What is Bronchitis?

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Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from your lungs.  Bronchitis can be broken down into acute or chronic and differ in the following way:  Acute bronchitis is very common and commonly results from a cold, while chronic bronchitis, is defined as a productive cough that lasts at least 3 months for 2 consecutive years, and is often due to smoking.

What are the symptoms of bronchitis?

·       Cough

·       Production of mucus

·       Fatigue

·       Slight fever and chills

·       Chest discomfort

When should you go see a doctor?
You should see your doctor if your cough does any of the following:

·       Lasts more than 3 weeks

·       Prevents you from sleeping

·       Is accompanied by fever over 100.4 F

·       Produces discolored mucus

·       Produces blood

·       Is associated with wheezing or shortness of breath

What causes bronchitis?

Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses, usually the same ones that cause common colds and the flu.  On the other hand, chronic bronchitis is most often caused by smoking cigarettes, or air pollution, dust or other toxic gases in the environment.

There are also several risk factors which increase the likelihood of getting bronchitis such as:

·       Cigarette smoke

·       Low immune resistance

·       Exposure to irritants on the job

What treatments are available for bronchitis?

Although doctors may prescribe antibiotics for a bronchitis infection, these are not usually effective as bronchitis is more often caused by a viral infection, not a bacterial one. Treatment of bronchitis therefore usually consists of relieving the symptoms of the infection and making breathing easier.  Some of these treatments include:

·       Getting more rest

·       Taking over-the-counter pain medications or cough medicine

·       Drinking fluids

·       Breathing in warm, moist air

You can also do a number of things in your everyday life to reduce your risk of bronchitis.  These measures include:

·       Avoiding lung irritants: wear a mask when the air is polluted or if you're exposed to irritants, such as paint or household cleaners with strong fumes

·       Using a humidifier: warm, moist air helps relieve coughs and loosens mucus in your airways

·       Wearing a face mask outdoors in cold weather: cold air aggravates a cough and causes shortness of breath

·       Getting vaccinated:  many cases of acute bronchitis result from the flu virus, so get your yearly flu vaccine to help protect against the flu

·       Washing your hands: washing your hands frequently can reduce your risk of viral infection, including bronchitis.


Best Practices for Muscle Recovery

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Best Practices for Muscle Recovery

Being sore after a workout can be a rewarding feeling, but being too sore can leave you unable to do your daily activities or get to the gym consistently.  Working your body to the point that you can’t move for the next few days, isn’t helping you stick to your exercise routine.  Muscle recovery is as important as exercise itself, because this is the time where your body can build and repair muscle. Here are some of the best practices to follow when working out to ensure the proper muscle recovery:

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Effects of Cold Weather on Your Health

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Effects of Cold Weather on Your Health

Although we’ve seen a mild winter so far, we all knew it was just a matter of time before the warm summer-like days were over. Enter, 2016. Temperatures have already dropped in the first days of the New Year, and as such the potential for cold-weather related health issues increase dramatically. The temperature drop puts the elderly, and those in poor health especially at risk.  But regardless of if you consider yourself as at risk or healthy, you should always try to be prepared as best you can to brace the freezing temps outside.  

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Herbal Remedies for Flu Season

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Herbal Remedies for Flu Season

Elderberry has been used for centuries as a tonic for colds, flu and sinus infections.  It also contains viburnic acid, a compound that encourages perspiration and helps to detox the body.  It is believed that elderberry can help reduce fever, purify the blood, and cleanse the body of pathogens.  All the parts that make up the elder flower have been used medicinally throughout history including the stems, leaves, berries and flowers.  Elderberry extract has proved to be specifically active against the influenza virus by blocking replication very effectively.

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Suffering from back pain?

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Back pain is one of the most common complaints. Fortunately, most back pain can be resolved. On the other hand, back pain can also be one of the most difficult and frustrating problems to treat. It is important to understand what causes back pain to get the proper treatment.

What causes back pain?

·       Lumbar muscle strain. Muscle strains are the most common cause of low back pain.

·       Ruptured disc. A ruptured intervertebral disc, also called a herniated disc, is another common cause of back pain.

·       Discogenic back pain. Cause of low back pain; result of damage to the intervertabral disc, but without having a disc herniation.

·       Spinal stenosis. Causes back pain in older people. As we age, the spinal canal can become constricted, due in part to arthritis and other conditions.

·       Lumbar spine arthritis. Arthritis of the spine can cause back pain with movement.

·       Spondylolisthesis. Causes back pain because adjacent vertebra become unstable. Caused by degenerative changes causing loss of the normal stabilizing structures of the spinal column.

·       Osteoporosis. Most commonly related to compression fractures of the vertebra.

