Many adults with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) continue to smoke cigarettes and/or use other tobacco products, despite knowing it increases their risk of having another cardiovascular event, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association (AHA). To understand how… Continue reading Smoking Continues Despite Knowledge of Risks
Category: Respiratory Conditions
Teen E-Cigarette Use Doubles Since 2017
Teen rates of e-cigarette use are rising sharply, new research shows. Data from the 2019 Monitoring the Future Survey of eighth, 10th and 12th graders show alarmingly high rates of e-cigarette use compared to just a year ago, with rates doubling in the past two years, the findings show. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, scientists… Continue reading Teen E-Cigarette Use Doubles Since 2017
Secondhand Smoke Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death
Continuous indoor exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke triggers changes in the heart’s electrical activity, known as cardiac alternans, that can predict cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death, a new study shows. The authors, from the University of California, Davis, believe the study, conducted in mice, suggests that second-hand smoke exposure alters cells that regulate how… Continue reading Secondhand Smoke Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death
Asthma: Triggers and Treatments
The bad news about asthma is that there’s no cure for it, and in most cases we don’t even know what causes it. The good news: There are ways you can reduce the number and severity of your attacks. You have to tailor your anti-asthma action plan to your own case, though, because not everyone… Continue reading Asthma: Triggers and Treatments
E-Cigarettes and Skin Wounds
Here’s another reason to avoid vaping: It delays the healing of skin wounds. The study is just the latest in bad news about e-cigarettes. Investigators recently cited the addictive properties of e-cigs, especially one particular brand (See “The Most Addictive Brand of E-Cigs?”) In the newest study, conducted on animal subjects, experts led by a… Continue reading E-Cigarettes and Skin Wounds
E-cigarette Additives Cause Inflammation and Impair Lung Function
Flavoring and additive ingredients in e-cigarettes may increase inflammation and impair lung function, according to new research. The study, published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology–Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, also found that short-term exposure to e-cigarettes was enough to cause lung inflammation similar or worse than that seen in traditional cigarette… Continue reading E-cigarette Additives Cause Inflammation and Impair Lung Function
FDA Cracks Down on e-Cigarette Manufacturers
The federal Food and Drug Administration, saying that the use of e-cigarettes has become an “epidemic” among young people, has taken action against 1,300 retailers and five major manufacturers for “their roles in perpetuating youth access.” It is the largest enforcement action in the agency’s history, the FDA said in a news release. The agency… Continue reading FDA Cracks Down on e-Cigarette Manufacturers
Why Do Women Get Asthma More Frequently than Men?
The effects of sex hormones on lung cells may be causing women to have asthma at twice the rate of men, according to researchers from Vanderbilt University and Johns Hopkins. The investigators found that testosterone hindered a cell linked to asthma symptoms such as inflammation and mucus production in the lungs. The study, which analyzed… Continue reading Why Do Women Get Asthma More Frequently than Men?
Seasonal Allergies: Which Medication Is Right for You?
From experts at the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ways to navigate the occasionally confusing array of allergy medicines: The pollen count is sky-high. You’re sneezing, your eyes are itching, and you feel miserable. Seasonal allergies are real diseases that can interfere with work, school or recreation. Allergies can also trigger or worsen asthma… Continue reading Seasonal Allergies: Which Medication Is Right for You?
For Older Adults, Vitamin D Reduces Respiratory Infections but May Increase Falls
Researchers at the Health in Aging Foundation concluded that a monthly high dose of vitamin D reduced the number of respiratory infections in older adults but increased the number of falls they experienced. The study was published in January 2017 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Because vitamin D plays an important role in… Continue reading For Older Adults, Vitamin D Reduces Respiratory Infections but May Increase Falls
Vitamin D Can Help Older Patients Fight Respiratory Infections
Older, long-term care patients can reduce the incidence of acute respiratory illness by taking high doses of vitamin D, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The findings of the clinical trial, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, could help reduce one of the leading causes of serious… Continue reading Vitamin D Can Help Older Patients Fight Respiratory Infections
E-Cigarettes: More Dangerous than You Thought
A new study suggests that e-cigarettes may not be significantly safer than tobacco cigarettes. The research, which was conducted on cultured cells, found that e-cigarettes contain toxic substances and nanoparticles that could kill the top layer of skin cells in the oral cavity. Based on their findings, the researchers, from UCLA, believe that similar results… Continue reading E-Cigarettes: More Dangerous than You Thought
Good Bacteria Might Help Prevent Middle Ear Infections and Pneumonia
A January 2016 study from the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts is helping to shed more light on the important connections among the diverse bacteria in our microbiome. According to research published in mBio, scientists at Forsyth, led by Dr. Katherine P. Lemon, along with their collaborator at Vanderbilt University, have demonstrated that a harmless… Continue reading Good Bacteria Might Help Prevent Middle Ear Infections and Pneumonia
It’s Not Too Late to Get Your Flu Shot
Meant to get vaccinated in the fall to ward off the flu, but somehow didn’t get around to it? Think it’s too late to get vaccinated now? Not so. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), vaccinations can be protective as long as flu viruses are circulating. And although seasonal flu outbreaks can happen… Continue reading It’s Not Too Late to Get Your Flu Shot