Combination controller inhalers continue to play a vital role in asthma management for many who have a history of moderate to severe asthma. Since Advair became available in 2001, as the first inhaler with a steroid and long-acting bronchodilator (a drug which relaxes tiny muscles which surround the small airways of the lung) two other... Read more
Many allergy sufferers have experienced an early start to their 2012 outdoor allergy symptoms. The unusually warm and shortened winter ushered in a wave of late winter pollen and mold. Although spring officially started March 20th this year, allergy symptoms from outdoor triggers began several weeks prior to this date. What does this mean for the... Read more
Some of my patients have asked this question over the last four weeks. The answer is: We won't know for another couple of months. So far the 2011-12 flu season has claimed about three lives, according to reports received by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Compared to the previous flu season (2010-11) hospitalizations and deaths are... Read more
I wish I could say all my patients have well controlled asthma but I doubt that will ever be the case since I have hundreds of them, and they all have unique trigger factors and symptom complexes. Some patients only have flare-ups associated with upper respiratory infections (common cold or sinusitis). Other patients rarely get colds but have... Read more
Each year I see hundreds of new patients with complaints of hives and swelling. Hives are intensely itchy skin rashes that resemble welts and can occur anywhere on the body. They typically arise without warning and about half the time, are accompanied by angioedema, a deeper swelling in the skin. "Urticaria" is the technical term for hives. These... Read more