See a doctor if:

  • Your back pain persists beyond a few days
  • Your back pain awakens you at night
  • Your have difficulty controlling your bowels or bladder
  • You have a fever, chills, sweats, or other signs of infection
  • Any other unusual symptoms

Treatment for back pain

·       Nonsurgical treatment

·       Alternative treatment

·       Spine surgery

Traveling during the holidays? Get your flu shot to avoid germs

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Traveling during the holidays? Get your flu shot to avoid germs

Are you planning to travel this holiday season? If so, the CDC highly recommends that you get your flu shot in order to avoid spreading or catching germs from other travelers. Getting the flu shot in general is highly recommended to keep yourself safe from getting the flu this season. However, people who plan to travel may have a greater risk of being exposed to germs given the close contact with large amounts of people who plan on getting on a plane, bus, or train. 

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What you should know about the common cold

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A cold is a type of viral infection that occurs in the upper respiratory tract in the nose and throat. It is also known as the common cold. There are more than 100 different types of cold viruses. For this reason, the signs and symptoms can vary significantly. While there are more than 100 viruses that can cause a cold, the rhinovirus is the most common cause of the common cold. It is highly contagious.

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Contaminating our bodies with everyday products. Is this true?

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Contaminating our bodies with everyday products. Is this true?

In recent weeks, two major medical organizations have issued independent warnings about toxic chemicals in products all around us. Unregulated substances, they say, are sometimes linked to breast and prostate cancer, genital deformities, obesity, diabetes and infertility.

 

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Diet To Prevent Cancer

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DIET TO PREVENT CANCER -Whether you have a history of cancer in your family, or are currently battling the disease, lifestyle factors, including your diet, can make a huge difference in helping you fight off cancer.   Some foods actually increase your risk of cancer, while others support your body and strengthen your immune system. By making smart food choices, you can protect your health, feel better, and boost your ability fight off cancer and other diseases.

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Weight gain? Not this holiday season

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              It’s the most wonderful time of the year…..but not necessarily if you’re watching your waistline.  How do you get through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s without feeling as stuffed as the turkey?  Gaining weight during the holiday season doesn’t have to be inevitable.  But, it is important for you to know how to take control of your eating habits instead of letting the holiday parties and get-togethers take control of you.  Having a plan to resist the temptation to splurge on large amounts of high-calorie foods, will get you through this season without sabotaging your weight maintenance or weight loss efforts.

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Preventing foodborne illness begins with you

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Have you ever had what you thought was the “stomach flu?’  In reality, there’s a good chance it was more likely a foodborne illness.  Just about all of us at some point in our lives, whether we knew it or not, have had a case of food poisoning.  The Centers for Disease Control estimates each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans or 48 million people get sick from food poisoning, with 128,000 sick enough to be hospitalized and 3,000 who will die. The majority of people will recover fully but occasionally there can be long term serious effects associated with it – kidney failure, chronic arthritis, and Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

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Want to live longer? Eat whole grains

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Did you know that whole grains are one of the best types of foods to help prevent chronic disease? Well, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that eating whole grains may help you a live longer life. While there has been prior evidence that whole grains are an excellent addition to your diet, this study adds to the current dietary guidelines for whole grains, which is to eat about 3 to 5 servings of whole grains daily. Now, eating whole grains may also help you live longer.

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Holiday Belly Fat: How to avoid it

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With the holidays coming up, everyone will be eating lots of rich foods often loaded with sugar, fat, salt. These are some of the main culprits of abdominal, or belly fat – something we all dread. The waist line is usually the first place excess fat migrates to. It is also one of the most difficult places to lose weight. Other than just being unpleasing to the eye, belly fat is actually one of the worst places to harbor excess fat on the body because it can increase your risk for serious health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, and even colorectal cancer.

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New study: Coffee may help you live longer

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A new study says people who drink coffee may live longer than those who don’t. The study found that coffee lowers the risks of dying early from heart disease and neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease. The study was published in the journal Circulation and bring additional evidence regarding the benefits of coffee.

 

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Managing Weight with Diabetes

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Diabetes is also known as diabetes mellitus. The condition is characterized by a group of diseases that affect how the body uses blood sugar, or glucose. Glucose is essential to us as humans because it is a major source of energy for the tissue and muscle cells in our bodies. It also serves at the main source of energy for the brain.

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More arm moles may indicate higher risk for skin cancer

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A new study suggests that depending on the number of moles a person has on their right arm, they may be at a greater risk for melanoma, or skin cancer. More specifically, the study claims that having eleven or more moles could be an indicator of skin cancer. The study was carried out by scientists at King’s College London and recently published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

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Minerals minimizing the risk of a stroke

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Minerals minimizing the risk of a stroke

Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the United States killing almost 130,000 Americans each year. – that’s one out of every 20 deaths.  We all know of someone who has had a stroke and if they survive, it can be a leading cause of serious long-term disability.  Our food choices and particularly our mineral consumption may play a significant role in reducing our risk of a stroke.

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