Excess mucus in the airways or lungs is not healthy, and may be caused by irritants, allergens, infectious agents or certain medical conditions.

Lunges and split squats share similarities that make the two exercises easy to confuse. To understand the differences between them, focus on the muscles they activate and the form considerations of each. The differences may appear subtle, but the exercises differ significantly.

Inflammation of pleurisy is an inflammation of the membrane around the lungs, called the pleura. This membrane is two layers thick and lines the chest cavity, thereby protecting the lungs. In healthy individuals, there is a thick layer of fluid between the two pleura.

Shortness of breath can range from the merely uncomfortable to the potentially dangerous. If you have found yourself gasping for breath after climbing a few flights of stairs, or while carrying heavy packages, you may simply be out of shape.

Air pollution can have both man-made and natural sources. The Eyjafjallajokul volcano in Iceland and Mount St. Helen in Washington illustrate the effect of natural causes of air pollution. However, humans continue to negatively impact their environments and contribute to air pollution.

Pollution is a significant problem facing the environment. As the world's population continues to grow, so does the amount of potentially toxic substances that are released into the ecosystem. Environmental pollutants can be derived from a number of sources.

Alternate nostril breathing is also called "anuloma viloma" or "nadi shodhana" (in Sanskrit, the ancient language of yoga). As the name suggests, this breathing exercise involves alternating which nostril you breathe out of by blocking the opposite nostril.

Lung inflammation can lead to a host of medical conditions. Inflammation happens in the small airways, air sacs and capillaries of your lungs. Symptoms first appear as shortness of breath, fatigue, decreased appetite, weight loss, dry cough, trouble breathing and chest discomfort.

If you've noticed chest congestion and excessive phlegm production after exercise, you're not alone. While fatigue or shortness of breath occur commonly in exercise, it may point to respiratory irritation.

Milia are small, benign whitish bumps that can develop on various body parts in people of all ages. The two main forms of this condition are primary and secondary milia. While primary milia are very common in newborns and appear mostly on their cheeks and noses, secondary milia can affect older children and adults.

Fungal pneumonia is a type of lung infection caused by fungi. Though this condition is uncommon in most people, those with compromised immune systems due to certain types of infection, such as HIV, are at an increased risk of developing fungal pneumonia.

Vehicles crowding roadways, power plants pumping smoke and chemicals from consumer products have many people thinking about air pollution and how it affects the planet. Air pollution is a complicated problem with many causes and effects and few solutions.