Category Archives: Immune System

You may have heard the latest news reports about the outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in New York City. If you don’t know what Legionnaire’s disease is, the news probably didn’t faze you – but it will after this news story reveals that an outbreak can happen anywhere. If you aren’t familiar with Legionnaire’s disease, let ...click here to read more

Pneumonia is a leading cause of hospitalization and death among adults in the United States. When people think of pneumonia they often associate it with bacteria, but it turns out that viruses are more often to blame. Unfortunately, neither viruses nor bacteria are being detected in the majority of hospital patients according to a study ...click here to read more

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology reports that one in every 12 Americans (eight percent of the U.S. population) has asthma. Asthma is a condition that affects the lungs causing the airways to narrow, making it difficult to breathe. Typically, asthma starts off in children and stays with a person throughout their life, ...click here to read more

Shortness of breath, your lungs feel cloudy and you have a cough that can wake up the neighborhood. Unfortunately, you probably have bronchitis. When inflammation occurs in the lining of the bronchial tubes, it can lead to bronchitis. Bronchitis can be acute or chronic, and can have the patient coughing up a thick mucus. Acute ...click here to read more

The benefits of fasting continue to be explored. From weight management, to slowing down aging, researchers are exploring the area of calorie-restricting and fasting. New research suggests fasting may boost your immune system. Our immune system is what fights off illness and keeps us healthy. Through diet we can obtain essential vitamins and nutrients to ...click here to read more

You may have noticed a trend in your local grocery store: More and more labels read “gluten-free.” You may think it’s the latest in health food, but for people with celiac disease this is how they have to eat. Gluten is a protein found in wheat endosperm that makes dough chewy and stretchy. If you ...click here to read more

Tired of the congestion, itchy eyes and fatigue that plague you? Symptoms of seasonal allergies can really take the joy out of summer. While friends and relatives are attending barbecues and garden parties, you’re staying indoors, grumpy and sniffling. It shouldn’t be this way! You don’t have to resort to over-the-counter drugs or injections to ...click here to read more

We all do it, and often we do it at some of the most inappropriate times, like when everyone else is quiet at weddings – you know just when the bride is about to say “I do” – out comes that loud bark of a cough from our mouth. But why do we cough and ...click here to read more

We all love the feeling of warmer weather and the promise of summer months ahead, but sometimes the side effects of seasonal changes may not make it less than enjoyable. Spring is a time for renewal and so the grass gets greener, the trees and flowers start to blossom and the scenery of white and ...click here to read more

Strep throat, tuberculosis, urinary tract infections (UTI) – when your immune system isn’t in top shape, you’re more prone to bacterial infections like these. For people with chronic illness  with compromised immunity or for seniors, where aging alone means immunity isn’t as strong as it once was, these infections take hold more easily. That’s why ...click here to read more

You feel as though you can’t breathe. The muscles around your airways tighten up, narrowing the airway. That means less air flow. Inflammation increases and the airway narrows even more. Then mucus is produced in the airway and even less air flows through. The wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest bring on overwhelming panic ...click here to read more

It‘s surprising that two famous writers have drawn comparisons between measles and love: “Love is like the measles; we all have to go through it.” – Jerome K. Jerome “Love is like the measles – All the worse when it comes late in life.” – Douglas William Jerrold While there is truth in what both ...click here to read more

I’m all too familiar with allergies – they can land you on your back, holed up in bed with a headache, stuffed up sinuses and runny nose, red, itchy eyes and overall malaise. It’s not a good time just hanging out with your tissue box all day. But people are not as smart about allergies ...click here to read more

Colds and flu can leave you flat on your back, completely out of the game for a few days. But pneumonia is another beast altogether – and a frightening one at that. So it’s important to know the main causes of pneumonia, and the signs and symptoms of pneumonia. Especially the symptoms of pneumonia in ...click here to read more