With temperatures finally cooling and holiday plans heating up, Houston Methodist health experts are serving up fresh story ideas, offering timely health tips and tackling seasonal myths.

 

Experts are available to discuss the following:

 

  • Why the bird shouldn’t take all the blame for your food coma
  • A new medical procedure changing the life of a holiday hostess
  • An obscure muscle that’s the real MVP of the season
  • How to deal with the most unwelcome house guests (foodborne bacteria, norovirus, flu and the like)
  • A story of gratitude from a blood clot survivor including warning signs of this condition and tips for protecting oneself amid holiday travel

 

Don't blame the bird for your food coma

 

Is turkey really the cause of that tired, sluggish feeling after your Thanksgiving meal? 

 

Turkey does contain tryptophan, a chemical that the body uses to make mood-- and sleep-regulating hormones, serotonin and melatonin. However, other meat and dairy products like chicken, beef, milk and cheese contain similar or occasionally higher amounts of tryptophan than turkey. 

 

The real culprit is large portions and carbohydrate overload, according to Knubian Gatlin, a registered wellness dietitian at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. A heavy meal, mixed with the excitement and stress of the holiday, is a perfect recipe for a nap.  

 

Gatlin can share practical tips and swaps anyone can make to their plate to indulge without inducing a food coma.

 

New procedure gives steady hands to a long-time holiday hostess

 

Cassandra Hurst, 36, has lived with an essential tremor—or involuntary shaking in both hands— since middle school. Her mother and both siblings also have this hereditary condition.

 

She hosts Thanksgiving annually, but this year expects the kitchen prep to be easier—and less messy—after a noninvasive focused ultrasound procedure with neurosurgeon Dr. Amir Faraji. 

 

While the surgeon uses a guided ultrasound to target the area of the brain responsible for the tremor, the awake patient writes their name and attempts to trace a spiral. The procedure is complete once the patient can write with ease and without shaking. See more here. 

 

Hurst completed the procedure for her right hand in January 2026. She'll undergo a second focused ultrasound treatment for her left hand Nov. 13, just in time for the holidays. 

 

Reach out to hear more from Hurst and Faraji and to coordinate visual assets. 

 

The muscle MVP this holiday season

 

Orthopedic physician Dr. Robert Flannery recommends giving a little gratitude to your serratus anterior— a fan-shaped muscle located along the rib cage— this holiday season. Nicknamed the “boxer’s muscle,” this muscle helps control and stabilize the shoulder blade as the arm moves. It’s an MVP when you’re reaching overhead to hang Christmas lights or pulling that oversized turkey out of the oven. 

 

Dr. Flannery is available to share how to strengthen and protect the serratus anterior muscle and establish a solid foundation for healthy shoulder movement year-round.

 

Say "no thanks” to these unwanted guests on Turkey Day

 

Thanksgiving brings families and friends together. All that closeness can also be a recipe for foodborne bacteria, norovirus, flu and other unwanted guests.

 

Dr. Wesley Long, infectious disease expert and head of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist said that improper turkey preparation, cross-contamination and poor food handling can lead to illness, while respiratory infections can spread quickly around a crowded Thanksgiving table, particularly when guests arrive from out of town.

 

Dr. Long is available to explain how families can distinguish food poisoning or a stomach virus from respiratory illness, identify symptoms that call for prompt medical attention, and offer practical advice for a healthy holiday.

 

Thankful for every breath

 

Gathering with family for Thanksgiving is especially meaningful for Ryan Frederick, 32, this year after his recovery from a pulmonary embolism. Blood clots in young people are relatively rare but still serious, according to Dr. Sanjay Kunapuli, vascular medicine specialist with Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital.

  

After removing the clot, experts relieved strain on Frederick’s cardiorespiratory system by placing a biventricular assist device, or surgically implanted mechanical pump, into his chest to restart his heart. Like many others, his first symptom was shortness of breath.

 

Sitting for extended periods of time, whether in a car, plane or waiting at an airport, is a major risk factor. As holiday travel season begins, Dr. Kunapuli is available to share more about blood clots, pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis.

 

For more information, contact Maryssa Silva, senior public relations specialist at Houston Methodist, at 346.864.1699 or msilva@houstonmethodist.org