Dentists advise toothbrushing twice a day to reduce the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Those are good enough reasons for practicing good oral hygiene. But it turns out toothbrushing may cut down on at least one serious respiratory disease…

The flu may be the furthest thing from your mind this summer. But Australia is having an intense flu season right now, an indication we may too. If you’ve got 10 minutes a day, you can start doing something now that could keep a bout of flu or pneumonia from turning fatal.

Properly cleaning dentures is important, and not just for a fresh mouth. Like teeth, they collect bacterial plaque and may cause fungal infections. Worse, they build up a sticky biofilm that acts like a magnet for some very dangerous bacteria, in and out of your mouth, that you can breath into your lungs…

Pneumonia is a dangerous condition for older adults. They’re nearly five times more likely to be hospitalized with it and half won’t come out alive. New research has revealed a surprising insight as to why: It has as much to do with the gut as it does with the lungs…

Winter is here, and you know what that means: Your chances of getting sick and ending up with pneumonia are higher than at any other time of the year. And if you still haven’t gotten the message about the harms of a couch potato lifestyle, you’re missing out on the easiest intervention that works across all age groups.

If you already have risk factors for heart disease, including hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes, a case of pneumonia will increase the stress on your heart even further and can lead to some serious heart health complications. But if your doctor gives you the go-ahead, you can start working to prevent that possibility now…