Some BackgroundWhen a person breathes in something the body perceives is a threat, it produces mucus to trap those pollutants and get them out before they get into the lungs. This causes congestion, and in response, many people decide to use OTC steroids, antihistamines, or...
Influenza, commonly called “the flu”, is a viral disease most often spread through the air when people exposed to the virus cough or sneeze. There are three types of influenza viruses that affect humans, called Type A, B and C, which spread worldwide on a yearly...
Influenza/Flu is a significant public health issue in this country, with 10–20 percent of New Zealanders infected every year (Ministry of Health, 2020). According to new research from Otago University scientists who say the flu is likely New Zealand's single biggest infectious disease...
There are commonsense measures to protect yourself from coronavirus, COVID-19 that you should be practicing regardless of whatever virus is circulating at the moment. The only unique recommendation with COVID-19 is to avoid unnecessary contact with non-domesticated animals due to presumed animal-human transmission. Other commonsense...
Many people dread the springtime with its onslaught of pollen and other allergens. Once September rolls around some may think the stuffed-up, watery-eyes, itchy-nose time is over. Not necessarily. Summer is peak time for many allergens, so make sure you’re equipped with the right knowledge to get...
Allergies are a drag. And they can make you feel like you’re dragging. When you suffer from allergies it can feel like you’re living in a fog or underwater. Things are hazy and you just don’t quite feel one hundred percent. The problem with allergies is you can...
Headaches are one of the most common, debilitating problems facing Americans. Researchers estimate that one out of seven Americans suffer from migraines and/or severe headaches. That statistic doesn’t include mild or moderate headaches that even more people experience. Though there are many reasons why headaches...
It’s Allergy Season Every year, about fifty million people in the United States suffer from seasonal allergic rhinitis, otherwise known as hay fever. Allergens normally begin spreading throughout the country in the spring, when plants begin to release pollen; however, research is showing that allergy season...
A Good Night’s Sleep Your body functions on a sleep-wake cycle called the circadian rhythm. Staying in sync with this rhythm is vital to maintaining the overall health of the body, including mental health. Fail to maintain a proper sleep-wake cycle, and your immune system could...
What is an Antihistamine? If you have any type of seasonal allergy (seasonal allergic rhinitis), you have probably heard the terms histamine and antihistamine. It’s important to know as much as you can about your allergies, so here’s a brief breakdown. Histamines are produced naturally in the body. They are part...