Oxygen enters the body through the nose during inhalation. From there it travels to lungs and into the lung capillaries where it gets picked up by red blood cells and enters into the bloodstream. Anything that disrupts any part of this sequence...
Pneumonia, an infection of the lungs, occurs when an illness causes an increase in mucus in the airways. The mucus allows viruses and bacteria to multiply, resulting in the infection. The American Academy of Family Physicians reports that viruses...
The Mayo Clinic reports that common symptoms of alcoholism are both mental and physical. These symptoms include: inability to limit the amount of alcohol consumed, craving a drink, having a high tolerance to alcohol's effects, and experiencing...
The lungs are organs in the body that are essential to respiration. Sometimes tumors can form in the lungs or the blood vessels in the lung may malfunction. Bacteria, fungi and even parasites may infiltrate the lung, resulting in breathing...
Borage oil, also known as starflower oil, is a good source of the omega-6 essential fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid, commonly called GLA. Omega-6 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, normal growth and development, skin and hair...
ARDS, or acute respiratory distress syndrome, is characterized by excess fluid in the lungs, which interferes with breathing. It is typically a secondary condition that occurs with another illness or trauma and may cause death. For people who...
Corona viruses are responsible for common respiratory infections, including the common cold. A novel corona virus is the organism responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Their reservoirs are common animals like birds, and are...
Borage is widely used for treating a variety of ailments and to improve general health. It is rich in the essential fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA, which is important for many cellular processes and cardiovascular and adrenal health....
Avian flu caused immense public concern in 2009 when outbreaks in Asia, Africa and Europe prompted researchers to double their efforts to find a vaccine. The virus originates in birds, and is responsible for high levels of contagion and death...
Conditions that affect your breathing and lung capacity can be affected by your body position, sometimes with significant results, due to the changes in pressure on the lungs and airflow. In both infants and adults, lying in the supine position...
Since 1996, avian influenza, or bird flu, has affected several hundred people worldwide via infectious transmission from birds to humans. While many patients suffer only transitory health effects, the World Health Organization reports that more...
World travelers and poultry industry workers may risk exposure to avian influenza, or bird flu. This aggressive strain of the influenza A virus, labeled H5N1 and subtypes, caused the first known spread from birds to humans in 1997, according to...
Warnings about bird flu, or avian influenza, apply mostly to people who travel internationally or work with birds or poultry. In rare cases around the world, birds have given people this disease. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and...
Acute diseases are those diseases that come on abruptly and run a short, severe course, while chronic diseases last for a prolonged time and may come and go. An acute disease requires immediate medical attention due to life-threatening...
Your doctor's instructions for the night before surgery serve an important purpose: They are designed to keep you safe. The reason you cannot eat after midnight on the night before surgery is to keep your stomach empty -- to prevent your stomach...
Your body needs oxygen to produce the energy needed to function normally. The oxygen you breathe in goes through tiny air sacs in your lungs and into the blood stream, where red blood cells pick it up and carry it throughout the body. This system...
Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is by chemical definition classified among the substances known as phospholipids. Phospholipids, particularly phosphatidylcholine, the precursor of lysophosphatidylcholine, in general, are part of the structure of...
Ginger has been used widely in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine. The healing section of the plant is the rhizome, or thick underground stem, which can be steeped in water to create a tea or ground and used to spice a meal. The essential oil...
Avian influenza, also known as bird flu or H5N1, is a strain of influenza that primarily affects birds; however, the illness can also affect humans. H5N1 is classified as a type A influenza virus, which means that it is responsible for global...
Insulin is a medication given to diabetic patients who cannot make sufficient body insulin or whose body cannot use the body's insulin effectively. Body insulin works to breakdown carbohydrates such as sugars into glucose. Glucose provides energy...
Successful treatment of bird flu begins with early detection and diagnosis. Bird flu, otherwise known as avian influenza, is most often identified by swabbing the nose or throat and performing a laboratory test. Since your signs and symptoms will...
Human beings do not have immunity to the avian influenza. This disease occurs in birds; it has also mutated to infect some humans. Avian influenza in humans is called H5N1. Farmers who work with poultry and those who go to countries with a high...
Alcoholism has three stages according to EndStageAlcoholism.net. The first two stages represent increasing dependency and addiction. According to the "5-Minute Clinical Consult" textbook, it is estimated that in the United States, 9.6 percent of...
Borage is an annual plant that is self-seeding and blooms from June to August. It is native to Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa but now also is found in North America. The flowers and leaves are the part of the borage plant that are used...
According to The Merck Manual, there are 200,000 cases of septic shock with a 45 percent mortality rate every year. This means that 90,000 people die from septic shock yearly. Septic shock is a term used to describe severe sepsis or infection,...
To initially treat toxic shock syndrome (TSS). eliminate the source of infection. If you are using a diaphragm, cervical cap or tampon and develop TSS symptoms, such as high fever, vomiting, diarrhea and extremely low blood pressure, remove the...
Swine flu is a type of influenza referred to as H1N1. It can occur throughout the year but is most common during the seasonal flu months in late fall through early spring. The swine flu has been known to cause some of the similar symptoms of...
The lungs are the central part of the respiratory system. Inhaled air travels through the nose or mouth and into the lungs through the trachea (windpipe). The bloodstream transports oxygen-rich blood throughout the body from the lungs. Exhaled air...
Heavy alcohol use has negative effects on organs throughout the body, including the liver and the heart. Many people may not realize the damaging effects excessive alcohol drinking can have on the lungs. The health hazards may become more...
