More than 26 million Americans are all too familiar with the feeling of “breathing through a straw” — or in other words, an asthma attack. A patient of mine named Scott described it this way after being diagnosed with adult-onset asthma: “Breathing is one of many things we take for granted. It’s something we don’t … Continue reading How to take control of your asthma with the “Rules of Two” paradigm
When most of us hear “hypertension,” we immediately think of blood pressure issues all over the body. But people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have problems in a very specific area: the blood vessels running from the heart to the lungs. With that important highway clogged, they can’t get enough oxygen. To compensate, their blood … Continue reading New therapies offer hope for patients living with pulmonary arterial hypertension
Allergies affect more than 50 million Americans, and it turns out allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, symptoms are our bodies’ way of being overprotective. The immune system mistakes irritants such as airborne pollen, dust, mold or pet dander as viruses, bacteria or parasites that are trying to enter the body. Mucosal membranes of the nose, … Continue reading The best foods to help you fight allergies
Having asthma is like breathing through a straw. Those words stare at me every day like a billboard. That’s how Mark Millard, MD, pulmonologist on the medical staff at the Baylor Scott & White Martha Foster Lung Care Center, first described asthma to me. Before you get the wrong idea, I’m not a pre-teen. I … Continue reading Breathing through a straw: Life with adult-onset asthma
Take a breath, hold it in your lungs and count to three. Now exhale, but don’t let out all the air. Now take in another breath and hold it, let a little out, and inhale once more. Imagine: Could you go grocery shopping while breathing like this? This is how an estimated 30 million people … Continue reading COPD patients use harmonicas to increase lung capacity
When you think about asthma, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s an image of your child coughing after exposure to pollen, or maybe it’s a kid running around on the soccer field that starts wheezing. We usually do not think of adults as having asthma, and for good reason — adult-onset asthma does not usually … Continue reading Could your chest cold be a sign of asthma?
Colorful flowers popping up from the ground and green buds dotting tree branches signal the start of spring. Along with those pretty harbingers are itchy, watery eyes; a runny nose; and plenty of sneezing for those who are plagued with seasonal allergies. Pollen is most prevalent in Spring, quickly followed by grasses and weeds in … Continue reading These 5 Spring allergy stats may make you sneeze
For Wade Whitney, 10, it was a rite of spring to be hospitalized because of allergy-induced asthma. However, 2016 marked the first time in three years that rite was annulled. What made the difference? Camp Wheeze Away at Peaceable Kingdom Retreat for Children, 20 miles south of Killeen, an annual camp sponsored by Baylor Scott & … Continue reading Camp Wheeze Away eases asthma
If you’re still smoking, new research might motivate you to finally kick the habit. A study recently published in the journal Science shows cigarettes can trigger hundreds of DNA mutations in vital organs every year. There’s already a large body of evidence linking smoking with cancer, but now we have new insight into how tobacco … Continue reading Smoking triggers hundreds of permanent DNA mutations every year
November marks four years since the start of an undeniable friendship. Two women brought together through a lung transplant have formed a unique bond in an untraditional way. Carrie Giddens, 31, and Valarie Fratiani, 45, consider each other sisters and live just 10 minutes away from one another in Frisco and Allen, Texas. They once … Continue reading Lung transplant recipient runs final stretch of marathon with new sister
