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The following was originally published at healthcentral.com/asthma on April 23, 2015 The impact of pets on asthma The impact of pets on asthma is an interesting subject. On the one hand, evidence suggests exposure to pets may cause and trigger asthma . Yet on the other hand, evidence suggests exposure to pets may actually prevent asthma. So what gives? Statistics . Of the 235 million people with asthma worldwide, about 75 percent have allergies, and about 10 percent are allergic to household pets. Cats and dogs are the most common pets that cause allergies, although cat allergies are about 50 percent more common than dog allergies. However, along with cats and dogs, any warm-blooded animal has the potential to cause pet allergies. What are pet allergies ? All warm-blooded animals produce dander (flakes of skin), urine, feces, and saliva. Exposure to proteins (allergens) in these substances causes the immune systems of susceptible subjects (the unfortunate 10 percent) to rele...

The following was originally published on November 23, 2014, at healthcentral.com/copd. 11  COPD Advancements to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving It’s never easy coming to grips with a diagnosis like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Sure, it’s caused some hardships along the way, yet COPD patients have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday.   1.  Better financing . For most of history, money dedicated to health care was focused on finding a cure for deadly diseases like tuberculosis.  Now that those diseases are better controlled, money is now being dedicated to diseases like asthma and COPD.   2.  Better research.  Thanks to the gift of more money, researchers are now able to dedicate their time learning as much as they can about this disease. It is by this research that we have learned of the dangers of smoking, and the advantages of quitting.   3.  Scientific breakthroughs .  Better financing and resear...

The following was originally published on April 9, 2015, at healthcentral.com/asthma. What is Exercised-Induced-Bronchospasm?  Exercise-Induced Asthma (EIA) is a sub-type of asthma where prolonged and vigorous exercise triggers asthma attacks. Like allergies, it affects about 75 percent of asthmatics, so it’s quite common. The good news is that it can also be prevented. Modern evidence suggests that a better term for this is Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm (EIB). This is because exercise is just one of many asthma triggers that may induce an asthma flare-up. It’s also because you do not have to have asthma for exercise to cause bronchospasm. What is it? Exercise, particularly the aerobic kind, like running, may induce a narrowing of the airways called bronchoconstriction or bronchospasm. It occurs when the bronchial muscles wrapped around the airways spasm and squeeze the airways, thus causing them to become narrow. This causes airways to become obstructed, thus making you fe...

The following was originally published at healthcentral.com/copd on June 11, 2015 10 Summer COPD Triggers Oh, there are so many things you can do in the summer. You can sit on your front porch while enjoying a cool drink and a refreshing breeze. You can bask in the sun while watching kids playing in cool, refreshing water. You can camp with your family and cook on the grill. Still, while summer can be the greatest season of the year, it also brings about COPD triggers that we must be leary of. Campfire & Cooking Smoke . So you love to spend time with your friends and family while enjoying all the pleasures of camping. You love to cook hotdogs and hamburgers (or steaks) on the grill. Evidence suggests, and studies have shown, that both the smell and particles inside heating and cooking smoke may trigger a flare-up of COPD. It may be best to cook on a traditional stove, and to avoid camping. Heat and Humidity . Hot summer days may be ideal for lounging around a beach or ou...

Fresh out of respiratory therapy school 20 years ago the medical profession seemed so right.  Doctors always properly diagnosed patients and everything they ordered was always necessary. Then, after studying charts and assessing patients before and after every procedure I did, unexpected revelations occurred. Most of what we do is a waste of time or delays time No diagnosis can be trusted Look, what I am about to say does not reflect, in any way, my respect for physicians and the institutions they work for.  In fact, I in no way expect any person to be perfect, and therefore it's not possible for every thing they order to be necessary, nor every diagnosis to be accurate.   What is my evidence?  Why is this true? Yes, I will get to the answers.  I've written enough about useless breathing treatments on this blog to choke a cow, so I don't want to get into that too much here.  But any respiratory therapist is taught to assess a patient before and after every ...

The following was originally published at healthcentral.com/asthma on March 25, 2015. The Link Between Asthma and Genetics The discovery of asthma genes has lead to better wisdom about asthma. The hope is that this will some day lead to better treatment, and ideally a cure. In the meantime, here is what is now known about the link between asthma and genetics. 1. A brief history . Around 400 B.C. Hippocrates suspected asthma was hereditary. Since then, asthma has been treated as a single disease, with the treatment being the same for all asthmatics. Since the 1980s most cases of asthma are treated with corticosteroids. While this strategy usually works, it fails to work for some. Genetic research may help explain this. 2. What is genetics ? It’s the science of how genes control the characteristics of a person. Think of it this way. The human body is composed of 37.2 trillion cells. Every cell has a nucleus, inside of which is a DNA molecule consisting of genes. Each gene...

The follow ing was originally published at healthcentral.com/copd on May 20, 2015 Inhaler -vs- nebulizer: which one is best for COPD One of the best ways of controlling COPD is by inhaling COPD medicine. To do this, some use an inhaler with a spacer, some use a nebulizer, and some use both. So which one is the best way to deliver COPD medicine to your lungs? To learn about inhalers, check out my post “ What is an inhaler ?” To learn about nebulizers, check out my post “ What is a nebulizer ?” Both inhalers and nebulizers allow patients to inhale a low dose of a medicine to receive a more rapid response (sometimes immediate), with fewer side effects than taking the medicine systemically. So they both work great for people with lung disease. That said, let’s delve into this subject a little deeper and compare the two. Medicine Distribution . Many studies have been done comparing inhalers with nebulizers. Most suggest that, when used properly, inhalers used with a spacer work equal...

The following was originally published on  March 18, 2015, on healthcentral.com/asthma. What is Childhood Onset Asthma? Childhood Onset Asthma (COA) is the term used to describe cases of asthma that are diagnosed before the age of 20. While asthma may be diagnosed at any age, most children are diagnosed by the age of five. This is mainly due to the nature of childhood asthma, which usually tends to be allergic. Here are some more facts to consider. Statistics . According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 7 million children under the age of 18 have asthma. That means that 9.3 percent of all children have it. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood, and the most likely cause of days missed from school. It results in 14.2 million physician office visits and 1.8 million emergency room visits each year. Allergic (Extrinsic) Asthma . Most children have asthma triggered by allergies . This means their bodies develop an exaggerated response to substances ...

The following was originally published on May 18, 2015 How is COPD Diagnosed? So you’re having trouble breathing and are wondering if it’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). You’ve called a doctor and made an appointment. Now what? Like asthma, COPD is sometimes difficult to diagnose because there are many other diseases that may cause trouble breathing. Also like asthma, there is no one specific test to diagnose COPD. A typical process of diagnosis involves a combination of the following. 1. Medical History . COPD usually develops over time, and after long-term (chronic) exposure to inhaled chemicals. Your answers to simple questions may show you have an increased probability of having COPD, indicating further testing is needed. Common questions are: Are you short of breath? Has it gotten worse over time? Does it get worse with exercise? Do you have a family history of lung disease? Do you have an ongoing cough? Do you cough up sputum? What color is it? Have you ever...