Sharing the Health!
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declined to approve GlaxoSmithKline’s lung drug, Nucala. The drug would be used as a maintenance treatment for the reduction of exacerbations in those with COPD, but the FDA wanted more documentation.
However, the FDA has approved Teva Pharmaceuticals to market the first generic version of the EpiPen. It will rival the one from Mylan, which had come under intense criticism for raising the price of its EpiPen sixfold since buying it in 2007. The EpiPen is a device for injecting a measured dose of epinephrine by means of autoinjector tech- nology. It is most often used for the treat- ment of anaphylaxis – a medical emergency of acute allergic reaction.
The July/August issue included a Sharing the Health! letter regarding rental cars with- out power outlets for oxygen concentrators. My wife and I ran into a different rental problem with a Chevrolet Impala last year. It had plenty of power outlets, but also was one of the newer “economical” models that shut off the engine at each stop and restarted it quickly when the accelerator was pressed to move on. Problem was that it did not restart power to the outlets without unplugging and re-plugging the connection. We discovered this about an hour or so later when the concentrator, parked in the back seat, went into low battery alarm. A bit disconcerting when in rush hour traffic in a strange city.
Thanks for a great publication! Ray H.
Look Not Upon That Mirror on the Wall
My Mother taught me a valuable lesson, while still quite young.
What matters most to God is not how beautiful you become; but how beautiful, inside, you are.
One focuses on self.
One turns the focus outside oneself.
Others may have seen the smile, given freely, as you entered into a room.
Or a kind word spoken, meant from the heart, and said in truth, without hesitation.
The true person you are is within you. God varies the appearance outside.
To focus on oneself brings much sadness. Others see, not what you see, in that mirror showing only the covering outside.
All those flaws, we all have, seen so prominently to ourselves, not so visible or important when touching other lives.
Your mirror, in life, hangs not on your wall. It lies in the reflection seen through other’s eyes.
Imperfect, as I am, on bended knee, God knows and sees the real, so loved, so imperfect, “Me”!
Trish Barron, The Villages, FL
Are you on continuous flow of 3 LPM or more and having trouble getting porta- ble oxygen that fits your needs? Has your oxygen supplier told you they are unable to deliver you the oxygen equipment that you require? Liquid oxygen unavailable to you? Our friends at the COPD Foundation are collecting documentation from oxygen users to present to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – the group that pays your oxygen suppliers. The more real-life scenarios they hear about, the more they will realize how poor reimbursement to oxygen suppliers negatively impact the estimated 1.5 million oxygen users in the United States.
I usually use a 4-foot cannula but some- times like to use a longer one if I put my portable oxygen down. In order to control the tubing, I use a “Cable Turtle” that I got at the Container Store but I believe you can also order them online. It resembles a yo-yo and comes in many colors. You wind or unwind the tubing around the flexible unit which comes in two capacity sizes – 27 inches for $4.99 and 3 feet for $6.99.
Thought I would share!
Vicky M., Naples, FL
If you are wondering if you qualify for Social Security Income (SSI) for your lung disease you might start at www.disability benefitscenter.org to find basic answers. Social Security Disability is a U.S. govern- ment program that provides financial assis- tance to individuals who are unable to work due to a long-term disability. There are two different programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSDI is for people who have a strong work history and paid into the Social Security System for at least five out of the last ten years, while SSI is meant for disabled people who do not have a consistent work history.
“Disability” is defined as any injury or disease that prevents you from doing the work you did before or from adjusting to any other sort of work. Your disability should be expected to last at least 12 months and prevents you from earning a $1,000 average monthly salary. You can file your initial claim for disability either online, over the phone, or in person at your local Social Security Field Office. Approximately 70 percent of all initial applications are denied. If your claim is denied, you may appeal for reconsideration.
I found a fantastic product that I wanted to let everyone know about. I have been on oxygen for almost 20 years. I had two scary 
situations, once when my tubing pulled away from the tank and once when the tubing got pinched off. I looked on the Internet for “oxygen tubes that won’t pinch or kink” and found Tidy Tube. Tidy Tube tubing is coiled and self-retracting which helps oxygen users from getting tangled up. The 15-foot option is available from www. directhomemedical.com or amazon.com for about $34. I attach the 15-foot length on my home concentrator and a smaller 5-foot one for my portable tank. Tidy Tube cut down on my stress!
Brianna C. of Ithaca, NY, writes, Horehound is an herb used for digestion problems in- cluding loss of 
appetite, indigestion, bloat- ing, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and liver and gallbladder complaints. It is also used for lung and breathing problems including cough, whooping cough, asthma, tuber- culosis, bronchitis and swollen breathing passages. I learned about Horehound candy many years ago in your newsletter and it has helped me calm my cough. You can now get it through the Internet or local stores. If you wanted to order the Horehound herb it- self at Amazon.com, you might make a cup of tea or make the candy yourself. This recipe makes 100 pieces of the candy.
Ingredients:
2 cups horehound leaves (packed) 1-1⁄4 cups water
4 cups dark brown sugar 1⁄4 cup light corn syrup
1. as Whore hound leaves and put in sauce pan Add water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, mashing occasionally with fork. Remove from heat; cover and let cool. (It needs to stand at least 30 minutes to infuse.)
- While infusion is cooling, butter a 9×13 inch
- Drain horehound leaves into measuring cup. (I use a coffee filter to strain it.) Be sure to squeeze all the liquid from the leaves. Make sure you have at least 1 cup of liquid. Discard leaves.
- Pour liquid into a 4-quart saucepan. Add brown sugar and syrup. Bring to a boil and cook to 300 degrees on a candy ther- mometer (hard crack stage).
- Pour into prepared pan and let cool. Just before it sets up, score into squares with a knife to make it easier to break apart. When cool and set, break into pieces and store in airtight
- Note: The infusion (liquid from the leaves) can be frozen to use
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. and HealthPrize Technologies have launched RespiPoints™, a free online program that educates, engages and rewards people who are treating their COPD with Spiriva Respimat. It is the latest in a series of efforts to empower people living with COPD to better manage their health with tools that are engaging and educational.
The RespiPoints program provides tools to help improve healthy behaviors, such as learning how to help manage COPD, encourage healthy habits, and track med- ication adherence. As with other chronic diseases, poor adherence to treatment plans is common among people with COPD and can result in increased rates of COPD symp- toms, health care costs and hospitalizations. People enrolled in the RespiPoints pro- gram earn points, which can be redeemed for e-gift cards, through a variety of ac- tivities, such as reporting they took their daily Spiriva Respimat dose, verifying their monthly refill, reading COPD educational information and fun facts, and completing
weekly quizzes and surveys.
Learn more at www.RespiPoints.com