’s Independence Day. We’ll talk to a Brazilian with a Texas perspective. And do you know what a gun is? It’s actually a lot more complicated than you might think. Why the question may be more important than the debate over 3D printing weapons. Plus we’ll question some of the common narratives about Texas history. And we’ll take a little escape to the movies. All that, politics, the Typewriter Rodeo and so much more on today’s Texas Standard: