Prioritizing your lung health is very important, especially if you’re suffering from chronic lung conditions, such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), lung cancer or asthma. Your lungs allow you to take in oxygen from the air you breathe and are the key to carrying it to all your organ systems to keep them running efficiently, while clearing your body of carbon dioxide. The body has a natural defense system designed to protect the lungs, and help keep dirt and...

Read more

Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in both males and females in the United States, and according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), is the leading cause of cancer deaths, making up almost 25% of cases. While smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, nonsmokers can be diagnosed with cancer as well. Exposure to radon, asbestos, and secondhand smoke are some of the other risk factors that can increase your risk of developing lung cancer. The good news...

Read more

Updated November 2024 You know winter has arrived when the days get shorter, snow flurries fill the air and you can see your breath when you speak. When temperatures hover around freezing for months on end, it can make for a long and dreary season for many. But for people with asthma, it can be even more frightful when the frigid winter weather causes their symptoms to worsen. Exposure to cold, dry air is a common asthma trigger and can quickly cause severe symptoms. When...

Read more

Listen to this episode of the Healthy Vitals Podcast featuring Paul Bailey, a registered respiratory therapist, and Sarah Serb, an acute nurse practitioner.

Listen now

Smoking cigarettes is a dangerous habit that damages nearly every organ in the body, leading to disease and long-term disability. People who smoke are at a higher risk for lung cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, tuberculosis, eye diseases, and the list goes on. Another major health effect caused from smoking is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. COPD is a lung disease that affects the way air flows in and out of your lungs, making it difficult to breathe....

Read more

Are you suffering from asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or another lung problem? A respiratory therapist may be able to help. One out of six Americans will suffer from a serious pulmonary (lung) disease at some time in their lives. Of those afflicted, however, many patients don’t realize a respiratory therapist can help them overcome breathing problems and breathe easier — all the while increasing their quality of life. As vital members of the healthcare team, respiratory...

Read more

Chronic lower respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death, behind cancer and heart disease in Ohio. Chronic lower respiratory disease is a broad term that includes a variety of diseases that affect the lungs, like: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema (a type of COPD), chronic bronchitis and non-reversible asthma. Roughly one in six Americans will suffer from some pulmonary disease in their lifetime. Most of those affected usually associate...

Read more

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) first entered the US market around 2007.  Wells Fargo Securities analysts now claim that these products have grown into a $4.4 billion industry. These products have many names including e-cigarettes, vapes, vaporizers, vape pens, hookah pens, and e-pipes among others. Most use a heating mechanism to turn liquid into a vapor that is then inhaled as an aerosol. E-cigs differ from traditional cigarettes because they do not “burn” or contain the 7,000 chemicals present in traditional combustible cigarettes. The tobacco industry continues to develop and market new nicotine delivery devices and without question the controversy over these products is still a heated debate.

Read more

Lung nodules are abnormal clusters of tissue that appear as “spots” on chest X-rays and CT scans. All lung cancers starts as a nodule; however, these spots are very common and almost 95 percent of them are not cancerous. Lung cancer is a very tragic disease. It has the lowest 5-year survival rate of all cancers and leads to more deaths that the next 3 deadliest cancers (colorectal, pancreatic and breast) combined. Most lung cancers are not diagnosed and treated at an early stage, contributing to the low survival rate. However, early detection, by low-dose CT screening, can increase that rate by up to 20 percent in high-risk patients.

Read more