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Like many of you, I visited family graves during Memorial Day.  As we visited the graves of my dad and other family members who fought in World War II, I shared memories with my family.  My great uncle served in World War II (and suffered lasting consequences which took his life). He was buried near his wife and their four infants.  They had lost all four babies back in the late 1930's and early 1940's due to the HR factor.  Cleveland Clinic says: Rh incompatibility happens when a woman who's RH-negative is pregnant with a baby who is RH-positive. The woman's immune system reacts to this difference and makes antibodies. The antibodies then attack the baby's red blood cells (because the woman's body thinks the RH positive blood cells are an invader It's important to know your blood type BEFORE you become pregnant. If not treated, babies can have hemolytic anemia, liver failure, jaundice or heart failure, which can result in a stillbirth.   Now they hav...
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Coughing So Hard You Throw Up?

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    Have you been coughing so hard from an asthma attack that you threw up? Or almost threw up? That happened to me yesterday.   I have NO idea what caused it, but tree and grass pollen are out, so I don't know if that made my lungs cranky.  I was coughing so hard that I had tears running down my face. And I could barely keep my hands still to fill up my medicine cup and turn on the nebulizer for a breathing treatment.   When I cough that hard, it is impossible for me to use an inhaler. I literally cannot inhale deep enough to use an inhaler.   I need to just sit there on the couch while I breath in the mist from my nebulizer.   Paroxysmal cough   What is paroxysmal cough?   Cleveland Clinic says:  "Paroxysmal cough is an uncontrollable coughing fit. It’s often violent and keeps you from getting a breath. You might gag, vomit or even pass out."  I panicked last night when I had a paroxysmal cough. I ...
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Do Allergies Make Asthma Worse?

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  I store tissues like a squirrel stores nuts.  I have tissues EVERYWHERE and buy tissues in bulk (not kidding). I have a box in the living room, a box in my bedroom, a box in my office - plus travel side packs of tissues in my car, purse, and in every jacket I own.  This time of year is awful. In my area, the tree pollen is in the RED (or high) category . The trees have been blooming for months, because we have had a very mild and unseasonably warm winter.  And now, just for fun, grass pollen is in the  YELLOW (medium) category.    So now there are two major sources of pollen blooming at the same time.  Do I sound and feel like a snotty little two year old? Yes. Are my allergies impacting my asthma? Also yes.  How do allergies (hay fever) make asthma worse? Many of the people with allergies also have asthma . Lucky us! They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like macaroni and cheese.  Many of the things that cause hay fever sympt...
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How Does Hoarding/Excess Collecting Impact Asthma?

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      Do you or a loved one struggle with hoarding?  Hoarding can range from mild to severe. Sometimes, it may not affect your life, but other times it can make it hard to function in your house or apartment.  What is hoarding?  Mayo Clinic defines hoarding as having a hard time throwing things away because you think you need to save them. You might be upset with the thought of getting rid of things. And you might slowly save a huge number of items and not notice how big the piles are getting.  How did those piles get so big?!  Hoarding can make it hard to use your house if you only have a small pathway to get from room to room, and piles are taking over your stove, sink, countertops, bed, etc.  Symptoms of hoarding are:  Having a hard time organizing  Avoiding or delaying decisions, and trying to be perfect Feeling a need to save items and getting upset by the thought of getting rid of them  Buying and keeping too many things ...
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Stuffy Nose? Is it Allergies? Nasal Polyps? Or Turbinate Hypertrophy?

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  Do you feel like you have a chronically stuffy nose?  No matter how often I blow my nose, use an antihistamine, or use my corticosteroid nose spray, nothing helps.   I have been feeling like a stuffy little 2 year old toddler for a while, and set an appointment with my allergist.  I had heard about nasal polyps, and wondered if I had polyps in my nose that were making it hard to breathe. I noticed: I breathe through my mouth  My nose is always stuffed up I was snoring at night (so my husband says...)  What are nasal polyps?   Nasal polyps are painless growths in the sinuses or inside the nose. They aren't cancer, just harmless growths. But, they can block the nose and make it hard to breath.   You can use medicine to shrink the polyps or you may need surgery to remove them.  What did my allergist say?  As part of the exam, she looked in my nose with her nasal endoscope and said, "Oh wow! You have HUGE turbinates! Do you have...
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Do You Hesitate To Use Your Inhaler?

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  I was chatting with a friend, and she said coughs ALL the time. In fact, she said that her kids can find her in a building by listening for her cough. I asked her if she uses her reliever inhaler when that happens, and she said no.  I'm baffled by why people don't use their reliever/rescue inhaler when they are coughing (or having any other asthma symptoms). I once had a client who said she "only will only use her inhaler if she feels like she needs to go to the hospital".  I think she missed the point.....  Using a reliever/rescue inhaler can help you AVOID going to the hospital. Of course there are times when you may need more help than an inhaler.  My kids were in the hospital a LOT when they were little (thanks to RSV, pneumonia, and wildfire smoke).   The Asthma Respiratory Foundation in New Zealand says:   "Relievers are taken as needed to relieve asthma symptoms (cough, wheeze, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath), before exerci...
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Do You Trust AI for Medical Information? How Do Data Centers Impact the Environment?

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AI seems to be everywhere - and I can't get away from it!  A simple search on my computer will always have the first result from AI. I don't want to read an AI summary, because they are not always accurate.  I want to go to the actual medical website to get information.  Why?  Misinformation from AI Have you heard about the crazy things AI recommends for health? One example is a satirical website that published an article from a U.C. Berkley Geologist who jokingly said:  “In order to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle, Americans should be ingesting at least a single serving of pebbles, geodes, or gravel with breakfast, lunch, or dinner,”  But AI took this as true medical advice - and it came up in online searches!      You would think people wouldn't actually eat rocks...but stranger things have happened.  There are well documented cases of chat bots encouraging people to self harm of even take their life. One AI company is being...
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