Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
APRIL HEALTH AWARENESS~ AN INTODUCTION TO OUR TOPIC OF THE MONTH By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT April is an interesting month when it comes to health and wellness. It’s Public Health Awareness Month, but as always, awareness months are always sharing and overlapping. …
Renalaid for Going Beyond Bladder Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Today’s product highlight probably seems out of place in a conversation mostly about respiratory health. However the health of our respiratory tract is inherently linked to another system. That is our immune system. Keeping …
Bronchitis
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Bronchitis is one of those things that you may have heard of but what exactly is it? You’ve probably heard some people say they have acute bronchitis while other people have chronic bronchitis. Is there a difference? What cause’s bronchitis? Is it contagious? These ae just a few of the questions that people call and ask about bronchitis.
What is bronchitis? Basically bronchitis is inflammation of the tubes or airways that go into your lungs. As a result of the inflammation in the airways these passages become irritated and swell. They also became filled with mucus which triggers us to cough. (1) Please see the attached picture to compare normal a lung health vs a lung with bronchitis. (2)
While both acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis are both inflammation in the lungs they are different. Acute bronchitis is associated with a viral infection. It normally goes away in a few weeks even without treatment. Chronic bronchitis is a cough with mucus most days of the month for 3 months of the year. This goes on for at least 2 years. (1) Chronic bronchitis is associated with irritants such as smoke, air pollution and chemical fumes. (3)
What can cause us to develop bronchitis? Well as I’ve said to develop acute bronchitis it is usually triggered by a virus. Common viral triggers include the flu, RSV, adenovirus, and Rhinovirus (common cold). In addition to viral infections certain bacteria can trigger bronchitis. These bacteria typically include Bordetella pertussis, Mycoplasma pneumonia and Chlamydia pneumonia. As I’ve stated chronic bronchitis is associated with pollution and smoking. (1)
Let’s do a quick review of the symptoms most often seen with bronchitis. The most defining characteristic is a cough. You may have a dry cough or a productive cough where you cough up mucus. There may be sinus and/or chest congestion. You may have shortness of breath and wheezing. The cough may trigger chest discomfort. There may be body aches and even chills. Many people experience fatigue. Less commonly experienced is bad breath, coughing up blood, and trouble sleeping. You may notice that you have a lack of physical endurance. (2) Other symptoms can include fever and a runny nose. (1) Now I just wanted to point out that those with acute bronchitis vs chronic are slightly more prone to certain symptoms. I’ve included a comparison chart to help highlight the differences. (2)
| Acute Bronchitis | Chronic Bronchitis |
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What are the risk factors for bronchitis? Anyone can get bronchitis but there are some risk factors that can increase your risk of developing it. Smoking and being around air pollution is one. Having asthma, COPD or other lung disorders, and GERD all increase risk of developing bronchitis. Having an autoimmune disorder also increases your risk. (1)
What are the most common complications associated with bronchitis? You can become vulnerable to other respiratory infections including pneumonia. Chronic bronchitis can strain our heart putting us at risk for heart disease or even worsening the symptoms of the disease. You may also experience bronchorrhea (excess discharge of watery mucus from the lungs). (2)
Now to the interesting question – is bronchitis contagious? NO! However the virus or bacteria that triggered the bronchitis is contagious. So while Bob may cough on you and give you his cold you can’t get his bronchitis. (1)
What can you do to help to strengthen your lungs and help reduce the signs of bronchitis? Well there are a few things that can help!
Sources:
WATER~THE INCREDIBLE LIFE FORCE By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Water is our life force. It is such a necessity but something that very few people seem to get enough of on a daily basis. As I discuss this topic numerous times each day, …
The Greatness of Green Tea!!! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Green tea is everywhere these days! Green tea is found in everything from tea bags to lattes and even ice cream! But as we all know these forms are chock full of sugar and additives …
FATS~THE SKINNY YOU NEED TO KNOW
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
When talking about health, wellness and diet, the subject of fats always seems to scare people. I’ve heard such things as ‘fats are bad’ to ‘I don’t consume any fats because they’ll back me gain weight’. There are so many misconceptions regarding fats out there so let’s explore this dietary group and breakdown the good and bad when it comes to fats.
Let’s start breaking down fats and get more comfortable including them into our diet. Just like anything, there are good and bad fats. It’s the bad fats that we think of when we think that consuming fats will cause weight gain so many tend to gravitate toward a low-fat or even fat-free diet. However, incorporating the right fats, the healthy fats, can have positive effects on our health and well-being.
Healthy fats are helpful for such areas like the skin, joints, heart and circulatory system and even the brain. These are also known as unsaturated fats. According to an article form Harvard Medical School titled ‘Know the Facts About Fats’, these fats have been shown to raise HDL (good cholesterol), reduce inflammation and nourish the brain and may even help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Unhealthy fats are just that…unhealthy and potentially harmful to one’s health. These are the saturated and trans fats. ‘Types of Fats’ from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health advised limiting or greatly reducing the amounts of saturated and trans fats in the diet. This is due to the negative impact they can have on one health. The potential risk factors include, but are not limited to, increased inflammation, increased LDL (bad cholesterol), increased risk of heart disease, stroke and heart attack, and may even contribute to insulin resistance.
Unsaturated Fats are what would be considered healthy fats. In this group you’ll find the good fats that can have a positive impact on one’s health. Some of these include such foods as shellfish, salmon, sardines, seeds, nuts and nut butters. Oils like extra virgin olive oil, grape seed oil and avocado oil. They have medium to high smoke point making them ideal to use when cooking.
Saturated Fats are the unhealthy fats that many people justify as being okay in moderation. These are the fats that most people gravitate to and love. These include cheeses, red meat, poultry (with skin) and even bacon. While these do have health benefits like calcium and protein, the fat content may have negative effects on one’s health and wellness.
Trans Fats are the worst of the fats that are consumed. These are the fats that we should all be most aware of as they are the ones to try to avoid. They can be a serious contributing factor to increasing risk of certain health problems. These can include heart problems and weight gain or obesity. This group is made up of such things like processed meats (think deli meats and hot dogs), many processed and prepackaged foods. Many times you’ll see the term partially hydrogenated oils.
A good way to remember the difference between these three types of fats would be UNSATURATED-FAT is UNFILTERED and CLEAN, SATURATED-FAT is SUFFOCATING and UNHEALTHY, and finally TRANS-FAT is HEAVILY PROCESSED (TRANSformed), UNRECOGNIZABLE and ATTACKING (to the cells).
FISH OIL: This is the most common thing we think of when talking about Omega-3s. Fish oil supplies the EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaeonic Acid) that is essential for numerous areas of the body.
BIOMEGA: This is the same type of omega-3 as above, but this is enteric coated. This coating causes the soft gel to dissolve for absorption in the small intestine instead of the stomach. Many people report that this helps to reduce having the fishy taste repeat on them.
KRILL OIL ADVANCED: This is an easy to take soft gel supplies EPA and DHA but also contains Astaxanthin. This is an antioxidant that is believed to support healthy heart, skim, brain and the immune system. It is also said to have anti-inflammatory properties. It is also advised that if someone is allergic (or sensitive) to seafood and/or shellfish to not consume krill oil supplements.
www.health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-choose-and-use-healthy-cooking-oils
www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/know-the-facts-about-fats
www.uclahealth.org/news/eating-healthy-fats-has-many-benefits
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5577766/
www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/dietary-fats
www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/
www.pharmapproach.com/enteric-coating-2/
www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-astaxanthin
www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1172/krill-oil
