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Around 1/3 of the adult population are affected by hypertension so it is a big

problem. Within that group around 10% of those patients have what we refer to as

resistant hypertension, which means that the blood pressure cannot be controlled

despite lifestyle modification and medications. We all have a very tiny

little organised sensor, if you wish, that sits in our neck between two large

arteries, it's called the carotid body and this is a very important organ that

modulates blood pressure by activating the sympathetic nervous system, that is

regulated by the brainstem. In patients in whom blood pressure is difficult to

control we know that these this carotid body is highly activated and all we were

trying to do is actually silence the carotid body or reduce its activity and

the way we do this is by a catheter based approach, using so-called

therapeutic ultrasound to a blade or silence the carotid body in these

patients. Medication over time and problems with the medication so we

couldn't get the blood pressure to come down. I was feeling very tired and

having to rest, breathlessness. The procedure was fine, I wouldn't say it

was painful. Once it was done, I had no side-effects and I felt much better. It

was very good that my blood pressure could come down without the medication.

I kept trying which the medication was making me sick so having this done was

really much more beneficial to me than the medication.

For more infomation >> World-first hypertension treatment a success - Duration: 2:08.

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For Houston dialysis patients, getting treatment during the disaster means life or death - Duration: 3:40.

MILES O'BRIEN: Harvey has strained the health care system in Houston as well.

Aside from attending to the injured, there are also lifesaving treatments need by patients

with chronic diseases.

One of those is dialysis.

Tomeka Weatherspoon from Houston Public Media visited the DaVita Medical Center Dialysis

facility and filled me in a little while ago.

Tomeka, thank you for being with us.

First off, just give us an idea of how many people we're talking about here.

TOMEKA WEATHERSPOON, Houston Public Media: Well, when we arrived, there were upwards

of at least 100 people in the clinic.

When I was talking to some of the volunteers and the staff there, they were saying they

had seen hundreds, hundreds who had come in during the storm.

They were only closed for one day, and that's just because Sunday was horrific for anybody

trying to travel.

But other than that, they have been open and they have been seeing patients and getting

quite a bit of overflow.

MILES O'BRIEN: Try to give us an idea of how serious this problem is, Tomeka.

If someone misses a dialysis appointment, that's a big deal, isn't it?

TOMEKA WEATHERSPOON: It's a huge deal.

Honestly, if you miss an appointment, these treatments are regularly and scheduled for

a reason.

It's deadly.

It's potentially deadly, potentially fatal if you don't receive these treatments.

Dialysis itself is to clean out the blood.

So, certain types of liver and kidney diseases, they're unable to do that.

So it's really critical that they're able to get these treatments.

I talked to a doctor, Dr. Olivero, at the clinic.

And he was just telling me how his staff is working nonstop pretty much to administer

these treatments to all of these people.

DR.

JUAN OLIVERO, Houston Methodist Hospital: What is an inconvenience for many people,

having these types of storms, it can be a matter of life and death to these dialysis

patients.

MILES O'BRIEN: Tomeka, I know you have had chance to talk to some patients.

How are they coping?

TOMEKA WEATHERSPOON: It was really difficult, actually, to be in the clinic.

There were a lot of people waiting for this lifesaving treatment.

And just the distance people had to come to get there, it's really -- it's really, really

tough to kind of witness that.

But the patients I was able to speak with were really optimistic and really grateful

to have a clinic that was actually open when their local clinic had been closed due to

all of the flooding and just difficulty with traveling.

I talked to a patient while she was receiving treatment.

Her name was Debrah Payne, and she was just really happy to still be alive.

DEBRAH PAYNE, Dialysis Patient: I was afraid.

I just -- I didn't know what I was going to do.

And I'm sure all the other people who couldn't make it who know that they have to do this

to survive were concerned about whether they were going to make it here or not.

MILES O'BRIEN: This has to be a huge strain on the hospital staffs.

Give us sense of how they're coping.

TOMEKA WEATHERSPOON: Well, they're being really optimistic, much like some of the people,

the patients that I spoke with.

They were really passionate, and really, really cared about helping everyone that was there.

But they were still working incredibly long hours.

And, honestly, you can see them a little bit tired.

You can kind of see it in their eyes.

But they really cared about what they were doing.

They were understaffed, and, you know, had not as much resources as they probably need.

But they were just really, really passionate about helping everyone that was there.

MILES O'BRIEN: Tomeka Weatherspoon with Houston Public Media, thank you.

TOMEKA WEATHERSPOON: Thank you.

MILES O'BRIEN: A reminder that, if you're looking to give to Harvey relief efforts,

you can donate to a number of groups working on the ground.

Organizations, including the Red Cross, are accepting donations online or by phone.

For more infomation >> For Houston dialysis patients, getting treatment during the disaster means life or death - Duration: 3:40.

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Elder grad paralyzed at party returns home from treatment - Duration: 1:44.

For more infomation >> Elder grad paralyzed at party returns home from treatment - Duration: 1:44.

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Pro Treatment: St. Augustine HS goes into season with high expectations - Duration: 0:58.

For more infomation >> Pro Treatment: St. Augustine HS goes into season with high expectations - Duration: 0:58.

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SECOND OPINION | COMMUNITY CONVERSATION STARTERS | ADDICTION TREATMENT - Duration: 3:28.

(Dr. Baxter) A problem that I'm having here is that I'm hearing that he's had pieces of

treatment and a full treatment experience for addiction is important.

Without a full treatment experience people do not get well. A full treatment

experience is detoxification then rehabilitation counseling and then

follow-up. And in these modern days we have medication assisted therapy he

sounds like he would have been a good candidate for some of that.

The rehabilitation has to be specific for that person. So, if he had rehabilitation

that was not at the proper level for him it was ineffective.

(Joe Mullin) But where is that available today anywhere? For the general person on the street

for me the parent, you don't hear that, you don't see that.

The rehap facility he went to along the way in 2012 was 7 days thank you very much.

(Dr. Salgo) 7 days (Joe Mullin) 7 days (Peter Salgo) decades of trouble (Dr. Baxter) that is not right (Dr. Salgo) that's not rehab

(Joe Mullin) We understand that. (Mary Mullin) I guess what we're wondering is the course

of action we felt fortunate that he had what he had that he had some good

work but he kept relapsing and having success but relapsing.

(Peter Salgo) Can you outline what it should have looked like? What is somebody who gets optimum treatment

getting? what is that process? (Dr. Baxter) Ok well this is what we would

love to see typically and our American specialty the American Society of

addiction medicine we're trying to place this at the feet of mainstream

medicine. But what should have happened is that at one point when he was having

all of those ER visits and getting multiple medications as Dr. Harris said

it would have been perfect if his primary care physician referred him to

an addiction medicine specialist. When people have other complicated medical

problems they are referred to a specialist and this same thing should

happen to people with substance use disorders. That addiction medicine

specialists would have then evaluated, made a clear diagnosis, if it is just use,

misuse, abuse or dependent. At that time if dependence or even abuse was

diagnosed by criteria, then using the American Society of addiction medicine

patient placement criteria, he would have been referred to the level of care that

he needed. That's very important because some people are referred for outpatient

treatment when they need intensive or they need residential or they need

hospital based long term. So, in incidences where people are referred to the

level of care that's least is doomed for failure.