If you have been to a doctor’s office or hospital in the last 30 years, you probably have had a pulse oximeter put on your fingertip to measure your pulse and the amount of oxygen being carried by your red blood cells, called your oxygen saturation. Pulse has always been … Read More
Products that claim they can detoxify, clean, or clear your lungs can be made from herbal supplements, vitamins, essential oils, or antioxidants. These lung cleansers may come as pills, vitamins, teas, oils, or be inhaled. None of the products are FDA-approved, and neither the American Lung Association (ALA), National Center … Read More
People with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may have very low levels of oxygen in their blood. This is called hypoxemia, and it may cause increased difficulty breathing and further impair your ability to exercise, requiring COPD oxygen therapy. Low COPD oxygen levels may also cause fatigue, memory loss, … Read More
My daughter ordered takeout food several times during the COVID-19 outbreak in her city. She wanted to support local restaurants, but I was concerned she might catch the virus if the food was prepared by somebody who was carrying it. Is this possible? Assuming the restaurants your daughter was ordering … Read More
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is an evolving public health issue, and public health officials are working diligently to understand and quickly communicate relevant information. Unfortunately, misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 is running wild. What should you really be doing and not doing? Who do you listen to? How often should … Read More
Everyone can benefit from getting a flu shot, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend vaccinating everyone six months of age and older. For people age 65 and older, Medicare covers annual flu shots, including the high-dose version. Many health insurance plans also cover flu shots with … Read More
When you consider blood pressure, it’s important to keep in mind that not all hypertension is the same. Medical experts recognize several types of high blood pressure, each with different etiologies. Essential Hypertension Accounting for about 90 percent of all high blood pressure, essential, or primary, hypertension has no single … Read More
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic or inherited disease of the mucus and sweat glands. It affects approximately 30,000 Americans, leading to chronic health problems and premature death. Advances in treatment, however, have dramatically improved outcomes in the past 20 years. In people with cystic fibrosis, or CF, the mucus produced … Read More
The moment your doctor tells you that you’ll have to undergo a surgical procedure can be a frightening, confusing, and stressful experience. All kinds of thoughts will cross your mind—it’s natural to worry about the skills of your medical team, the operation’s outcome, and potentially high medical bills that will … Read More
If you had the flu vaccine this year, you may be expecting to get through flu season with just the odd sniffle here and there. But that might not be the case. In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that flu activity had increased sharply in … Read More
