New software using cell phones may allow doctors to analyze coughs and diagnose respiratory illness, including pneumonia.

“A cough is one of the most common symptoms of illness and a common mode of disease spread,” says researcher Suzanne Smith, PhD, of STAR Analytical Services. “Yet we don’t use technology in any way to measure or understand what coughs mean.”

The program is designed to distinguish different coughs using acoustic vocalization analysis, a way to distinguish different audio tones. Researchers hypothesize that the sound of coughing varies by illness, and that these subtle differences may be enough to determine which illness a patient has.

If this is true, it could mean greater accessibility to medical services for individuals who live far from a doctor. An early diagnosis would also help determine what treatments are necessary and ensure that patients receive the proper medications they need to recover.

Efforts are currently focused on pneumonia,  a disease that kills 1.8 million children every year. Most of them live in developing countries. Software capabilities, if initially successful, are likely to grow. Cell phones could potentially be used to diagnose everything from the common cold to influenza.

The project is in its beginning stages, but the possibility of such a program could save millions of lives, not to mention billions of dollars in health care costs.

Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Global Health Program says that this is the exact sort of thinking it will take to tackle the world’s health challenges.

"I'm excited about their ideas and look forward to seeing some of these exploratory projects turn into life-saving breakthroughs," he says.

Your showerhead may be home to some very dangerous bacteria. A new study from the University of Colorado at Boulder may have you cringing rather than singing in the shower. People with compromised immune systems may want to take a bath.

Researchers studying the microbiology of water systems at 45 sites in seven different states across the U.S. found unusually high levels of bacteria in showerheads—almost 100 times more than any other place in the home. Although bacteria levels were high in all showerheads, some sample sites in the New York City and Denver areas had large amounts of Mycobacterium avium, a relative of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosy.

“If you’re getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on, that means you are probably getting a particularly high load of Mycobacterium avium,” says study author Norman Pace, professor of biology at the University of Colorado.

Mycobacteria are found in soil, water, and decaying matter. Certain Mycobacteria, such as Mycobactrium avium, can cause digestive, lymphatic, and pulmonary infections. In the shower, these bacteria are delivered as aerosols. Particles are small enough to get into the lungs, and when inhaled or swallowed, can lead to a host of pulmonary problems.

The study, part of a bigger study that began as a class project, used DNA barcode testing to extract rRNA (bacterial DNA) from different parts of the shower and showerhead. Researchers sampled water flowing from the showerhead and obtained swab samples from the inside of the showerhead. Finally, samples were collected from water flowing out of the pipe after the showerhead was removed.

Homes with well water systems did not have Mycobacteria in their showerheads, a factor authors believe may be due to Mycobacteria’s chlorine resistance. Although they suggest that bathing may be safer, researchers assure that it’s not dangerous to shower.

“We did see some organisms that might be of concern if you have immune issues (such as) cystic fibrosis, AIDS, recent organ transplant, substance abuse, or are pregnant or otherwise immune compromised,” the authors wrote.

Click for more information on pulmonary disease.

New laws in Louisiana, Connecticut, Georgia and Pennsylvania give students the right to carry and self-administer their own medications, including an asthma inhaler.
At this back-to-school time, find out how to tell if your child with asthma is ready to carry and use an inhaler on his or her own. Age and grade-level matter less than individual readiness, according to the Allergy&Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA).

Parent/Child Asthma Inhaler Quiz
See how your answers to the following questions match up with your child’s answers. These are the best clues to determining your child’s readiness to self-manage asthma symptoms at school:

1. Does your child use an inhaler (preferably with a holding chamber) correctly at home? 

2. Does she know the name of her medication and when to use it? 

3. Does he stay calm when having asthma symptoms? 

4. Does she tell you when she is having symptoms or when she has used the inhaler? 

5. Does he use a peak flow meter? 

6. Does your child carry the inhaler at all times? 

7. Does he understand that the inhaler is not a toy and should not be shared with friends? 


If you and your child answer “Yes” to most of these questions, you have a child ready to learn about and take responsibility for his or her inhaler.
 
Asthma self-management begins at home. Parental instruction should be backed up by plenty of low-pressure practice. At school, teachers should be aware of the condition and supportive of the process.
Students who self-manage symptoms must be willing to notify teachers, the school nurse or designated administrator when they need to use their inhalers to treat symptom. They must be willing to tell their parents about all medication use or symptoms experienced while away from home.

