No wonder you feel so bad. Coughing can be physically exhausting. But it’s your body’s way of getting rid of irritants or extra mucus.
from www.shutterstock.com
Dust storms look spectacular but are a serious health hazard. As climate change dries up many areas of the world, what can we expect from these storms in future?
An image from the International Space Station captures plumes of smoke from California wildfires on August 4, 2018.
NASA
Haze from Northern California wildfires has drifted as far east as Philadelphia. Wildfire smoke contains many potentially toxic substances, so anyone exposed to it should take basic precautions.
X-ray of the lungs in a 5-year-old child who has pneumonia.
Shutterstock
Nicole Wolter, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
There have been many advances made in the prevention and treatment of pneumonia, but providing for people’s basic needs can help reduce the disease burden.
Asthma usually develops in childhood, so why does it happen to these unlucky kids?
from www.shutterstock.com
Breathing in through your nose has many medical benefits over mouth breathing. As usual, be wary of misinformation and bias when looking up health on the internet.
Our study suggests setting targets for antibiotic prescribing is the next step to curb their overuse.
from www.shutterstock.com
A study that shows GPs are prescribing about five million too many antibiotic scripts a year means we have to take a radical new approach to reducing use of these drugs.
Solar radiation management involves spraying tiny reflective particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect away some of the energy from the sun
Shutterstock
Exposure to harmful agents inside the home can have profound effects on our health. After all, we spend an average of 16 hours a day at home – and even more when aged under seven and over 64.
Hold your breath.
Ng Han Guan/AP/Press Association Images
Twelve years ago the world was threatened by an outbreak of a new coronavirus called SARS. MERS belongs to the same virus family and has killed 19 people in South Korea.
Leaky blood vessels in the lung can lead to acute respiratory distress.
Chest X-ray via Guzel Studio/Shutterstock
When you get an infection, your immune system responds with an influx of inflammatory cells that target the underlying bacteria or viruses. These immune cells migrate from your blood into the infected…
Not all gross: mucus is vital for healthy airways.
William Brawley/Flickr
We tend to notice mucus only when it’s abnormal and the sticky fluid is expelled from orifices. But actually it’s pretty amazing stuff. Every moment of our lives mucus is protecting our internal organs…