Your Health

Asthma and pregnancy

If you might become pregnant, make sure your asthma is under control.

Canadian researchers found that women who had an asthma flare-up in the first three months of pregnancy were 48 percent more likely to have a baby with at least one birth defect. The study is in the June issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

If a woman has trouble breathing, she and the fetus have a drop in the level of oxygen in their blood -- a bad thing during this crucial period of fetal development.

Sunburn return

Did those first sunny spring days catch you by surprise? Dab some aloe on your peeling skin and read this refresher course on sunscreen use.

UVA and UVB: UVB rays are more intense in summer, at high altitudes and close to the equator. UVA rays are more constant year-round and penetrate deeper into the skin. Both contribute to burning, premature aging and skin cancer.

Incidental sun exposure: Exposure you get during everyday activities like walking across a parking lot or driving with the window open. You get up to 80 percent of your lifetime exposure this way, so get in the habit of putting on sunscreen every morning.

Broad spectrum protection: Protects against UVB and UVA. Look for ingredients like Helioplex, Avobenzone and Mexoryl SX to screen out UVA rays.

It's still tobacco

Smokers sometimes think using a hookah, or water pipe, is less harmful and less addictive than cigarette smoking.

That's not true, say Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

Hookah smoking produces the same toxins as cigarettes, like tar and carbon monoxide, as well as addictive nicotine. What's more, smokers often take more, larger puffs from water pipes -- often inhaling 100 times more smoke from a water pipe session than from a cigarette.