Back-to-School Asthma To-Do List for Parents
Ensure that backup medication is available in the school clinic should the child become separated from his medication at any time.
Complete required forms and keep them updated during the school year if contact information or emergency treatment plans change.
 

Not yet time for self-use of an inhaler? School personnel will need to ensure that the student’s medication travels with him from one classroom to the next to prevent treatment delays in times of need. Your child’s allergy or asthma management plan should specify this.
• For answers to common asthma questions, check the Healia Health Guide to Asthma.
• Test your knowledge of asthma—take this informative asthma quiz.
• Student-athletes with asthma and allergies can thrive on the playing field as long as they’re careful and follow these tips.

A little bee venom may be a good thing. Some people are so allergic to bee stings and other insect bites that they are in danger of potentially lethal anaphylactic shock. Such shock can be fatal if obstruction of the airway occurs, blood pressure drops, or heart rate or heart rhythms are interrupted. One method of treatment involves injecting small, periodic doses of venom from bees and other stinging insects to help the patient build up immunity. Venom therapy was developed in the 1970s at Johns Hopkins.

In a recent study by Johns Hopkins and published in the June 2009 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the same venom shots can help treat non-fatal but serious allergic reactions to insect stings. While not dangerous, large local allergic reactions can be painful and inconvenient. People who have jobs or hobbies such as landscaping, gardening and golfing are likely to be adversely affected by painful reactions that may cause severe swelling that lasts for days. Until now, if the reaction was not life-threatening, they were typically denied venom therapy.

“We just didn’t know if venom therapy would work or cause problems for these patients,” says David Golden, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
To find out, he and his colleagues recruited volunteers who were subject to unavoidable frequent stings owing to outdoor jobs or hobbies. From that group, Golden selected those whose reactions were marked by extremely large swellings of at least 16 cm—about the size of a football.

Golden’s team subjected the subjects to an initial sting to rigorously measure their response, then separated them into two groups: 19 who would get venom shots once a week for seven to 11 weeks over a summer, and 10 who would get no shots. While the control group members’ responses to stings stayed the same, those in the treatment group showed 50 percent less swelling on average.

After the first summer, both groups received venom therapy for up to four years. Following two or more years of treatment, both groups had swellings about 60 percent smaller on average than initial measurements, though the response to treatment varied.

Golden and his team plan to investigate why some patients experienced almost complete elimination of their allergic reaction whiler others still experienced moderate swelling. Click to read more about the study.

Post your questions about allergies and chat with other allergy sufferers at Healia Allergy Online Health Community and Support Group.

If pollen and other outdoor allergens—rather than stinging insects—cause your allergic reactions, find out more about how to treat them in the Healia Outdoor Allergies Guide.

Every year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) evaluates conditions in the 100 largest cities in America and ranks them based on the quality of life in each city for people living with asthma. Researchers at AAFA review 12 factors that impact the quality of life for people with asthma, including: the estimated prevalence of adult and pediatric asthma; the crude death rate for asthma; risk factors, such as air pollution, pollen counts and public smoking; and medical factors, such as the number of asthma medications used per patient and the number of asthma specialists in the area. Below is a list of the cities that rank best in quality of life for people with asthma in 2009.

This year’s top 10 best cities in the U.S. to live in if you have asthma are:

1. Cape Coral, FL
2. Seattle, WA
3. Minneapolis, MN
4. Colorado Springs, CO
5. Portland, OR
6. Palm Bay, FL
7. Daytona Beach, FL
8. San Francisco, CA
9. Portland, ME
10. Boise City, ID

No matter where you live, having uncontrolled asthma significantly impact your life and lead to missed school or work, emergency room visits, hospitalization, and even death. If your asthma is poorly controlled, talk to your doctor about making changes to your asthma action plan include adjustments in your current asthma prevention medications. Not sure if your asthma is well controlled? Take the Asthma Quiz Challenge and find out how much you know about uncontrolled asthma symptoms. Learn more by reading the Healia Health Guide to Uncontrolled Asthma.

