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Cliff Despres

Cliff Despres, who has more than a decade of experience in journalism and public relations, is communications director for Salud America! and its home base, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio.

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Articles by Cliff Despres

Cynthia Delgado: Living Life to the Fullest After Breast Cancer


Cynthia Delgado breast cancer survivor

By Cynthia Delgado San Antonio, Texas, Cancer Survivor At age 43, I was living a life that consisted of routine exercise, healthy eating, and at the weight I had always wanted to be. I had been seeing a breast surgeon routinely every 3 months for at least 1-and-a-half years because I had fibrocystic breast. Mammograms were a part of my life since my early 20s because I always had lumps, i.e., cysts. The older I got, the more cysts would develop. They would grow very big and would be excruciating painful for a minimum of 10 minutes. Because I started getting anywhere from 5-10 cysts on each side, my OBGYN referred me to a specialist. It became routine for the specialist to aspirate them every 3 months, and they would pop up in different places. On May 15, 2015, I went for my ...

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Why Your Town Needs a Farmers Market


farmers market sales

Does your town have a farmers market? If not, you might miss out on healthy fresh produce and social connections. Farmers may fail to engage in the local economy. To celebrate the Farmers Market Coalition's National Farmers Market Week on Aug. 4-10, 2019, we at Salud America! are showcasing the benefits of farmers markets as a way to increase access to fruits and vegetables among Latino and all people! Farmers Markets Can Help Latinos Latinos frequently live in food swamps. In these swamps, Latinos have no easy access to supermarkets and farmers’ markets, while abundant access to fast food and corner stores. This results in overconsumption of unhealthy foods, according to a Salud America! research review. The number of U.S. farmers’ markets has more than doubled in the ...

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Sugary Drinks May Be Linked to Cancer Risk, Study Says


sugary drinks cancer hispanic latino girl drinking

If you drink a lot of sugary drinks, you may have a higher risk of getting cancer, says a new study. While it didn't find a direct causal link, the large French study does suggest that limiting sugary drinks could cut cancer cases, according a Reuters report. The study has big implications for Latinos, who drink more sugary drinks than their peers. “This study adds to the science suggesting that it’s a good idea to limit sweetened beverage consumption,” Colleen Doyle, a nutrition expert at the American Cancer Society, told Yahoo! News. What Did the Study Find? Researchers at the Université Sorbonne Paris Cité followed 100,000 adults for five years. They examined consumption levels of sugary drinks, including soda and fruit juice. They analyzed this and risk for ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 7/16: How to Win the Fight Against Sugary Drinks


sugary drink tax soda tweetchat

Latino kids consume more sugary drinks than non-Latino kids at all ages, which contributes to their high obesity rates, among other health issues, research shows. Fortunately, many new policies are emerging to fight sugary drink consumption. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, to tweet about what’s working to fight sugary drink consumption and increase consumption of water for Latino and all kids!  WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “How to Win the Fight Against Sugary Drinks” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, July 16, 2019 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOST: The American Academy of Pediatrics (@AmerAcadPeds), The Horizon Foundation (@thehorizonfound), Center for Science in the Public Interest (@CSPI), ...

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Brenda Garza on Breast Cancer: ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’


Brenda Garza Breast Cancer Survivor 1

By Brenda Garza Austin, Texas, Cancer Survivor I moved to Detroit, Michigan, newlywed to an engineer, in 2003. Because we moved during December we didn’t do many outdoor activities or exercise something that we used to do in Mexico all the time. Gabe and I met at a spinning class and we became boyfriend and girlfriend after few dates. We both loved the outdoors. We were very excited about new opportunity and challenge to live in a new country but we definitely weren’t ready for such long, harsh winters in North America. But once spring and summer began, we were happy doing outdoor activities like cycling. Michigan has beautiful state parks, with water, hills, hiking trails, biking trails and green vegetation, something we didn’t have in Mexico. We soon learned to ...

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These Colleges Are Best at Guiding Latino Students to Success


Education graduation excelencia in education latino student college success

Nine U.S. colleges and universities have earned the first-ever Seal of Excelencia, a voluntary certification that recognizes a school's commitment and ability to help Latino students find success. The Seal of Excelencia, created by the nonprofit Latino education group Excelencia in Education, was awarded to: Arizona State University Austin Community College (Texas) California State University Channel Islands El Paso Community College (Texas) Florida International University Grand Valley State University (Michigan) South Texas College University of Arizona University of Texas El Paso "Institutions that strive for and most particularly those that earn the Seal, have demonstrated their capacity to grow our country’s highly-skilled workforce and develop ...

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Dr. Amelie Ramirez Wins Digital Health Awards


Amelie Ramirez Wins Digital Health Awards

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez and her team at Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio have won three Spring 2019 Digital Health Awards for promoting Latino health equity! Digital Health Awards are given each spring and fall to recognize the world’s best digital health resources. The awards are given by the Health Information Resource Center. The Center is a national clearinghouse for professionals who work in consumer health fields. The Three Big Awards Bronze, Spring 2019 Digital Health Award, Social Media—Twitter, @SaludAmerica Twitter by Salud America! Merit, Spring 2019 Digital Health Award, Web-Based Digital Health—Websites, Salud America! Latino Health Equity Website Merit, Spring 2019 Digital Health Award, Digital Health Media—Blog Posts, Salud Hero Story: ...

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San Antonio Researchers Take Holistic Approach to Improve Life for Cancer Survivors


cancer survivor yoga exercise holistic approach

Life after cancer is not easy. Survivors face many concerns. Will my cancer come back? Have my family and work relationships changed? What do I eat and how should I get exercise? What happens if I were to die? Healthcare providers rarely focus on all these areas, together. Dr. Daniel Carlos Hughes and his research team are out to change that. Hughes, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the team behind Salud America!, is leading a new pilot intervention that takes a holistic approach to improve cancer survivors' quality of life, thanks to $50,000 in funding from the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio and SA Cancer Council Circle of Hope. Hughes and his team have designed a holistic intervention to optimize ...

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Kimberly Hernandez: Still Here, Living Life Fully after Breast Cancer


Kimberly Hernandez breast cancer survivor 1

By Kimberly Hernandez San Antonio Cancer Survivor One night exactly one month after my 31st birthday, I was taking off my bra getting ready for bed and felt a lump. I told my ex wife about it and told me “don’t worry, it’s probably fatty tissue”. I knew it was something more and could tell it was different. We know our bodies. The next day I called my family doctor and made an appointment. When I went in, the physician assistant felt the lump. She asked the usual questions about my age and family history. There is no family history of cancer in my family and she did not think much of it but if I wanted to pursue further testing she would set it up. We proceeded to mammograms, sonograms, x-rays, scans and biopsies within a week’s time. A lot of the time entering the ...

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