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…
Raising Global Awareness to Improve Prevention of COPD The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) works with health care professionals and public health officials around the world to raise awareness of COPD and to improve prevention and treatment of this lung disease. Through the development of evidence-based guide- lines for COPD management, and…
Tax Time Rolls Around Again It’s time for our annual income tax article! The Internal Revenue Service lets you deduct medical costs as long as they are more than 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. If you paid for travel oxygen, a portable nebulizer or oximeter, it may be considered a medical expense. Other…
Second COPD Coalition Conference Shows Progress Made Tregistered on ClinicalTrials he recent second U.S. COPD Coalition Confer- ence, held in December, brought together people involved in the treatment, support, personal and legislative aspects of living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It had been eight years since the first meeting. If you check with the www.uscopdcoalition.org…
Traveling News Traveling by Air: Key Travel Tips from Transportation Security Administration (TSA) There are times when TSA will physically inspect a piece of checked luggage. Locks that can be opened by security offi- cers using universal “master” keys are available at airports and travel stores nationwide. Do not pack wrapped gifts or bring wrapped…
Calling Dr. Bauer Dear Dr Bauer, My father’s doctor wants to put a needle through his lung to get fluid out. Could you give me some infor- mation about this procedure and if it is safe and effective? Laura from Florida A pulmonary specialist usually performs this special test. Normally, there is only a small…
Respiratory News Recently, doctors at the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation discovered an early warning system in a protein called PIM-1. Dr. Sébastien Bonnet has established that PIM-1 cells can be used as markers of pulmonary hypertension. Physicians found the greater the PIM-1 levels, the more severe the pulmonary hypertension. With blood tests to…
Cooking with COPD Advance for Respiratory Care and Sleep Medicine brings you Save Your Breath: Cookbook for People with COPD, written by Elizabeth Page, respiratory wellness coordinator for Yavapai Regional Medical Center, Prescott, AZ. For more than 40 years, Elizabeth has cared for patients with respiratory ailments as an RT and asth- ma educator. This…