Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Asthma and alpha-1 related emphysema are also categorized under the term COPD under certain circumstances. Symptoms include...
Kidney dialysis, or hemodialysis, filters waste and excess fluid from the blood as a result of kidney failure and end-stage renal disease. Hemodialysis requires a surgically created access port such as a fistula, graft or catheter. The blood...
Asthma is a condition caused by increased airway resistance, often presenting with shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing. If you are an asthmatic, you might have experienced the sensation of being unable to catch your breath; this condition...
Asthma is a treatable disease that occurs worldwide. It affects all age groups with varying levels of severity. The condition affects the bronchial tubes causing temporary constriction of the airway. Symptoms range from mild coughing to severe...
The reason your stomach puffs up when drinking caffeine could be the result of the caffeine itself. This stimulant is known to affect the motility of the intestinal tract, which may then lead to bloating that's felt through the stomach. On the...
Asthma, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis and emphysema can cause swelling and inflammation of lung tissue, which causes a buildup of mucus in the airway, obstructing the flow of air. Your doctor will design a treatment plan based on your disease...
Soap is not a shaving product. Razor burn, razor bumps and ingrown hairs can all result from using soap instead of a product specifically designed for shaving, such as shaving gel. The ingredients in shaving gel lubricate your skin, allowing the...
Various lung and heart conditions require supplemental oxygen to prevent chronic hypoxemia, or low blood oxygen levels. If you are breathing through your mouth while receiving supplemental oxygen through a nasal tube, you are not receiving the...
Emphysema causes a permanent change in the structure of the lung, impeding the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Smoking most often causes emphysema, but in rare cases, heredity causes an impaired immune response. Symptoms during end stage...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a term used to describe a constellation of conditions that interfere with the movement of air through your lungs. The chief problem in COPD is a decreased ability to completely exhale, which leads...
Breathing is an essential physiological process required to sustain life. Most people breathe without thinking about how to do it. Inadequate oxygen can cause a person to work harder to breathe, requiring the use of accessory muscles. Using these...
There are many different technologies used to clean and filter the air. While some systems may use physical filtration or electronic air cleaning, a common addition to any air purifier is a carbon filter. Often called activated carbon or activated...
With swimming records consistently being broken the past several years, FINA, the international swimming federation, has changed its rules regarding bodysuits. Bodysuits have been scrutinized and found to help swimmers to swim faster. As of...
Swallowing excessive air and eating certain foods cause gas in nearly everyone, but when you're pregnant, your digestive system slows so that you feel the effects of gas more acutely. Passing gas, burping and uncomfortable bloating are all signs...
Allergies are your immune system's way of launching a pre-emptive strike against innocuous proteins such as pet dander, dust mites, insect venom and a host of tree and plant pollens. Depending on what proteins you're allergic to, your airway,...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, refers to a group of lung diseases that causes limited airflow in and out of the lungs. COPD reduces the amount of oxygen that goes into the blood, and less oxygen makes it difficult for the heart to...
Lung disease is an umbrella term that refers to a few different conditions related to lung dysfunction. MedlinePlus notes that you breathe in and out about 25,000 times per day, filling your lungs primarily with oxygen and expelling carbon...
When goggles constantly fog up, you can have difficulty seeing other people or objects when swimming in lap lanes or open water. Goggles fog up because the air trapped inside the goggles tends to be warmer than the water temperature. A layer of...
The dialysis machine was engineered by Dr. Willem Kolff in 1943. While the first machines were huge, bulky devices whose use was controversial, improvements made them smaller and more effective. Dialysis machines can even be used in the home,...
Gas and stomach bloating can cause abdominal pain and discomfort. Your gallbladder can cause some bloating and discomfort if you begin to experience health issues with it, but it does not create gas. You can develop gas for a variety of other...
Hiccups can be frustrating, but they can be rapidly controlled by pressure points. Hiccups occur when the diaphragm abruptly contracts, instead of undulating regularly as during normal breathing. A burst of air floods the lungs, then the...
Body piercing infections are not common if you follow the aftercare instructions from your piercer and have your piercing done at a reputable salon by a professional that is a member of the Association of Professional Piercers. Still, localized...
Blackheads are a type of acne, also referred to as open comedone. Blackheads typically occur when oil glands become overactive. When exposed to air, the trapped oil turns a blackish color. People who struggle with oily skin are at highest risk for...
An air purifier's cleansing actions are quite simple. Imagine your eyesight was increased by 100 percent and bacteria particles that were invisible became visible. An air purifier sees those particles, eliminating them in several ways.
There are two major categories of chest wounds, blunt and penetrating, but there are a number of injuries to specific structures and organs within the chest. Chest wounds can range from a minor bruising of the chest wall to fatal injuries of the...
An inspection of the ingredient label on many skin and hair care products will reveal a substance called glycerin. In its natural state, glycerin is a thick, syrupy liquid derived from vegetable fat. As an ingredient in skin and hair care...
Air pollution comes from acts as simple as cooking with wood or kerosene indoors, and from large man-made sources such as traffic, power generation, ranching and manufacturing. Air pollution occurs both indoors and outdoors, with modern "smart"...
Gluten-free flour is a kind of flour that has been processed so that it lacks the protein gluten. Some people have adverse reactions when they consume foods with even a small amount of gluten, and these reactions can cause serious damage to the...
Joints are common spots for injury. Although cracking and popping sounds are not an injury unto themselves, they can be a precursor to joint problems. There can be many causes for popping and cracking, such as dehydration, vitamin deficiency or...