<sub>Source: Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, Asthma Capitals 2009, Jan 2009. http://www.aafa.org/pdfs/2009ACPublicList.PDF 

Photo: pink_Fish13, Flickr, Creative Commons</sub>

For the past six years, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has evaluated conditions in the 100 largest cities in America and ranked them based on the quality of life each affords for people with asthma. Researchers at AAFA review 12 factors that impact the quality of life for people with asthma, including: the crude death rate for asthma; the estimated prevalence of adult and pediatric asthma; risk factors, such as air pollution, pollen counts and public smoking; and medical factors, such as the number of asthma medications used per patient and the number of asthma specialists in the area. Below is a list of the cities that rank worst in quality of life for people with asthma in 2009.

This year’s top 10 worst cities in the U.S. to live in if you have asthma are:

1. St. Louis, MO. This Midwest city tops the list this year after coming in ninth last year, due to a variety of factors, including poor air quality and a rise in the percentage of uninsured residents.
   
   
2. Milwaukee, WI. Climbing up one spot from last year, Milwaukee has rates of self-reported asthma and estimated asthma prevalence that are higher than average, poor air quality, and only below average use of asthma control medications.
   
   
3. Birmingham, AL. Jumping all the way up from number 13 on the list last year, Birmingham saw an increase in estimated asthma prevalence and ranks poorly in air quality and public smoke free laws. In fact, all of the cities that make the top 10 lack public smoking bans.
   
   
4. Chattanooga, TN. Rising twelve spots from last year, this Appalachian city saw an increase in the crude asthma death rate and a decline in the use of rescue medications from last year. Chattanooga also ranks below average in air quality.
   
   
5. Charlotte, NC. While this Southern city has an above average rate of estimated asthma prevalence, Charlotte saw a jump in its annual pollen score, which accounts for its rise from last years position in the number seven spot.
   
   
6. Memphis, TN. A small bright spot on the list, Memphis improved in self-reported asthma incidence, annual pollen score, and uninsured rate from last year, causing it to drop one spot from last year’s list. High crude death rates from asthma and poor air quality still negatively impact people living with asthma in Memphis.
   
   
7. Knoxville, TN. Home to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville improved its ranking considerably over last year when it held the top spot. Knoxville improved because both the estimated and self-reported prevalence of asthma decreased, and reported pollen levels were lower than the national average. However, poor air quality and low adherence to asthma medications keep Knoxville in the top 10.
   
   
8. McAllen, TX. Perhaps not a household name, this border town near Brownsville jumps all the way up from number 26 last year. While the air quality ranking actually improved from last year, increases in the estimated and self-reported asthma prevalence and the annual pollen score are responsible for the precipitous rise.
   
   
9. Atlanta, GA. The "Jewel of the South" improved its ranking from last year, moving down from the number four spot thanks to improvements in crude asthma death rate, poverty rate, rate of uninsured people, and use of quick-relief asthma medications. Below average air quality and low numbers of asthma specialists are still a problem in Atlanta.
   
   
10. Little Rock, AK. Rounding out the top 10, Little Rock rose 12 spots from last year to just make the list. Increases in the annual pollen score, air pollution levels, and self-reported asthma rates offset a nice improvement in crude asthma death rate.

No matter where you live, having asthma that is uncontrolled can significantly impact your life and lead to missed school or work, emergency room visits, hospitalization, and even death. If your asthma is poorly controlled, talk to your doctor about making changes to your asthma action plan include adjustments in your current asthma prevention medications. Not sure if your asthma is well controlled? Take the Asthma Quiz Challenge and find out how much you know about uncontrolled asthma symptoms. Learn more by reading the Healia Health Guide to Uncontrolled Asthma.

_{Source: Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, Asthma Capitals 2009, Jan 2009. http://www.aafa.org/pdfs/2009ACPublicList.PDF}

_{Photo: IllinoisHorseSoldier, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The State of the Air report is an annual publication of the American Lung Association (ALA) that ranks cities and counties based on their levels of air pollution. The following is a list of the cleanest cities for air pollution from that report, based on the annual PM2.5 concentration, a measure of the yearly concentration of particles in the air that are less than 2.5 micrometers in size (PM2.5), which are thought to be the most harmful to human health. The ALA used the Environmental Protection Agency’s database to obtain the data, calculated the concentration of a pollutant, and ranked cities based on the EPA’s determination of the number of days that violated the national ambient air quality standard for annual PM2.5 of 15 µg/m³. The list below represents the cities with the best annual PM2.5 measures over the years 2004-2006 followed in parentheses by the total population that inhabits each area. Note that mostly small and medium-sized cities make the list.

