On summer nights, when the air settles soft over the hills, and the porch boards hold the day’s last warmth, I watch the lightning bugs rise. They drift up from the grass like sparks shaken loose from the earth, each one carrying its own small lantern. People talk about their…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with various supplements. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Up here in the hills of West Virginia, we’ve always believed in taking care of what you’ve got, because getting more…

Many of us fall into a quiet trap as we get older. A new ache will show up or a task will become harder than it used to be and we’ll shrug it off with a familiar “Well, I’m just getting older.” But aging is not a diagnosis, and…

When levels of black carbon, or soot, in the air are high, walking outside can worsen cough and increase mucus production in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new study shows. The researchers note that their findings do not change existing recommendations that people with COPD should…

I’ve learned that fear doesn’t always come from something that’s in front of us. Sometimes it rises from a much older place, a place the body remembers even when the mind has moved on. I can see this clearly now that I live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),…