If you’ve smoked for years, and have noticed that you have unusual symptoms in your chest that affect your breathing, you might be living with emphysema. Emphysema can interfere with your daily life, interrupting your daily activities with wheezing and breathlessness. Once you’ve been diagnosed with emphysema, it’s important to...
Asthma is one of the most well-known chronic conditions. Characterized by inflammation that reduces or prevents breathing, asthma is understandably a reason for many people to panic. Part of living with asthma is keeping it under control, and making sure that there is a plan in place in the event...
If you’re a smoker, you’re putting your lungs in danger with every puff. A burning cigarette generates more than 7,000 harmful chemicals, which weaken your lung tissue, lower your ability to fight off infection, narrow your airways, and inflame and destroy your air sacs. Our board-certified team here at California...
As many as 14 out of every 100 adults, or an estimated 34 million in the US, are currently smoking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a result, around 16 million people are living with a smoking-related illness. Smoking has the power to exacerbate the severity...
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a common medical problem, affecting about half of all adults in the United States. This type of hypertension is sometimes called systemic hypertension because it refers to the blood flow throughout your entire body. But systemic hypertension isn’t the only kind of hypertension you can...
A chronic, debilitating lung condition, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is the fourth leading cause of death among Americans, occurring most often in people who smoke or who have a history of smoking. Typically, COPD develops over time as tobacco smoke and chemicals slowly damage lung tissues, changing the way...
Asthma is a common respiratory condition with a long recorded history. Today, it’s estimated that about 25 million people in the US are living with asthma, and the symptoms can be dire, if the condition isn’t properly managed. Part of proper asthma management is making sure that you have a...
The perception of cannabis use has shifted dramatically over the last decade. From the vice of social outcasts to a treatment for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, the use of cannabis has also changed, too. Cannabis is a plant that has been around and in use for various purposes for centuries,...
Cigarette manufacturers have been under fire for decades as they promote dangerous products that pose serious health risks. When vapes and e-cigarettes came along, many believed that these devices would provide a safer alternative, which has been anything but true. In fact, there’s a name for the damage these products...