The top 10 cities with the cleanest air in the U.S. are:

1. Cheyenne, WY (85,384)
2. Santa Fe-Espanola, NM (183,356)
3. Honolulu, HI (909,863)
4. Great Falls, MT (79,385)
5. Farmington, NM 126,473
6. Tucson, AZ (946,362)
7. Bismarck, ND (101,138)
8. Flagstaff, AZ 124,953
9. Anchorage, AK (359,180)
10. Salinas, CA (410,206)

To find out more about diseases caused by air pollution, join the Healia Health Community for Lung Diseases or the Healia Health Community for Heart Diseases.

Related blog posts: Study Finds Cleaner Air Lengthens American Lives by Nearly Five Months

        The Top 10 Most Polluted Cities in America

_{Source: American Lung Association, State of the Air 2008, Table 2. http://www.stateoftheair.org/2008/key-findings/SOTA08_Table2.pdf}

_{Photo: Reba Rear, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The American Lung Association (ALA) recently released its annual State of the Air report for 2008, which ranks cities and counties based on their levels of air pollution. The following is a list of the worst cities for air pollution based on the 24-hour PM2.5 concentration. This measure is the maximum daily value of the concentration of particles in the air that are less than 2.5 micrometers in size (PM2.5), which are thought to be the most harmful to human health. The ALA used the Environmental Protection Agency’s database to obtain the data and ranked cities based on the number of days that the 24-hour PM2.5 was rated in the categories unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous. The list below represents the cities (and surrounding areas) with the worst 24-hour PM2.5 measures over the years 2004-2006 followed in parentheses by the total population that inhabits each area. Note that cities both small and large make the list.

The top 10 most polluted cities in the U.S. are:

1. Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA (2,462,571)
2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA (17,775,984)
3. Fresno-Madera, CA (1,038,101)
4. Bakersfield, CA (780,117)
5. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL (1,180,206)
6. Logan, UT-ID (111,156)
7. Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT (1,632,814)
8. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV (2,373,596)
9. Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI (5,410,014)
10. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA (8,211,213)

To find out more about diseases caused by air pollution, join the Healia Health Community for Lung Diseases or the Healia Health Community for Heart Diseases.

Related blog post: Study Finds Cleaner Air Lengthens American Lives by Nearly Five Months

 

_{Source: American Lung Association, State of the Air 2008, Table 2. http://www.stateoftheair.org/2008/key-findings/SOTA08_Table2.pdf}

_{Photo: saeru, Flickr, Creative Commons}

 

A study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that cleaner air is responsible for lengthening the lives of the average American by nearly five months. The researchers report that improvements made in air quality over the past two decades have added 21 weeks to the life expectancy of the average American. It’s the first study to clearly demonstrate that reducing air pollution leads to longer lives.

Overall, the average life expectancy of Americans has risen 2.72 years since the early 1980s, in part because of reduced smoking rates and improved socioeconomic conditions. But the researchers found that 15 percent of that increase in longevity, about 21 weeks, is attributable to reductions in air pollution. Other studied indicate that this increase in longevity is likely due to declines in heart and lung diseases that are associated with air pollution.

The study looked at data on particulate pollution levels and life expectancies from 51 metropolitan areas across the nation during the 1980s and 1990s. On average, particulate levels fell from 21 micrograms per cubic meter of air to 14 micrograms per cubic meter in the cities studied, while the life expectancy increased by nearly three years.

What’s more, the communities that saw larger decreases in particulate levels also showed greater increases in life expectancy. In fact, the researchers found a reliable relationship between the two factors: for every reduction of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of particulate pollution in a city, its residents' average life expectancy increased by more than seven months. Thus, in Pittsburgh and Buffalo where the decrease was close to 14 micrograms per cubic meter, the life expectancy increased by nearly 10 months.

In 1970, the U.S. instituted the Clean Air Act, which gave the federal government power to institute national standards for air pollution. The law led to the development of catalytic converters on vehicles and new standards for factory emissions. While all of this came at great cost, researchers say that findings such as those released today make it all worthwhile.

Even better news is that data from the Environmental Protection Agency show that particulate levels have dropped another 11 percent nationally since 2001, the final year of data that was included in the study.

