Respiratory News The Aerobika® device, which Monaghan Medical Corporation developed to ease symptoms of COPD, may also be effective in people with bronchiectasis, according to a study in the journal Academic Radiology. The device eases symptoms associated with excessive mucus in the airways. It opens up the lungs and creates vibrations in the chest, helping…
Overlap Syndrome: 1 + 1 = 3 by John R. Goodman, BS RRT FAARC The term Overlap Syndrome refers to diseases that overlap one another so that the combined effect of these conditions is worse than either one alone. There are many examples of this, especially in autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and lupus. Chronic…
Trivia quiz about Lincoln Some historians consider Abraham Lincoln the greatest U.S. president ever. He is honored on Mount Rushmore, the Lincoln Memorial, the penny and the five dollar bill. See if you can answer this trivia quiz about Lincoln. What site might Lincoln aficionados visit in Lexington, KY?: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic…
Maximize Your Meds! by Larry Ahlman Following a nasty bout with pneumonia, the doctor gave me the bad news: my COPD had entered Stage 4. On a brighter note, he seemed surprised that I was bouncing around like a spry 70 year old. Most of his patients with readings as low as mine were in…
Let Your Voice Be Heard! New York’s Attorney General, Eric eSrchneid man, has launched an antitrust investigation into the maker of the EpiPen®, a life-saving drug for people with severe allergic reactions. Mylan Pharmaceuticals had raised the price of the EpiPen by more than 400 percent. Mylan responded with its EpiPen- 4Schools program providing free…
Sharing the Health! Our friend, oxygen user Nancy Pearsall, offers her BreathWarmers to protect your airways against the cold this winter. Visit www.breathwarmers. com to pick your color and order, or call (810) 653-8006. They are also available at www.amazon.com. Cost is $16.99 plus $2.95 for shipping. Donna P. of Bethesda, MD, has two web…
Get Up and Get Going! Australian researchers found physical ac- tivity undertaken in small intervals spaced throughout the day can safely and markedly improve the health of people with COPD. The study established that 150 minutes of exercise per week is most effective in reduc- ing cardiovascular and metabolic disease. It can greatly improve the…
Set Your Goals and Make It a Great Year! If you haven’t thought about goals to accomplish in 2017, we have a few sugges- tions to make it a great year! In case you hadn’t heard smoking cigarettes causes lung disease, please stop. No excuses, just Review all the medications your phy- sicians have ordered…
The Ryan Report Home Oxygen Guru – The HO2G Pen Welcome to 2017! I hope the holidays treated you all well. This issue we will touch on a couple products I’ve been asked about recently, one new and one old: the new Inogen® One G4 portable concentrator and the old- but-still-available Oxymizer cannula. Let’s start…
Nutrition News A recent study in the journal Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry suggests that supplementing nitrate in the diets of those with COPD may increase their exercise capacity while reducing blood pressure. Beets are rich in the natural chemicals called nitrates. Through a chain reaction, your body changes nitrates into nitric oxide, which helps…