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Local nonprofit helped 11-year-old fix hole in heart By M.T. Elliott AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Sunday, October 07, 2007 The young Tibetan monk traded his customary maroon and gold robe for blue pajamas Tuesday morning and followed a nurse down a hallway at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin. After waiting four years, 11-year-old Norbu Tulku was about to have the hole in his heart fixed. Getting here took the combined efforts of a host of people and nonprofits who banded together to arrange Norbu’s first plane trip, a series of flights from Nepal to Austin; coordinate individual benefactors and organizations who [...]

GoodHealth.com – May 4, 2007 Like 30 percent of the American population, many Central Texans suffer from varicose veins – ropy, distended sometimes discolored veins that are close to the skin’s surface. Generally they are the result of aging, a family history of the condition or obesity. Women suffer more often than men because it is believed that hormonal changes, birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy and pregnancy increase their likelihood. “Varicose veins are twisted or enlarged veins that result from weakness in the valves that are supposed to prevent blood from pooling in the extremities due to gravity. When [...]

GoodHealth.com – March 7, 2007 We all know people who perspire a lot, especially in ultra-warm Central Texas. A small minority, however, suffer so extensively that it creates virtual social ostracism. Many are reclusive and can’t work, have few social relationships and most have tried everything medically possible to control the condition to no avail. They have a syndrome called hyperhidrosis that results in profuse sweating on the palms, soles, underarms, chest and back for no apparent reason. It impacts about 200,000 Americans. Physicians have known for about 50 years that the condition often can be controlled by surgically disconnecting [...]

Heart surgeon John “Chip” Oswalt refuses to lose touch with his patients or family BYLINE: Kate McVey, Austin Business Journal Staff PHOTO: Sarah Jorgenson DATE: April 20 – 26, 2001 PUBLICATION: Austin Business Journal It’s not unusual for a heart surgeon to be known for his skillful hands. But some of Dr. John “Chip” Oswalt’s best handiwork has been on a fox and squirrel. The man who literally holds peoples’ lives in his hands almost daily takes some of his greatest joy from “his girls,” the two daughters for whom he took the time to fix and curl their hair [...]