How does smoking affect the lungs? Around 500 million microscopic air sacs called alveoli are found in your lungs. These alveoli are reservoirs of the air you breathe and draw oxygen from the air you breathe and expel carbon dioxide. Smoking kills the cells that line these air sacs, which causes them to collapse.…
Read MoreIf you have a first- degree family member with asthma, it is more likely that you might develop asthma than someone who has no family history of this beathing disorder. A child is twice as likely to get asthma as someone who does not have a history of the condition in the family. A child’s…
Read MoreWhy are Pulmonary Function Tests Performed Your doctor might arrange for Pulmonary Function tests (PFT) to evaluate how well your lungs are functioning. These are not blood tests but rather tests that are done by a trained technician in the clinic. You will be explained and demonstrated on how to perform the test. If you…
Read MoreHow Do Allergies Cause Asthma? An allergic response occurs when the body’s immune system proteins also called antibodies mistakenly identify a harmless substance, such as tree pollen or animal dander, and considers it as an invader (allergen). This misrecognition causes an allergic reaction to result. Antibodies formed by the body bind to the allergen in…
Read MoreAre allergies and asthma treated differently? Most treatments are designed to treat either asthma or allergic rhinitis. But a few treatments help with both conditions. The main treatment modalities include Antihistamine: They are a class of drugs that are commonly used to treat the symptoms of allergies including sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, rhinorrhea (runny…
Read MoreWhat is Monkeypox? What are common monkeypox symptoms? According to the CDC, monkeypox infections often last two to four weeks and start with flu like symptoms. Symptoms common in monkey pox are fever, headaches, muscle pains, and fatigue. Over time, fluid-filled pimples, sometimes known as “pox,” blisters or vesicles appear all over the skin. Health…
Read MoreThe hazards of smoking for heart health are numerous. Smoking can result in atherosclerosis resulting in problems such as gradual or sudden obstruction of critical blood vessels in the heart, abnormal heart beat or abnormal heart rhythms known as arrhythmias, as well as blood pressure also known as hypertension. These problems have the potential to…
Read MoreFLU OR INFLUENZA, WHAT DO I HAVE? What is Flu or Influenza? Both are the name of same illness caused by same virus namely Influenza. The disease can produce mild to severe symptoms. Flu is different from a common cold but is often used, although incorrectly, interchangeably. Do I need to take antibiotics…
Read MoreUNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FLU OR THE COMMON COLD? Do I have a cold or the flu? Cold/common cold and Flu are two separate illnesses caused by different types of viruses. As the symptoms for both illnesses are mostly similar, it is rather difficult to diagnose which one is affecting an individual simply…
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WHY SHOULD I QUIT SMOKING? Smoking is harmful for health. It not only causes damage to the lungs, which leads to development of COPD (chronic obstructive airway disease), but is also a major risk factor in the development of lung cancer. Additionally, the risk of developing complications from multiple other health related illness including heart…
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