On Call With Dr. Steve:

7:00am:
Are you feeling stressed? Well if you are a new poll finds you're not alone. According to the survey as many as a third of Americans say they feel stressed and half feel like it's gotten worse over the past 5 years... And it's ruining their personal lives. Those of us who live on the east coast feel especially stressed out. The cause? Money.. And work. Roughly half of those surveyed were stressed about heavy work loads.. Long hours at the office.. Low pay.. And lack of job opportunities.

All this stress must be taking a toll on our bodies, and it is. In fact, 77% of Americans say they suffer physically from stress and nearly half are losing sleep over it. 48 percent lay awake at night losing an average of 21 hours of sleep per month. We know stress is bad for your heart.. But other physical symptoms include headaches, upset stomach. Muscle tension and feeling like you could cry. Interestingly.. Most Americans in the surveyed claim they manage their stress well. But their behavior proved otherwise. Many people overeat, drink too much... Or take prescription medication to manage their stress.
We know that drinking in moderation is good for your heart. But now it can help your lungs too. That's right, but here again, moderation is key. A new study finds that when it comes to lung health. A couple of drinks a day may not be a bad thing. Even if you're a smoker. The report found that drinking less than two glasses of alcohol a day - of any kind of alcohol - lessened the likelihood of developing obstructive airways diseases like asthma and emphysema. There was even some benefit for people who drank 3 to 5 drinks per day - but more than that - actually had a negative effect.
A lot of people take vitamins. Are they good for your lungs too? A second study gave vitamin a, c and e supplements to smokers and non-smokers for two months. In the end, while none of the smokers were as healthy as the nonsmokers. They did find that vitamin supplements significantly improved lung function in the smokers. While they couldn't identify which one vitamin was responsible.. They believe the antioxidant supplements made a difference. Because when they stopped the vitamins.. The lung function reverted back to it's original state. But critics say they study was very small and more work is needed.

8:00am:
More lessons learned from the 9-11 tragedy on how to manage some of the adverse health effects. Researchers say the use of inhalers after 9-11 might have eased respiratory symptoms in rescue workers.

One week after the terrorist attacks, the office of medical affairs conducted a test with three-thousand firefighters who were involved in the clean-up efforts.

The test required the rescuers to use anti-inflammatory inhalers twice a day for two years. Those who stuck through the study had slightly improved respiratory symptoms.
So did this cure them? Or just treat the symptoms? Clinical tests didn't show a significant difference in lung function or airway reactivity, which suggests that the drug targets the symptoms but not the underlying cause.

In most of the patients, their lung function continued to decline, so it seems that it didn't stop the disease process itself. By the way.. Experts say that if this situation would ever to happen again.. Blocking the airway with a surgical mask or respirator would make a big difference in preventing these particles from getting into the lungs. And even a handkerchief over the mouth and nose can make a difference.

In other news.. Flu season is coming. And now there's a new option for young children. Tell us about that.

That's right, if you're a parent you probably hate taking your kid to the doctor for a flu shot. But now experts say the flu nasal spray vaccine called flu mist can be given to kids as young as two. Previously flu mist was only approved for people ages 5 to 49.. But now the advisory committee on immunization practices is recommending it for children as young as two, which is good news for parents.

Is the flu mist better than the shot? No one is saying it's better. In fact, the agency says the nasal spray should not be given to children with a history of asthma or wheezing. Those kids should get the traditional shot. It's really just an option for children who really dread shots. The flu shot is still recommended for children as young as six months and adults over 50.

Finally, there's new information about daylight saving time. Spring forward. Fall back. We all will be turning our clocks back an hour soon. Now a new study finds that the body's clock never really adjusts to daylight saving time. A recent study by German scientists found that daylight saving time can cause significant disruption to our bodies. While we may change the clock on our nightstands, the body's internal clock follows the sun. It doesn't care what "time" it is.