For more information on lung diseases related to air pollution, join the Healia Health Community for Lung Diseases. To find out more about heart disease, consult the Healia Health Guide on Heart Disease.

 

 

_{Photp: pfala, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The number one New Year’s resolution in America is to quit smoking and stay quit for the long term. Unfortunately, many people end up making this resolution year after year without success. The following are tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that can help you quit smoking successfully and for the long term. If you take them to heart, next year you may be resolving to clean out the garage or give more to charity – and you will be a lot healthier doing it.

1. Set a quit date. Many smokers say they would like to quit smoking, but never seem to get around to doing it. There always seems to be some impending stressful situation that makes people put it off. The best way to quit is to set a concrete date and stick to it.


2. Write down why you want to quit. For example, many people quit to improve their health, protect their family from secondhand smoke, increase their activity level, or to take more control over their life. Write down ALL the reasons that apply to you so you will have a list to consult during times when you are craving a cigarette. Motivation is critical to quitting successfully: the people most likely to quit for good are smokers who survive a heart attack.


3. Know that quitting is hard. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and stopping its use can lead to symptoms of withdrawal that include irritability and intense cravings. No matter how you choose to quit, it will be hard, but if you prepare yourself for this fact, you will be more able to deal with the symptoms of withdrawal that can occur. Give yourself a month to get over these feelings. Take quitting one day at a time, even one minute at a time—whatever you need to succeed.


4. Avoid triggers. Researchers are finding that a lot of the issues people have with addiction involve behavioral aspects: what you do, where you go, who you are with. For example, say you go outside with co-workers every day at noon to smoke. If you are trying to quit, it is best to avoid such situations that may trigger you to smoke, even though you may not want to miss out on the experience. Do not let people smoke in your home. Avoid going to places you used to go to smoke such as bars, at least until you have gone a month or so without smoking. You should also get rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and at work. Avoid alcohol, especially excessive amounts as this can be a major smoking trigger.


5. Don’t “cut down.” Smoking any number or kind of cigarettes can hurt your health. Attempting to smoke fewer cigarettes without quitting completely rarely results in permanent changes; eventually, you will return to and exceed the amount you used to smoke. Smoking “light” or "low tar" is also ineffective because you will just smoke more cigarettes or puff harder, longer, and more often on each cigarette. The only safe choice is to quit completely.


6. Be in the right half. Half of all adult smokers have quit: that means you can do it too. There are millions of people alive today who have learned to face life without a cigarette. For staying healthy, quitting smoking is the best step you can take.


7. Seek support if you need it. Many groups offer support in the form of written materials, programs, and advice to help smokers quit for good. There are also support groups composed of people who are trying to quit and social networks such as the Healia Health Community for Quitting Smoking where you can find tips and share stories. Ask family, friends, and people you work with for their support while you quit.


8. Take medicine. Especially if you have tried to quit and failed several times in the past, you should consider taking medication to help you quit. Talk to your doctor, nurse, or other health care worker about the available medicines. You can buy nicotine gum, the nicotine patch, or the nicotine lozenge at a drug store. Prescription medications include nicotine nasal spray, nicotine inhalers, and the pills Bupropion SR (Zyban) and Varenicline (Chantix). Most health insurance will pay for these medicines, but even if you have to pay for them yourself, the savings you will gain by not buying cigarettes will more than offset the cost.


9. Stay quit. After you quit, don't smoke – not even one puff every now and then. Don't use other types of tobacco such as snuff or chewing tobacco either. If you do "slip up" and smoke, don't give up. This is a common mistake that people make, thinking that have one cigarette or one pack means they have failed and then they slip right back into their old ways. Instead, continue on with your attempt to quit. Many people find it easier to quit once they have relapsed and gotten past it.


10. Keep a positive attitude. You can do it!

For help quitting, call 1-800-QUIT NOW (784-8669) to be connected to the free quitline in your State. To connect with others making the journey to better health, join the Healia Health Community for Quitting Smoking.


_{Sources: CDC Quit Tips,Feb 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/quit_tips/index.htm; Help for Smokers and Other Tobacco Users. Consumer Guide, May 2008. U.S. Public Health Service. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/tobacco/helpsmokers.htm.}

_{Photo: Qfamily, Flickr, Creative Commons}