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Both the changing seasons and Holiday traditions can pose challenges for asthmatics, but there are a few small adjustments you can make to breathe easy during the Holidays. Mold is an asthma trigger to watch out for in the winter. Wet leaves and fireplace logs are two common offenders for generating mold. To reduce your […]

Remember that scene from “Indiana Jones: The Temple of Doom” when Willie Scott has to wade through creepy crawly bugs to save Indiana? Most of us can empathize with Willie’s feelings of disgust, but you may be surprised to learn about a worm that could improve your health. Sounds as far-fetched as an Indiana Jones […]

I bet you have a favorite Holiday dish, maybe something that you look forward to all year. Friends and family bring their A-game when baking and cooking for the Holidays, but it can be challenging for diabetics to enjoy the festive food while staying on track with managing their diabetes. A little planning will help […]

Old Man Winter’s arrival means you’re out of the woods for allergy season…only to be greeted by another slew of potential asthma triggers. Winter can also be a tough time for asthmatics because the cold weather forces us indoors where we’re surround by asthma triggers like pets, mold, dust mites and dander. Venturing outdoors can […]

Cigarettes used to be marketed as a trendy and cool, but they’re increasingly being replaced by e-cigarettes. The CDC found that over 263,000 teens who had never smoked a cigarette before tried e-cigarettes in 2013, which is three times the amount of teens trying e-cigarettes in 2011. Since there’s no tar in e-cigarettes, some consumers […]

Eating healthy isn’t just good for your waistline, a new study shows that children with asthma can experience reduced symptoms by avoiding certain fatty foods and incorporating omega-3 fish oils to their diet. Asthma is the top reason children miss school, and obese children don’t respond as well to their asthma medicine. Dr. Jason Lang, […]

Quite the stir erupted in September with the spread of a respiratory illness most dangerous to asthmatics and children. Doctors initially struggled testing for the disease since the Center for Disease Control didn’t have a recommendation for a test. As of Oct. 14, the CDC issued a press release about a new, quicker lab test. […]

For years, diet sodas have been touted as a healthy alternative to regular sodas, but scientists recently found that artificial sweeteners may be a risk factor for diabetes. Scientists studied a control and experimental group–mice drinking plain water, and mice drinking water that contained artificial sweeteners. They found that the mice consuming artificial sweeteners showed […]

Air quality is easy to take for granted until we experience first-hand the effects of poor air quality. You can probably relate to driving with the windows down to let in the crisp, fall air, but that enjoyment abruptly ends when the exhaust of another vehicle wafts through your car. Fortunately, North Carolina is ahead […]

Diabetes and its relationship to depression is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. Doctors and researchers don’t fully understand the relationship between diabetes and depression, but they do have some insight on how diabetes and depression can cause and exacerbate symptoms of each other. Let’s start with diabetes. Managing diabetes can at times […]

The number of Americans with diabetes and the cost of are on the rise according to the National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014, from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. In 2010, 26 million Americans had diabetes—that number rose to 29.1 million in 2014, or 9.3 percent of the U.S. population. Of […]

You’ve probably heard it before—fiber-rich foods are an important part of a balanced diet. There’s a reason the saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”—we all want to “stay regular.” Scientists recently discovered another reason to have a fiber-rich diet and surprisingly enough it’s related lung health. Researchers studied mice on three […]

Doctors have long warned the public that obesity is linked to comorbidities like heart disease, adult onset diabetes and sleep apnea. Researchers at Kaiser Permanente Southern California discovered another obesity-related health problem for children—asthma. The researchers reviewed the health records of 623,358 children and found that overweight and obese children were about 1.5 times more […]

North Carolina students with allergies have reason to feel a bit more secure this fall. Effective Nov. 1, Governor Pat McCrory signed a law requiring K-12 schools to carry epinephrine autoinjectors (EpiPens) for students. Principals are also required to select at least one person at the school to be trained annually on how to identify […]

Enterovirus D68, a respiratory illness, has recently led to the hospitalization of hundreds of children nationwide. Prior reports included North Carolina in the list of states affected, but the N.C. Health Department and Center for Disease Control stated that there are no confirmed cases of D68 in North Carolina. However, since 12 states are reporting […]

Every fall there’s a veritable buzz about the North Carolina State Fair. Folks want to know which foods will be fried, which rides are the most exciting, and which local bakers can come up with the best pie. As you dig into a turkey leg and hit the rollercoasters, keep a few of these health […]

Breathing through the nose instead of the mouth is key for sleep apnea patients, but it’s also important for everyday health. Our noses are specially designed to filter impurities through nose hairs, and warm and moisten incoming air with the mucous membrane. The mucous membrane also makes mucus, which captures particles and germs. The mouth […]

If your child had a serious skin rash at an early age, and later developed asthma, they’re not alone. In the U.S., eczema, a condition that causes inflammation and irritation in the skin, affects 10 to 20 percent of children, and 3 percent of adults. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis […]

Sneezing, itchy eyes and nose…these symptoms sound like allergies, but they could be an indicator of sick building syndrome (SBS). If you have a frequent dry cough and often sneeze at work, it might not be a result of your asthma or allergies. Sick building syndrome (SBS) occurs when employees have acute health problems that […]

Lack of sleep can cause more than dark under eye circles and a surly demeanor. Some more well-known risks from insufficient sleep are increased risk of stroke, obesity and diabetes, anxiety and depression, and heart disease. A new study by Taiwanese researchers showed that another obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) comorbidity is osteoporosis. The Journal of […]