Tag: Lung Health

Can Marijuana Use Damage Your Lungs?

Tobacco smoking has been linked to many harmful effects, including cancer. With the growing popularity of marijuana, a question arises: Does smoking marijuana have the same negative impact on lung health as tobacco? Two recent studies provide very different conclusions. A longitudinal study conducted in Australia suggests that cannabis use does not increase the risk of…


How Does Marijuana Use Affect Your Lungs

Tobacco smoking has been linked to many harmful effects, including cancer. With the growing popularity of marijuana, a question arises: Does smoking marijuana have the same negative impact on lung health as tobacco? Two recent studies provide very different conclusions. A longitudinal study conducted in Australia suggests that cannabis use does not increase the risk of…


New Research in Plant Bioactives May Offer Hope for COVID Long-Haulers

Many COVID-19 long-haulers, including myself, suffer from lung damage and prolonged lung issues after the virus. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a lung condition characterized by breathing difficulty, coughing, and excess mucus production. It’s caused by long-term exposure to irritants, such as tobacco smoke but is also triggered by respiratory infections such as COVID-19. Another potential complication of…


Coffee Roasting Chemical and Flu Combo Seriously Damages Lungs

Even short-term exposures to a natural byproduct of the coffee roasting process can damage the lungs when paired with a second insult, like the flu, a study with mice shows. Researchers have known for two decades that chronic exposure to high levels of a flavoring chemical called diacetyl, which is found in many foods and…


What Do We Know About Gene Therapy and Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common, fatal genetic disease in the United States. About 30,000 people in the United States have the disease. CF causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs, leads to infection, and blocks the pancreas, which stops digestive enzymes from reaching the intestine where they are…


A Breakdown in Breathing

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited illness that ravages the lungs and many other organs in the body. Fifty years ago, children with CF generally died by about age 10. But wide-ranging research has led to dramatic improvements in treatment. Today, the life expectancy for CF patients in the U.S. has risen to about 37…


Manuka Honey Helps Combat Antibiotic Resistant Lung Infection

Even serious lung infections are no match for the antibacterial properties of manuka honey, which is effective against antibiotic-resistant pathogens and more. STORY AT-A-GLANCE The nectar from manuka flowers contains dihydroxyacetone, a precursor to methylglyoxal (MGO), an antimicrobial compound not found in most other honey The presence of MGO is credited for much of manuka…


Blood Test May Improve Lung Cancer Screening

A blood test may help determine if nodules detected during CT scans are lung cancer, researchers report. Annual screenings of patients at high risk for lung cancer can catch tumors early and improve a patient’s long-term prognosis. However, low-dose computer tomography (LDCT) has a high false-positive rate that can lead to unnecessary biopsies. The researchers…


Passive Smoking a Potential Risk for Future Generations: Study

Children are at an increased risk of developing asthma if their fathers were exposed to second-hand smoke as children, a study by researchers from the Australia’s University of Melbourne has found. Published on Thursday in the European Respiratory Journal, the study also demonstrated that a child’s asthma risk increases further if their father became a…


Discontinuation of Talc-Products and What It Means for Our Health

Once again, the debate of talcum powder and health problems are back in media discussion as the pharmaceutical giant Johnson&Johnson (J&J) announced a global discontinuation of their talc-based baby powder products from 2023. J&J announced on Aug. 11, 2022 that they will replace talc with cornstarch in their household baby powder. This declaration of change…