Calling Dr. Bauer Sharon from Florida writes she has been told she has atypical TB, would Dr. Bauer explain this? Dr. Bauer replies, Tuberculosis remains a major, worldwide health concern and cases are still seen sporadically in the United States. It is caused by a contagious organism called mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) which is treated…
Respiratory News New COPD treatment guidelines to pre- vent exacerbations have been published in the medical journal CHEST. There were 33 recommendations in total. Besides hav- ing their patients stop smoking and get a pneumonia and annual flu vaccination, the experts encourage: Patients with moderate to severe COPD who have had an exacerbation within the…
Conserve Energy in Activities of Daily Living Sometimes it is good to review basic advice. Scientific American Health After 50 has tips for you to conserve energy. Even though some may be as basic as “Look both ways before you cross the street,” you may find some new hints to make your life a little…
Fibrosis File Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and the two new drugs approved to treat it proved to be hot topics at a recent American Thoracic Society meeting! We learned research has shown: The efficacy and safety of Nintedanib (Ofev) has persisted up to 76 weeks of treatment in a Phase II trial known as There…
The Ryan Report It’s May, and as has been the case for the last five years now, we are providing an up-to-date chart detailing the basic performance characteristics of currently available portable oxygen concentrators (POCs). The purpose of supplying this information is to give those who are looking to rent or buy a POC an…
Hypoxic Drive: Myth, Fact, Fiction or Reality? by John R. Goodman, BS RRT Have you ever been told not to increase your oxygen flow because it is bad for you and will make you stop breathing? This misconception has been passed on for many years and our friend John Goodman, seeks to set the record…
Respiratory News DNA tests on some store-brand herbal supplements showed that nearly four out of five didn’t have the ingredients listed on the labels, and a large number didn’t have a botanical substance of any kind, according to findings from the New York State Attor- ney General’s office. GNC, Target, WalMart and Walgreens were asked…
People with Respiratory Concerns for People with Respiratory Concerns Alaska Inner Passage Cruise 7 DAYS July 11–18, 2015 Explore Alaska’s Inner Passage, round trip from Seattle on our annual vacation to Alaska, aboard Holland America’s Westerdam! See the coastal beauty from Puget Sound to Southeast Alaska, watch massive glaciers calve in Glacier Bay or Tracy…
Another View on Home Radon Dangers by John R. Goodman, BS RRT John Goodman offers a bit of history and a dif ferent opinion about the need for home radon monitoring talked about in our last issue. In 1984, Stanley Watras was a construc- tion engineer at the Limerick Nuclear Plant in Pottstown, PA. As…
Patient Centered Disease Management by Holly Marocchi, RRT In the United States, 23 percent of peo- ple who are hospitalized with a COPD exacerbation are readmitted within 30 days. (An exacerbation – or exasperation as many people like to call it – is a flare up or worsening of your symptoms.) Last October 1, the…