Warning to Gardeners about Deadly FungusReported June 19, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – A warning is going out to all gardeners after a healthy man dies from inhaling material from dead plants. The 47-year-old man is highlighted in a report from researchers in the United Kingdom. In May 2007, the man was admitted to a hospital for sputum-producing cough, chest … [Read more...]

Vitamin Supplement may Help AsthmaReported December 12, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Asthma patients who don't respond to steroids may have a new option. A recent study from King's College London and Imperial College finds vitamin D3 could significantly improve their response to steroid treatment. The results imply steroid … [Read more...]

Vitamin C in Pregnancy Linked to Asthma and Eczema in Kids Reported January 20, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Total Vitamin C intake during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of eczema and asthma in children by age 2, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Aberdeen in the … [Read more...]

Unique Asthma Strikes ChildrenReported November 10, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research clarifies the link between a certain genetic variant and asthma in children. Although the variant has been known to be associated with asthma in children, the new study shows it to be associated with asthma in children age 4 or younger. The results also show the risk … [Read more...]

Welsh mums-to-be 'more likely to smoke' November 05, 2007 Welsh mums-to-be are more likely to smoke than any of their counterparts in other parts of the UK, it has been revealed. Figures released by Dr Tony Jewell, Wales' chief medical officer, show nearly four in ten pregnant women in Wales smoke at some stage during their pregnancy, with more than one … [Read more...]

C.difficile infections continue to fall Reported January 16, 2009 The NHS is on track to reduce C.difficile infections by 30 percent by 2010-11 according to the latest statistics from the Health Protection Agency (HPA). There were 8,947 C.difficile infections in in England between July and September 2008. This represents a 33 percent … [Read more...]

Apple-shaped women's asthma risk   Reported September 01, 2009 Being overweight is well known to raise the risk of asthma. But the latest study suggests that the amount of weight women carry around the abdomen might be particularly important. The study, by the Northern California Cancer Center at Berkeley, appears in the journal Thorax. The … [Read more...]

Many Smokers Don't Tell Docs About Their HabitReported April 02, 2009 THURSDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of smokers aren't fretting over their personal health, and almost a quarter of those who have health-care providers haven't discussed their tobacco use with that person, a new online survey shows. The survey of more than 1,000 adult smokers, … [Read more...]

Tobacco Smoke Causes Breathing Problems in Healthy Adults Reported November 16, 2006 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- There is more proof that second-hand smoke can make non-smokers sick. Over 11 years, researchers in Switzerland studied 1,661 people who had never smoked. They report inhaling environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) can cause … [Read more...]

Combined Therapy for Treating Asthma Reported July 20, 2006 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A combination therapy may be necessary to treat asthma. New research from Stockholm, Sweden, reveals asthma patients may need both inhaled corticosteroids and antileukotriene drugs. … [Read more...]

Sweating Out AsthmaReported September 09, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- People who suffer from exercise-induced asthma (EIA) may benefit from strategies to increase their production of sweat and other bodily fluids. That’s the key finding from University of Michigan investigators who measured fluid secretion rates in 56 athletes suspected of having EIA. All … [Read more...]

Smokers die sooner, live with more disease   Reported May 26, 2009 STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 11 (UPI) -- A 30-year study of 54,000 men and women in Norway found smoking had a tremendous impact on mortality and cardiovascular disease. Haakon Meyer of the University of Oslo and Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the … [Read more...]

HIV infections on the rise in Sweden   Reported January 03, 2008 A record number of Swedes were infected with HIV in 2007. Stockholm’s intravenous drug users suffered a major outbreak which added to the high infection statistics. The virus strain is new and appears to have come from Finland. Through the middle of … [Read more...]

Does Smokeless Tobacco Help Smokers Quit Cigarettes?   Reported January 26, 2009 Some smokers say they just can’t quit cigarettes. But previous studies of smokers in Sweden have suggested that many have done just that, by switching to smokeless tobacco. While not without health risks, smokeless tobacco is less harmful than … [Read more...]

Study: Less Education, More Asthma Symptoms Reported December 30, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Individuals with more education suffer less from asthma, and having fewer than 12 years of formal schooling is associated with worse asthma symptoms. Drs. Kim Lavoie and Simon Bacon from the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Canada, and colleagues studied … [Read more...]

