Respiratory Disease Archives

How Contagious are Respiratory Tract Infections?Ask Hanna

It’s cold and flu season. Your co-worker in the next cubicle has a mound of Kleenex on his desk, obviously nursing a cold. Following a sneezing fit, you can practically see the germs coming over the cubicle wall seeking someone …

How Contagious are Respiratory Tract Infections?

Are there health benefits to having pets?Ask Hanna

The U.S. is a pet-loving country, with around two-thirds of all households reporting owning a dog or cat. To put this into perspective, this amounts to approximately 78.2 million dogs and 86.4 million cats owned by Americans. A cancer specialist …

Are there health benefits to having pets?

What do I do if I am losing my sense of smell?Ask Hanna

Impairment of the senses of taste and smell are much more common that most people realize. The National Institutes of Health reports that over 200,000 doctor visits each year are for a sensory problem such as a taste or smell …

What do I do if I am losing my sense of smell?

Does my asthma inhaler affect the ozone?Ask Hanna

Since 2009, a quiet transition has been occurring to replace the propellant currently being used in inhaled medications with a more environmentally friendly product. By the end of this year, the last two medications that use an ozone-depleting propellant will …

Does my asthma inhaler affect the ozone?

What really works to treat a cold?Ask Hanna

The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system. On average, children have six to eight colds per year, and adults have two to four. The common cold places a heavy burden on society, accounting for approximately …

What really works to treat a cold?

What is MERS?Ask Hanna

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a respiratory illness occurring almost exclusively in countries in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 30% of …

What is MERS?

Why should I quit smoking?Ask Hanna

Recent statistics indicate that over 46 million Americans still smoke despite widespread knowledge that tobacco use is a leading cause of disease and premature death. However, of these, almost 70% would like to quit. Why don’t they? Because most smokers …

Why should I quit smoking?

How does the weather affect my health?Ask Hanna

Bioclimatology is the study of climate in relation to living organisms, in particular the way in which weather conditions can affect human health. While this would seem to be a relatively new science stemming from concern regarding environmental deterioration, the …