Living

A glossy insert slides out of the Weekend USA Today as I opened it to skim the news and lifestyle sections on my Amtrak home from vacation. The title font...

Even though I know it makes me feel good, and even though I have an entire degree in the subject, exercise is still one of those things that I struggle...

The question of all questions. Why is it that only some people develop asthma and allergies? Why don’t we all develop these annoying ailments? According to one educated guess, the...

The other day I was in the online patient portal for my primary care physician (PCP). I was scheduling an appointment with her for a reason that was totally unrelated...

“The work of being a patient can be a fulfilling part of a person’s life. There are the small triumphs of figuring out how to get through the day without...

Most people spend time in or around chlorinated swimming pools during summer. It’s like a modern staple of vacations and warm summer days. As adults, sometimes we swim with the...

I work in the field of public health, but most people have no idea what that means - or what we do. Even though public health has been around for...

Has anyone ever told you -- or at least hinted -- that your asthma is "all in your head?" Luckily, this doesn't happen too much these days, but there was...

It’s June 1, and I haven’t spent more than two weeks at home since the beginning of March. The longest span I spent away from home at once (and ever...

So, I’m sitting on my porch. I can hear the chirping of birds. I watch as two squirrels chase each other. Wait! Over there a crow and a robin look...

Swimming has long been recommended for kids with exercise-induced asthma (EIA). It was recognized as an ideal way for them to stay fit and healthy. Recent concerns about chlorine in...

So, you often hear that asthma is reversible. What does this mean anyway? Here’s what to know. No. There is no cure for asthma. Asthma the disease is chronic. This...

Recently, my aunt was looking to purchase a new home. Some real estate sites featured this thing called a “Walk Score”, comprised of the “walkability" from the home to nearby...

Sending your child to school when they have asthma can be scary. Can your child access their medication quickly, or is it locked in a cabinet in the nurse’s office?...

For most of history, asthmatics inhaled smoke. Do you believe it? It's true. This was the only means of inhaling asthma medicines. It was the only way of obtaining breathing...

Did you know that some states in the U.S. have asthma home visit programs? They allow health educators and community health workers to visit people in their homes and help...

Listed here are old asthma treatments from the 20th century. Most of these were top-line asthma medicines at one time. Most are now off the market. Those that remain are...

An asthma action plan is an asthmatics best friend. It is an essential tool that every asthmatic should have, no matter how mild or severe your asthma is. An asthma...

Asthma is usually characterized by coughing, sometimes wheezing, and often shortness of breath. Many people with asthma are used to having difficulty breathing or "breathing abnormally." But what does it...

This April/May, I embarked on what I called the “Tour de Chaos”. Three states, California on the West Coast to a Santa Cruz beach house, a conference at Stanford and...