Great News! Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Spiriva® Re spimat® (tiotropium bromide) Inhalation Spray is now available by prescription through retail pharmacies across the United States. The Spiriva® HandiHaler® powder which is the num ber one branded prescrip tion medication for COPD maintenance in the United States, will continue to be available. BI…
Sharing the Health! COPD8 USA was held two years ago in Chicago and proved to be a wonderful mix of health professionals and people with chronic lung disease working together. COPD9 USA will be held at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago on June 5–6. A program on the first day is specifically designed for those…
Keep Secretions Moving Bronchiectasis Basics People with bronchiectasis have a con stant battle with raising secretions. Bron chiectasis (pronounced broncheEKtasis) is a lung condition where the airways be come distorted instead of being straight and smooth. It is very difficult to cough out the mucus. As a result, secretions pool which can often cause bacteria…
It’s with COPD Important to Maintain Weight People with chronic lung disease often find it difficult to eat and as a result will begin to lose weight. The act of breathing will normally use about 100 calories a day. For those with chronic obstructive lung disease, the calorie usage goes up to about 430 to…
Fibrosis File The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org) has an Inter net Patient Support Community called Inspire. It is a great place where people can share helpful tips and their concerns at www.inspire.com. Among the postings: tillI lsove to cook and having just gone through the holidays, I thought I would share a few I have…
Ask Mark … Nina from EFFORTS is wondering why she seems to get another infection as soon as she stops taking antibiotics! Mark explains, We have to consider that recurring infections may not be separate or new infections nor are they likely to be necessarily bacterial in nature. Antibiotics are effective only against bacteria and…
The Ryan Report This issue’s article is going to be a little bit different than the norm. In November 2014, I had the opportunity to visit Tokyo, Japan, on a workrelated trip, and I felt some readers may be interested in the experience. For those that do not know, I work for a small company,…
Calling Dr. Bauer … As we start the new year, I would like to share some of the guidance I give my patients about when to call and what to do in case of an emergency. At the end of every clinic visit, I tell them to call me if they have any new breathing…
Editor’s Note Martha from Virginia recently wrote saying, “I know I should exercise and have made it my number one resolution.” We hope you achieve your goal, Martha! The three things on our goal list are to educate, empower and encourage you to continue to enjoy life despite obstacles that you may have to overcome.…
The Waveform (or the Squiggly Line on Your Pulse Oximeter) If it weren’t for high flying aircraft, the oximeter might have taken many more years to be invented. Credit for the very first oximeter is given to Karl Matthes, a German scientist who was studying the effects of low blood oxygen levels in pilots at…