While we wrestle with air pollutants, some experts are faulting American's fetish with cleanliness. Breakthroughs with treatments have made the fight for breath an easier one with understanding of particularly damaging allergens and hereditary backgrounds. Research has found a new type of corticosteroid inhaler that can reach even the smallest airway blockages. At A Time is lead Sally Wenzel, MD, Pulmonary Division, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, and Rob Lemanske, MD, professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Wisconsin Hospital. The Cutting Edge Medical Report, and is made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from 3M Pharmaceuticals and The National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado.
Many people consider arthritis to be a condition that strikes only the elderly.
But there is a debilitating form of this condition that can afflict people much earlier in life. And it's estimated that nearly 100,000 children suffer from a juvenile form of the disease. While the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known, it is known to be an autoimmune illness. The body's natural immune system does not operate as it should and instead attacks healthy joint tissue, causing inflammation. If left untreated, it can cause permanent joint damage.