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/359713/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/359713/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/359713/index http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/359713/157883/christmas-sneezy Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:39:00 -0500 James Thompson MD Is your Christmas tree making you wheeze? Find out if artificial trees would work better for you or if you can make your natural Christmas tree more asthma friendly. Doc, I get sick every Christmas and end up missing a few days of work. I take my family out to pick a live tree the weekend after Thanksgiving every year and 1-2 weeks later my asthma flares up. Could I be allergic to my Christmas tree? (Have questions or comments? Click... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/359713/157883/christmas-sneezy http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/359713/156248/2012-vaccine Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:36:00 -0400 James Thompson MD Summer is over and the hot weather seems to have gone away. The beginning of October signals the period of time when cough cold and flu season begins. Flu vaccines have been available for several weeks and are covered, at least in part, by most private insurance carriers, Medicare and Medicaid. So why haven’t you received your flu vaccine?   If my patient tells me he or she intends to get it, I call the nurse in to give them the... http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/359713/156248/2012-vaccine http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/359713/152557/combination-class Tue, 01 May 2012 09:02:00 -0400 James Thompson MD 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 inhalers have emerged. Symbicort and Dulera are now available for treatment of moderate to severe asthma,... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/359713/152557/combination-class http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/359713/151651/allergies-avoid Fri, 30 Mar 2012 07:14:00 -0400 James Thompson MD 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 rest of the year?   Predicting how bad seasonal allergies will be is not that easy since heavy... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/359713/151651/allergies-avoid http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/359713/150684/happened-season Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:30:00 -0500 James Thompson MD 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 dramatically down. Does this mean it is time to rejoice? Is the pressure off of those who have put off... http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/359713/150684/happened-season http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/359713/150366/8-improve-control Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:21:00 -0500 James Thompson MD 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 difficulty breathing when the weather changes. Yet others primarily cough or wheeze when they are around... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/359713/150366/8-improve-control http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/359713/149713/hives-understand Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:45:00 -0500 James Thompson MD 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 skin eruptions generally last for several hours but rarely for more than twenty four hours. Hives... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/359713/149713/hives-understand http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/359713/147576/asthma-winterized Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:11:00 -0500 James Thompson MD Minimizing the influence of outdoor triggers (cold air, drafts, pollution, etc.) and reducing the level of exposure to indoor triggers may pave the way to good asthma control.   Here are eight tips on how to proceed: 1. Winter proof your home in order to reduce the impact of falling temperatures on your indoor environment. Drafts around windows and doors may cause the temperature in your home to drop and worsen your asthma. The drop... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/359713/147576/asthma-winterized http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/359713/146121/avoid-reasons Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:29:00 -0400 James Thompson MD There is plenty of flu vaccine available for protecting the populace against flu syndrome this year. Many clinics and pharmacies around the U.S. began giving flu shots several weeks ago. Have you had yours? Recommendations by health officials on who should get the flu shot have broadened over the last several years. Currently, anyone over 6 months should get the flu vaccine if they are not severely egg allergic or allergic to the flu vaccine by... http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/359713/146121/avoid-reasons http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/359713/120192/2010-flu-shot Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:11:00 -0400 James Thompson MD Some retail drugstores have been promoting their 2010 flu vaccine since August. Getting vaccinated for the flu in the summer is a strange concept for many people. I think most people in my area, this summer, ignored the advertisements. Others have wondered whether they should get the flu shot this early out of concern that it may not last long enough. Some of my patients have asked if they will need to get vaccinated for H1N1 this year if they... http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/c/359713/120192/2010-flu-shot