Respiratory News A blood test designed to uncover early signs of emphysema before symptoms become apparent could become part of your yearly physical! The test detects early emphysema 95 percent of the time and has the potential to persuade a person to stop smoking before his or her emphysema worsens. Measurements of endothe- lial microparticles,…
Product Corner Keeping It Light! Designed for children with asthma, (but usable by big kids too!), a Digger Dog compressor makes taking your nebulizer treatments a little more fun. It is portable at 3.5 pounds and comes with a dog house tote bag. Available from Briggs Medical Service for $42.79 plus shipping You might prefer…
Are You Communicating with Your Doctor? The March 2011 issue of Consumer Reports has the bold headline, “What Doctors Wish Their Patients Knew”. The article is based on survey results from 660 primary physicians and over 49,000 subscribers to the magazine. You will read many interesting findings. Respect, courtesy and professionalism were very impor- tant…
Traveling News Attend the U.S. COPD Coalition Conference The U.S. COPD Coalition is hosting the second national COPD Conference on December 2 and 3, 2011 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA. The first national COPD Conference, held in 2003, spurred nearly a decade of progress in COPD diagnosis, treatment, research and education efforts.…
Sharing the Health Rada Maples of Springfield, MO, wants to remind our members that have problems with dry mouth to be sure and try Biotene mouthwash. They also have toothpaste, mouth spray, liquid, gum and gel. It is amazing how much it helps! They have a web site, biotene.com, for more information. Gerry C. of…
Fibrosis File New Guidelines The American Thoracic Society (ATS) has issued new official clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and management of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and published this joint statement in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The ATS collaborated with the European Respiratory Society, the Japanese…
Ask Mark John Grub of Enola, PA, asks if Mark has heard complaints about changes made in Foradil Aerolizer blister packaging and wonders if others are having difficulty opening it. The perforations are poor and literally impossible to tear open and remove the covering for each capsule! I feel sorry for those that are afflict-…
Legislative Update In these days of declining reimbursement for homecare companies, many are simply getting out of the business. Air Products and Air Liquide stopped serving oxygen to people in their homes and now we hear that Praxair plans to sell its United States homecare division. As we discussed in our last issue, the…
Calling Dr. Bauer Dear Dr. Bauer, I was diagnosed with moderate COPD six years ago and am currently taking Spiriva, Advair 250/50 and a rescue inhaler. I was told my COPD would never get any worse as long as I didn’t smoke (I quit six years ago) and stayed away from second-hand smoke. Is this…
WE WANT YOU! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to enroll in the COPD Research Registry that was established in 2007 by the COPD Foundation. The Registry is a confiden- tial database of individuals diagnosed with COPD. Once enrolled, you will have the ongoing opportunity to participate directly in clinical trials of new treatments…