I was visiting a friend last week who lives next to Altadena Middle School. He has two very large, stately trees in his back yard that provide great shade during the summer. In February however, there are no leaves on the trees. Just packets of pollen clusters. The branches are heavy with them. […]
I am reposting an article that I wrote (almost to the day) a year ago. At that time we were experiencing an unusually early “spring” allergy season starting in late January. Well, here we go again. The Ash trees began pollinating two to three weeks earlier than usual again this year and, by the looks […]
I am discussing air quality in Arizona, particularly as it affects patients with allergies and asthma. Previously, one of the most important pollutants, Ozone was discussed and in this post I will continue with some of the special problems associated with ozone exposure and outdoor exercise. For a number of reasons, athletes are particularly vulnerable […]
I will continue the discussion on air quality in Arizona, particularly as it affects patients with allergies and asthma, beginning with one of our most important pollutants: ozone. Ozone in the upper atmosphere is our friend. This thin layer of gas floating between 6 and 31 miles above the earth’s surface protects life on our […]
Phoenix is a wonderful place to live if you enjoy spending time out of doors. However, there is a catch. The conditions that make for our predictable-practically-perfect weather (at least in the winter and spring) has also led to some serious air quality issues. Every year the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality releases a number […]
As every athlete involved in an aerobically taxing sport knows, effective breathing can be key. Muscles will not keep working (and you won’t keep going) if you can’t breath. Oxygen delivery to working muscles depends on several factors, but the ability to rapidly move a large volume of air in and out of the lungs […]
On the surface, making a diagnosis of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) should not to be too hard. After all, having an asthma attack while exercising would make the diagnosis fairly apparent. However, as I mentioned earlier, self reported symptoms associated with exercise such as shortness of breath and chest tightness can be associated with a number […]
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction or bronchospasm (EIB) is defined as acute airway narrowing occurring as a result of exercise. In the previous post I discussed that exercise, particularly vigorous, aerobic exercise, frequently triggers symptoms in patients who have a diagnosis of asthma but can also cause asthma symptoms, wheezing, shortness of breath, cough, and chest tightness, in […]
Recently, the American Thoracic Society published new clinical practice guidelines for exercise-induced asthma. This is an important subject, particularly for children and adults who are involved in sports or who exercise regularly (which should, of course, be everyone), and so I will review parts of the guidelines over the next few posts. One of the […]
Hives are never fun. Intolerable itching, grotesque swelling, nasty red splotches and welts covering the body, hives can clearly make for a very bad day. The only thing worse than a brief (acute) attack of hives is an unrelenting, daily outbreak lasting for months and even years. Such is the case with patients with chronic […]
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