Respiratory News It’s been known Vitamin D plays a crucial role in our immune system, but research reveals why lacking the nutrient prevents the body’s soldiers – T cells – from fighting off serious infections. T cells are dormant immune cells until they are activated to detect and kill bacteria and viruses. A new study…
Product Corner There are two new portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) coming on the market from AirSep Corporation, who al- ready supply the LifeStyle, the very first POC and the Freestyle™. The Freestyle™ weighs about 5 pounds and de- livers pulse dose oxygen at a setting of 1, 2 or 3. The Focus™ is smaller at…
Asthma Recommendations Currently, two long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists (LABAs) have FDA marketing approval for the treatment of asthma – salmeterol (the active ingredient in Serevent Diskus and Advair) and formoterol (the active agent in Foradil and Symbicort). Each of these agents works by relaxing smooth muscle in the respiratory tract, allow- ing you to breathe easier…
Traveling News Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC) Recall Greg from Sequal Technologies tells us the company sent out a “Medical Device Correction” letter to dealers who had sold certain Eclipse One portable oxygen concentrators. A connection between the battery and internal circuit board could possibly cause the unit to alarm and shut down. To find out…
Sharing the Health Carol Appleby of Indiana asked for help in our last issue finding a hair permanent that is safe for her. Don- na Wanninger of Carroll, Iowa recommends Lilt foam perms, they have different types, she gets the one for color-treated hair. “I have used them for years and they have no smell.”…
Drive4COPD Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is sponsoring the DRIVE4COPD campaign to raise awareness of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Hollywood, sports and music celebrities will drive 6,000 miles across our country to identify the millions of people with COPD who may not know they have it. (An estimated half of the 24 million people in the…
Portable Oxygen Concentrators: Things to Consider Oxygen patients have long desired a compact, lightweight solution for home oxygen therapy that gives them everything they need in an all-in-one, easily portable system. Recent advancements in several technologies have made it possible for product manufacturers to bring new products to the market with these ideals in mind. Portable Oxygen…
Ask Mark Alice from New York is confused about her hospital rehabilitation exercise program and Medicare reimbursement! Mark says, “Where pulmonary rehabilitation is concerned, every- thing is tied to (1) medical necessity for services rendered, (2) potential for improvement and (3) progress in terms of improvement. If you do not make progress, have plateaued or…
Fibrosis File Pirfenidone Approval News Pirfenidone is a drug that has been developed by InterMune, Inc. to treat patients suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Afflicting up to 200,000 people in the U.S., IPF scars the lungs, causing the tissue to thicken and be less able to move oxygen into the blood. At the end…
CDC Revises Flu Therapy Guidelines The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations on antiviral treatment. The drugs of choice for treatment of 2009 H1N1 influenza and influenza-like illness in both children and adults are the oral drugs, oseltamivir or Tamiflu and zanamivir or Relenza and the intravenous medication, Peramivir, currently being evaluated…