Stubborn Cough Fades With Morphine Reported February 19, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- What do you do for a never-ending cough? New research reveals it may take morphine to quiet the rattle and give those lungs a break. Researchers from the University of Hull and Castle Hill Hospital in East Yorkshire, England, studied 27 … [Read more...]

Stopping Peanut AllergiesReported March 20, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Doctors may have found a cure for dangerous peanut allergies. Childhood allergies to peanuts have become widespread in recent years, causing potentially life-threatening reactions when exposed, even in trace amounts, to peanuts. Now, in a groundbreaking study, doctors found exposing … [Read more...]

Study: Stop Smoking Treatments Don’t LastReported July 15, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) There are a variety of treatments available to help people quit smoking, but evidence shows their effects are not long lasting. A team of researchers at McGill University and the University of Montreal tested six products – varenicline, nicotine nasal spray, buprotion … [Read more...]

Spending time Outside may Decrease Asthma SeverityReported April 24, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Vitamin D may now be beneficial for more than simply strengthening bones. A recent study suggests low levels of vitamin D may be connected with a high severity of Asthma. A recent study conducted by Harvard Medical School incorporated 600 Costa Rican children … [Read more...]

New Compound May Prevent Allergies, Study Finds WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new chemical compound, part-cat and part-human, may provide an end to misery-making cat allergies, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday. And they said their approach in creating the compound may work against more dangerous allergies, such as deadly peanut … [Read more...]

Snoring Linked to ChildhoodReported August 26, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Your childhood environment may determine whether you will snore when you are an adult. A new report from Sweden shows childhood risk factors such as having pets, early respiratory or ear infections and growing up in a large family can all play a role on adult snoring. Researchers asked … [Read more...]

Sniffing Out Asthma Reported May 23, 2007 SAN FRANCISCO (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- An "electronic nose" may one day be used to diagnose asthma, say researchers out of the Netherlands and Italy presenting the results from a new study. The device contains chemical vapor sensors that react to volatile organic compounds in a person's exhaled breath that may be used as markers of … [Read more...]

Smoking Vaccine Being DevelopedReported June 18, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) For smokers who are having trouble kicking the habit, science is working to find help. Although it’s still in the very early development stage, research on an antinicotine vaccine is in preliminary trials. The vaccine stimulates the immune system to develop antinicotine antibodies. … [Read more...]

Smoke-Free Laws Keeping Lungs HealthyReported August 04, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A law that prevents smoking in public areas is having a positive impact on public health. Since March 2006, it has been illegal to smoke in any enclosed public place or workplace in Scotland. To see how the law has impacted public health, researchers used information from … [Read more...]

Sleep apnea sufferers may have some more motivation to wear their breathing machines at night … it could improve their golf game. Golfers with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who received nasal positive airway pressure (NPAP) for their disorder lowered their golf handicaps by as much as three strokes. "More so than many sports, golf has a strong intellectual component, with … [Read more...]

Sinus Surgery Worth the EffortReported May 07, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – People who elect to have endoscopic sinus surgery to relieve the pain and suffering associated with chronic rhinosinusitis can rest assured of the results. According to Georgetown University Medical Center researchers who pooled data from 21 previous studies, this type of surgery leads to … [Read more...]

Should Flowers be Banned in Hospitals? Reported December 30, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Does flower water harbor potentially deadly bacteria? Do bedside blooms compete with patients for oxygen? Do bouquets pose a health and safety risk around medical equipment? These are some of the questions posed in U.K. hospital wards – reasons to ban, or at least … [Read more...]

New Approach for Severe Asthma Reported September 19, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Blocking a powerful immune system chemical present in patients with severe asthma improves symptoms and lung function, according to a recent study. Nearly one in every 10 patients with asthma has severe asthma. With the need for progressively higher doses of steroids to control symptoms, the … [Read more...]

Secondhand Smoke Sends Children to HospitalReported May 30, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to be sent to the hospital with more than just respiratory problems. In a recent study researchers assessed the relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and first admission to the hospital. The study was done in … [Read more...]

Removing Tonsils and Adenoids Helps Asthma Reported May 27, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Asthma is the most common cause of hospitalization for children, and now, a new study finds a common surgery may help asthmatic children. The research finds removing tonsils and adenoids leads to improvement of the lower … [Read more...]