Health Expert James Thompson, MD shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/3989/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/3989/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/3989/index http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/144108/season-medications Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:13:00 -0400 James Thompson, MD We are almost through ragweed season but some of my patients are wondering what made this year's season so bad. Actually, a certain number of allergy sufferers experience a peak in their nasal symptoms every spring and/or fall season which may be worse than previous years. But the most common mid-season question I encounter is: "Why have my medicines stopped working?"   Research on allergy and asthma patients has yielded some interesting... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/144108/season-medications http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/3989/141369/tips-season-2011 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:40:00 -0400 James Thompson, MD Okay we know it's hard to get through a year without having one or more colds or upper respiratory tract infections (URI). If you have allergic rhinitis (hay fever) it may be difficult to tell when cold symptoms start and end. Some people are more prone to catch colds based on their health status, the existence of other medical conditions or job. If you work around children under the age of 6, you are often exposed to more childhood diseases,... http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/3989/141369/tips-season-2011 http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/140874/medications-visits Wed, 06 Jul 2011 21:49:00 -0400 James Thompson, MD School may be out for summer, but so are the outdoor allergy triggers. The good news is many allergy medications are now available without need for a prescription from your doctor. But unfortunately the over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines and antihistamine-decongestant combinations are very expensive and sold in less than 30-day packets in many cases. Besides the cost and quantity issues brought on by OTC allergy medications, there are other... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/140874/medications-visits http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/3989/139000/control-limitations Tue, 31 May 2011 11:39:00 -0400 James Thompson, MD  A parent of one of my 10 year old asthma patients found that the Phys ed teacher frequently assigned her son to the goalie position during soccer games because of his exercise related breathing problems. The child was embarrassed and discouraged by his being singled out because of his soccer field struggles. The problem here is mom was not aware of the exercise related breathing problem and learned of this after several months. The... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/3989/139000/control-limitations http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/137515/common-allergies Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:00:00 -0400 James Thompson, MD Did you know the largest internal organ of the body is the liver? But the overall largest organ of the body is the skin. It’s no wonder the skin is involved with so many aspects of diseases: rash, itching, fever, external bleeding, swelling, pallor (turning pale), and cyanosis (turning blue). Doctors look for signs of hundreds of diseases by examining the organ that is most accessible, the skin.   Often the skin is our first line of... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/137515/common-allergies http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/135875/reactions-reaction Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:48:00 -0400 James Thompson, MD I've been asked a multitude of questions about drug allergies over the past 20 years. Most people do not get through life without having a side effect from a prescription drug or over the counter (OTC) medication. Adverse drug reactions occur when a medication causes a symptom or abnormal body function that is unintentional and potentially harmful. There are many types of adverse drug reactions but they are often classified as either allergic or... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/135875/reactions-reaction http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/135089/potentially-fatal Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:39:00 -0400 James Thompson, MD "Doc, I've had swelling off and on for more than 15 years. The medications my doctor has been giving me don't seem to work as well. It seems like when I get upset or stressed, my feet or hands start to swell. Sometimes my face swells. I have taken many courses of steroids and Benadryl but it seems to be getting worse".   The above comments were made by a 32-year-old female patient that came to my office for an initial evaluation in... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/135089/potentially-fatal http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/3989/132361/combination-control Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:39:00 -0500 James Thompson, MD Although asthma death rates have declined, it continues to be a leading cause of missed work and school in the United States. The National Institute of Health (NIH) revised their asthma diagnosis and management guidelines in 2007. This over 600 page document has become the Holy Grail of asthma treatment and clinical research in the United States.   Whether a child or adult with asthma should have a daily controller medication is dependent... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/3989/132361/combination-control http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/3989/128672/prepared-season Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:35:00 -0500 James Thompson, MD What a difference one year makes. Last year this time H1N1 was just beginning to fall to the back pages of newspapers and websites but still one of the most talked about subjects. This winter, the flu as well as the flu vaccine has rarely been a headline issue. Is it because we eliminated all the flu viruses? The answer is no.   Actually, January has typically been a peak month for flu epidemics and a small number of states are... http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/3989/128672/prepared-season http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/124545/allergy-goodnight Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:35:00 -0500 James Thompson, MD Mono (Infectious Mononucleosis) has always been dubbed as the "kissing disease" but maybe there is a new ouster.   Reports of severe allergic reactions occurring after a kiss have been published multiple times over the last several years but a recent warning raises further concern. Apparently waiting for hours, or thoroughly brushing your teeth may not be enough to protect some highly sensitive people with food allergy (especially those... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/124545/allergy-goodnight