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About 90% of breathing treatments ordered in the emergency room are for patients ultimately diagnosed with heart failure. This is according to a non-scientific poll of respiratory therapists This certainly bodes well for job security, but such injudicious use of Ventolin has also been implicated in respiratory therapy apathy syndrome . It also results in a needless hospital expense, as bronchodilators do not suck fluid out of lungs and do not benefit patients with pulmonary edema and heart failure. I always thought it would be nice if there was a test to determine who was actually experiencing bronchospasm and who was not. Apparently, researchers have been experimenting with using ultrasounds to find the true cause of respiratory distress, or to differentiate between COPD and cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Rather than just using a stethoscope, which has its limits as a diagnostic tool, researchers developed a ultrasound protocol that takes less than three minutes to perform. In fact, it ...

These overprescribed drugs have been linked to dementia. The link between asthma and GERD and heartburn has been known for quite some time now. There's also a known link between COPD and the stomach. Many of these patients find themselves taking a daily dose of proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec, Nexium, and Prevacid. However, a new study suggests that these drugs may cause dementia, with the risk increasing with age. Those over the age of 75 who take these medicines have a 40% increased risk for developing dementia compared to those who do not take them. That's a pretty significant risk, enough so that some doctors are now sharing this information with their patients, giving them the choice whether or not to continue using them.  Interestingly, another type of antacid, H2 blockers, have also been linked with dementia. These include medicines like Tagamet, Pepcid and Zantac.  Researchers are not sure why these popular stomach acid reducers might lead to dementia. One the...