Looking Back! Thinking about the incredible advances we have made in living with chronic lung disease, we thought it would be fun to look at past issues to see what the hot topics were at that time. Twenty years ago in our 1996 July/ August issue we were talking about: Lung Volume Reduction…
We Would Like to See More of This Kind of Political Activity! Frank Shields, Vice President of Second Wind Lung Transplant Organization, tells us the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, IL, led a group of three dozen volunteers to the state capitol in Springfield to share their firsthand perspec- tive on lung…
Liquid Oxygen News: Your Voices Are Needed! Bob McCoy of Valley Inspired Products, recently discussed liquid oxygen in the medical journal RT. Liquid oxygen (LOX) availability in the home has been reduced or eliminated by most oxygen suppliers. The cost of the equipment and the trips to refill the LOX base several times a…
Fibrosis File The American Thoracic Society gives us an overview of what pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is all about. Pulmonary fibrosis is a lung condition characterized by extensive scarring of the lung. This usually causes loss of normal lung tissue that leads to shortness of breath and respiratory failure. Pulmonary fibrosis can be triggered…
Calling Dr. Bauer … Recipient Selection for Lung Transplantation Lung transplantation is a treatment option for certain people with advanced lung disease. After other medical therapies have been exhausted, it is time to consider lung transplantation when your life expectancy is predicted to be only one to two years without the transplant, or…
Pulmonary Rehabilitation is the Key! Learning about your lung disease and how to modify your activities of daily liv- ing to reduce shortness of breath are the cornerstones of a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Being able to talk to others who are dealing with the same problems you are is priceless. Pulmonary rehabilitation can…
Respiratory News Time to get in shape! UCLA researchers have found people with cardiovascular dis- ease who have high muscle mass and low fat mass have greater survival rates than those with other body compositions. The findings also suggest that regardless of a person’s level of fat mass, a higher level of muscle mass helps…
Answers to the Nutrition Quiz (by the University of California at Berkley Wellness Center from the March/April issue) Rank the following foods for potassium content from most to Answer: While bananas are an excellent source of potassium, with 420 milligrams, other foods have even more: yogurt, 530 milligrams; orange juice, 500; halibut, 490; broccoli, 460.…
Fibrosis File Information Sources Dr. David Lederer is a pulmonologist from New York City who specializes in the care of people with pulmonary fibrosis and those who have undergone lung transplantation. Dr. Lederer created a blog called “Pulmonary Fibrosis–Clearing the Air,” to help increase awareness about the diagnosis and manage- ment of pulmonary fibrosis. It…
Respiratory News As you know, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Johns Hopkins investigators found a tiny amoeba, Dictyos- telium discoideum (or “Dicty”), to be a great model for human COPD. Dicty possesses genes that offer a protective effect against cigarette smoke extract. We can now begin to understand the mechanism by which…