We have talked about influenza in the past couple of weeks, but this is also the time of year that we see another serious viral infection.  RSV can cause severe illness and even death in very young children.  Each year in the United States, there are over 57,000 hospitalizations among children less than 5 years…...

This is a question that comes up quite often, especially this time of year.  The answer depends on several factors, including what type of illness you have and what type of exercise you are doing.  Let's talk today about the role that exercise plays in your immune response to illness and whether that can be…...

We all know that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer.  You may not be aware that the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. is exposure to radon.  Radon gas can become trapped in your home and build up to dangerous levels.  In 2005, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a…...

There has been quite a bit of talk recently about how bad sitting is for us.  Some people have even said that too much sitting is just as bad as smoking cigarettes.  I'm not sure if that is true, but it does seem pretty clear that being more active overall is associated with better health. …...

February is Heart Month, so I am trying to use this month to focus on topics that might help raise awareness about our heart health.  One way to understand your risk for a heart attack or stroke is to learn your "heart age."  This is an easy way for us to talk about your risk…...

High blood pressure is a common problem in our country.  Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).  Untreated high blood pressure significantly increases your risk for heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and other serious health problems.  High blood pressure accounts for more deaths…...

It has been a few weeks since we last talked about the coronavirus.  A lot has changed since then, so I thought an update was in order.  To start, they changed the abbreviation that was assigned to the novel coronavirus.  It is now being abbreviated as COVID-19. Even though we have learned quite a bit…...

If you are like most people, you have probably been wondering if there is a way to boost your immune function to protect you against infection.  Unfortunately, there is also plenty of misinformation that can make it challenging to know what to do.  Let's talk about what you can do to strengthen your immune function.…...